Chapter 320 - 179: An Opportunity to Make a Killing

After double-checking, he was pleasantly surprised.

"Mei Lin, is business really this good?"

Qi Sheng smiled, nodded at her, and asked casually.

"Hehe, yes! Everyone on the team really cherishes this job. Our restaurant has always had five-star reviews online!"

Mei Lin lifted her chin, filled with pride.

It was a testament to the hard work of everyone at their branch.

"Nice work!"

Qi Sheng said with a smile, patting her shoulder.

"Well, you get back to it. I’m going to go have a look inside."

"Okay."

Mei Lin hesitated for a moment.

"Boss, can I get a picture with you?"

"A picture?"

Qi Sheng paused for a second, then smiled and nodded.

"No problem."

"Wow, thank you!"

Mei Lin excitedly took out her phone and switched it to selfie mode.

She flashed a peace sign, shyly leaning in close to Qi Sheng.

"Is this okay?"

Qi Sheng played along, posing for several shots with her.

After all, Chairman Qi was known for doting on his employees.

In his past life, he’d also been a miserable, overworked wage slave.

Now that he was successful in this life, he would never forget where he came from.

The eight-hour workday, two-day weekends, and comprehensive social insurance and housing fund implemented by Shengxuan Group were considered top-tier benefits in Chengdu.

Anyone who dared to question his status as a conscientious entrepreneur would be verbally torn apart by the Group’s employees.

"Hello, Boss."

Along the way, any employee who saw Qi Sheng bowed and greeted him excitedly.

"Wow, is that the owner of Spicy King? He’s so handsome!"

Many of the young women waiting in line had been feeling rather bored.

But the sudden appearance of such a gorgeous man made them stir with excitement.

"Hey, miss, is that really your boss?"

A few of the girls in line stopped Mei Lin, pointing at Qi Sheng’s retreating back with gossipy curiosity.

"Yep! Our boss is super handsome, and he’s really good to us, too!"

Mei Lin was only eighteen. Because her family was poor, she had dropped out of school early to find work. She happened to be drawn in by a recruitment ad for Spicy King.

Thanks to her enthusiastic and innocent smile, she was hand-picked by Yuan Li.

She successfully joined Spicy King and took on the role of a greeter.

A greeter’s daily work was by no means easier than that of the kitchen staff.

Greeting guests and seeing them off, she had to keep a smile on her face at all times.

But unlike some of her colleagues, Mei Lin was grateful to Qi Sheng from the bottom of her heart for giving her a respectable job.

Not only did it come with full social insurance and a housing fund, but she also had two-day weekends.

She could occasionally hang out with a few close friends and explore the surrounding area.

If she worked overtime, she received an extra 25 yuan per hour.

The company provided four sets of uniforms, so she hardly ever had to buy her own clothes.

Meals and housing were provided, and she didn’t even have to pay for utilities or internet.

She sent a large portion of her monthly earnings home to her family.

This allowed her younger brother to afford his education and her parents to buy their medicine.

Among all the employees, Mei Lin was the closest to being fiercely loyal to Qi Sheng.

To find such loyalty in modern society... even Qi Sheng couldn’t help but look upon this young woman with favor.

That was why he remembered her name.

Otherwise, with over a thousand employees under him, there was no way President Qi could remember everyone’s name.

"From now on, I’m only eating hot pot at Spicy King. My future husband is just too handsome!"

Mei Lin pouted.

"Miss, our boss has a lot of girlfriends. You don’t stand a chance."

"Who says your boss only cares about looks? What if he’s interested in my soul?"

Mei Lin’s lip twitched. "Whatever makes you happy. I have to get back to work."

...

Inside the restaurant, the dining patrons were all in high spirits.

They were clearly very satisfied with the taste of Spicy King’s food.

Spicy King, as its name suggested, punished every customer who boasted they could handle the heat.

Their "Slightly Spicy" was what other restaurants called mild. Their "Mild" was a medium. Their "Medium" was hot. Their "Hot" was extra hot. And their "Extra Hot" was explosive.

Their "Explosively Hot" soup base would absolutely send diners to a state of painful ecstasy.

After discussing it with Yuan Li, Qi Sheng created the "Spicy King Challenge."

Any customer who could finish all the ingredients on their table using the "Explosively Hot" soup base would get their meal for free, plus a cash prize of one thousand yuan.

This event would be ongoing, serving as a gimmick to attract customers.

Many curious diners took the challenge, only to end up in tears from the intense spice.

Spicy King’s reputation gradually spread throughout the Sichuan and Chongqing region.

Many tourists visiting Chengdu came specifically to try it, drawn by its fame.

They just wanted to experience the terrifying heat of Spicy King for themselves.

You think Jiangxi cuisine is spicy?

Compared to Spicy King’s "Explosively Hot" soup base, it was nothing.

Although the price per customer was on the high side, that couldn’t stop its immense popularity online, and its flavor was highly acclaimed.

Spicy King’s table turnover rate was even more frighteningly high.

It reached five turns on a weekday, and on weekends and holidays, it surpassed six.

The restaurant’s popularity soared even higher, especially with the arrival of food bloggers.

Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, Spicy King became the object of admiration and envy for numerous other hot pot brands.

No fewer than a few dozen competing hot pot brands sent people to investigate it.

Many aspiring hot pot restaurateurs also came to Spicy King to learn from the master.

They hoped to see if they could pick up a few things.

But after they came, they discovered that they couldn’t possibly replicate Spicy King’s model for success.

For starters, the employee benefits were something they simply couldn’t afford to match.

A base salary of 5,000 yuan wasn’t that much.

The performance-based bonuses, ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 yuan, were also quite standard.

But the full social insurance and housing fund, two-day weekends, eight-hour workdays, 25 yuan per hour for overtime, a 25-yuan meal allowance for both lunch and dinner, plus free housing that included utilities and internet...

’What the hell? Are they hiring employees?’

’Or are they hiring their own bosses?’

’Even many government jobs don’t have benefits as good as Spicy King’s.’

’At best, the work might be a little more relaxed.’

’But how easy is it to get one of those jobs?’

’How many people fail the exams each year?’