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The Audi A8L is very quiet, thanks to the car's excellent sound insulation, which effectively blocks out wind and road noise.

There was no music playing in the car, and no one was talking. The attention of the other three people was focused on "President Qi" in the back right seat.

When they got into the car, "President Qi" was in a state of extreme tension, his whole body tense. The veins on his bald head were bulging, covered in cold sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot, showing a blank and fearful expression.

Although the others were somewhat confused and didn't understand the situation, they could all tell that "General Manager Qi" was not in a good mood.

Liu Feibao. Liu Feibao, the boss wearing gold-rimmed glasses, asked in a low voice, "Mr. Qi, shall we go directly to the hospital?"

President Qi raised his hand, signaling him to be quiet.

A few minutes later, Chief Qi let out a long breath, his taut back finally relaxed, and he lay back on the back of the seat, as if he had come back to life.

Liu Feibao then asked in a low voice, "President Qi, are you feeling unwell? Perhaps... we should go directly to Jianzhou City and to the First Hospital?"

Mr. Qi shook his head and said, "It's alright. Let's find a place to have some tea, sober up, and rest."

Liu Feibao then told the driver the name of a club, and then turned back and said, "President Qi, were you angered by that bald... that rude kid? Don't worry, I've noted down their license plates. They're all local. If we find the car, we'll find the people. We won't let them get away with it." He originally wanted to say "that bald kid," but immediately realized that President Qi was also bald, so he quickly stopped himself.

Upon hearing this, President Qi turned sharply to stare at him, and said very solemnly, even sternly, "Don't go looking for trouble with them. If you do, our cooperation is off the table. Remember that, I'm not joking."

Liu Feibao was taken aback, somewhat confused, and tentatively asked, "President Qi, do you know those people?" In his memory, President Qi was much more vindictive and petty than he was, so he assumed that President Qi recognized the identities of one or more people in those two cars and knew that he couldn't afford to offend them.

"I don't know him. Let's pretend this never happened. I'll have the company's finance department transfer the 30,000 yuan to you later. Let's not talk about it anymore." President Qi waved his hand, leaned his head against the headrest of the back seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

Liu Feibao initially wanted to refuse, but seeing President Qi's expression, he knew that a forceful refusal would not only fail to win him over but would also displease him, so he wisely kept quiet.

Even with his eyes closed, Qi Haoguo couldn't help but recall the hideous monster he had just seen.

After a short while, he couldn't help but open his eyes again and look at the seat next to him. Fortunately, the fat man Liu Feibao was now sitting there. When he saw him looking over, Liu Feibao immediately adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and returned a fawning smile.

Qi Haoguo withdrew his gaze, no longer closing his eyes to pretend to sleep, but instead looking at the scenery rushing past outside the car window.

From the moment he saw the towering monster with eight arms and eight eyes, its body covered in fleshy growths, he could tell from the reactions of the others that no one else could see the monster except him; otherwise, they would never have reacted that way.

That's why, at first, he thought he was hallucinating from drinking too much, until the monster grabbed his head and he even felt that his head might be twisted off.

The monster told him that he couldn't afford to mess with the people in those two cars, and he shouldn't let anyone around him provoke them either, otherwise they would come looking for him again, and then they wouldn't be as "gentle" as they were today.

Judging from any sensory perspective, the monster is undeniably real.

The fact that others cannot see it further illustrates its terrifying nature and power.

Besides the sensory shock and the direct fright and fear it brought, the monster also instilled in him a kind of fear originating from within himself.

He felt as if the ailments he had ever feared most had suddenly appeared in his body. For a moment, he felt completely paralyzed, sitting motionless in the back seat, with no feeling below his neck. For a few seconds, he felt something inside him gnawing at his organs and devouring his flesh.

From the moment he saw the monster until it finally disappeared, those few short minutes felt like an adventure that lasted for years. It made him think of many things, flashing back to his life's work, recalling the time he spent with relatives, friends, and family, and even seriously contemplating death.

After the monster disappeared, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had been reborn. In a daze, he saw through many of his past entanglements and obsessions, and seemed to have gained a clearer understanding and enlightenment about himself and the world.

Therefore, in his heart, he did not feel simple fear of the monster, but rather a sense of awe that seemed to originate from the depths of his soul. As for hatred and anger, he felt none at all.

He knew that the monster was definitely related to the bald, bespectacled guy who arrived later. Although he didn't intend to retaliate, he was still very curious and wanted to know who that equally bald guy was. But remembering the monster's warning, he forcibly suppressed his curiosity and dared not act rashly. He also told Liu Feibao not to do anything reckless and implicate himself.

Qi Haoguo suddenly remembered something, sat up straight, and turned to look at Liu Feibao beside him. "President Liu."

"Yes, Mr. Qi, please give your orders." Liu Feibao, who was making various guesses in his mind and was quite uneasy, immediately straightened up and replied.

"Our cooperation, the things we discussed at lunch, the general direction remains unchanged, we'll proceed as before, but some details and methods need to be adjusted," Qi Haoguo said thoughtfully.

Liu Feibao's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "I'm doomed. President Qi is still dissatisfied with my previous handling of the situation and is about to lash out."

But what President Qi said next left him completely bewildered and even more confused.

"I will shorten your payment cycle and increase the budget. You should also raise your quotes to your downstream customers, but there will be requirements in the contract, and some ways of doing things will need to be adjusted to follow the standards."

"However... if we follow your request, the budget increase might be quite significant, Mr. Qi, what about your company's..."

"I know, this time I've decided to forgo these profits and give back to the local community. Of course, it's also a good opportunity to train the team," Qi Haoguo said seriously. "I'll have someone from the company handle the specific details with you later. There needs to be proper oversight; don't think you can pocket all the extra money as profit. My money isn't so easy to take."

"Yes, yes, don't worry," Liu Feibao replied, but his doubts only grew stronger. What was President Qi up to? Was this still the infamous "Scrooge Qi" and "Skinny Qi"?

Although "Youlong Restaurant" is still closed, a large group of them still came here to eat in the evening.

Because all the ingredients You Meng prepared are here, and we'll also need to use this kitchen when we discuss the details of filming the new video later. Plus, the large table in the lobby on the first floor makes it convenient for such a large group of people to eat together without disturbing others.

Because of the delay on the road, after entering the town, following Xiang Kun's suggestion, You Meng drove the Sagitar directly to "Youlong Restaurant". He and Xiang Kun got out of the car to prepare dinner at the restaurant, while Yang Zhen'er drove Tang Baona and Zhang Qian to the hotel to settle in.

As for Liang Yulong's car, it went straight to the hotel.

After Zhang Qian and Tang Baona took a shower and rested at the hotel, they drove together to the "Youlong Restaurant," where "Chef You" and "Chef Xiang" had already prepared dinner.

Xiang Kun's culinary skills are beyond question, and You Meng is also a seasoned professional chef with years of experience and restaurant ownership. In addition, Xiang Kun understands the tastes of his target diners in the evening, so the dishes he makes are tailored to their preferences, which naturally earns him widespread praise.

Even Zhang Qian, who is accustomed to eating cuisines from many countries and has a wide range of knowledge, praised the different ways of cooking rabbit meat, as well as several other local specialties.

Not only her, but Yang Jie, Yang Zhuo, Xiao Min, and Zi Cheng, who had never eaten Xiang Kun's cooking before, were also full of praise. They were especially surprised to find that the dishes that suited their You Meng were all made by Xiang Kun, even surpassing the professional chef You Meng.

Especially Yang Zhuo and Xiao Min, this young couple already Xiang Kun as a "mentor" and "idol". They had already had high expectations for his cooking skills when they learned from Yang Zhen'er and Tang Baona that Xiang Kun could cook, and that he was quite good at it. But they didn't expect that after actually eating his cooking, it would still exceed their expectations and give them a pleasant surprise. Yang Zhen'er's title of "Chef Xiang" was indeed not a joke.

Zicheng also ate with great relish, exclaiming, "A Tu, where did you learn such cooking skills? It's freaking amazing! I've had rabbit meat before, and the cooking methods seem similar, but none of them tasted this good! Coach, I want to learn how to cook!! Give me a chance!"

"How can I give you a chance?" Xiang Kun casually replied. Having been roommates with Zi Cheng for many years and spending every day together, and now with such strong perception, he naturally knew what Zi Cheng was thinking.

Sure enough, Zicheng immediately said, "I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to be a chef."

Xiang Kun made a gun gesture with his finger, pointed it at him, and said seriously, "Okay, tell the rabbit in your bowl whether it will let you be the chef."

Zi Cheng stared wide-eyed, looking completely innocent, and said, "So you want me to die?"

Xiang Kun: "I'm sorry, I'm a chef."

"Wow! You two are hilarious! You can even cosplay as Infernal Affairs while having a meal? Liu Dechuang and Liang Chaokun?" Yang Zhen'er couldn't help but complain, but she was actually laughing very happily.

The others had already realized that the two were jokingly mocking the rooftop scene from Infernal Affairs, and they were all laughing uncontrollably. Yang Jie had the lowest threshold for laughter, even had tears in her eyes.

Xiang Kun wondered if Yang Jie would have laughed herself silly if he had activated the emotional influence of the "Twelve Yellow Men" simultaneously just now.

Zhang Qian said, "I heard from Nana that you research and improve your cooking by finding tutorials and recipes online, and you only started learning to cook this year? If that's the case, I really have to admit that you have a real talent for cooking. If you can consistently maintain this taste, you could open a shop in a first-tier city. The business would be booming, and you would earn even more."

Xiang Kun smiled and said, "The cost of opening a store in a first-tier city is too high. If it doesn't take off, we won't be able to sustain it. If it succeeds here, we can consider opening branches in surrounding areas later and gradually build the brand."

Maintain this flavor? How is that possible...?

To prepare tonight's dinner, You Meng spent a lot of time and money buying and processing ingredients, with high requirements for the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Moreover, because he made many adjustments to suit their tastes, Xiang Kun also had many tedious and complicated steps in the cooking process.

If the diners were locals from Tongshi Town or from other places, they might not have the same experience with the dishes tonight. It's impossible for him and You Meng to investigate and understand the tastes of every new customer before making adjustments.

Once the business opens, each dish will need to be prepared with consideration for cost and efficiency. The goal is to maintain a relatively consistent basic flavor that suits most of the target customer group, much like the difference between a mass-produced car and a custom-made race car.

Of course, he wouldn't go into detail about these things with Zhang Qian and the others.

Because when the restaurant reopened, he used other "secret weapons" to "conquer" diners, in addition to the taste of the dishes themselves.

After the successful experiment of the "Twelve Yellow Men" in Emotional Assimilation of those around them, Xiang Kun already had a complete plan to create "appetite-enhancing props".

At that time, he can directly encapsulate the eating emotions he received from the Little Chubby Girl Liu Shiling into several wooden carvings through "Emotional Injection" and then place them in the shop.

The sensor is activated during mealtimes to stimulate the appetite of customers, enhance their dining experience, and strengthen the positive feedback received by the various rabbit dishes in the restaurant.

In fact, he doesn't need to use the "Emotional Injection" wood carvings to "cheat" all the time; using them for a period of time in the early stages is enough.

The online videos and user analysis posts generate buzz and attention, attracting the first wave of customers to the store. Then, some live streaming or similar activities generate enthusiastic feedback from these customers. Once a buzz is created online or locally, all you need to do is maintain the consistent taste of the dishes.

Because at that time, their various rabbit dishes may become representative delicacies of Tongshi Town due to this popularity.

Once a food becomes a signature dish, it becomes a regular choice for many people, as well as a choice when there are no other options.

Just like many people in Beijing think that Peking duck tastes so-so, but if someone comes to them, they have to take them to eat it at least once, and they have to go to the most authentic ones. The same goes for other local delicacies.

Xiang Kun's goal is to develop their "Youlong" style rabbit meat into a famous specialty food in Tongshi Town, and even the entire Jianzhou City and Haixi Province.

Of course, that's a story for later; right now, it's still far from over.

After dinner, just as everyone was preparing to clean up, You Meng suddenly stood up and said to everyone, "Next, let's welcome one of tonight's chefs, one of the restaurant's shareholders, and known as the 'Eddie Peng of Citong City,' Mr. Xiang Kun, to give us a post-dinner talk show. Please give him a round of applause."

Although most people were completely bewildered and didn't understand what was going on, they were happy to see the spectacle and naturally applauded enthusiastically and booed—mainly booing the nickname "Eddie Peng of Citong City".

Xiang Kun buttoned up his coat, straightened his collar, and then walked in front of everyone, keeping a certain distance from the dining table. Clearly, he was prepared.

In fact, when he and You Meng first came to the store to prepare dinner, they originally planned to have You Meng do this short stand-up comedy performance. If it went well, they would make it a regular program in the future, also as a gimmick to increase popularity and generate buzz.

The jokes were all adapted from jokes he and Yang Zhuo found online, or came up with on a whim; they were all very short and easy to memorize.

As for performance skills, there's no need to worry. If your technique isn't good enough, we have "cheat codes" to make up for it.

He has already arranged the "Twelve Yellow Men" around the lobby on the first floor of the restaurant. Before the opening, he will make some small renovations to display these Minion Wooden Carving. Later, wooden sculptures that are used to "stimulate appetite" will also be placed there, which can also be a feature of their restaurant.

But You Meng was still a little reserved. In the end, Xiang Kun used some techniques to persuade him and finally got him to agree. Xiang Kun would try it out that night, and if it worked well, he would go again the next night.

Xiang Kun could also test the effect of distributing the "Twelve Yellow Men" in such a large space to see their specific influence and impact.

Xiao Min, sitting at the dining table, glanced at her boyfriend. She knew that Yang Zhuo was helping Xiang Kun come up with some funny jokes, so when she saw that Xiang Kun was going to do a stand-up comedy performance, she knew that he would use those jokes, and she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Yang Zhuo had actually performed those jokes for her before, and back then, let alone laughing, she got goosebumps all over her body; it was really a bit chilling.

But her worries vanished a few minutes later. She hadn't expected that Xiang Kun, with a few slight modifications, would deliver the same joke in a completely different way. Even though Xiao Min had already heard it from her boyfriend and knew the twist, she still laughed uproariously, not to mention the others.

There were four skits in total, each lasting about forty seconds to a minute, totaling less than four minutes. Yet, everyone burst into laughter more than seven times, and the laughter continued even after Xiang Kun's performance ended. Not only Yang Jie laughed until she cried, but Tang Baona also laughed until she cried. It seems that girls who wear glasses have a lower threshold for laughter?

In fact, even if the Twelve Yellow Men are activated simultaneously after being distributed like this, their effect is very limited, far less than when they are on an airplane.

But the jokes Xiang Kun tells are the kind that are funny if you get the point, but baffling or even a bit lame if you don't.

The joyful mood of the "Twelve Yellow Men" can help everyone reach the same level of laughter. After listening to those jokes, as long as you think about them for a moment and have even the slightest tendency to laugh, it will be amplified, and you will be immersed in the rhythm of the jokes, and then let your emotions explode at the final twist.

Once the first joke makes you laugh, it's a snowball effect, getting funnier and funnier.

If you run out of money in the future, you can consider doing gigs, like stand-up comedy or crosstalk.

Just as Xiang Kun was feeling quite smug, Zi Cheng stood up with a laugh, patted him on the shoulder, and shouted, "What 'Eddie Peng of Citong City'? You should be called 'Guo Degang of Tongshi Town'!"

Another burst of laughter erupted from inside the restaurant, startling passersby who were walking past the closed doors.