UPWR1BY Chapter 571: Spicy Hotpot Matches Winter Better
Chapter 571: Spicy Hotpot Matches Winter Better
On the streets of the imperial capital.
Ye Xiu continued driving, taking a passenger to their destination. He navigated through several turns and side streets. The girl in the passenger seat occasionally glanced at Ye Xiu and then shyly looked down at her phone. On the screen was the Baidu Maps navigation, showing the current route of the car.
The map clearly indicated a shorter route, but Ye Xiu chose a longer, winding path.
This guy must want to spend more time with me, right?
It's surprising that in this lonely city, the one who wants to spend more time with me is a ride-hailing driver.
The girl stole another glance at Ye Xiu and thought: A driver is fine, he’s quite handsome after all!
She didn't have a boyfriend anyway.
With this thought, her heart fluttered slightly. She felt that she should cherish this encounter, as missing it would be a pity.
Since Ye Xiu chose to take a detour, he must be interested in her too, right?
He hasn't said anything... he must be shy.
With this in mind, the girl decided to take the initiative for the sake of her happiness.
"Hey, mister," the girl called out.
"Yes? What's up?" Ye Xiu responded.
The girl showed her phone screen and said, "Mister, you deliberately took the longer route, didn't you?"
Ye Xiu nodded, "Yes."
The girl's eyes lit up and she asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Without waiting for Ye Xiu's answer, she quickly added, "Do you mind having one?"
Looking at the girl's expression and the map in her hand, Ye Xiu realized she misunderstood.
He chuckled and said, "Sorry, you misunderstood. I took the longer route because the other road is blocked. It's been blocked all day. So, I had to go this way."
The girl was dumbfounded: Seriously, this straightforward?
Just then, they arrived at their destination.
Ye Xiu smiled and said, "Alright, we're here. Have a great day!"
With that, he drove away.
The girl stood by the roadside, her face flushed from the cold, unable to hide her frustration. She stomped her foot in anger and muttered, "Ugh, jerk! Such a dense guy!! Go to hell!!"
...
After dropping off the girl, Ye Xiu took a few more orders and then went for lunch.
He couldn't help it; it was too cold, and he was too hungry and tired.
System: "..."
Driving to a street lined with hotpot restaurants, he looked up at the sign for "Hotpot Restaurant Entrance." He got out of the car and walked in.
"Boss, business is booming, huh?"
Ye Xiu smiled as he saw the busy restaurant.
The owner turned around and, recognizing Ye Xiu, beamed, "Oh, it's you! Thanks to your suggestion, business is indeed good. This sign idea was brilliant! Last time, I wanted to thank you but couldn't contact you. Now that you're here, feel free to order anything. It's on the house today!"
"Really? That's generous of you!" Ye Xiu's eyes sparkled, "Then I'll order without holding back!"
The owner waved his hand grandly, "Go ahead. You're my benefactor!"
This owner was the same one who had once been worried about naming his restaurant. In a street filled with hotpot places, neighboring ones like Yang Guofu Hotpot, Zhang Liang Hotpot, and even a celebrity-owned hotpot restaurant all had more recognition.
Surviving in this street was stressful for him.
But Ye Xiu's casual suggestion of the name "Hotpot Restaurant Entrance" changed the place's fortune.
The name was so unique and catchy that many people came in just to check it out, and the business boomed.
"Alright." Ye Xiu ordered a large selection, and ten minutes later, the food was served.
As the spicy aroma wafted through the air, Ye Xiu's mouth watered.
He took a bite of lotus root.
Mmm!
Delicious!
In this cold winter, a hot bowl of spicy hotpot was just perfect.
Ye Xiu leaned back, enjoying the view outside the window as he savored the hotpot.
While enjoying a beef ball, he noticed a little head slowly rising from below the window. First, he saw two little pigtails, then half a face, then a pair of big, shiny black eyes peeking at him pitifully.
Finally, the entire face and mouth appeared, with the little girl looking at Ye Xiu's mouth, licking her lips.
Ye Xiu looked down to see a little girl in a pink down jacket, peering at him through the window.
"Do you want some?" Ye Xiu asked with a smile.
The little girl nodded, licking her lips.
Ye Xiu gestured for her to come in. The girl hesitated, then her head disappeared, and she ran to the entrance, peeking inside again, hesitant but eager.
Ye Xiu smiled and didn't push her. He just took another bite of the bacon.
Mmm!
So tasty~
The little girl couldn't resist any longer. She looked around and then cautiously ran inside, sitting obediently opposite Ye Xiu.
Ye Xiu smiled, "Are you here alone?"
The girl shook her head, "I'm with my mom."
She pointed to the supermarket across the street, "Mommy is buying things in there."
Ye Xiu understood and nodded, "Do you want to eat?"
"Yes." The girl nodded without hesitation.
"Okay, wait a bit." Ye Xiu stood up and selected more ingredients.
Five minutes later, a fragrant bowl of hotpot was served.
The girl's eyes lit up, and her mouth almost watered into the bowl.
But just then, a woman hurried in, grabbing the girl's hand, "I told you to wait outside, why did you come in?"
The girl looked up, longing in her eyes, "Mommy, I want to eat hotpot."
"No, I told you this place is expensive." The woman, plainly dressed, looked tired. She was obviously an ordinary working woman.
Prices in the capital were never cheap, especially for a now-popular restaurant, whose prices had risen accordingly.
The girl pouted, "Mommy, you promised me hotpot last week, but you haven't taken me yet..."
Pouting, she looked pitiful.
The woman felt a pang of guilt but looked at the prices on the wall, feeling even more pressured.
She could only sternly pull her daughter to educate her.
Seeing this, Ye Xiu immediately intervened, "Excuse me, are you her mother?"
The woman turned to Ye Xiu and apologized, "Yes, sorry for disturbing you."
Ye Xiu waved it off, "No disturbance at all. I just wanted to tell you that your daughter is very lucky!"
The woman was puzzled, "Lucky? What do you mean?"
Ye Xiu grinned and pulled the owner over, explaining, "It's like this: today the restaurant is having a promotion. The 200th customer to enter gets a free family meal! And your daughter is the 200th customer, right boss?"
Ye Xiu squeezed the owner's shoulder slightly to remind him.
The owner immediately understood, nodding enthusiastically, "Yes, yes! Oh, what a lucky girl! You two can eat anything you want today. It's all free!"
The mother and daughter were both stunned.
But the little girl was overjoyed and quickly sat down, ready to enjoy the hotpot.
Ye Xiu pulled the owner aside for a private conversation.
Outside the restaurant.
The owner asked, "Benefactor, is there something you need?"
Ye Xiu nodded, "Yes, it's simple. I want you to lower your prices. I won’t let you lose money. I'll handle your promotion, and I'll find you a professional soup chef for the hotpot. I'll cover the chef's monthly salary. But the profit split will be 90/10, with you getting 90%. What do you think?"
Ye Xiu had only been focused on eating earlier and hadn't noticed the prices.
It wasn't until the woman mentioned it that he realized the prices were high, beyond what the average person could afford.
Raising prices with rising popularity was natural, but Ye Xiu felt that since he encountered this, he might as well help out.
Mutually beneficial.
The owner was momentarily stunned but then quickly understood, "This..."
Ye Xiu paused and opened his Douyin account, introducing himself, "Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Ye Xiu, Ye as in 'leaf,' and Xiu as in 'cultivation.'"
The owner's eyes lit up, "Oh, it's you!!"
Ye Xiu's name was now well-known across the internet. Anyone who used Douyin would recognize him.
Especially since marketing online was a trend, the hotpot restaurant's name and its newfound popularity owed much to online hype.
Seeing Ye Xiu's millions of followers, the owner was thrilled.
This promotion would be huge!
The owner was so excited that he immediately agreed.
Honestly, the 90/10 profit split was a great deal for him.
After chatting a bit more, Ye Xiu got into his car and drove away.
The owner returned to the restaurant.
The mother immediately asked, "Where did that gentleman go?"
The owner smiled, "Oh, he left. If you need more food, just let me know. It's all on the house today!"
"Thank you, sir," the mother replied, sitting down.
The little girl, beaming, placed a piece of bacon in her mother's bowl, "Mommy, your favorite! We are so lucky today!"
The mother smiled warmly and looked out.
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