As a Magnate, I Started Checking in at a Convenience Store - Chapter 502:
Chapter 502: I’m an Heartless Boss?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Brother Chao, where are we heading? We’ve been driving for half an hour.” Jiang Li looked curiously at the scenery outside as the car entered a park.
“We’re going to a restaurant recommended by Lao Ma during our noon chat. It’s inside the Xixi National Wetland Park, and they say it’s pretty good.”
“You better not be pulling my leg this time. My stomach is growling, and I’m sure your little sweetheart is starving too,” Jiang Li mumbled while patting her own belly.
As Zhou Chao listened to these words, he felt like she was indirectly talking about him.
Soon, they arrived at a restaurant called “Yinxi.” Maybe it was because they came later in the day, but there were quite a few people dining inside.
As they entered the restaurant, a young greeter approached them.
“Welcome to Yinxi. Do you have a reservation?” he asked.
“Do you mean we can’t eat here without a reservation?” Jiang Li frowned.
“I’m sorry, but we mostly operate on reservations, especially on weekends.”
The greeter’s words were clear: without a reservation, they couldn’t dine here.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li turned to Zhou Chao and said, “Brother Chao, let’s go!”
Zhou Chao smiled slightly, patted Jiang Li’s hand, and said, “It’s okay. Lao Ma has a membership card here, so we don’t need a reservation.”
Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s words, the greeter’s expression tightened. He knew that the restaurant’s membership cards were typically issued to individuals with status and influence in Hangzhou. Could these two young people really have a strong background?
“Sir, if you have a membership card, you don’t need a reservation, but we’ll need to verify it at the front desk.”
Zhou Chao nodded and said, “Lead the way.”
Hearing this, the greeter immediately put on a friendly smile and bowed slightly, saying, “Please follow me.”
Zhou Chao held Jiang Li’s hand and followed the greeter into the restaurant.
“Sister Yang, these two customers claim to have a membership card for our restaurant. I’m taking them to verify it,” the greeter whispered at the front desk.
Sister Yang nodded and stood up, saying, “Sir, do you have the membership card with you? If not, you can provide the reservation phone number. Just mention the first three and last four digits.”
“Wait a moment!”
Zhou Chao took out his phone and checked, muttering, “If I knew it would be this troublesome, I should have asked Lao Ma to give me the card. After all, he doesn’t need it.”
136…0609, does that sound right?” Zhou Chao inquired.
After entering the number, Sister Yang looked at the name on the screen, and her whole demeanor changed. She couldn’t believe her eyes and stammered as she spoke, “What’s your last name?”
“Ma!”
Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s response, Sister Yang felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly turned to the greeter and said, “Take them to the best private room we have!”
The greeter was also momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure. He obediently followed Sister Yang’s instructions and led Zhou Chao and Jiang Li towards a private room. After they left, Sister Yang finally sat down, completely unaware that her legs were trembling involuntarily.
It took a while for Sister Yang to calm herself down. She quickly dialed her boss’s number, uncertain if the way she received the guests had offended the young man.
The call was answered swiftly, and a voice with a hint of magnetism said, “Xiao Yang, what’s the matter?”
“Boss, here’s what happened?” Sister Yang quickly recounted everything that had just occurred, not even hiding Zhou Chao’s reference to Lao Ma.
“I understand. Inform the kitchen to prepare the dishes with the highest standards. If there are any mishaps, let him handle it himself and leave. I’ll come over shortly.”
“Yes, Boss!” After the boss hung up, Sister Yang hurriedly went to the kitchen to give instructions. She felt a sense of relief only after doing so.
Just as she returned to the front desk, the greeter approached her.
“Have you arranged those two VIPs inside?”
“There’s a dedicated team handling them inside. After I took them there, I came back. By the way, Xiao Yang, who are these two? Why do they have our restaurant’s membership card?” The greeter asked curiously.
Did you offend them when you first received them?”
“No, I didn’t. When they arrived, I initially told them they couldn’t dine without a reservation, and they were about to leave. Why do you ask?” The greeter’s face started to tense up too, realizing that the two guests he had received were not ordinary.
“It should be fine, 1 think. It should be fine,” Sister Yang said, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced herself.
“Don’t scare me, Sister Yang. Whose membership cards do they have?” The young greeter swallowed nervously, feeling quite apprehensive now.
Sister Yang took a deep breath, waved her hand, and said, “It’s fine. Go back to your post. Be polite to anyone who comes, regardless of whether they have a reservation or not.”
“Understood, Sister Yang!” The greeter had probably figured it out by now. The identities of these two guests were extraordinary. Without thinking too much about it, he returned to his post.
Inside the private room, Jiang Li was leaning her head on her right hand, attentively watching Zhou Chao make a phone call.
“Yeah, I’ve arrived in Hangzhou. Tonight, you should arrange it. It would be best if you could have a senior executive team come to Hangzhou. Also, make sure to bring the equity agreement. Let this senior executive temporarily take charge of this side. If the discussion goes well, we won’t need anyone else.”
“Boss, are you planning to go there in person?”
“Yeah, I want to see what gives her the courage to refuse reconciliation with
us.”
“Alright, I’ll arrange for someone to fly over tomorrow morning, and they will get in touch with you when they arrive.” There was a knock on the door heard over the phone.
“Ling Chen, are you still working at the company right now?”
Ling Chen replied with a smile, “It’s just some recent matters piling up. There are the foundation’s affairs and headquarters matters, all of which are crucial for our group’s future development. I can’t afford the slightest mistake.”
Zhou Chao remained silent for a moment before saying, “Thank you for your hard work!”
It’s no trouble at all. I’m just reviewing some reports. I’ll leave as soon as 1 finish the tasks you assigned.”
“Okay, then. I’ll hang up now.”
After ending the call, Jiang Li asked curiously, “Is Brother Chen still working overtime?”
“Yes, there have been some important matters in the group recently.” Zhou Chao pinched his brow to relax.
“I think you should find a wife for Brother Chen. Otherwise, it’s a bit worrying for him to be alone at home.”
“I heard from Ling Chen before that he might be in a relationship. I didn’t ask further, and he didn’t bring it up again. When 1 return to Modu, I’ll have a proper chat with him. It’s not feasible for the group’s leader to work overtime every day!”
Zhou Chao was aware that his company was expanding rapidly, and they were still lacking talent in the management positions. Despite ongoing recruitment efforts, they were still short-staffed. After this trip, he planned to discuss the matter with Ling Chen and consider expanding the upper management team.
“You, as the boss, should at least care about your subordinates’ personal lives. Brother Chao, you wouldn’t be a heartless boss, would you?” Jiang Li’s expression was exaggerated as if she had been frightened, and she shifted slightly to the side.
“You’re the heartless boss!!” Zhou Chao replied in a teasing tone. He knew he treated his employees well, so being called a heartless boss was far from the truth.
Just as Jiang Li was about to retaliate, the door of the private room was knocked, and then it was pushed open. Several waiters entered, carrying freshly prepared dishes.
Hey, these dishes are different from what we ordered, and we didn’t order this many. Did you make a mistake?” Jiang Li looked at the ten dishes on the table with confusion.
“There’s no mistake. These were specially ordered by our boss. Please enjoy,” said the lead waiter respectfully.
Jiang Li was about to say something when Zhou Chao interrupted her.
“Alright, please thank your boss on my behalf,”
The waiters nodded and left the private room. After they had all left, Jiang Li exclaimed, “Brother Chao, this boss is really something. 1 didn’t expect Lao Ma to have such a big influence.”
“You should consider where we are, Hangzhou. Lao Ma’s influence is still quite potent here.”
“Influential? Didn’t you see that the people from that film and television company refused a private settlement?”
Jiang Li’s words left Zhou Chao speechless. He quickly changed the topic to the food.
“Why don’t you try the dishes? Their food is quite good, especially the wild baby mandarin fish. Give it a taste, A Li.”
Is it really delicious?” Jiang Li picked up her chopsticks, half-believing, and took a small bite.
“It’s actually quite good.”
“Think about it, Lao Ma recommended it. The taste must be good.”
Jiang Li rolled her eyes at him and then focused on eating.
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the door. Both of them looked puzzled. Why was someone knocking on the door at this moment?
Without thinking much, Zhou Chao said, “Please come in!”
The door to the private room opened, and a middle-aged man, almost fifty years old, walked in holding a bottle of red wine. Zhou Chao recognized it as Domaine Romanee Conti.
“Hello, both of you. I am the owner of this restaurant. Thank you for gracing my establishment. This bottle of wine is a gift for you.”
“Boss, please take the wine back. We understand your intentions. We came here today just to have a meal. We used Lao Ma’s membership card, and the food is indeed as good as he recommended.”
“Lao Ma?!” The middle-aged man was taken aback. He hadn’t heard that title in a while and was surprised by the young man’s nonchalant use of it.
“Thank you for your understanding. If you need anything, feel free to inform the waitstaff.”
Zhou Chao nodded gently, and the middle-aged man didn’t linger either. He realized that Zhou Chao preferred not to chat while eating.
After the man left, Jiang Li chuckled, “Oh my, you really made use of Lao Ma’s name today!”
“Enough with the teasing. Let’s eat; the food will get cold if we don’t.”
By the time they finished their meal, it was already 9 PM.
“How much is it?” Zhou Chao asked the somewhat uneasy waitress.
Sir, our boss said that this meal is on him, and he apologizes for any
inconvenience.”
“This won’t do; it feels like freeloading. Please convey my thanks to your boss. 1 appreciate the gesture, but 1’11 be upset if you don’t accept payment.”
The waitress was momentarily conflicted, but under Zhou Chao’s stern gaze, she printed the bill.
Zhou Chao glanced at it and then paid using his phone through a QR code.
“WeChat payment received: 13,658 yuan!
“Let’s go.” Zhou Chao held Jiang Li’s hand, and they left the restaurant.
As they passed by the young greeter, Zhou Chao gave him a meaningful look, making him think that Zhou Chao might seek revenge. For several days, he went to work with a lack of spirit, but that was all part of the aftermath..
