Chapter 256 - 219: Mr. He, Are You Sure About Dropping the Price by 200,000?

Chapter 256: Chapter 219: Mr. He, Are You Sure About Dropping the Price by 200,000?

The number of orders had already surpassed four digits. The first two hundred lucky customers to receive a discount had just been announced, and the frenzied clatter of keyboards rang out once more.

Among the list of winners, the first customer to successfully place and pay for their order did so in just 1.86 seconds. Their name—Bao!

On a small road somewhere in Hai City.

Three of the streetlights along the road had gone out two days prior, casting an exceptionally dim and faint glow that plunged this short section of the road into darkness. Fortunately, the road itself was fairly even, and the dark section was only about ten meters long, so it was still quite safe to pass through if you went slowly.

At that moment, the owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant emerged from his shop, stepped onto the small road, and soon reached the dimly lit section.

The owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant had been in a foul mood ever since the local Hai City news broadcast ended the previous night.

He had paid a hefty sum to hire a professional team to gather evidence and report his rivals. He’d thought he could eliminate Xu’s Braised Shop and Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant in one fell swoop, then quickly launch his own Golden Dragon Braised Shop to snatch up the vacant market.

To his surprise, the unique texture of their spicy braised dishes didn’t come from any illegal substance. It was a perfectly legitimate additive that met national food safety standards.

’Just what in the world was that additive!’

Just as the owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant was lost in thought, a thin, transparent fishing line suddenly lifted twenty centimeters off the ground, shimmering with a faint reflection in the moonlight.

But the fishing line was far too thin, its reflection far too faint, and the owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant was far too lost in thought...

A resounding "FUCK!" echoed through the night, startling a flock of birds resting in a nearby tree into flight.

It was followed by the heavy THUD of a body hitting the ground. A day’s worth of dust, accumulated from the traffic on the small road, billowed into the air. It hung there for a moment before slowly drifting back down, shimmering like a sky full of stars.

The squinty-eyed owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant had just cracked open his eyes when they were filled with dust. Two streams of tears flowed from his now tightly shut eyelids.

A chaotic jumble of footsteps grew closer. Judging by the varied weight and tempo of the steps, he could tell there were about three to five people. Having lived through more chaotic times himself, the owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant had a sinking feeling. ’This is a classic setup. I pulled this shit plenty of times when I was young!’

But before he could react, a burlap sack was thrown over his head and his hands were bound behind his back with a coarse hemp rope. Then, a deep male voice, deliberately lowered, commanded, "Avoid the head and stomach. Get ’em!"

The instant the words were spoken, countless fists and feet rained down on the owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant. He was a tough man with thick skin, but he still howled in agony. Even so, he didn’t forget to make threats.

"Who are you! Who sent you! How much are they paying you? I’ll double it!"

"Triple... No! Five times..."

"Please, my good sirs, stop hitting me! Please stop!"

"OW! OW! My ass, my ass!"

"Just let me find out who you are! I’ll make sure you can’t make a living in Hai City ever again!"

"Ow, stop!"

"..."

As a good, law-abiding citizen, Xu An would, of course, never do such a thing.

At that very moment, Xu An was standing outside Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, making one phone call after another.

"Hey, Brother Han, it’s me, Xu An. Yes, yes, that’s right. I need to order three vacuum sealing machines. Same delivery address, Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. Right, the first shop. Oh! Brother Han, you placed an order to support us? Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Next time you’re over here, I’ll treat you to a big meal at the Haitian Hotel..."

"Hey, Old Han. School’s about to start again, right? I wanted to ask for a favor. Yeah, I need ten temp workers. The pay is eighty yuan a day, but they have to have a valid, unexpired health certificate. Could you help me find some? I’ll give you a ten-yuan commission for every person you find. Mm-hm, I need them by tomorrow, as soon as possible. I’ll leave this in your hands..."

"Hey, Zhang Dezhen. Right, I need to talk to you. The Taobao Store has over three thousand orders right now, so you’ve got your work cut out for you! Don’t go to Xu’s Braised Shop for the next few days. Just focus on getting the Taobao Store orders done first. We’ll figure out your other tasks after that. Yeah, yeah, I’ll arrange for someone to cover the braised shop..."

"Hey, Lu Ziyue. You’ll need to work overtime tonight. The Taobao Store orders have surged, so I need you to adjust tomorrow’s purchasing plan. Yes, that’s it..."

"Hey, this is Xu An. I need to update my packaging order. On top of the original two thousand units, add another three thousand... no, five thousand! Right, I need them in the next two days. For now, just deliver the two thousand you’ve already finished to the shop tomorrow..."

"Hello, this is Xu An..."

One phone call after another was made. Matters were settled, and tasks were arranged and set in motion, all in an orderly fashion...

He was on the phone for over an hour. By the end, his phone was hot enough to fry an egg on. The battery had dropped to twelve percent, and the phone was chiming with a low-power warning. Only then had he finally finished arranging everything.

After hanging up the last call, Xu An was about to turn and head back into the shop when his phone suddenly rang. The caller ID read—Uncle Dongliang.

"Hey, Uncle Dongliang. Is it done?"

"The streetlights are broken and there are no cameras nearby? Good, that’s great!"

"Hey, Uncle Dongliang, take your boys out for barbecue and karaoke—the whole nine yards. It’s on me, I’ll cover it! Don’t be shy, eat and drink your fill. No need to save me any money!"

"Hehe, ah, that’s satisfying. Once is enough."

"No, no, no, once is more than enough. Doing it again would look too deliberate. Besides, if Second Grandpa finds out, we’ll be in for it."

"Hahahahaha..."

That phone call left him feeling utterly refreshed, spirited, and ecstatic. A wave of relief washed over him from the tips of his hair to the ends of his toes. All the frustration that had built up over the past few days vanished completely.

Xu An puckered his lips slightly. He tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and let out a long, flowing, rhythmic whistle that echoed in the quiet night sky...

The lights were still on at Lijie Real Estate, an agency located on Qianjin Street off Zijing Road. Inside, a lone young agent was on the phone, deep in negotiation.

"...Mr. He, you originally wanted to wait until Victory Supermarket was built before selling your property, hoping to get a better price. You’ve already turned away several interested parties. This is the first serious buyer we’ve had in over half a month. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?"

"Yes, the price is a little low, but your property is very large. People who can afford a place this big aren’t interested in the location, and the ones who are interested in the location can’t necessarily afford the price. It’s rare to find a buyer this decisive. You should really give it more thought."

"That’s right. And who knows when those development plans for Zijing Garden will actually materialize. If you wait, there’s no telling if prices will go up or down. It’s always better to have cash in hand."

"Mm-hm, the buyer is very sincere. It really just depends on whether you can come down a little more. A difference of eighty thousand is still a bit... hmm..."

"Cash payment, and the deal closes within a week? Isn’t that a little rushed?!"

"Ah! Are you sure, Mr. He? You’re really saying that if they complete the transaction in cash within one week, you’ll drop the price by a flat two hundred thousand?!"

"Okay, okay, great! I’ll contact the buyer right now and let them know!"