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The middle-aged man in a suit was none other than Xu Kunyou, the kitchen manager of the Qingcheng Grand Hotel. Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang, the man who had boosted his career, appear in the Qingcheng Grand Hotel, his eyes shone with excitement, even more so than if he had seen the director of the hotel.

Zhong Ping, Zhou Mingjun, and Qili, hearing Xu Kunyou's words, were completely baffled and thought to themselves, where was there a Boss Wang around here?

They couldn't help but stop in their tracks, looking around left and right, their faces filled with confusion. They thought that the hotel staff had mistaken someone for someone else.

Even Wang Xiaoqiang was surprised. Although they had been collaborating for a while, he had only met Xu Kunyou once before when Xu Kunyou, dressed casually, had stopped Wang Xiaoqiang's truck to negotiate cooperation. Today, Xu Kunyou in a suit and leather shoes had undergone a big change in appearance, and Wang Xiaoqiang almost didn't recognize him at first glance.

Just then, Xu Kunyou had already approached Wang Xiaoqiang, bowed slightly with a humble face, and extended his hands, "Boss Wang, I am Xu Kunyou, the kitchen manager of Qingcheng Hotel, remember?"

Only then did Wang Xiaoqiang extend his hand for a shake, smiling apologetically, "Uh, Manager Xu, I'm so sorry, I hardly recognized you all dressed up like this..."

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay, as long as you, Boss Wang, still recognize me, that's all that matters..." Xu Kunyou said with an indifferent smile.

Zhong Ping, Zhou Mingjun, and Qili, watching the two men shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, were even more astonished. How had Wang Xiaoqiang, this country boy, suddenly become Boss Wang? And how come he was being treated so enthusiastically by a hotel's kitchen manager?

What on earth was going on?

As the three of them stood there stunned, Xu Kunyou already very politely and seriously said, "Boss Wang, it's not easy for you to visit our Qingcheng Hotel. Please give me the opportunity to thank you at lunch today..."

Seeing that he was about to invite him to a meal, Wang Xiaoqiang promptly said, "Uh, Manager Xu, let me introduce my friends first. We are all here to have a meal today..."

Before Wang Xiaoqiang could finish, Xu Kunyou had already spoken up, "That's perfect, Boss Wang. I'll treat you today. You and your friends just enjoy yourselves, and I'll take care of the bill..."

On hearing this, the trio became even more puzzled, wondering which company's boss Wang Xiaoqiang was. That he should have the kitchen manager of Qingcheng Hotel so eager to invite him. They speculated that Wang Xiaoqiang must be a supplier to Qingcheng Hotel, but even if he was the supplier, shouldn't it be Wang Xiaoqiang trying to court favor with the hotel's kitchen manager?

It was Zhou Mingjun first, then Zhong Ping, and now Xu Kunyou, one after another insisting on treating him to a meal, leaving Wang Xiaoqiang unsure whose invitation to accept!

Seeing Xu Kunyou so insistent on treating, Zhou Mingjun and Zhong Ping showed signs of displeasure. They wondered what was going on today; someone always interrupted when they tried to treat someone to a meal, and their own guest was being invited by someone else, which was somewhat embarrassing. Yet they felt too awkward to argue over it, so no one spoke up at the moment.

The situation became a bit tense. To break the awkwardness, Wang Xiaoqiang spread his hands and said, "Since Manager Xu wants to invite us, let's give him a chance and also try the hotel's signature dish, the Mandarin Duck Double Flower Egg..."

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang accept the invitation, Xu Kunyou's face instantly lit up with a smile. He immediately made a phone call to the kitchen to have someone cover for him and personally accompanied Wang Xiaoqiang to the designated private room.

And with that, things got lively.

Xu Kunyou thought, by seizing this opportunity, to see if Wang Xiaoqiang's Chicken Farm could supply Qingcheng Hotel with an additional three thousand eggs. So, even though clinging to Wang Xiaoqiang might seem impolite, he was ready to go all out.

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Zhou Mingjun's calculations were loud and clear in his mind. Seeing how close Wang Xiaoqiang was with Zhong Ping, he naturally hoped that through Wang Xiaoqiang's relationship, Hongxiang Group could connect with Zhong Ping's Jinli Lai, this business flagship.

However, Zhong Ping's thoughts were simpler, just wishing to catch up with Wang Xiaoqiang for old times' sake. Maybe Wang Xiaoqiang felt there was nothing to catch up on, but Zhong Ping didn't think so.

Zhong Ping was in her forties, still single. She was a woman who took pride in her purity and would not seek young lovers like some successful women do. Of course, she was also a regular woman with the desire for a man. It was just that those men who tried to get close to her with ulterior motives disgusted her, men like Zhou Mingjun, who grew more repulsive to her the more eagerly they courted her.

Wang Xiaoqiang was different, though.

The character of Wang Xiaoqiang, his smile, often surfaced in Zhong Ping's mind — not for any other reason but because Wang Xiaoqiang was the only man who maintained a clean smile in front of her, the only one who did not covet her status and didn't attempt to use her to climb the ladder.

Moreover, it was Wang Xiaoqiang's Golden Sand Tree Chrysanthemum that had brought a happy smile to her father's face. Unfortunately, due to improper care, the plant had died. This time, she was hoping to purchase another orchid of similar quality as the Golden Sand Tree Chrysanthemum from him.

After arriving at the designated private room, Xu Kunyou became quite the talker, incessantly chatting with Wang Xiaoqiang.

He rambled on and on, and it all boiled down to the fact that since the introduction of Wang Xiaoqiang's Wild Mountain Eggs, Qingcheng Hotel's signature dish, the Mandarin Duck Double Flower Egg, had improved in quality by leaps and bounds, making the hotel even more famous and business booming.

It was then that Zhong Ping and Zhou Mingjun understood why Xu Kunyou was treating Wang Xiaoqiang with such hospitality.

Soon, the wine and dishes were served. The wine was a foreign red wine, and the dishes were Qingcheng Hotel's best. At the center of the table sat the hotel's signature Mandarin Duck Double Flower Eggs.

With Xu Kunyou's introduction, everyone began to eat, and the expressions of amazement followed by the compliments were all around — indeed, the Mandarin Duck Double Flower Egg lived up to its reputation.

But Xu Kunyou didn't just praise the dish; he tactfully said, "All this is thanks to Boss Wang's eggs. So, Boss Wang, I have an imposing request today. Our hotel doesn't have enough eggs, could you dispatch another three thousand eggs to us every week..."

"Alright!" Wang Xiaoqiang, with a grand gesture, said. At present, the Chicken Farm's output had more than doubled, so sending another three thousand eggs was a piece of cake.

"Uh, I really can't thank you enough, Boss Wang," Xu Kunyou, overjoyed, raised his glass to Wang Xiaoqiang, "I'll finish this drink, Boss Wang, please feel free..."

That was clearly the posture of a subordinate toasting a superior!

"Director Zhong, for our first meeting, I'd like to offer you a toast..." Zhou Mingjun saw Xu Kunyou chatting away like a chatterbox to Wang Xiaoqiang, which not only affected his interaction with Wang Xiaoqiang at the dinner table but also directly delayed his opportunity to network with Zhong Ping.

As soon as Xu Kunyou finished talking, Zhou Mingjun immediately picked up his glass to toast Zhong Ping, trying to break the ice with this drink.

Zhong Ping understood Zhou Mingjun's intentions all too well. Her father, Zhou Mantang, had approached her multiple times, hoping to collaborate and sell Hongxiang Group's beer at Holiland chain supermarkets. Zhong Ping had no respect for Hongxiang's poor-quality beer and would never consider a partnership that could tarnish Holiland's reputation.

So when Zhou Mingjun offered his drink, she merely lifted her glass without any intention of clinking glasses.

She took a delicate sip and without another look at Zhou Mingjun, she raised her glass towards Wang Xiaoqiang, "Little Qiang, let's have a drink."

Zhong Ping hadn't expected Wang Xiaoqiang, at such a young age, to run his own business, and that the products he made were so well-liked by customers. Pleasantly surprised, she felt reassured for him.

"Cheers!" Wang Xiaoqiang had agreed to Xu Kunyou's request so readily because he was afraid the man's babbling would spoil the meal. To him, dining was just dining, and it was best not to talk about work or business, especially when having a meal with a woman as charismatic and elegant as Zhong Ping, where one should enjoy the ambiance.

Seeing Zhong Ping taking the initiative to drink with him, Wang Xiaoqiang stopped paying any attention to Xu Kunyou and started clinking glasses with Zhong Ping instead.

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