After the meal.

Pei Qian arranged for the driver to take Qiao Laoshi away as usual, while he stayed in the private room, intending to have a chat with Lin Canrong.

This conversation felt somewhat heavy for Mr. Pei.

Mingyun Private Kitchen had already become popular, and it was too late to remedy the situation now. He could only give Lin Canrong a few instructions to prevent things from deteriorating further.

The dining table in the private room had been cleared. Lin Canrong sat across from Pei Qian, his face beaming with a smile.

Lately, Lin Canrong had been incredibly busy.

Since Mingyun Private Kitchen had become popular, lunch and dinner reservations were full, with bookings extending to the week after next.

Previously, he had been bored to death; now, he was working to the point of coughing blood.

Every day, he had to order ingredients according to reservation records, arrange private rooms and tables based on customers’ reserved ingredients, coordinate the work of the servers, and handle various unexpected situations…

Fortunately, Mingyun Private Kitchen originally had enough chefs and waitstaff, and they had recruited well-trained servers, so they weren’t overwhelmed.

Though busy, Lin Canrong enjoyed it, feeling that his value was being fully realized.

Mr. Pei had entrusted such a fine establishment to him, and he certainly couldn’t let down Mr. Pei’s expectations. He was determined to make it increasingly prosperous, even aiming to become Jingzhou City’s finest dining brand!

Fortunately, although the number of dining customers had increased, the private kitchen’s original plan included limited seating, so the staff could still manage.

Speaking of this, Lin Canrong admired Mr. Pei’s foresight even more.

Previously, when Mingyun Private Kitchen was deserted with few visitors, Mr. Pei had instructed Lin Canrong to focus on the restaurant’s core duties and not worry too much about promotion.

And look now—it had become popular within just two weeks!

Thankfully, Lin Canrong had been obedient, focusing all his attention on the kitchen and service, ensuring a high-quality dining experience, which had maintained Mingyun Private Kitchen’s excellent reputation.

This time, Mr. Pei’s instructions would surely be equally forward-thinking advice.

Pei Qian sipped his tea and said calmly, “It’s nothing important, just a few simple instructions for you all.”

Regarding ingredients, never use inferior ones. Don’t think that cutting corners on ingredients won’t be noticed by customers. Treat every guest as a food connoisseur.”

“The restaurant’s seating capacity must not be increased. Maintain the current number of seats.”

“Also, don’t implement policies like prohibiting outside beverages, minimum spending requirements for private rooms, or extra charges for tableware disinfection.”

“I mentioned all these initially, and now I’m emphasizing them again.”

“As you know, all our company’s projects, including Mingyun Private Kitchen, now award bonuses based on reputation.”

Pei Qian felt it necessary to emphasize these points again.

What if Lin Canrong became greedy and thought about adding more seats, or imposing unreasonable rules like prohibiting outside beverages or setting minimum spending requirements for private rooms? Wouldn’t that increase profits even more?

There was just over a month until the financial settlement, and Mingyun Private Kitchen was already a burden for Mr. Pei. This burden absolutely could not grow heavier!

Otherwise, if he couldn’t generate losses, he would truly cough up blood.

Lin Canrong hurriedly nodded, “I understand, Mr. Pei. You’re worried that I might focus too much on profits and affect Mingyun Private Kitchen’s reputation.”

“Rest assured, Mr. Pei, I will remember this and always prioritize customer satisfaction!”

Pei Qian nodded, “…Hmm.”

Although Lin Canrong hadn’t understood his true intentions, as long as the outcome was the same…

Mingyun Private Kitchen’s situation was already like this, and Pei Qian didn’t have any good solutions. As long as it didn’t worsen further, that would be a blessing.

“There’s nothing else. You can go back to work now. I’ll stroll over to the nearby Slackin’ Internet Café.”

Pei Qian left Mingyun Private Kitchen and went outside the villa.

The sky was gradually darkening. Pei Qian looked back at the brightly lit Mingyun Private Kitchen and felt an inexplicable sadness.

It was painful!

Pei Qian silently sighed, preparing to leave Mingyun Manor and visit the nearby Slackin’ Internet Café to sit for a while and have a coffee.

Only the peaceful and quiet Slackin’ Internet Café could now comfort his wounded soul.

After walking just a few steps, he heard someone call out, “Mr. Pei?”

Pei Qian was startled and turned around to see Manager Cui, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time.

This was the marketing manager of Mingyun Manor. When Pei Qian had bought the villa previously, it was Manager Cui who had personally shown him around.

Manager Cui seemed delighted to see Pei Qian, “What a coincidence, Mr. Pei! I was just thinking about when I could visit and thank you in person!”

Pei Qian was puzzled, “Thank me?”

Manager Cui laughed heartily, “Yes, Mr. Pei, of course I should thank you properly!”

“Look, these are our new promotional materials for Mingyun Manor.”

Manager Cui tapped on his phone a few times and opened a PDF image showing Mingyun Manor’s new marketing materials.

Pei Qian took the phone in confusion.

When buying the house previously, Pei Qian had seen Mingyun Manor’s promotional materials.

These materials typically consisted of pictures of the villa area and scenery, accompanied by some promotional phrases.

For example: “Natural landscape, naturally formed”;

“Among real mountains and waters, treasure the true villa.”;

“Manor villas, leading the new trend”;

“Move into ready houses on sunny days, appreciation in sight,” and so on.

In short, the previous promotional materials had seemed very superficial to Pei Qian, simply boasting about how great the villa area was, and he hadn’t taken them seriously.

But the new promotional materials on Manager Cui’s phone were completely different from before!

“Mingyun Manor, leading Jingzhou’s new commercial district”;

“Away from the hustle and bustle, yet close to prosperity within reach”;

“Unnamed restaurant, right in your backyard”;

“Enjoy northern and southern cuisine, meet Jingzhou’s elite”…

Moreover, the images on the materials were completely different from before!

Besides the original villa and scenery pictures, many photos of Mingyun Private Kitchen and the surrounding commercial environment have been added!

One was titled: “Jingzhou’s New Commercial District.”

The image showed various shops around Mingyun Manor—internet cafés, bars, card rooms, coffee shops, etc., appearing very lively.

Another was: “Five-star miracle store trending on Public Reviews, the Unnamed Restaurant, right here!”

The image showed Mingyun Private Kitchen’s page on Public Reviews, along with some interior photos of the restaurant.

There was also one: “Be neighbors with Jingzhou’s elite.”

The image showed various luxury cars parked near Mingyun Private Kitchen, along with group photos of successful people in business attire.

Pei Qian felt dizzy.

What was going on?

Perhaps because it was getting dark, Manager Cui completely failed to notice Mr. Pei’s pale face and excitedly said, “Mr. Pei, these advertisements have all been launched. We should see results within one or two weeks!”

“This time our boss is spending lavishly, buying ad spaces in newspapers, on TV, in property brochures, magazines, buses and subways, real estate websites, and even billboards in downtown Jingzhou!”

Pei Qian felt even dizzier.

What on earth?

They bought ad spaces in so many places?

Wait, weren’t these villas impossible to sell?

When I bought mine, I specifically researched and found that the villas here had no investment value and a poor cost-performance ratio.

Why are they suddenly promoting so aggressively?

And if you’re going to advertise, don’t drag my restaurant into it!!

Pei Qian was a bit panicked, “Won’t you lose money spending so much on promotion…”

Manager Cui laughed, “Mr. Pei, you’re joking. Whether we’ll lose money, don’t you already know?”

“To be honest, when you first wanted to buy this villa, I didn’t think much of it. I thought you were just buying it for occasional vacations.”

“Later, I realized how truly brilliant you are!”

Manager Cui excitedly gave a thumbs-up.

“With the reputation of this Unnamed Restaurant spreading, it has now become the most popular high-end restaurant in Jingzhou! I’ve heard that reservations are booked two weeks in advance. It’s incredibly difficult to get a seat!”

“So many local Jingzhou big bosses want to dine here, but they all have to make reservations in advance!”

“But many bosses find business dinners inconvenient when they have to travel back and forth. When guests come from afar, it’s too exhausting to drive such a long way just for a meal and then go back.”

“So, quite a few bosses have come to look at houses, wanting to buy a villa specifically for hosting distinguished guests from afar, while they can stay occasionally too.”

“Of course, that’s not their only reason for buying. They also see the potential for appreciation in value!”

“Recently, word has spread throughout Jingzhou’s investment circles that this area will be Jingzhou City’s new commercial district in the future!”

“Many people have already been alerted and taken action. Those shops outside, which were all previously closed down, have now been either rented or purchased!”

“These are all good signs. The entire city of Jingzhou is focusing its attention here, and naturally, our property values will rise accordingly.”

“Our boss has already decided to raise the prices of unsold villas. We absolutely cannot sell them cheaply anymore!”

“Mr. Pei, your villa will appreciate by then. Six million easily rising to ten million—absolutely no problem!”

Pei Qian’s legs weakened, and he almost fell to his knees.

Rise to ten million???

That would be a disaster!

Pei Qian felt like coughing up blood. Who said this was Jingzhou’s new commercial district? Who?

What shops were outside? Weren’t those all just part of my deception for Mr. Li?

Wait, Mr. Li…

Pei Qian suddenly realized an issue. Li Shi was the owner of Fuihui Capital and indeed quite influential in Jingzhou’s investment circles.

Earlier, he had been frantically investing in opening shops around Mingyun Manor.

Now that Mingyun Private Kitchen has become popular, Mr. Li must be keeping an eye on this!

In other words, Mr. Li must think that Mingyun Private Kitchen was Mr. Pei’s backup plan, a key chess piece to popularize the Mingyun Manor area!

Given Mr. Li’s personality, he would seize this opportunity and continue to invest money here…

Pei Qian had a bad feeling.

He had originally thought that Mingyun Private Kitchen becoming popular was the worst news, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all!

If this area truly became popular, it would certainly affect Slackin’ Internet Café and the surrounding shops.

Moreover, it would increase the villa’s value!

Could this be what they call “misfortunes never come singly”…?

Pei Qian silently handed the phone back to Manager Cui, falling into a dazed state.

Manager Cui didn’t realize that Mr. Pei had been struck by the sudden bad news. He thought that all of this was already within Mr. Pei’s expectations, which was why Mr. Pei remained so calm.

“Mr. Pei, our boss said he will visit to express his gratitude. You’ve been a great help this time, and we certainly want to show our appreciation.”

“In terms of promotion, we will link Mingyun Manor with your Unnamed Restaurant, raising your restaurant’s reputation to the next level.”

“Additionally, the property management fees and cleaning fees for your villa will be permanently waived, and utilities will be permanently discounted by fifty percent.”

“We will also provide you with several free parking spaces.”

“Also, we will hire a professional gardening team to trim the garden behind your villa and assign dedicated personnel for regular maintenance.”

“Of course, to you, these are all small amounts, not worth mentioning, but they represent our sincere gratitude.”

“In short, from now on, you are Mingyun Manor’s most distinguished property owner and forever a friend of Mingyun Manor!”