Su Huaiming sighed helplessly and, under everyone's watchful eyes, walked towards Fu Jingfan with the coconut in his hand.
"Sir, here are the coconuts you requested." Su Huaiming had just put them down and was about to leave when Fu Jingfan called out to him.
Aren't you going to introduce me to them?
Su Huaiming thought to himself that there was nothing to say about a simple coconut juice, but considering that Fu Jingfan was his guest, he dutifully started by talking about the coconut's history, praising it to the skies.
Fu Jingfan took a bite, his expression indifferent, revealing no emotion.
Apart from Su Huaiming, everyone else was worried that Fu Jingfan would be dissatisfied, and their hearts were in their throats.
Su Huaiming knew all too well Fu Jingfan's methods of tormenting people, so he kept a deadpan expression, maintained a businesslike attitude, and didn't give Fu Jingfan any chance.
After taking a few sips, Fu Jingfan waved to Fu Xiaoxiao and handed him the coconut.
Seeing this, Su Huaiming said, "Sir, you have finished your meal. Would you like to pay first?"
Fu Jingfan nodded in agreement and went to the cashier one after the other with Su Huaiming.
Just as Su Huaiming was about to pay the bill, an idea suddenly popped into his head, and he looked at Fu Jingfan with bright eyes.
He didn't say anything, but turned his head away and, taking advantage of Fu Jingfan's inability to see, winked at Sun Siyuan and whispered something.
Sun Siyuan was puzzled, but still answered the question.
When he turned around, Su Huaiming forcibly ignored Fu Jingfan's questioning gaze and directly printed out the receipt.
When Fu Jingfan paid, he glanced down at the number, remained silent for a few seconds, and then showed his first smile since entering the store.
He laughed out of anger.
"You're charging me 5000 yuan for a cup of coconut juice?"
Upon hearing this, everyone else was stunned, staring blankly at Su Huaiming. Only Sun Siyuan suddenly realized what Su Huaiming meant.
The production team doesn't allow them to use their own money, but Fu Jingfan is a customer now, so he can use his money!
Su Huaiming didn't treat Fu Jingfan as an outsider, and since Fu Jingfan had bullied him so many times, he held a grudge and was determined to get revenge.
Su Huaiming's gaze met Fu Jingfan's, and he said matter-of-factly, "The price is indeed this much, considering the raw materials, labor costs, and the cost of opening a shop."
Su Huaiming paused, then slowly widened his eyes, covered his mouth with his hand, and put on an exaggerated performance. "Ah, are you going to dine and dash?"
The viewers in the live stream reacted even more strongly than Fu Jingfan.
[Haha, Su Huaiming is so cute!]
[Waaaaah, my wife is so sweet, I love you so much... I have to bravely say these words in front of Fu Jingfan!]
[Hilarious! Thank goodness Su Huaiming wasn't acting; his acting was way too over-the-top.]
[Su Huaiming and Fu Jingfan get along so naturally! I didn't expect them to be the bickering couple type. I thought someone as composed as Fu Jingfan wouldn't have any fun in private.]
[You're totally smitten; your reaction is a sign you love him.]
Fu Jingfan knew Su Huaiming was deliberately trying to provoke him, so he didn't dwell on the issue. Instead, he asked, "Then explain more clearly, why is this coconut so expensive?"
Su Huaiming started spouting nonsense, pretending to be serious, saying, "A coconut tree takes more than ten years to grow and produce just this one coconut, so the time cost must be taken into account; Xiao Xiao and I watched this coconut being picked with our own eyes, and this significance must also be measured in money. Besides, I personally cut the coconut open, inserted a straw, and served it to you, isn't that labor cost?"
Su Huaiming, putting all his effort into it, said to Fu Jingfan, "Ten thousand yuan is actually very cheap. I'm only giving you this discount because you're a new customer."
Su Huaiming knew Fu Jingfan too well; he knew Fu Jingfan wouldn't agree easily. So he prepared himself mentally to deal with anything Fu Jingfan said.
Unexpectedly, after staring at him for three seconds, Fu Jingfan lowered his head and transferred the money very quickly, leaving Su Huaiming dumbfounded.
"You, you just... don't you think..." Su Huaiming stammered. He had just spoken so eloquently, and now he couldn't press Fu Jingfan to ask if he thought it was expensive.
Fu Jingfan watched Su Huaiming's expression with a relaxed demeanor, his deep-set eyes filled with a smile. Mingming having been ripped off by spending ten thousand yuan, he seemed to be in a very good mood.
"It's excellent value for money." Fu Jingfan's tone was soft, yet indulgent, his gaze fixed intently on Su Huaiming, as if there was no room for anyone else.
"The coconut juice you prepared yourself is very precious."
Chapter 70
Su Huaiming was initially quite confident, but Fu Jingfan's overly cooperative attitude made him feel somewhat embarrassed.
Not only did he pay directly, but he also said things like "extremely precious and worth more than its price," actions that are completely out of character for Fu Jingfan.
Could it be... that Fu Jingfan was subtly mocking him?
Yes, that must be it. By positioning himself as the victim, Fu Jingfan makes himself appear like an unscrupulous merchant who forces customers to buy or extort money from them!
Fu Jingfan has such a black heart!!
Su Huaiming inwardly gasped. He hadn't expected that even though he was being so careful, he would still fall into Fu Jingfan's trap. His gaze towards Fu Jingfan was filled with wariness and a hint of resentment.
Fu Jingfan noticed Su Huaiming's change in mood, paused for a few seconds, and then couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He truly couldn't see through Su Huaiming. Every move Su Huaiming made was unexpected, like a mysterious treasure trove to him, with no idea what was hidden inside.
Seeing Fu Jingfan smile, Su Huaiming became even more certain of his guess, his eyes practically gleaming with barely concealed emotion; he was practically snorting through his nose.
Su Huaiming and Fu Jingfan were barely maintaining a semblance of peace when the production team couldn't sit still any longer. The director said, "The price of the coconut juice has already been set. Changing the price at the last minute is not in line with the store's image, and the price is too high, which could be considered extortion."
Upon hearing this, Sun Siyuan and the others' smiles froze on their lips.
The funding issue had finally been resolved, but then the director jumped in to object.
The store is opening this afternoon. If they can't afford the raw materials soon, it will definitely turn into a disaster. The director is pushing them to their doom!
Sun Siyuan and the others didn't know how to refute the director, and their positions were also inappropriate, so they could only look at Su Huaiming with hopeful eyes.
Having spent so much time with Fu Jingfan, the director's questioning seemed like child's play. Su Huaiming replied quite naturally, "How can this be extortion? It was a mutually agreeable transaction between the buyer and seller..."
After saying that, he turned to look at Fu Jingfan expressionlessly, a hint of threat in his eyes, "Are you very willing?"
"Of course I'd like to," Fu Jingfan replied politely. "It would be my honor."
"..." Su Huaiming paused for a few seconds, then, disregarding how outrageous the words were, looked at the director with righteous indignation, "The customer has already said this, director, do you still think it's a forced sale?"
Director: "..." Don't you have any self-awareness?
The director knew that the couple was a united couple and he couldn't handle it, so he could only sigh helplessly and tacitly approve of this behavior.
Seeing the director leave, Sun Siyuan patted his chest, and the guilt in his heart gradually faded away.
Fu Jingfan had just arrived to record a variety show and had helped them solve such a big problem. In addition, given his special status, everyone, led by Ji Mingzhe, took the initiative to gather around him and warmly welcomed him.
However, Fu Jingfan's aura was too strong and his aloofness was overwhelming. Even Ji Mingzhe, who was usually very shrewd in interpersonal relationships, seemed very reserved and hesitated before speaking. Zhou Hanyan and Yu Ruicheng were even more intimidated, afraid that they would say the wrong thing, so they stood aside and smiled awkwardly. Only Sun Siyuan seemed to be fine, standing aside with his hands in his pockets, and awkwardly thanked Fu Jingfan.
The viewers in the live stream were deeply moved by what they saw.
[From a certain perspective, Sun Siyuan is quite strong; he wasn't intimidated by Fu Jingfan at all.]
[Given Fu Jingfan's aura and appearance, this agency would probably take a detour if we saw him from 500 meters away.]
[This is Fu Jingfan's first time participating in a variety show recording. He has almost never appeared in public before, so people don't know his personality in private, which inevitably makes him a little reserved.]
[So why did Fu Jingfan come to record this variety show? He's not short of money, is he?]
[... Of course I'm here to see my wife!]
[Tsk tsk tsk, they don't want to be apart for even a week, this is definitely their honeymoon period]
After Fu Jingfan appeared, the number of viewers in the live stream reached a new high, crashing the platform. All the programmers worked together to maintain it, and the live stream returned to normal after half an hour.
The entire production team was so happy they could practically fly to the sky. After receiving Fu Jingfan's message, the director was so excited he couldn't sleep all night, feeling that his career was basically secured thanks to this variety show... all thanks to Su Huaiming!
However, Su Huaiming was initially positioned as cannon fodder, used to generate public opinion and buzz for the show, and then discarded. But the director didn't like this approach and didn't make things difficult for Su Huaiming. Su Huaiming quickly stood out, and after the investors saw Su Huaiming value and potential, they relaxed their restrictions on him and stopped using him extensively.
Thinking about all this, the director broke out in a cold sweat, feeling extremely fortunate for his decision. Otherwise, the variety show wouldn't have been able to record so many episodes, and he would probably have been squeezed out of the industry.
The director was still a little guilty and wanted to compensate Su Huaiming without violating the principle of fairness. Moreover, Fu Jingfan only participated in the variety show for Su Huaiming, and he could create a romantic atmosphere for the two of them during their free time. This was not only a way to show goodwill but also to increase the show's popularity.
The director was making quick and accurate calculations, increasingly feeling that he had struck gold.
The opening is this afternoon, and after a brief introduction, everyone will be busy with their own things again.
Fu Jingfan was recording a variety show for the first time, and because of his special status, everyone subconsciously avoided him and dared not assign him any tasks.
Not wanting to make things difficult for Ji Mingzhe and the others, Su Huaiming took the initiative to handle the matter, saying to Fu Jingfan, "I'll give you a list. You drive to buy the ingredients, and there's a supermarket on the way back; go buy some personal items there, and also pick up a few things for me. Oh, and there's a dessert shop nearby; Xiao Xiao especially loves their fruit tarts, so buy some for her too." After listing a bunch of requests, Su Huaiming said matter-of-factly, "Don't drag it out too long, or we'll be late."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked intently at Su Huaiming, thinking he was exceptionally brave.
Fu Jingfan didn't say much, just nodded, took the list from Su Huaiming, politely greeted Ji Mingzhe and the others, and walked out of the dessert shop.
Everyone stared blankly at Fu Jingfan's retreating figure, unable to come back to their senses for a long time.
It seems Su Huaiming has a very high status in his family!
Su Huaiming was unaware of everyone's thoughts; he was preoccupied with developing the ice cream recipe and also had to take care of his four children.
The four kids were all very enthusiastic, Su Huaiming couldn't bear to discourage them, so he carefully assigned them tasks.
"From now on, you'll be the waiters, responsible for serving customers their food." Su Huaiming gave the four little ones a last-minute cramming session.
Fu Xiaoxiao and the others stood in a row in front of Su Huaiming, their fair and tender little faces looking up, their expressions very serious and full of thirst for knowledge.
Su Huaiming took the trays and demonstrated for them, "The trays will have the guests' ice cream and number tags on them. You need to take the food to the corresponding table according to the number on the tag."
Children react slowly; Ji Youyou and Yu Xuanxuan blinked, looking a little confused.
Fu Xiaoxiao, fulfilling her role as store manager, was very responsible, translating Su Huaiming's words with a serious expression, "It's just a connection."
Upon hearing this, Ji Youyou and Yu Xuanxuan suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly.
Su Huaiming: "..." It seems that children do have special ways of communicating.
Su Huaiming added, "You should carry the trays with both hands. You can walk slowly, don't rush, and then gently place the trays in their positions."
Fu Xiaoxiao translated again, "Do you remember the game we played yesterday? We could only deduct one point, no more."
The other three children immediately understood, nodded frequently, and huddled together to share their secrets.
This time, it was Su Huaiming's turn to not understand.
After the four kids finished their chattering discussion, Su Huaiming continued, "When the time comes, you can tell the customers that your meal is ready, or invite them to try it. Remember to always smile. If you forget what to say, I have a universal formula: just smile and greet them."
After Su Huaiming finished speaking, he looked at Fu Xiaoxiao and asked him to translate.
Fu Xiaoxiao rolled his eyes, clearly having an idea, but he still pretended to stroke his chin, putting on a show of being a store manager, before saying, "Anyway, we can't choose D."