Chapter Forty-Nine: Wu De’s Idea

“I’m just telling you about this, I didn’t ask you to report them, did I? I don’t want to say more. So, what’s your purpose in coming to see me? Just to give me a simple update?” There was a hint of impatience in Feng Weizhi’s voice.

He knew what was going on, but so what? The restaurant couldn’t reopen now, regardless.

“Mr. Feng, don’t be anxious. I wouldn’t have come without a plan, but I do have a condition: we partner up. Our common enemy is Chen Huajiang. Only by joining forces can we truly bring him down.”

Wu De had indeed come up with a solution to Feng Weizhi’s current predicament before arriving.

“I’ll need to hear your plan first. If it’s workable, I might consider it. If not, forget it.” After so many years in the restaurant business, Feng Weizhi was not a man to be manipulated.

“My method will work, I’m sure of it. The Food and Drug Administration has closed this restaurant, right? So just let it go—don’t bother reopening here. Find another location and open a new restaurant.”

“Move everything out—equipment, furnishings—and lease this place to someone else for whatever they want to use it for. As for what they do, that’s not our concern. We’ll choose a new name and open a new restaurant elsewhere. The Food and Drug Administration can’t claim that just because this restaurant had issues, every other restaurant you open will too, right?”

Surprisingly, Wu De’s proposal was quite viable.

In other words, just close this place down and declare bankruptcy. Take a new name, open a new place elsewhere—same soup, different bowl.

“Will that really work?” Feng Weizhi was still hesitant. He felt as if he was now under the Food and Drug Administration’s microscope; whatever he did, they’d be watching him—unless he left the food industry entirely.

“Why not? Publicly, the restaurant will be under my name; the business license will name me as the legal representative. But you’ll be the largest shareholder—the one who really calls the shots.”

Wu De, determined to deal with Chen Huajiang, had thought of every possible approach.

His main goal was to connect with a big boss like Feng Weizhi, who clearly had deep pockets.

Starting a new restaurant would be easy—no need to buy new equipment, just move everything from the old place.

Feng Weizhi considered it. If they did things this way, there’d be no need to worry about the authorities.

“How much of a stake do you want?” he asked Wu De.

“I only want 20%. And of course, I’ll put up 20% of the investment, though I might not have all the money upfront. I’ll pay my share out of future dividends.”

“If Mr. Feng thinks my idea is worth something but then cuts me out, well, that’ll be a matter of character,” Wu De added, already having thought of his escape route.

If Feng Weizhi was unscrupulous, he could just take the idea and find someone else to do it with. But Feng Weizhi needed someone like Wu De—at least when it came to fighting Chen Huajiang, their interests were aligned.

“You may have forgotten one thing: we share a common enemy. I have to work with you,” Feng Weizhi replied. Wu De was instantly reassured.

“In that case, let’s start scouting locations. Where do you think we should open this restaurant?” Wu De had a place in mind, but given Feng Weizhi’s experience, it was wise to heed his advice.

“There’s a mall near the Hongqi Factory that’s about to become the busiest area in town. Let’s look for a spot near there. You check rental prices in the next couple of days. If everything works out, we’ll move quickly.”

Feng Weizhi didn’t want to drag things out—his restaurant had already been closed for days, and any more delay meant losing everything.

“All right, Mr. Feng. I’ll check it out in the next couple of days. As for staff, you already have plenty, so I won’t worry about that.” Wu De said, preparing to leave.

“What about your small restaurant? Are you giving up on it?” Feng Weizhi was curious.

“It won’t be affected. I have a younger brother running it. I’ll be off now—let’s keep in touch if anything comes up.”

After leaving, Wu De felt quite pleased. Partnering with Feng Weizhi was certainly a stroke of good fortune.

When he returned to his own restaurant, he told Gou Weidong all about it.

But Gou Weidong was visibly displeased. Wu De would have a share in the new business, but it had nothing to do with him.

If Wu De got busy with the new restaurant and neglected this one, what would become of him?

“Talk to Mr. Feng for me. I want to be involved too. You’re not going to leave me stuck here with this little place, are you? If so, I’d rather just sell it off.”

Seeing Gou Weidong’s unhappiness, Wu De figured it wouldn’t be right to leave him behind.

“How about this: I’ll give you 5% of my 20% stake, but you’ll have to invest real money for it. Can you come up with the cash?”

“How much could it be? I can’t even manage 5%? Worst case, I’ll ask my father for help—he’ll support me.”

As they chatted, Old Duan overheard them while chopping vegetables.

They’d brought him in, but now they were planning on leaving.

What was he supposed to do?

Old Duan said nothing. Over the past few days, he’d noticed how well Chen Huajiang’s business was doing. He’d also heard that Chen Huajiang paid higher wages.

He’d been wanting to join Chen Huajiang for some time, but hadn’t found a good excuse.

If Wu De and Gou Weidong really left, he’d finally have a legitimate reason to look for another job.

Wu De and Gou Weidong were the type to act on a whim. Without hesitation, they posted a notice that the restaurant was for sale.

Chen Huajiang happened to see it and asked with a smile, “What’s going on with you two? Giving up already? How are you planning to sell? Maybe I’ll take it over.”

Sensing the mockery in his tone, Wu De retorted loudly, “I just hope you can afford it!”

“Why don’t you tell me the price? Are you selling with all the equipment, or is it just the empty space?”

There was a big difference—if they included the equipment, it could be used right away. If it was just the empty space, it wasn’t worth much.

“Of course it’s with all the equipment. We’re moving on to open a big restaurant. You can stay here at the Hongqi Factory and run your little snack bar,” Wu De replied, his eyes bright with excitement.

Chen Huajiang didn’t quite get what Wu De meant—he couldn’t manage a small restaurant, but wanted to open a big one?

“All right then! Sell it to me. Name your price.”

“Three thousand. If you’re interested, we can sign the contract right away.”