Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

Xi Hao gave a few simple instructions before going back to work.

Boss Qiu did not say much about this inspection. He did not even ask them to prepare in advance.

Xi Hao subconsciously wanted to prepare, but on further thought, what could he prepare for?

Everyone's working conditions were not bad. They were positive and full of emotions. The development of each project was going smoothly. Even if some projects were not progressing on schedule, it was because they had better ideas to modify the development plan.

In short, Xi Hao felt that the incubation base was working perfectly. There was nothing to hide.

The only problem was that he did not work overtime, which made him seem less hardworking. However, Boss Qiu never advocated overtime. Since Boss Qiu did not advocate it, the leaders who came to inspect should not advocate it as well, right?

Therefore, Xi Hao did not arrange for everyone to make any sudden preparations. He was relieved when he walked around and saw that the independent game designers and employees of the administrative department were working hard.

The inspections this time were probably just for show. The leaders of the inspections would walk around, ask a few questions, and give some irrelevant suggestions and suggestions. That would be all.

…

At 2: 30 PM, Qiu Hong led Tang Yishu to the independent incubation base of the 'Destitution Plan'.

The two drivers followed Tang Yishu carefully like bodyguards, always on guard against any possible dangers.

Wu Zhicheng saw Qiu Hong and Tang Yishu from afar. However, he did not realize that this young lady was the 'leader' who had come to inspect.

She was too young. Wu Zhicheng highly doubted that she was even twenty years old.

What's more, she looked timid and obedient; more like a schoolgirl walking with her head lowered. She did not look like a leader at all.

However, she looked like someone of high status judging from Qiu Hong's attitude towards her and the two bodyguards behind her, who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.

"Could it be the beloved daughter of Boss Qiu's rich backer?"

Many scenes from novels appeared in Wu Zhicheng's mind.

While he was a little surprised, Wu Zhicheng felt much more relieved after seeing Tang Yishu's true face.

Initially, he was naturally a little resistant to things like 'inspection by the leaders'. He was afraid that he would meet those unreasonable, brainless leaders who would ask some brainless questions and make some brainless suggestions in order to make their presence known.

In the end, it was just a timid little girl who looked very easy to talk to. Wu Zhicheng felt much better, feeling that this "inspection" was probably just a formality.

What could a young lady like her know about game design? She must be just taking a quick look. Boss Qiu would be able to get over it with a few words.

When Xi Hao saw Qiu Hong and Tang Yishu, he rushed forward. "Boss Qiu!"

Qiu Hong introduced, "This is Little Tang, the representative of the donor of the 'Destitution Plan' project. This is the person-in-charge of the daily operations of the incubation base, Xi Hao."

Qiu Hong felt that Tang Yishu had to be a person-in-charge in Tengda if she could be the 'special envoy' to inspect the work, right? Logically speaking, she should have a position when addressing her.

However, he could not tell what Tang Yishu's position in Tengda was because Boss Pei did not mention it.

Thus, he could only vaguely introduce them.

Xi Hao quickly extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."

Tang Yishu was afraid that her luck would stain someone else again, but she felt that it would be impolite not to shake his hand. Thus, she reluctantly extended her hand and shook it. "My name is Tang Yishu. Please call me Little Tang."

Xi Hao was quite happy to see that the 'leader' who came to inspect did not put on any airs. He quickly said, "Alright, let me introduce the daily work of the incubation base. Please follow me."

Xi Hao led Tang Yishu and Qiu Hong around the incubation base and briefly introduced them.

"This is our resting area, lunch, daily meetings, reception, and so on are conducted here."

"This is the administrative area. Our administrative department is mainly in charge of planning the game development plan and various supporting services. Apart from being in charge of the daily operations of the incubation base, we also have a lot of work to do."

"Our lunch is delivered by a Fish-Catching Take-Out nearby. The coffee and drinks were provided for free."

"As for the development of the games, they are going smoothly at the moment. The fastest game might be released next month. The slower ones might have to wait another three to five months. The capacity of each game is different, and the development time would be different."

Xi Hao briefly explained all aspects of the incubation base. During this process, Tang Yishu listened intently and nodded frequently but did not raise any questions.

Initially, Xi Hao had intended to give a simple introduction, he was sure that Tang Yishu would definitely ask him questions, which he would answer in detail.

Unexpectedly, Tang Yishu only listened and nodded after this round. She had no intention of asking any questions.

That was a little awkward because it would only take about ten minutes for the entire incubation base to be introduced. The other party had traveled all the way from Jingzhou to the capital. They could not possibly leave in ten minutes, right?

However, the entire incubation base had been introduced and Tang Yishu did not ask any questions. Xi Hao felt that it was a little strange for him to take the initiative to introduce it in detail from the beginning again.

Xi Hao quickly thought of something as he noticed that the situation was a little awkward.

"Why don't I ask the producers to show you a few DEMOs with higher completion rates?"

Xi Hao was impressed with himself.

There was nothing special about the incubation base, but there were many independent games!

These independent games had not been officially released yet and had only completed a portion of them, it was not a problem for them to be displayed as DEMO.

If he showed these DEMOs, it would show that the incubation base's work was very effective. Boss Qiu would also feel proud.

Tang Yishu said uncertainty, "There's no need if it's very troublesome…"

Xi Hao quickly said, "No trouble, no trouble! Come, this way please."

"Old Yu, pull out the DEMO of your game. Yes, the stable demo that was just completed a while ago."

An independent game designer with a beard beside him immediately switched on the game editor and pulled out his game's demo.

Xi Hao walked up to take a quick look. There was nothing wrong with the DEMO interface. He looked at Tang Yishu and pointed to the seat. "Please take a seat."

This was a stable demo with fewer bugs.

There would also be different versions of the game during the development process. In order to prevent irreversible bugs from appearing in the game, the new versions would not immediately replace the old versions after they were developed or developed. Instead, many versions would be saved.

After each version was completed, they would repeatedly modify it to ensure that there were no major malignant bugs before continuing the development of the next version.

This DEMO was a stable version. It could run smoothly after a few revisions of bugs.

Of course, Xi Hao was afraid that a bunch of malignant bugs would appear halfway through the game and leave a bad impression on the other party. Thus, he chose a stable version of the game DEMO.

Tang Yishu sat on the chair and picked up the controller on the table awkwardly.

She did not play many games normally. What's more, her reaction was a little slow and her hands were a little weak. That was why her grip on the controller was a little stiff.

Xi Hao was a little surprised. Why did the sponsor of the Destitution Plan seem like she did not know how to play games?

However, he did not say anything. He only briefly introduced the game's operation method and which skills each key corresponded to.

Tang Yishu gently pushed the joystick. The little person on the screen took a few steps and jumped on the spot.

However, before the first monster was defeated a notification popped up on the game window.

Error!

Both Xi Hao and Old Yu widened their eyes in disbelief.

Wasn't this a stable version of the DEMO?

There were no more malignant bugs after revising it more than a dozen times, right?

Xi Hao looked at Old Yu, that gaze meant: What's going on? Why did you drop the ball at the critical moment?

Old Yu was also very innocent. He spread his hands, meaning: How the hell would I know!

This stable demo had not been revised for a long time. Everything was working fine previously.

The atmosphere was a little awkward when the error came on. Xi Hao quickly said, "Small bugs, small bugs. These are unavoidable problems during the development of the game."

"Old Yu, quickly take a screenshot of this bug and edit it as soon as possible. Don't let it affect the official version."

Old Yu nodded. "Aye! No problem."

Tang Yishu played with the controller while Old Yu stood at the side and used the mouse to take the screenshot. He quickly created a new form to record the bug to await for further edits.

Then, he closed the error window and resumed the game.

Tang Yishu entered the game again. This time, there were no bugs after running for a minute.

Xi Hao wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "Look, that was a small bug that appeared out of nowhere. It doesn't appear every time. Today should be a coincidence. There should be no prob…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the small person on the screen being beaten to death by a group of small monsters. However, there was no new option to choose from. The game flow was stuck.

Xi Hao: "Erm…"

This time, there was no need for him to say anything more. Old Yu quickly took screenshots, recorded down, and restarted the game in one go. The entire process did not take more than a minute.

Xi Hao was speechless. "Please continue."

Half an hour later, Tang Yishu finally managed to get through the short DEMO.

However, there were at least fifteen lines on the form and a bunch of screenshots of bugs on the table on Old Yu's side.

Xi Hao was a little ashamed and did not dare to look Qiu Hong in the eye.

What a mess!

He had wanted to show Little Tang the game developed by the incubation base, but it turned out that he had developed bugs!

The fifteen bugs made Old Yu dizzy. The bugs here were all different in severity. Some were directly reported wrongly and quit the game. Some were wrong renderings and affected the visual effect. Some would only cause the game to be stuck, but they could still continue playing.

However, no matter whether the bug was serious or not, they had to be repaired.

Old Yu had originally felt good about himself. He had thought that there would be no problem with this stable DEMO display. However, he had no idea why everything was so bad today, those bugs that only appeared occasionally happened all at once!

Xi Hao said awkwardly, "This should be an accident. We're not very lucky. Come and take a look at this game instead. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Little Zhou, open your game."

Xi Hao was eager to get back, to prove that not all the games in the incubation base were trash; there were still games that could be played.

However, Little Zhou scratched his head and said in embarrassment, "Brother Hao, for some reason, I can't open this game…"

Xi Hao felt light-headed. "Wasn't everything fine this morning? Why can't it be opened?"

Little Zhou looked innocent. "I don't know either! I didn't change anything!"

Xi Hao was speechless. "Hurry up and check!"

At that moment, the entire independent game incubation base was in chaos.

There were many bugs in independent games in the first place.

That was because there was usually insufficient manpower for independent games. Testing bugs or revising the bugs were usually not done in a timely fashion.

However, these independent game designers were already used to it. Some experienced independent game designers would choose more mature and complete proposals to reduce the existence of hidden bugs.

Moreover, after arriving at the incubation base, producers and employees of the administrative department would often play each other's games and find bugs for each other. Thus, there were much fewer bugs compared to before.

These independent game designers had always been in a 'peaceful time' state. They felt that there were not many bugs in their game. At the very least, it would not be a problem for them to run smoothly.

In the end, everyone was slapped in the face today!

All sorts of strange bugs kept popping up. All the game designers felt like they were stuck in a rainstorm. It was as if all the bad luck in the world concentrated their attacks today!

Wu Zhicheng was filled with confidence about his 'Black Ink and Clouds' and wanted to show it off to this little girl of the inspection team. However, he had secretly played it and discovered a huge bunch of bugs!

There were many bugs that he had never seen before. It seemed like they had been lurking around since the beginning of the production of Black Ink and Clouds. They had been hidden for several versions before they were suddenly exposed today.

Wu Zhicheng was doused with cold water and fell silent.

How could he show this off? Stop embarrassing yourself and quickly change the bugs!

He did not dare to let down his guard against the hidden bugs anymore. Fortunately, they had been exposed during the development process. If they had remained hidden until the game was released and a vicious bug had erupted, wouldn't he be cursed to death by the players?

The game that he had worked so hard to create over the past few months would be ruined by such a bug. That would be too unfair.

The atmosphere in the incubation base quickly turned from lively to serious, and then from serious to devastation.

Countless bugs ruthlessly pierced through these producers' fantasies, making them feel less confident.

Xi Hao was a little embarrassed as well. He had wanted to showcase the results of the incubation base, but he had failed.

Little Tang did not look angry and continued to look kind, Xi Hao, however, felt immense pressure.

It looked like he would have to focus on the game test in the future. At the current level, it was still far from being released online!

Since there was no more game to play. "Why don't we go to the resting area and have some coffee?" Xi Hao suggested.

Tang Yishu nodded. "Alright."

Everyone came to the resting area and ordered a cup of coffee each.

Xi Hao was apologetic. "I'm really sorry about today. I don't know why, but all the bugs managed to appear today! However, don't worry, our attitude towards modifying the bugs is definitely not a problem. These bugs will be fixed very soon. In the future, we will also put in 120% effort to test them a few more times to minimize the existence of bugs."

"Er… do you have any other questions? I can answer them all."

Tang Yishu had wanted to say that there were no other questions, but she suddenly recalled Pei Qian's instructions before she left. She quickly said, "I want to ask, how's your work efficiency?"

"Work efficiency?" Xi Hao answered immediately. "Of course, the work efficiency is very, very high!"

"Our administrative department helped the producers solve their worries so that they could focus on designing the gameplay. Since it is their interest and the most creative work of every game designer is fully unleashed…"

Xi Hao finally found a suitable place for himself to express himself and began to talk.

His words were slightly exaggerated but that was actually not much of a problem. The incubation base had indeed provided an environment for independent game designers to create with peace of mind. It had greatly increased their work efficiency. This was the consensus of all game designers.

Xi Hao explained his point of view in detail and used various details to prove that the incubation base was very efficient.

He noticed that Tang Yishu had been listening intently the entire time. She kept nodding, obviously moved by his words.

Xi Hao could not help but feel a little proud. After all, he was the person-in-charge of the administrative department.

Shouldn't he be praised?

However, after listening to Xi Hao, Tang Yishu said, "It sounds like there are serious problems with your daily workflow."

"In the future, force all employees to take ten hours of working time each week to play games. That must be during working hours and cannot take up the rest time after work."

"Huh?" Xi Hao uttered in surprise.

He almost thought that he had heard wrongly.

Why did high efficiency indicate serious problems with daily workflow?

The solution was to force them to play games during working hours? They had to play ten hours a week?

Tang Yishu spoke without much confidence because she was only repeating what Pei Qian said before.

Pei Qian had mentioned that everyone should be forced to play games as long as the working environment in the incubation base was very efficient. They had to play ten hours a week.

As for why they had to play games when their work efficiency was high? Tang Yishu naturally did not understand since Pei Qian did not mention it.

The silent Qiu Hong suddenly looked up. "Little Tang, do you think that Xi Hao's description of 'high efficiency' might not be a good thing?"

Xi Hao was stunned. "Huh? Why isn't it a good thing to be efficient?"

Qiu Hong explained, "According to conventional thinking, it would definitely be better if the work efficiency is higher. However, pure efficiency might not be a good thing in some artistic and creative works."

"Game design is also a type of art creation. Sometimes, it relies heavily on inspiration. Most of the time, a person's mind would be stuck at a dead end. When one is stuck at a dead end, a person's mind would be highly focused and their work efficiency would increase significantly. However, the final product might not be good."

"Take these game designers for example. They are very invested and efficient in their work, but it is precisely because of this that they might fall into a state of stubborness. They would focus all their energy on their own game, blindly believe that their current approach is the best, and ignore some better possibilities."

"The mandatory requirement for everyone to play more games is for everyone to be able to walk out of their own little circle while maintaining their efficiency. They would be able to see how other games are done and learn from the masses. They might be able to inspire others."

"I think that's what Little Tang meant."

Realization dawned on Xi Hao. "I see, I understand now! I'll start organizing everyone to play games together to gather inspiration and material!"

Tang Yishu could not help but nod after hearing Qiu Hong's words.

So that was what Senior meant!

Senior is so awesome! He had predicted and planned everything in advance!

The inspection of the incubation base was finally over. Qiu Hong took out his cell phone and glanced at the time. He said to Tang Yishu, "Let's call it a day then. We'll go to Lady Cold Face's place tomorrow at 9 AM."

…

…

December 9th, Friday morning.

Meng Chang instructed the employees and the cleaning auntie to do their own jobs in the flagship store of the Cold-Faced Lady. The entire store, including the kitchen, was cleaned. At the same time, the tables and chairs in the store were neatly arranged.

The long term 'Cold-Faced Lady' was a Chinese fast food brand. Of course, they also sold breakfast.

It was five in the morning. While they had already done a round of cleaning after the closing last night, Meng Chang was still worried. He arrived early in the morning and checked the shop one last time before opening it for business. He wanted to ensure that the shop was in its best state.

Meng Chang did not know that Tang Yishu had come to the capital. He did not clean for her today, but for the few investors who were here for inspection.

Tang Yishu had coincidentally bumped into these investors.

It started from the time when Meng Chang received six million yuan from Dream Realization Ventures.

Meng Chang did not dare to divulge that the six million yuan had been obtained from Tengda because of Boss Pei's request. However, Meng Chang was very smart. Naturally, he had other ways to pass this information to the investors.

Many investors had already extended an olive branch to Meng Chang before Pei Qian decided to invest six million yuan.

However, Meng Chang rejected all of them. That was because the terms of the investment were too harsh on him. They were either valuation adjustment mechanism agreements or locked up the founder's shares. It was very unfriendly to him.

The investors did not insist nor give up immediately after Meng Chang rejected them. Instead, they maintained a neutral attitude and continued to observe.

They were waiting for the Cold-Faced Lady to run into financial problems.

Now, all investors could tell that Meng Chang was a founder who was passionate about burning money for marketing. It would not be able to sustain Meng Chang's speed of burning even if the Cold-Faced Lady could turn its losses into profits.

Of course, this was not a bad thing because Meng Chang was good at marketing. He had indeed burned money to forcibly instill the Cold Faced Lady brand into his customers. Not only was this money not a loss, it was very profitable.

This was in line with internet marketing in the eyes of many investors. Meng Chang had done it beautifully.

Meng Chang and capital were both needed by each other.

In order to maintain the popularity and money chain of Cold-Faced Lady, Meng Chang would definitely continue to think of ways to finance it. Once the Cold-Faced Lady's brand became successful and its valuation skyrocketed, the capital would also reap rich rewards.

Therefore, these investors thought that Meng Chang's temporary rejection was just a bargaining tactic.

Meng Chang would naturally let go of his pride as long as they waited for the Cold-Faced Lady to run into financial problems. He would have to accept the investment agreements that included terms such as valuation adjustment mechanism and shares lockdown.

There was no problem with their plan. In fact, if Dream Realization Ventures did not continue to invest, Meng Chang would really be caught in a dilemma.

However, Meng Chang, who had the character of a gambler, placed his bet on the right horse once again.

After getting the bullets from Dream Realization Ventures, Meng Chang had a perfect chance to counterattack even though he could not flaunt it.

He started to burn money at an even faster rate. He even spent hundreds of thousands of yuan to rent a venue. He started to organize his own speech, and used his excellent eloquence and business sense to endorse the brand 'Cold Faced Lady'.

On one hand, it was to continue expanding the influence of the cold-faced lady. On the other hand, it was to send a very clear message to the investors.

Aren't you not investing? Did you think that I won't be able to get any investments from other places?

Sorry, not only did I get it, I also got a lot of it!

Are you still going to stick to that agreement and not take a step back? If you don't invest, if you don't invest now, you might not even have a chance to invest in the future.

These investors could not help but panic when they saw how the Cold-Faced Lady was burning so much money without any problems with the capital chain. Meng Chang still looked like he had everything under control.

That was because the company's valuation would grow faster and faster with more capital.

The price of investing one month earlier versus one month later was vastly different because of the difference in company valuation.

Therefore, it was now the investors' turn to lose their cool. They wanted to inspect the place before deciding how much to give in with regards to the investment agreement.

Meng Chang planned to get everything done in one go. Today, he would try to hoodwink these investors and continue to push up the valuation of the Cold-Faced Lady so that he could prepare for the next step.

Even someone with a huge heart like Meng Chang could not help but feel nervous. That was because if he were to mess up today and the investors continued to observe, the amount of money he had on hand would not allow him to continue burning for too long. There was a risk that the capital chain would break at any time.

Of course, even if there was a small problem with the capital chain, the Cold Faced Lady brand would not die on the spot. Meng Chang still had many ways to find money.

However, in such a situation, money would be more difficult to obtain.

Therefore, Meng Chang was actually continuing to show off his muscles to the investors on the one hand while showing the good prospects to the investors through good eloquence and business models. On the other hand, he was proving to the investors that he had the ability to turn good prospects into reality through clean and popular stores.

After confirming all the details of the shop like a paranoid maniac, Meng Chang began to rehearse what he had prepared to say to the investors today to ensure that the morning's presentation was foolproof.

…

10 in the morning.

Qiu Hong and Tang Yishu went to Lady Cold Face's shop and found an inconspicuous corner to sit down.

It was not lunch time yet but there were still quite a number of people in the Cold-Faced Lady's shop. About 60% of the seats in the shop were taken. It looked like there would definitely be a queue during the afternoon peak period.

Tang Yishu looked around curiously, her eyes filled with confusion.

Everything was good, she could not see any problems.

Before coming, Pei Qian had specifically instructed her to keep an eye on the Cold-Faced Lady and report the situation to him when she returned. She did not have to worry about not being able to understand it. There was no need for her to study it on purpose. She could just observe it based on her first impression.

However, Tang Yishu realized that she had not observed anything weird when she first arrived at the shop.

The restaurant was quite clean and tidy. It looked like business was going well. The waiters were not as formal as other fast-food restaurants, but they still had faint smiles on their faces. They were very attentive to their customers and even had a better attitude than traditional fast-food brands.

In Tang Yishu's eyes, this was just a normal, very profitable restaurant.

The two of them ordered some of their signature dishes and were served quickly.

Tang Yishu fretted as she ate. She could not sense any major flaws or problems in the restaurant.

Of course, it was not perfect. It was a fast food brand after all. They could not count on much on its taste, but it would definitely be passable.

At the same time, Meng Chang was waiting for investors in an inconspicuous corner of the shop.

Meng Chang looked calm on the surface, but was in fact, a little anxious. That was because they had agreed to meet at 10 PM. These investors were already a few minutes late.

All of a sudden, Meng Chang's eyes lit up. He immediately stood up and walked towards the door.

Before long, Meng Chang and a few other investors walked into the shop, chatting and laughing.

"Boss Meng, I'm really sorry. There was a traffic jam on the way and I arrived a few minutes late. Sorry for making you wait."

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm honored that you're willing to come to my restaurant. Please don't stand on ceremony."

Meng Chang appeared calm and collected, as if he had everything under control. After a simple exchange of pleasantries, he began to explain the Cold-Faced Lady's situation to everyone.

That included the results of the Cold-Faced Lady's recent marketing plan, the preparation of the new restaurant, feedback on the new dishes, details of the various services of the restaurant, and so on.

The Cold Faced Lady brand was also continuously developing. The management model and taste of the restaurant were also continuously improving. Even if these investors had been here before, they could see obvious improvements now.

Meng Chang was burning more money after all. It wouldn't make sense if the shop remained the same.

Tang Yishu, who was sitting in a corner, sipped her roasted cold noodles as she pricked up her ears to listen to the contents of their discussion.

However, Meng Chang did not speak very loudly. Tang Yishu could only listen intermittently even if she concentrated. She could not help but feel anxious.

How was she going to report to her senior if she could not tell anything from her visit to the Cold-Faced Lady?

Meng Chang began to enthusiastically introduce the shop to the investors.

"The decoration style of our shop has been slightly adjusted. There are some new embellishments, mainly to create an atmosphere that combines tradition and modernity. Everyone, look, this is an element of traditional Chinese style. There are also posters with a bit of artistic aura. These are all part of the cultural heritage of the brand Cold Faced Lady."

"With a mix of different styles, customers' dining environment would be unique. These styles would become material for customers to happily share on Weibo or social circles. That would make customers become our free promoters."

"These details are also reflected in all aspects. For example, our dining tables and chairs were specially custom-made by factories. They are also fashioned in between new trends and nostalgic old fashion. Moreover, they are both beautiful and practical so in theory, there shouldn't be any problems for about 10 years…"

Meng Chang was casually playing with the swivel chair as he introduced. However, he suddenly heard a soft creak as the swivel chair was stuck.

Meng Chang: "?"

He thought that he had made a wrong turn. He tried to turn it back, but it was indeed stuck!

The atmosphere was extremely awkward.

Meng Chang was puzzled. What was happening?

He was not lying. These tables and chairs were indeed custom-made that were made with top quality materials. In theory, they should be good to be used for a few years.

However, something went wrong!

It wasn't a big problem, but the axis of the dining chair was stuck for some unknown reason and couldn't continue spinning. However, the feeling of being slapped in the face still made Meng Chang feel very awkward.

The investors gave him face and did not say anything but Meng Chang knew that these investors would definitely have some thoughts in their hearts. The accumulation of these minor flaws would affect the evaluation of the Cold-Faced Lady in the hearts of the investors. The investment agreement terms that he could obtain would be even harsher.

However, Meng Chang had a strong mental fortitude after all. This little episode was not enough to make him panic. He smiled and said, "It looks like there are still some minor problems with the quality control of this furniture factory. It's just as well. The problem can be corrected as soon as it's exposed. That might not be a bad thing."

"We'll definitely ask them to improve their quality control."

"Apart from the dining environment, the recruitment and culture of our waiters are also different from other restaurants…"

Meng Chang quickly changed the topic. He did not want to continue arguing about this to leave an impression on the investors.

However, just as he was speaking, he saw a customer stand up impatiently. He walked to the front desk and said, "Why isn't my cold noodles ready yet? Didn't you promise to serve the food in fifteen minutes? It's been twenty minutes!"

The receptionist said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, I'll rush the kitchen."

The customer returned to his seats speechlessly.

The investors had obviously noticed it as well. Their expressions changed subtly.

Meng Chang's heart dropped as he silently cursed the people in the kitchen a hundred times.

Weren't they normally fine? What's more, he had just instructed for the food to be served fast many times in the morning. Why did they have to cause trouble at such a time?!

This was really messed up!

However, he knew that he could not dwell on this now. The more he struggled, the more flaws he would have. Thus, he pretended that nothing had happened and continued to explain it to the investors in high spirits.

However, less than half a minute later, something happened again.

A burly man who looked like he had been waiting for too long said from his seat, "Why hasn't the side dishes been served yet? The noodles are almost finished! Aren't they cold side dishes? Why, are you only starting to grow them now?"

A waiter hurried over and comforted him in a low voice.

The corners of Meng Chang's mouth twitched slightly. It was impossible to ignore it this time. Happening once could be said to be a coincidence, but what about two times?

The Cold-Faced Lady's identity was a fast-food brand, which required the meals to be served within 15 minutes, the faster the better. Now that there was a problem with the timing of the meals being served, the impression on the investors would be that the kitchen management was in a mess. That could directly affect the Cold-Faced Lady's brand and reputation.

What's more, it was not the peak period for lunch yet. No matter what, there should be no delay in serving the food.

There was no way he could fool them.

Meng Chang adjusted his mentality and maintained his poise. "I'm sorry, there seems to be a small problem with the kitchen. Please wait for a moment, I'll go and settle it."

Meng Hao walked to the kitchen briskly and whispered angrily, "What's going on?! Why are the dishes being served so slowly today?!"

The waiters were busy with their work. When they saw Meng Chang, they quickly explained, "Boss Meng! I don't know what happened today, but my luck was a little bad. I accidentally burnt a pot of noodles just now. Then, I accidentally tripped when I was serving the main dishes. I missed out on the side dishes…"

Meng Chang gritted his teeth in anger. Why did this have to happen at such a critical juncture?!

However, at this point, Meng Chang did not have any good solution. He could only curse at them and ask them to serve their meals as soon as possible.

Meng Chang resumed his calm expression after he left the kitchen.

He walked to the center of the store and clapped his hands lightly. "I'm very sorry, customers. There was a small problem in the back kitchen today. However, don't worry, I guarantee you that anyone who doesn't serve food within 15 minutes will be completely exempted from paying the bill!"

At a time like this, he could only pour out money to extinguish the customers' anger.

If there was a problem, he had to solve it quickly. These investors were still keeping an eye on him. If he did not solve it in time, he would have to deduct points again.

The customers who were waiting anxiously finally calmed down when they heard that the bill would be waived.

Qiu Hong was a little puzzled. He said softly, "Eh, the dishes were served quite quickly when we arrived. Did something go wrong with their kitchen?"

Tang Yishu continued to eat her roasted cold noodles, pretending not to hear him.

She still remembered the first time she went to Ming House for dinner, even Boss Li's high-end restaurant had been affected. A lot of problems occured in the kitchen.

The Cold-Faced Lady was just an ordinary fast food restaurant. The kitchen would definitely not be as good as Ming House's. How could it hold up?

Tang Yishu felt a little guilty. She had come to visit in secret today, but looking at the current situation, she was a little worried that she might accidentally ruin Senior's plans.

Tang Yishu took out a tissue and wiped her mouth. "Boss Qiu, let's go."

Qiu Hong was stunned. "Huh? You're not going to watch anymore?"

Tang Yishu shook her head. "No."

She knew that Pei Qian was the one who had invested in the Cold-Faced Lady. If she were to sit here and the situation in the kitchen continued, the consequences would be dire.

It was better to leave as soon as possible before causing more harm.

Qiu Hong did not say much. Tang Yishu was the one who came to visit in secret after all. He was only in charge of accompanying her. The two of them stood up and left.

Meng Chang continued to explain things to the investors, but he could clearly feel that the investors were no longer as interested as before.

There was no other way. The unexpected mishaps today had been too damaging. Many investors who had been tempted returned to the wait-and-see state.

"Alright, Boss Meng, let's call it a day. We'll discuss the investment when we get back. I'll give you an answer in two days."

The investors were still very polite, but their attitudes were obviously slightly different from when they first arrived.

Meng Chang was well aware of this, but he had no choice. He could only bite the bullet and continue to act nonchalant as he sent the investors away with a smile.

Meng Chang sighed silently and found an empty seat to sulk after returning to the Cold-Faced Lady.

The waiter walked over quickly and said in a low voice, "Boss Meng! There are no more problems with the kitchen. The few customers who were delayed have also been exempted from paying. We will definitely be able to ensure that the peak lunch period will not be affected!"

Meng Chang glared at her, not knowing what to say.

How tiring.