Chapter 1776: Huo Zhenteng's Failure

The waiter said, "I saw it clearly, I really did. The boss brought a group of chefs over and personally taught them how to make Glass Meat. That craft of yours has now been spread to everyone."

"How could he know how to make Glass Meat? Impossible."

Regardless of whether he believed it or not, the waiter ran off in a hurry anyway.

He had taken time off to come out, so he couldn't stay long; if he were discovered, he would be fired.

Huo Zhenteng's signature dish, the boss knew it too.

This news spread like wildfire, and the chefs who had joined Huo Zhenteng in the strike complained to him, "You really are something. You didn't teach us, but you taught the boss. We'd better hurry back to work; if we don't work, we'll lose our jobs."

Huo Zhenteng had grievances he couldn't voice.

If he said he hadn't taught them, would those people believe him?

Even if they believed him, what of it? Believing he wasn't lying only proved that the boss was truly very capable.

Which was lighter and which was heavier? Choosing a rich, young, and capable boss versus choosing him—the comparison was too obvious. There was no need to struggle at all; soon, the people he had painstakingly cultivated were no longer his people.

He wanted to gloss over it, but these people didn't have his patience. Seeing that one tactic didn't work, they defected one after another, returning to the restaurant to apologize and pledge their loyalty.

Pledging loyalty was easy; all they had to do was push all the blame onto Huo Zhenteng.

And so, before he could do anything, he was sold out completely by his subordinates.

However, those who sold him out didn't fare well either; Sheng Zichen had the finance department settle their wages and no longer employed them.

Once disloyal, never used again.

Running a restaurant is not like other things; if a chef has a crooked mind and messes with the food, the restaurant's reputation will be completely ruined.

Zichen had guarded against Huo Zhenteng using such tactics, so he had secretly cultivated new staff. He dismissed the original kitchen crew, and soon a new kitchen team was established.

Huo Zhenteng was dismissed, but Sheng Zichen did not treat him unfairly; he settled his wages and bonuses clearly, without deducting a single cent.

If he had even the slightest bit of gratitude, he would know this was Sheng Zichen showing him mercy.

Only, he did not.

He was very unwilling to accept this and went to reason with Zichen, "You're really something. The restaurant I poured my heart and soul into building, now that your wings are hardened, you want to drive me away with some random excuse? Do you believe that I can turn around and become your rival?"

Zichen was not threatened by him; he smiled slightly and said nonchalantly, "Sure, go ahead and try."

"Everything you have done is in my hands. I was able to send you to Prison once, and I can do it a second time."

"If everyone lives in peace, that's fine. There is so much money in this world that one person can't earn it all. Why must you insist on finding yourself a powerful rival?"

Huo Zhenteng:...

He knew clearly that Sheng Zichen was threatening him, but... it worked!

Although he was a person of crooked mind, his strengths were also prominent: he could quickly recognize the situation and was not too stupid.

Knowing he couldn't win, he stopped fighting.

Huo Zhenteng left the restaurant; his departure was not exactly dignified, but it wasn't disgraceful either.

In any case, people in the circle knew what was going on, it was just that this matter hadn't been blown out of proportion!

He was indeed not on the same level as Sheng Zichen now; an egg hitting a rock would do him no good, and he couldn't do things that brought no benefit.

After the strike incident subsided, Gu Zhihao even came over to stand up for Huo Zhenteng.

He arrived aggressively, but was persuaded by Zichen in a few sentences and didn't cause a scene. The master and apprentice drank a round of wine, and not long after the banquet started, Gu Zhihao began to cry.

While crying, he cursed himself for having a pig's brain, almost being used again.

In the end, he arrived aggressively and left crying.

Zichen dealt with Huo Zhenteng, and this move was very elegant; his reputation spread far and wide in the culinary world, and it was all his legendary story.

Especially being able to make the Glass Meat that Huo Zhenteng had been proud of for decades, this made many people give a thumbs up. They were so impressed; a genius like him would probably only appear once every few hundred years.

Zichen's "talent" was not only reflected in cooking, but he also had outstanding performance in business.

He wanted to do a big thing—create a restaurant chain!

If it were just expanding, it would be nothing, but he actually wanted to turn the restaurant into a chain.

Everyone opposed it, thinking he was messing around. A restaurant is not a snack bar, let alone fast food. Restaurants that can succeed have their own signature dishes, and the reason a signature is a signature is that it cannot be replicated.

What the hell is a chain?

But Zichen insisted on doing it, and he succeeded.

The first step was financing.

Tianma Group, General Manager's office.

Jian Yining welcomed a "big client" today when he came to work: Sheng Zichen.

He was very surprised, "Oh, what wind blew you here today? How did you find this place?"

Although Tianma Group had moved from the United States to Jiangzhou many years ago, the younger generation had basically never been here. Zichen was dressed in a suit and leather shoes today, carrying the air of someone about to negotiate. He could see it wasn't simple; he definitely wasn't here to chat!

Zichen got straight to the point, "General Manager Jian, I came to talk to you about financing. This is my documentation."

He placed all the restaurant's data and cash flow records on the desk.

Jian Yining said, "You're coming to me for financing? Wouldn't it be better to go home and find your mother? Don't forget your mother is the Chairman of Tianma."

Zichen smiled slightly, "Going to my mother doesn't follow the procedure, which is why I came to the company to find you."

Jian Yining thought to himself, going to your mother doesn't follow the procedure, but coming to me does?

The scale of financing you want only needs to be filed with the Market Department; it shouldn't even reach my desk.

That was what he thought, and that was what he said.

Zichen said with a cheeky grin, "I'm not familiar with your company's procedures, anyway I'm looking for you. You hurry up and look, and give me an answer after you finish; I have things to do later."

Jian Yining took out the documents, didn't even look at them, and scribbled his signature on the last page.

"You brat, go get the money."

Zichen had thought it would be straightforward, but he hadn't expected it to be this straightforward!

"That's it?" he asked in disbelief.

"Otherwise what? It's finished, isn't it? Don't you have things to do in a while? Hurry off and get busy."

"Thank you, Xi Fu."

Zichen left happily.

"Hey, do I get a discount if I go to your restaurant to eat?" Jian Yining shouted from behind.

"No problem, a bone-breaking discount."

He replied with a grin, and he had already disappeared from sight.

Once Zichen obtained the financing, he immediately began to carry out his plans with bold and decisive actions.

He personally mixed the seasonings and set up a production line, and mass-produced semi-finished Glass Meat came off the production line.

The packaging included instructions; one only needed to deep-fry it at home to make a beautiful plate of Glass Meat.

Of course, these mass-produced ones could not compare to what Huo Zhenteng made, but they were very similar.

Glass Meat was brought down from its pedestal, transforming from a signature dish of high-end restaurants into a dish that even small street-side eateries could stir-fry.