Bald Conan

Xiang Kun and Lao Xia stood by the window, talking in hushed tones.

They were originally talking about Zhou Rui, Mi Qiao, and other people from the secret department of "Shenxing Technology," as well as the situation of the two related ants, Zero Zero One Zero Zero Two, Xiang Kun suddenly changed the topic and started discussing what they had for lunch.

Xia Libing looked up at him but didn't say anything. She knew in her heart that someone must have arrived.

Sure enough, the next second, the door to the private room was pushed open, You Meng personally carried in a plate of cut fruit.

"How did the dishes taste at lunch today? Was the mushroom soup too bland?" After placing the fruit on the table, You Meng glanced at the remaining dishes and asked, "You two seem to have small appetites. Is it not to your liking?"

"No, it tastes great, but I ate breakfast a bit late, so I can't eat too much. Hmm, the mushroom soup you made is also very good, isn't it, Lao Xia?"

Xia Libing, who was holding a bowl of soup beside her, nodded. "Mmm, it's delicious."

In fact, Lao Xia ate all the food at noon by himself; Xiang Kun only dipped the bowls and chopsticks in some soup to make them look like they had been used. You Meng calculated the amount based on two people's portions, including a "big man" like Xiang Kun, so he naturally felt it was a bit small.

"Have you finished everything in the kitchen?" Xiang Kun asked.

"Hmm, there are still three tables of customers, but they probably won't order anything. At this time, I doubt any new customers will come." You Meng was clearly in a good mood, speaking in a light tone, "I didn't expect our video promotion and inviting internet celebrities to review the restaurant to be so effective. I originally thought business would be slow for at least a month or two, but we're already full in just a few days. Awesome, Kun!"

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "In the beginning, it was thanks to your local friends' support that word spread. I guess they liked the taste after trying it."

He knew that the explosive publicity effect so quickly was mainly due to the initial diners who were amazed by the already good taste of the dishes and the 'Emotion-Infused Object' cat wood carving.

For most people, whether it's seeing a really good movie or TV series, or reading a comic or novel, or eating something really delicious or drinking something really great, if it suddenly exceeds their expectations, they will definitely have the urge to recommend it to others, want others to experience it, and then discuss it together.

Modern people have WeChat, QQ, and Weibo; everyone is a mobile self-media. Moreover, compared to mass-market media, this kind of personal recommendation has a stronger influence on people they know.

In the first few days, most of the customers came from friends who recommended the food. After being amazed by the taste, they gave positive feedback and recommended it to even more people, which led to its rapid spread and explosive word-of-mouth.

You Meng laughed and said, "Those friends didn't all come because of my connection. Deputy Director Liu, Brother Chu, Boss Liu, and that large group of people brought by General Manager Qi, they're all clearly here because of you."

"Anyway, as long as business is good, that's fine. You're a bit short-handed right now, aren't you?" Xiang Kun said.

"Yeah, they've already started hiring. Sigh, actually, if you wanted to, you could open a shop all by yourself. You're the one who sets the flavors for all those dishes, and you do all the cooking processes... It's a pity you have other more important things to do..." You Meng shook his head and sighed.

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "I was just talking theory. You're the real professional. Without you, it wouldn't have been so easy to open the store. If it were just me, it would have taken at least a few months of trial and error, stepping into all the pitfalls, before it could get running. By the way, what are your thoughts on opening a branch?"

Although the store has only been open for a week, judging from the current situation, the idea of opening a branch is not a short-sighted one.

"Both President Qi and Brother Chu have talked to me about this. In terms of funding, connections, and channels, President Qi has influence throughout the province, especially in the provincial capital. If we want to open a branch in the provincial capital in the future, President Qi should be able to help a lot. However, if it's just Jianzhou City and a few surrounding counties and cities, Brother Chu's influence is not bad either, and he also has connections in many commercial real estate sectors, so I trust him quite a bit," You Meng said.

"Actually, we can talk about it together, collaborate. Once our restaurant brand becomes well-known, it won't just be about rabbit meat," Xiang Kun said. "You can make the whole decision on this. No matter who you choose to collaborate with or how you choose to collaborate, I will support you. The 'Youlong Restaurant' brand is yours."

"Don't say that. I know my place. Without your help and guidance, my shop would have been on the verge of closing down," You Meng quickly shook his head.

"I just stumbled upon this by sheer luck, haha... Just consider it me being lazy."

After chatting for a while, Xiang Kun prepared to leave the restaurant with Lao Xia and return to Chongyun Village, as they still had a series of experiments to conduct.

"Are you coming over again tonight?" You Meng asked.

"I won't come over tonight, I'll come tomorrow," Xiang Kun said.

"Oh, right, Zicheng said he wanted me to help him find a place to live, as he'll be staying here for a while," You Meng added, remembering something.

A while ago, Zicheng came to Tongshi Town to discuss the game, but he didn't go to Peng City with Zhang Qian. He even refused to leave when Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er left, claiming that he "trusted President Zhang, President Tang, and President Yang!" and stayed behind to play around.

Xiang Kun laughed, "Is she planning to stay here and never leave? Miss Chu's charm seems quite strong. Zi Cheng is completely captivated. Is she planning to dig a hole in Tongshi Town and refuse to leave?"

Zi Cheng lingered in Tongshi Town not because he was reluctant to Xiang Kun, nor because he was fond of the beautiful scenery of Tongshi Town, but because he was captivated by one of Chu Xiuwen's nieces.

Although Zicheng had always had a good impression of Yang Jie and frequently tried to win her favor, the latter was not very interested in him, so naturally no sparks flew between them.

On the day that "Youlong Restaurant" opened, Chu Xiuwen brought several family members to support the opening of Tongshi Town. Among them was his niece Chu Xiaoting, who had just returned from studying in the United States. Because they had the same study abroad background, the two chatted more and more happily.

Although they haven't officially started dating, judging from Zicheng's recent behavior, he's clearly fallen in love. So, he's putting aside everything else—the company, the game, his career, his brothers—for now.

You Meng also laughed and said, "I think there's a good chance for them to get together, and it seems that neither Brother Chu nor Xiao Ting's family objects."

Then, as if remembering something, he said to Xiang Kun, "But if Zicheng's matter goes through and he settles things with Xiaoting, shouldn't you also step up your efforts and confirm it?" As he spoke, his eyes kept glancing at Lao Xia beside him.

Xiang Kun understood what he meant, but could only evade the question by saying, "They haven't even officially started dating yet, so let's not worry about marriage for them. Sigh, it looks like the rain is going to get heavier again, we should go."

You Meng escorted them downstairs. As they stood at the door, he glanced at the television in the shop and said, "Did you see the news today? Two prisoners escaped from Wushu Mountain Prison, injuring two guards. They're currently conducting a full-scale manhunt. There's a 100,000 yuan reward for any information."

Xiang Kun laughed, "What, you want to be a helpful bystander? But if you escaped from Wushu Mountain Prison, there's no way you'd run this way. You probably won't make any money here..."

"How could I be a helpful bystander? I've practically been sleeping in the shop these past few days, I haven't been able to leave at all. I'm talking about you, you know. I heard from Ms. Yang and Ms. Tang that you used to work as a thug and a fugitive, you even captured an armed fugitive on the street and got a 20,000 yuan reward from the police! Later you even worked as a human trafficker and got another 200,000 yuan reward! Ms. Yang said you're like a 'bald version of Conan' and 'Bounty Hunter No. 47,' you always seem to run into trouble wherever you go... Thinking about it, it's true. That time you guys came to visit, my wife and I went to pick you up, and on the way we got rear-ended by Liu Feibao and Boss Qi." "Oh no, you almost had a major conflict? Then you wanted to go to Wushu Mountain then there was a tourist falling off a cliff there... You went to Chongyun Village to visit Director Liu, but you got scammed on the way... Oh yeah! The first time I took you to Chongyun Village to see that piece of land, we encountered a cobra!! I've been to Chongyun Village so many times before and never encountered a venomous snake... So, anything is possible, maybe those two fugitives went to Chongyun Village? You'd better be careful..." You Meng was just joking, but as he spoke, he realized that what he said actually made a lot of sense.

Xiang Kun said with a wry smile, "The way you're talking... makes it sound like I'm a jinx."

"You're not exactly a jinx, since you can handle anything. You're more like... a nemesis..." You Meng said, unable to suppress a laugh.

"Alright, if those two fugitives really come to Chongyun Village, whether I run into them or not, I'll change my name to Xiang Kexing!" Xiang Kun joked.

In his view, there's no chance of escaping from prison these days. There are cameras everywhere, and everyone has a cell phone. Where can you escape to? Given the level of importance the authorities attach to similar incidents, he suspected that the two escapees had already been caught while they were chatting.

Moreover, geographically speaking, the two fugitives are much more likely to have come from the north, east, or south than from the direction of Tongshi Town or Chongyun Village.

After leaving the "Youlong Restaurant", Xiang Kun and Lao Xia walked to the parking lot and got into a second-hand Great Wall pickup truck.

Since they would be staying in Chongyun Village for an extended period, buying a car to travel to and from town was essential. Originally, Lao Xia wanted to buy a brand new Prado, but Xiang Kun opted to buy a very cheap used car instead.

It wasn't that he was stingy—although he didn't have much money left—but the main reason was that he needed to test some of his previous conjectures about the "Super-Sensing Item System," which meant he would have to disassemble and reassemble things himself, and even replace parts.

I won't feel bad about testing a cheap car.

After buying the car, Xiang Kun had already gotten a lot of parts replaced at a repair shop that You Meng knew. From engine oil and air filter to tires and air conditioning compressor, to some rubber gaskets and parts, even the seat cushions were replaced. It cost a lot of money. Even the repair shop mechanics wondered why Xiang Kun would replace so many things on such a broken car.

In this process, Xiang Kun successfully established "Super-Sensory Link" with four tires, several rubber pads, several screws, and several panels.

For the time being, Xiang Kun can't drive this car at the level of a race car driver, but he can indeed judge the road conditions more clearly through the four tires that are connected, and grasp the operation of the whole car through the various parts that are distributed throughout the car.

Although he could have done these things with his own superhuman perception abilities, he believed that as he built more "Super-Sensory Link" components into the car, the corresponding application capabilities would definitely be further developed, and quantitative changes would lead to qualitative changes.

He even has a basic idea now that he can "drive" this car without getting in.