Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Unable to Reach a Consensus

Shen Lu offered a slight smile. "I apologize for the trouble this has caused my fellow business owners, but I’m afraid I can’t comply with your request to raise prices."

She could restore the price to the original 120 Star Coins, but going any higher than that felt inappropriate.

After all, she’d promised not to raise prices when she first opened. Plus, she was using more local ingredients now; a price hike would surely cause backlash from her customers.

More importantly, she had to maintain her shop’s satisfaction rating.

’This rating can’t drop any further. If it does, I’ll lose my three stars, and I won’t be able to complete my daily quests.’

So, their proposal of raising the price to 200 Star Coins a serving was out of the question. Her goals were different from theirs, so a consensus was impossible.

Mr. Sun and General Manager Chen never expected Shen Lu to refuse.

’How could she refuse? Why would she refuse?’

’Doesn’t everyone do business to make money? If she isn’t trying to make a profit, why charge at all? She might as well just give it away for free.’

’Sticking to this middle-of-the-road price... isn’t she just trying to piss everyone else off?’

The two men’s faces darkened, and their tone turned hostile.

"So, what you’re saying is, you’re unwilling to raise your prices?"

Shen Lu nodded. "That’s right."

General Manager Chen sneered. "It seems Boss Shen is determined to go her own way."

Shen Lu sighed. "I have my own difficulties. I’m not trying to disrupt the market on purpose."

’Everyone has to look out for number one. I can barely fend for myself as it is; I don’t have the energy to worry about anyone else.’

’Not to mention the cataclysm coming in a few years. If I don’t build up my strength now, when will I?’

The meeting ended on a sour note. After Shen Lu left, General Manager Chen and Mr. Sun erupted in a tirade of curses.

"That girl has no idea what’s good for her! We tried to persuade her nicely, and she just ignored us!"

"And what was that about ’her own difficulties’? Bullshit! She just wants to steal customers with her low prices!"

"Cut off her supplies! We have to cut off her supplies! Without ingredients, let’s see how she plans to keep her restaurant running!"

"I’m calling the managers of my fast-food joints right now. I’ll have them start a promotion tomorrow. It’s just a price drop. Anyone can do that!"

"And a raffle! Come on, let’s go see Mr. Jin. We’ll discuss the prizes and organize a joint event."

General Manager Chen and Mr. Sun were in complete agreement. They immediately got in a car and headed for the villa.

Meanwhile, Boss Jin had also learned the outcome of the meeting.

"She refused?" Boss Jin raised an eyebrow and laughed aloud. "Her refusal is for the best. It saves me a lot of trouble."

If Shen Lu had agreed, the men Boss Jin had waiting would have had to make a move on all three of them.

The assistant said, "General Manager Chen and Mr. Sun are furious. They’re on their way here now."

Boss Jin’s laugh grew even heartier. He stood up to go upstairs, instructing, "When they arrive, just say I’m not feeling well and have already gone to bed. Tell them to come back tomorrow if it’s important."

’They deserve to be turned away at the door. Can’t be helped, I’m just that petty.’

The assistant acknowledged the order.

Ten minutes later, General Manager Chen and Mr. Sun were knocking at the door.

The assistant opened the door. "General Manager Chen, Mr. Sun. What brings you here so late at night?"

"Is Mr. Jin in? He should be. I saw his car outside," said Mr. Sun.

The assistant didn’t deny it. "The boss wasn’t feeling well today. He had a bit of a headache, so he took some medicine and has already gone to bed."

General Manager Chen said, "We have something extremely important to discuss with Mr. Jin. Could you possibly..."

"I’m sorry, but please come back tomorrow," the assistant interrupted. "The boss suffers from chronic migraines. As his employees, we must prioritize his health, of course."

General Manager Chen and Mr. Sun were helpless. They couldn’t very well storm upstairs and drag Boss Jin out of bed, so they had no choice but to leave in frustration.

...

Shen Lu’s expression had been grim ever since she left the Golden Years.

’Even a fool could see this coming. For the time being, there’s no way I’ll be able to get ingredients from the suppliers in the Lower City District.’

’I wonder how reliable my connection with Fu Cheng is. Can he provide a stable supply of ingredients for a while?’

’And what about Xue Can? Didn’t he say he’d help me secure suppliers from the Upper City District?’

’I didn’t see him come in to eat today, and he hasn’t sent any messages... Did he succeed or not?’

Shen Lu took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

’Actually, there is one perfect solution to all of this.’

’Max out the shop’s defense level. Turn it into an indestructible fortress. As the sole administrator of that fortress, I’d be like a god within my own walls. I wouldn’t have to be afraid of anyone trying to harm me.’

’Unfortunately, the shop’s defense level was still stuck at 6, as stubborn and unmoving as a turtle.’

Shen Lu’s Light Brain vibrated. She was receiving a video call.

A glance at the caller ID showed it was Bai Wanwan.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Lu answered the call.

"Shen Lu, why haven’t you been answering my messages!" Bai Wanwan’s complaint came through before her face even appeared on the screen.

The Bai Family siblings hadn’t been to the restaurant recently. Even before the great downpour had fully ended, Bai Wanwan and Bai Lei had gone with their family to visit relatives at the Zhunan Survival Base.

Bai Wanwan messaged Shen Lu every day, and Shen Lu would reply when she wasn’t too busy. But today had been one thing after another, and she’d completely forgotten to get back to her.

"I’ve been a little busy." Not wanting to get into the details with Bai Wanwan, Shen Lu quickly changed the subject. "Are you by the sea?"

"Yeah! There’s a meteor shower tonight, so we came to the coast to watch." Bai Wanwan didn’t suspect a thing and happily went along with the new topic. "It’s so much fun here in Zhunan. The climate is great, too, not dry and dusty like the Imperial City."

"A meteor shower?" Shen Lu’s heart skipped a beat.

’If I remember correctly, the female protagonist of the story transmigrated on a night just like this, during a meteor shower.’

’Unlike me, she didn’t transmigrate as a soul; her whole body traveled here.’

’She crash-landed on this planet along with a meteorite. When she woke up, she discovered she possessed a dimensional space, one filled to the brim with all sorts of supplies.’

’Relying on that space, the protagonist survived in the wilderness and eventually ran into Xue Can while he was on a mission.’

’After a series of coincidences led to her saving his life, Xue Can brought her back to the Imperial Capital Survival Base as repayment...’

’Does that mean Xue Can is about to leave on a mission?’

Bai Wanwan noticed Shen Lu’s expression change, her gaze growing distant. She quickly tried to comfort her. "They say there’s going to be another meteor shower at the end of the year. If you want to see it, I can bring you with me then, okay?"

Shen Lu snapped back to the present and didn’t refuse the offer. "If I have the time."

Bai Wanwan beamed, then suddenly lowered her voice. "Everything in Zhunan is great, except for one thing... the food isn’t very tasty."

The young woman pouted. "Steamed seafood is fresh and all, but I’m craving something with a stronger flavor. Do you think it would taste good to cook Australian lobster and king crab the way you make spicy crawfish?"

Shen Lu couldn’t help but laugh. "Bai Wanwan, you have quite the imagination."

Bai Wanwan sighed. "Your food is still the best. Shen Lu, how about I hire you as my personal chef? I’ll pay you well!"

"No can do." Shen Lu shook her head without a second thought. "Why would I work for someone else when I can be my own boss? I wasn’t born to work for other people."

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