Chapter 142
Because William had previously taken a neutral stance and demanded an apology from the studded-shoe girl at Cheng Ang’s graduation party, Su Bin had a good impression of him. William took the initiative to invite Su Bin for coffee. Since William was also a restaurant owner, Su Bin thought he might have valuable insights to share, so he gladly accepted.
“I heard from Leo that you’re the legendary ‘Boss Su’?” William revealed Su Bin’s identity before Su Bin could mention it himself.
“Yeah…” Since Cheng Ang knew Su Bin’s secret when he was still with Sun Yujie, Su Bin wasn’t surprised he was aware. He was curious about when William had figured it out.
William said, “The first time I met you.”
Su Bin asked, “At Leo’s graduation party?”
William nodded with a smile, “I was quite surprised.”
Su Bin inquired, “Why’s that?”
William replied, “You’re so young.”
Su Bin said, “Actually, I’m just a figurehead.”
William said, “I know, but the restaurant is named after you, right?”
Su Bin scratched his head, “Yes, I came up with the name ‘Boss Su’.”
William chuckled, “That’s exactly why I was surprised. How could an ordinary international student make such a big impact? … We found out that ‘Boss Su’ has an agency team from K Company managing it behind the scenes.” William glanced at Su Bin, “But since the agency team is hired, they aren’t the true power behind the scenes. Am I right?”
Su Bin nodded slightly, impressed by William’s insight. It seemed that the ‘Boss Su’ brand was gaining recognition.
William asked, “Are you familiar with ‘Huazhi Heart’?”
Su Bin hesitated and shook his head awkwardly, “Sorry.”
William explained, “‘Huazhi Heart’ currently has five chain stores in B Country. The M City branch is the second one; the first was in D City, the capital, and has been around for twelve years. It was a small restaurant not much bigger than ‘Boss Su’. Eight years ago, ‘Huazhi Heart’ faced bankruptcy due to severe internal competition and domestic business suppression. It was saved when it was acquired by Jianghua Group and gradually expanded to its current scale.”
Su Bin was impressed, “Wow, ‘Huazhi Heart’ has been around for so long!”
William looked slightly exasperated. “Shouldn’t your focus be on Jianghua Group?”
Su Bin asked, “Jianghua Group… What do they do?”
William was speechless and showed Su Bin the name on Wikipedia. Su Bin was astonished to see it was the conglomerate of Hong Kong’s richest man.
William was satisfied with Su Bin’s reaction and continued, “Without Jianghua Group, there wouldn’t be the current ‘Huazhi Heart’. In fact, not just ‘Huazhi Heart’, but one-third of the Chinese restaurants in B Country are controlled by Jianghua Group.”
Su Bin thought for a moment and asked, “Are you with Jianghua Group?”
William smiled, “I should say, Jianghua Group is part of my family.”
Su Bin was shocked, “You… are you surnamed Li?”
William chuckled, “My surname is Jiang.”
Su Bin was left speechless.
William explained, “Li is my mother’s surname.”
Su Bin said, “That’s impressive!” — It turns out he’s quite a remarkable person!
William sighed, “Don’t you have any sense of crisis?”
Su Bin asked, “What kind of crisis?”
William said, “Being acquired by Jianghua Group.”
Su Bin wondered, “Why would Jianghua Group want to acquire ‘Boss Su’?”
William grinned mischievously, “Of course, to ‘monopolize’.”
Su Bin sweatdropped, “That doesn’t sound good. Has ‘Boss Su’ really offended you?”
William struggled to hold back laughter, finally saying, “You’re just too cute.”
Su Bin was puzzled, “Were you just kidding…”
William said, “I’m just joking. Don’t take it too seriously. What I’m trying to say is that while opening a restaurant in B Country isn’t difficult, building a small takeout store into a brand chain in just six months isn’t something that can be achieved with money and popularity alone. Since ‘Boss Su’ has faced almost no obstacles or internal competition, I’m guessing your backing must be as powerful as Jianghua Group.”
Su Bin hadn’t intentionally hidden the existence of Allen and Jin Fei, but he felt a bit uneasy after hearing William’s comments.
William shrugged, “I haven’t found out anything. I heard from Leo that they’re your roommates, so I was curious.”
Su Bin wasn’t surprised, considering even Cheng Ge didn’t know about Allen’s background despite their years of cohabitation. Allen was indeed very mysterious and cautious about his identity.
Thinking of this, Su Bin felt a chill. He hadn’t intended to keep Allen’s identity a secret intentionally, and if William had tried to probe for information, he might have accidentally leaked something!
William observed Su Bin’s nervousness and said, “Is that person the ‘brother’ who borrowed your clothes?”
Su Bin was caught off guard and remained silent.
William noticed Su Bin’s anxious and unsettled demeanor compared to his previous dazed state. It seemed that “that person” was indeed a crucial part of Su Bin’s life.
William decided not to press further and changed the topic, “What’s your vision for ‘Boss Su’ in the future? You can’t just stick to takeout forever, right?”
Su Bin said, “The takeout is an essential part, but I think mass appeal is still important. It’s like in Mainland China, where more people know ‘KFC’ than ‘Golden Leopard’.”
William pointed out, “But your main customer base is still students, especially international students, isn’t it?”
Su Bin nodded, “Yes.”
William asked, “University students in B Country have about four months of vacation each year. The revenue during this period must be quite low, right?”
Su Bin nodded, confirming that revenue during holidays was indeed very poor. The business primarily balanced out thanks to earnings during the academic year. He had discussed this issue with Allen, but Allen wasn’t concerned and advised Su Bin to focus on enjoying the work rather than worrying about profits.
“We’re planning to open a proper restaurant next. We’re currently in the process of selecting a location,” Su Bin explained.
William’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Are you aiming to expand your customer base? This will inevitably mean aligning more with traditional models.”
Su Bin asked, “Are you referring to places like ‘Tai Fu’ or ‘Huazhi Heart’?”
William said, “Tai Fu’s main feature is its weekend dim sum cart, but otherwise, it’s quite similar to Huazhi Heart. However, its price range is much lower than Huazhi Heart’s.”
Su Bin commented, “It’s more about mass appeal. Huazhi Heart is too expensive!”
William smiled, “Expensive, yet people still visit. Chinese people care a lot about face.”
Su Bin reflected on this, thinking of Cheng Ang, who had managed to book Huazhi Heart for his graduation party. Cheng Ang’s name was well-known in the M City international student circle.
William continued, “According to my research, the most common types of restaurants in M City are Hong Kong-style and Sichuan cuisine. I’d like to try something different. I’m from Hangzhou, so I’m more familiar with Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine.”
Su Bin added, “Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine isn’t very prominent in B Country, with most places still leaning towards Hong Kong-style food. However, this doesn’t mean Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine is niche. We can promote Jiangnan cuisine in B Country through ‘Boss Su’. Moreover, more Jiangsu and Zhejiang people are studying abroad in B Country, so it should be well-received. Additionally, I’d like to introduce various traditional dishes from Mainland China. For example, the Roujiamo and dumplings that sold well after the opening of ‘Boss Su’ are traditional snacks from Guanzhong and Northern China. I’ve never seen these things in B Country before, but they’re selling very well now.”
William acknowledged, “It seems you’re right. The Chinese restaurant market does need innovation.”
They continued discussing various related topics, and William, being more experienced, especially in catering to local tastes in B Country, provided Su Bin with many useful suggestions.
William then mentioned, “There’s a very unique restaurant in M City run by a Thai person who seems to have lived in China. Their dishes blend Chinese and Thai styles and are very popular with the locals. Are you free tonight?”
Su Bin glanced at his watch and realized they had been talking for over an hour without noticing.
“Tonight won’t work. I need to head back,” Su Bin said apologetically.
William looked disappointed. “In such a hurry?”
Su Bin felt guilty and said, “I’ll treat you next time.”
Recently, Allen’s control over him had become stricter, nearly dictating Su Bin’s social interactions. He hadn’t had the freedom to dine out alone with others for a long time, so he wasn’t sure when he’d have the chance to “treat” someone.
William handed over his business card, “I’ll wait for your call.”
Su Bin accepted it gratefully. Although he didn’t have a business card, he provided William with his phone number out of courtesy.
When Su Bin returned home, he told Allen about the two hours he had “lost contact” with William. As expected, Allen was displeased and confiscated William’s business card.
Su Bin tried to argue that William was a “peer” and that discussing restaurant management with him would be beneficial, but this didn’t change Allen’s mind.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Except for Cheng Ang’s graduation party, where Jin Fei accompanied him and Allen was generous, Allen had not agreed to any other social engagements.
Su Bin had once felt very frustrated, but after being met with Allen’s cold attitude for several days, Allen’s mood had severely affected Su Bin’s own state, leading him to compromise and give in.
Now, in the eyes of acquaintances, Su Bin was almost seen as an “outlier.” In the restaurant, the handsome Su Bin was often approached by girls seeking his phone number and contact details. Initially, Su Bin responded politely. However, as these encounters became frequent, his reaction shifted from pleasure to being startled and unsettled.
