Target: Hot Pot Tycoon

The next morning, when Zhang Yang woke up, he subconsciously checked Xie Shuting's social media.

She updated her status early in the morning.

There was no caption, just a photo of the rising sun shining through the window, casting its light on the potted plants on the windowsill. Judging from the location, it was in HS City.

Zhang Yang had heard Xie Shuting mention that her hometown was Chengkan Town, located at the foot of Yellow Mountain. It was said to be a place with beautiful scenery and the most authentic ancient Huizhou flavor.

She also invited Zhang Yang to be her guest.

However, it seems there's no chance to go now.

"It's good to be home." Zhang Yang muttered to himself, feeling a slight sense of relief, finally able to put the matter behind him completely.

He got out of bed, drew back the curtains to greet the morning sun, feeling refreshed. He went into the bathroom to shower and start his new day.

After I finished showering, a system notification popped up.

All the shares of Soup King Hotpot have been transferred, and he can go to the designated accounting firm to hand over the reins at any time.

In other words, aside from a few minor details, Soup King Hotpot, a chain of high-end hotpot brands with seventy stores nationwide, is now an enterprise under his name.

Zhang Yang was in a great mood early in the morning.

"Just find something to do."

He immediately called his driver and told him to wait downstairs. As for himself, he went into the kitchen and quickly made himself something to eat.

Although hiring a housekeeper would be very convenient, he values privacy more since he lives alone and doesn't like having other people in the house. If cleaning or tidying is really necessary, he'll just hire a part-time housekeeper.

After a simple breakfast, Zhang Yang sat in the back of the Phantom and chatted with Bai Xiaomi for a while.

Last time, Bai Xiaomi wanted to come along, but considering that he had a mission, Zhang Yang didn't let her. This time, he's taking over the business and will also visit Liangxi, which is nearby, so it's suitable to bring Bai Xiaomi along.

"Didn't you say you were going on a business trip with me? Wait for me downstairs at the company later."

"What? I'll go down right now, Chairman Zhang." Bai Xiaomi immediately replied to the message, her joy evident in every word.

Zhang Yang put down his phone, smiled, and then started contacting the accounting firm.

Around 8:30, the car arrived at the company building, and the phone call was finished.

Zhang Yang looked out the car window and saw Bai Xiaomi standing downstairs at the office building, looking around expectantly. Then her eyes lit up and she ran over like a gust of wind.

"Good morning, Mr. Zhang. Have you had breakfast?" Bai Xiaomi, dressed in a tight-fitting short skirt, sat in the back seat, looking every bit the sophisticated office lady. "I brought you breakfast."

Bai Jingyi carefully took out a disposable lunchbox, which was filled with small and exquisite pan-fried buns.

"I just ate this morning," Zhang Yang waved his hand.

"Oh, have one, it's still warm." Bai Xiaomi gently approached and opened the lunchbox with a slightly coquettish tone.

Zhang Yang glanced at the driver sitting upright in front of him, then casually opened the partition, instantly separating the front and back seats and creating a private space in the back.

The first stop, naturally, was to go to the accounting firm to complete the formalities and obtain the relevant equity documents.

Around 10 o'clock, Zhang Yang got back into the car.

At this point, all the formalities have been completely completed, and Soup King Hotpot is now entirely his private property.

"Chairman Zhang, where are we going?" Bai Xiaomi asked curiously from inside the car.

"Where to?" Zhang Yang smiled and waved his hand, "To Liangxi."

With a new business in hand, it's natural to go and inspect it, and to get a feel for the situation. Of course, Zhang Yang simply treated this trip to Liangxi as a relaxing getaway.

Hmm, a relaxing trip with my personal assistant.

Before going, Zhang Yang didn't launch a surprise attack. Instead, he called ahead to give the management there some time to prepare.

Then, we set off.

It's only a little over 100 kilometers from Magic City to Liangxi, a drive of just over an hour.

Sitting in the spacious back seat of the Phantom, with Bai Xiaomi by his side, Zhang Yang didn't feel bored at all; he just felt that time flew by.

Around noon, the car arrived in Liangxi.

Liangxi, the pearl of Taihu Lake and one of the birthplaces of Wu culture, is a beautiful and economically developed place.

Zhang Yang lowered the car window slightly, looked outside, and pondered where to take Bai Xiaomi to have some fun after finishing his business. There were just too many attractions in Liangxi; it would definitely take one or two days to see them all.

"By the way, where do you want to go? You can decide." Zhang Yang slapped Bai Xiaomi's thigh.

"Huh? I decide?" Bai Xiaomi was taken aback, then her eyes lit up, and she quickly took out her phone and started making plans.

At noon, Zhang Yang, accompanied by Bai Xiaomi, went straight to the Plaza 66 in Liangxi for lunch.

Inside a Hong Kong-style tea restaurant, Bai Xiaomi was enthusiastically chatting away with Zhang Yang.

"Chairman Zhang, we can go to Turtle Head Isle Scenic Area. Coming to Liangxi and not going there is like not having come at all. If we have time, we can also go to Huishan Ancient Town, or visit the Lingshan Grand Buddha."

"Sure, take your time browsing." Zhang Yang was happy to oblige.

When you go out to have fun, you should enjoy yourself, relax, and take your time.

After lunch, the two traveled together in Phantom and headed straight to the headquarters of Soup King Hotpot.

The headquarters and a central kitchen of Soup King Hotpot are located in an industrial park in New Wu District.

Outside a four-story office building in the park.

As soon as Zhang Yang got out of the car, several managers from Soup King Hotpot, from top to bottom, came to greet him.

"Hello Chairman Zhang, I am Zhou Bin, the current general manager of Soup King Hotpot. And these gentlemen are..." Zhou Bin greeted him with humility and introduced himself, and then introduced the men beside him. They were all regional managers from the surrounding area, who had come to the headquarters for a meeting today.

Zhang Yang shook hands with everyone, and without wasting any time, immediately had Zhou Bin lead the way, preparing to go inside and take a look.

"Chairman Zhang, Chairman Zhang," Bai Xiaomi whispered from the side.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yang looked at Bai Xiaomi.

"It's Soup King Hotpot! You... you acquired it too?" Bai Jingyi's eyes sparkled with admiration. "I love Soup King Hotpot the most. I don't go to other restaurants much, I just love going to theirs... no, I love going to ours."

"You're still such a loyal fan?" Zhang Yang was surprised.

"Of course! Girls who love hot pot but also want to stay healthy have to go for Soup King Hotpot. Besides, I'm a member of Soup King Hotpot," Bai Xiaomi said with a smile, showing off.

"By the way, Chairman Zhang, could you give me a perk and help me upgrade my membership level? Our highest level, Black Soup Member, requires eating it once a week on average for about a year to reach that level, which I can't afford."

"It's nothing, I'll arrange it for you later," Zhang Yang said casually.

Inside the office building, Zhang Yang looked at the company's development history.

Starting with its first store in Liangxi in 2011, the company has steadily expanded its presence in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai regions, and now has seventy stores, with further expansion still underway.

The wall displays a national map, and the stores are currently concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta region (Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai).

"Chairman Zhang, our store has always focused on a boutique approach, only opening in upscale commercial areas. Currently, almost every store we open is located in a prime location in a top-tier commercial district," Zhou Bin explained from the side.

"What about the expansion plan?" Zhang Yang asked.

"The next key step is to expand the stores northward to Beijing and southward to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, striving to cover all major first-tier and new first-tier cities," Zhou Bin said, outlining the plan.

Expansion naturally requires money.

However, Soup King Hotpot does not follow the path of opening stores everywhere. Only a handful of new stores open each year, so it can naturally be self-sufficient.

Zhang Yang also thought of something else.

If Soup King Hotpot expands at a faster pace and requires huge amounts of capital in the future, his Cloud Sea Capital's annual investment of 300 million yuan could certainly be invested in it.

Well, even though I voted for myself, the system probably won't consider it a violation.

If things continue like this, Laojiao's established position in the industry is undeniable, and Laojiao certainly wouldn't dare to compete. However, building a listed chain hot pot brand is a very promising prospect.

Upon thinking about it, Zhang Yang's eyes immediately lit up.

Inside the office, Zhou Bin briefed Zhang Yang on the current situation of the store and its specific business operations.

Although there are differences, the net profit margin, table turnover, and revenue are generally quite average, and the overall trend looks quite good.

As for net profit, it was similar to what he had previously known.

Last year's net profit was just over 100 million yuan, and the total turnover was 1.1 billion yuan.

Bai Xiaomi, who was listening from the sidelines, was dumbfounded and only felt shock. Although she had known that Chairman Zhang had many businesses and huge assets, she was still amazed to see one of them in person.

Even knowing that Soup King Hotpot alone could earn Zhang Yang over 100 million yuan a year, one could still feel the overwhelming wealth emanating from it.

"Oh, and take me to see the central kitchen too," Zhang Yang said.

There's nothing much to see at the headquarters.

The key lies in Soup King Hotpot's warehousing and supply system, as well as its seventy stores.

Central kitchens, which integrate pre-processed dishes, warehousing, and distribution, are naturally the ones that deserve attention and visits.

A moment later, Zhang Yang toured the central kitchen.

The central kitchen in Liangxi was initially invested in with 50 million yuan, which is enough to supply all 50 directly operated stores at the same time, with an annual output of nearly 10,000 tons.

Soup King Hotpot has two such central kitchens, in addition to a base material production plant. The current supply system is more than enough to meet the food needs of its seventy directly operated stores.

Zhang Yang wasn't an expert, so naturally he wouldn't have wild ideas. He would just say whatever came to mind, or casually express some far-fetched or presumptuous thoughts.

After all, everyone has their own expertise, and in terms of professional skills, he is certainly not as good as Zhou Bin, a veteran in the catering industry.

Soup King Hotpot has done a good job of differentiating itself, such as focusing on health-preserving soups and simplifying its product categories, thus avoiding homogenization. As for the next growth point, it is currently being explored.

"Chairman Zhang, Chairman Zhang, don't forget about my matter," Bai Xiaomi whispered a reminder from the side.

"What?" Zhang Yang looked at Bai Xiaomi, then suddenly realized, "You mean about your membership, right?"

Bai Jingyi nodded her head repeatedly.

"Do I really need to personally handle such a small matter?" Zhang Yang found it amusing and casually gave the order.

Then, he thought about it and realized that for a boss like himself to ask for a membership upgrade for his assistant seemed a bit overkill. So, he decided to...

"Oh, right, how about we upgrade her membership to something that lets her eat whatever she wants?" Zhang Yang casually suggested.

Consider it a small perk for my assistant.

Even if she ate there every single day of the year, how much could she possibly eat? Besides, who eats hot pot every day?

"That's wonderful, I love you, Chairman Zhang." Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaomi couldn't contain her emotions and immediately gave Zhang Yang an incredibly intimate hug.

Zhou Bin stood aside, watching intently, his mind racing with thoughts.

It seems that the white assistant next to the boss has a close relationship with him!

After visiting Soup King Hotpot, Zhang Yang didn't stay long.

It's all our own company, our own employees, there's no need for too much formality, and meals and such are unnecessary; we can leave that for next time.

As for further investigation and uncovering any problems, Zhang Yang wasn't in a hurry. He could leave it to his team or wait until he got his hands on the book on experience as a Fortune 500 CEO.

Now, it's time to take Bai Xiaomi and enjoy our trip to Liangxi.

After leaving the headquarters of Soup King Hotpot, Zhang Yang got into his Phantom, took Bai Xiaomi with him, and the group headed straight for Yuantouzhu Scenic Area in Taihu Lake. They decided to sit down nearby that evening.

When traveling, there's no need to have a fixed itinerary.

Take a walk around and observe; when your mindset is right, everything else will fall into place.

In the afternoon, as the sun set, at Yuantouzhu Scenic Area, on the shore of Taihu Lake.

Zhang Yang and Bai Xiaomi strolled along, stopping frequently, their pace slow and deliberate, enjoying the breeze from Taihu Lake and the breathtaking scenery of the Taihu Lake.

On the lake, red-billed gulls took flight in the golden sunset.

Bai Xiaomi stood excitedly by the lake, her hand outstretched, letting the red-billed gulls gently peck at the food in her palm, her smile radiant.

Zhang Yang stood to the side, relaxed, watching Bai Xiaomi's long hair edged with gold by the sunset, her figure excited and joyful, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

How pleasant!

Taihu Lake, sunset, gentle breeze, and a figure in the distance.

Zhang Yang felt carefree, and suddenly recalled a line from Zhou Bangyan's poem, "At this moment, in this weather, I am a carefree little immortal."

He found a large rock and sat down, genuinely hoping that not only today, but also tomorrow, and every day in the future, he could have this state of mind and this carefree attitude.

Even if you get tired, you can stop at any time and say, "I've reached the end of the watercourse, so I can sit and watch the clouds rise."

"Chairman Zhang, Chairman Zhang, let's go!" Bai Xiaomi came running over, her previously cheerful expression now looking...

"What's wrong with you?" Zhang Yang stood up and asked, somewhat amused.

"My hand... it hurt from being pecked, but that's nothing, I'm not that delicate. The main problem is that the seagull pooped on me." Bai Xiaomi didn't know whether to stand or sit, and she didn't know where to put her hands.

Zhang Yang glanced at it and immediately laughed.

In front of Bai Xiaomi, there were several grayish-white patches, clearly indicating that they had just been cared for by the red-billed gulls.

"It's alright, let me wipe you down first, then you can change back at the hotel." Zhang Yang smiled and stepped forward, taking out a wet wipe he had with him. He walked over and wiped Bai Xiaomi's face, not minding that it was dirty.

Bai Xiaomi stared blankly at Zhang Yang, who was bowing his head and earnestly wiping her clothes. Suddenly, she pursed her lips, her eyes filled with tenderness.