Qi Lebang fell into deep thought.
Li Ying didn't wait for his reply but continued on her own, "Back then, Tao Zhi chose the most accessible location for Tianxiang Tower. You just copied his every move. It's like looking at two peas in a pod."
"How could Tao Zhi allow others to sleep soundly beside his own bed? If Tao Zhi wins this competition against me, that's fine. But if he loses... Does he really plan to just fall into oblivion and never open another restaurant again?"
Li Ying stared fixedly at Qi Lebang, her eyes shining with wisdom and understanding.
Her words were spoken calmly, but Qi Lebang was like someone just waking up from a dream. He suddenly widened his eyes!
Having been emulating Tao Zhi for years, he was already well aware of his way of doing things.
If Tao Zhi really intended to go all out, how could he be content to just hide in Drunken Immortal Residence every day and do nothing?
Moreover, he even had the leisure to give advice on Qi Lebang's restaurant decoration!
This man always had more than one plan and made preparations in advance. During casual conversations, he had once mentioned, intentionally or not, that if he was ultimately no match for Li Ying, it would be good to stay in Drunken Immortal Residence as the second-in-command.
How ridiculous that he had been so oblivious for a moment and naively thought that he could recruit Tao Zhi, believing that he would be a great help in the future!
It turned out that this scoundrel had already started plotting. If this attempt failed, he would stay in Drunken Immortal Residence and sooner or later take it over!
Seeing the drastic change in Qi Lebang's expression, Li Ying knew that he had understood the whole situation. She smiled faintly.
"Shopkeeper Qi, there's no need to be upset. The big mistake hasn't been made yet, and there's still a chance to turn things around."
She gracefully reached out her hand to him. "Shopkeeper Qi, why don't you cooperate with me instead and work together to attack Tao? In this way, if we advance, we can take over Tianxiang Tower. If we retreat, we can defend Drunken Immortal Residence. This is the best strategy."
Qi Lebang looked at the document with Bao Guiyou's seal on her hand. His face was as calm as water. After a long while, he finally put away the hostility in his eyes and slowly showed a smooth and worldly smile.
"Madam Li is really good at planning and lobbying. You really have the courage that rivals any man! I admire you!"
He also signed the document. When seeing her out, he didn't forget to remind her.
"Madam Li, Juewei Fang is just a fence-sitter. It's not worth worrying about. But Feng Yuan of Dingtai Building is by no means a short-sighted person. You must be careful when dealing with him."
Li Ying thanked him and said that she already had a plan. Then she calmly walked out of the door.
After Qi Lebang's figure disappeared around the corner, Li Ying finally let out a sigh of relief and removed the thick disguise on her face.
Her palm was already soaked with sweat.
In these two confrontations with Bao Guiyou and Qi Lebang, although she seemed calm and handled things with ease, if she had made the slightest mistake in gauging people's hearts, she might have ended up in a very bad situation.
Fortunately, everything had gone as she wished so far.
As for Dingtai Building...
It was indeed quite a tough nut to crack.
In the information Lu Xunguang had found, there were only a few words about Feng Yuan. It only said that this man was very scheming, ambitious, and extremely ruthless, far surpassing Tao Zhi.
Tianxiang Tower had been in business in the town for decades before it finally secured its position as the number one restaurant. But Dingtai Building was a rising star that had only been open for five years. Its popularity had completely overshadowed Drunken Immortal Residence and Juewei Fang, which showed that Feng Yuan really had some skills.
She wondered if her sweet talk and verbal instigation would be enough to change his mind.
Li Ying steadied herself and took a deep breath.
She didn't know that her every move had already been reported to Dingtai Building in great detail.
Feng Yuan slightly squinted his eyes. His index finger tapped on the mahogany table rhythmically. He was quite interested.
"You mean that woman managed to persuade Qi Lebang with just a few words? This is quite interesting."
The man sent to spy on her stood respectfully beside him with his hands hanging down. He asked carefully, "Shopkeeper, shall we still stay put? Do you have any instructions for me to carry out?"
Feng Yuan stopped his action and said contemptuously, "A bunch of idiots! In the end, I still have to step in myself!"
He raised his eyebrows, and a hint of cruelty flashed in his eyes. He casually said, "It's just a matter of dealing with a woman. Is it really worth all this trouble? Since she likes to flirt with men, let her have her fill! Find a remote alley and get a few hooligans to take her virginity. I'd like to see how much heart she still has left!"
The waiter thought of Li Ying's fair and smooth skin, her outstanding appearance, and her slender waist that seemed too delicate to hold. He felt a sudden rush of heat in his heart and couldn't help but feel itchy. He quickly backed out of the room to make the arrangements.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the door, he felt a cold sensation behind his head. Someone gave him a hard chop with the edge of their hand. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
A moment later, Lu Xunguang walked out from behind the low wall. He pulled down the brim of his hat and rushed straight to the street corner!
The weather was fine, and the hooligans were all gathered together, lazily basking in the sun. It didn't take Lu Xunguang long to find Yang Er lying crookedly on one side.
This guy had suffered a lot at Lu Xunguang's hands. As soon as he saw Lu Xunguang standing in front of him like a towering mountain, his face showed panic. He scrambled to get up and run away.
Lu Xunguang took a step and blocked his way.
"Brother Yang, don't be in such a hurry to leave."
His tone today was quite amiable. Yang Er was suspicious, but when he saw the jug of wine and a fat chicken in Lu Xunguang's hand, he couldn't help but lick his lips subconsciously. His legs seemed to be rooted to the ground and he couldn't move.
Lu Xunguang could see that he was starving. He didn't hesitate to hand over the fat chicken and the wine. Watching him wolf down the greasy chicken leg, he subtly concealed the flash of disdain in his eyes.
"Brother Yang, I was blind before. This little bit of food and wine is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."
Seeing Lu Xunguang being so polite, after three cups of wine, Yang Er felt a warm glow in his stomach. He felt very comfortable.
He immediately said with a drunken smile, "No problem, no problem."
Seeing Yang Er's smug look, Lu Xunguang suppressed his disgust. He forced a smile and said, "Brother Yang, I'm here today to ask you for a favor. I heard that you're in the good books of Shopkeeper Tao of Tianxiang Tower. I'm bold enough to ask you to help me pass on a message."
His repeated address of "Brother Yang" made Yang Er even more overjoyed and complacent. He wiped his mouth and showed his yellow teeth. "Oh, brother, are you here to plead for that little slut Li Ying?"
Lu Xunguang clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the urge to punch him in the face. He slowly nodded.
"Yes, Shopkeeper Tao has been a big shot for many years. Aying is still inexperienced and hot-headed. If she has been disrespectful or negligent towards Shopkeeper Tao in any way, I'll apologize on her behalf first."
"Now Shopkeeper Tao has joined forces with four other restaurants to attack Li's Restaurant. We really can't hold on anymore. We beg the shopkeeper to show mercy. We're willing to return Tianxiang Tower and stay under Shopkeeper Tao's command as a cook in the future."
Yang Er had been kicked out of the village, so he knew nothing about the fish canning incident. He only vaguely heard that Tao Zhi was determined to make Li Ying lose face and leave the town.
Now, after hearing Lu Xunguang's words, he thought that Tao Zhi's plan had worked. He didn't suspect too much.
He just had a slight doubt. Wasn't that little slut surnamed Li always very domineering? Why was she suddenly giving in?