"I called you here to listen to instructions, not to run your mouths!" Mr. Sun’s face darkened. ’Did they really think he couldn’t tell they were pushing their own agendas?’
The store managers shrank back, not daring to speak again.
Mr. Sun played the bad cop, so General Manager Chen played the good cop. "Alright, alright, I can see that Little Qi and the others are just thinking about the stores. After all, their salaries are tied to revenue. As for your opinions, Mr. Sun and I will consider them. You all just focus on completing the tasks Mr. Sun and I have assigned. Let’s all work together to get this done right."
"Yes! We’ll definitely work hard," the store managers said in unison.
With the Commerce Association backing them, the prize pool for the lottery was very generous.
It included not only tangible, material rewards like various appliances and clothes, but also vouchers and gift certificates, offering a chance to splurge for once.
A deluge of flyers was distributed into the hands of the Lower City District residents. For the many lower-class citizens without Light Brains, this was the most effective form of advertising.
Soon, news that several stores were celebrating their anniversary with 50% off all dishes and a chance to enter a lottery after ten visits spread like wildfire.
Unlike Shen Lu’s lottery, their promotion was indiscriminate. It didn’t just circulate among a fanbase; even aimless street punks were handed a flyer.
"Fifty percent off? Doesn’t that mean a rice bowl is only 70 or 80 Star Coins?"
"A lottery? Wow, the prizes are amazing! Even the worst prize, the fifth-place prize, gets you a free meal. As long as it’s not a ’Thanks for playing,’ it’s basically a freebie!"
"That’s such a good deal."
"I’m going to eat there for lunch today!"
"Me too, me too!"
...
Shen Lu was completely unaware of what was happening outside. She and her staff were busy chopping vegetables and cooking, preparing for the lunch rush.
During a break, she sent a message back to Bai Wanwan, confirming she had received the ingredients sent by the Bai Family.
Bai Wanwan: Don’t worry. Before I head back to the Imperial City, the ingredients will definitely be delivered to your shop by eight every morning.
Shen Lu: Thank you. You’ve really solved a huge problem for me.
Flustered by Shen Lu’s praise, Bai Wanwan felt a little giddy and decided not to mention that she was paying for the ingredients out of her own pocket.
’Sigh, she and Shen Lu were such good sisters now. A little money was nothing worth mentioning.’
’Wait, when did she and Shen Lu become good sisters?’
Bai Wanwan was shocked by the realization. ’Weren’t she and Shen Lu always arch-rivals?’
’How did they end up getting along so well?’
The slow-to-realize Bai Wanwan fell into deep thought.
But soon, she tossed the question to the back of her mind.
’Who cares? Anyway, she found the current Shen Lu quite likable. Being friends wasn’t so bad.’
[DING~ Mission issued: Sell 550 Braised Pork sets, 450 Kung Pao Chicken sets, and 100 Fish Head with Chopped Chili sets. Achieve a total revenue of 109,000 Star Coins and maintain a customer satisfaction rating of three stars or higher. Time limit: eight hours.]
The mission arrived right on cue. Shen Lu washed her hands, changed out of her chef’s uniform, and went to the front counter to edit a video.
She was a pro at editing now. A video under two minutes could be finished in less than half an hour, complete with all sorts of transitions, special effects, and subtitles.
After uploading the video, Shen Lu didn’t even have time to check the backend stats. It was almost 11:30, and she had to become a heartless stamping machine again, stamping away at the customers’ cards.
The moment the doors opened, a crowd swarmed in.
Wang Daguo did his best to maintain order, expertly guiding customers to line up to buy their food and then head to the front counter to get their cards stamped after eating.
Today, Shen Lu noticed many customers holding flyers. When they came to her for a stamp, she finally got a clear look at the contents.
’Half price? A lottery?’
’Why does this all look so familiar?’
"Hello, could I take a look at that flyer?" Shen Lu asked.
The customer said, "Oh," and handed the flyer to Shen Lu.
Shen Lu said thank you and quickly scanned it, her delicate eyebrows furrowing.
’I can’t believe they moved so fast. The talks failed yesterday, and today their second wave of attacks against her has already begun.’
’Cutting off her supplies wasn’t enough; now they’re starting a price war to steal her customers.’
’Are they trying to completely crush me?’
Shen Lu sneered inwardly. Remembering the customer in front of her, she immediately schooled her expression and handed the flyer back.
Today, a few fans had bought other people’s cards, combined them with their own visit stamps, and managed to collect ten to come for the lottery.
Unfortunately, these fans had bad luck; not a single one of them won any Li Zexing merchandise.
Shen Lu brought out the consolation prizes for the crestfallen fans. Just as she was about to offer a few words of comfort, she heard a young girl mutter.
"I should’ve just gone to Fragrant Sky. Their store is having a promotion too, their prices are lower than here, and their prizes are better."
Shen Lu: ... ’Seriously, sis? Do you think I’m deaf?’
That killed any desire Shen Lu had to comfort them. She simply took the next customer’s card and continued stamping methodically.
[DING, detected sale of Braised Pork sets 550/550, Kung Pao Chicken sets 450/450. Total revenue has reached 109,000 Star Coins, and customer satisfaction is three stars or higher. Mission complete. Reward: one Lottery Ticket.]
She wasn’t sure if it was because there were fewer customers today or if the mission quota was higher than yesterday’s, but the mission wasn’t completed until after two o’clock.
After selling out all the food, Shen Lu had Wang Daguo close the doors. Song Zhigao and Shu Meng were making the staff meal, while Cai Su supervised Xin Yu and Deng Ying with the cleanup.
Shen Lu felt a tightness in her chest and desperately wanted to vent to someone. She stood up and went upstairs to find Fu Cheng.
"Can’t we all just get along and make our own money in peace?" Shen Lu said, putting her hands on her hips like a little teapot. "First they cut off my supplies, and now not only are they fighting me with a price war, they’re even copying my lottery. Do you have any idea how ridiculous their prizes are?"
The young woman’s cheeks were puffed out in anger. "They’re so good that even I’m tempted! Who could possibly resist that?!"
After the incident with Boss Cao’s street stall, Shen Lu knew that customers had no loyalty. If it were her, she would also choose the place with the best value for the money.
After all, getting by in the Lower City District was hard. That was the reality of the situation.
Most people who came to eat would choose ’getting full’ over ’eating well’. Only people like Boss Zhou, who had a bit of money and sought a little more out of life, were willing to spend extra for a good meal.
But in the Lower City District, most people just wanted to get full!
Seeing her round, puffed-up cheeks, like a white peach with a hint of red, Fu Cheng couldn’t help but let his lips curve into a smile.
The smile was faint, and he hid it in an instant.
’How could he smile when Shen Lu was angry? If she caught him, she would only get angrier, right?’
Fu Cheng’s gaze lowered as he pondered how he could help Shen Lu.
"I’m just so ticked off," Shen Lu said listlessly. "I’m only telling you this because I needed to vent. It was suffocating me. You don’t need to waste any favors calling in connections. I can totally handle the current situation."
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