The shopkeeper of Zizai Fang frowned and was about to step forward to greet Li Yun.
Li Ying knew that he was coming aggressively and must be targeting her. Instead of dodging, she boldly met his gaze.
"Lao Wu, today's matter has nothing to do with you. It's better for you to step aside early, so as not to damage the harmony between our two restaurants." Li Yun said with a grim look, giving a cold glance at Shopkeeper Wu of Zizai Fang.
Since Shopkeeper Wu had now cooperated with Li Ying, he naturally couldn't bear to watch a young girl like her be humiliated and embarrassed in the street. He was about to try to mediate, but Li Ying had already calmly asked, "Shopkeeper Li, I wonder what advice you have?"
Li Yun was not as scowling as she had imagined. Instead, he politely bowed with clasped fists.
"Miss Li, you and I are both smart people. Let's not beat around the bush here. I sent a waiter to invite you, but you played tricks and refused to come. Now, I've come in person. Is this enough sincerity?"
After a pause, he added, "I already know your capabilities. I've given you enough face and respect. Miss Li, know when to stop. Just name a price for your seasoning. Let's make money in harmony. We might even become friends through this conflict."
These words were rather ambiguous. The on - looking commoners were confused, but they were all amazed.
Li Yun, relying on the booming business of Yunlaixuan and the support of Inspector Lin and others, had always been extremely arrogant and overbearing.
Now, for the first time in many years, he had lowered his stance, meekly trying to negotiate with this young girl Li Ying.
For a moment, many on - lookers even advised Li Ying, thinking that it was just a business negotiation that had failed to reach an agreement on the price.
"Miss, Shopkeeper Li is not someone to be offended. It's rare for him to offer you a way out. Hurry up and take it. Don't be ungrateful."
Li Ying snorted and secretly laughed at Li Yun in her heart. He was truly a shrewd businessman.
It was he who had been constantly squeezing and targeting her from the very beginning. Now, he was pretending to be reasonable, making her seem like a shrew.
Li Ying composed herself and slowly asked with a smile, "Shopkeeper Li, what are you talking about? I really don't understand."
"I've been running my grilled chicken skewer business properly. I don't know who has been spreading rumors to disrupt my business. I'm just a newcomer, a woman with no special skills. It took me a long time to come up with the idea of boneless chicken feet just to support my orphaned children and myself. Yunlaixuan's spicy and oily cold - eaten chicken feet are completely different from my sour and spicy ones. We don't interfere with each other. I don't bother Shopkeeper Li, so why does he have to trouble me?"
She looked around at the still - watching commoners and then pretended to be confused and asked, "As for the seasoning you mentioned, do you mean fish sauce? Shopkeeper Li, where on earth did you hear about this? I've only discussed this business with Shopkeeper Wu of Zizai Fang, and we've already signed the contract. Shopkeeper Li, you're really a bit late..."
Before she finished speaking, she seemed to casually notice the thugs standing behind Li Yun. Her face changed, and she pretended to be terrified and shouted, "It's you! You were the ones who tried to rob my fish sauce just now! I couldn't figure out where the bandits came from and why they wanted to rob my worthless seasoning. I never thought it would be you from Yunlaixuan!"
"Shopkeeper Li, you have such a vicious mind! Stealing the seasoning I was going to deliver, you can not only suppress Zizai Fang but also make me break my promise and ruin my reputation. What a good plan! I'm just a helpless orphan girl with an old and young to support. Why do you have to go to such great lengths to drive me to a dead end..."
She was very eloquent. From confusion to sobbing, her accusation made everyone unable to bear to look.
Li Yun never expected that after he had only said a few words, Li Ying had already prepared a whole set of counter - moves. Hearing the whispers of the on - lookers, his face turned ashen.
He gritted his teeth and roared, "Li Ying, don't try to evade the issue! What fish sauce, what frame - up? Yunlaixuan is a well - established restaurant. Why would we need to scheme against you?"
He looked around and continued, "You're a venomous woman who files a false complaint first! It was clearly you who secretly ordered people to cut off our seasoning supply. Now you're just spouting nonsense here with your glib tongue!"
His words were exactly what Li Ying had hoped for. She was secretly happy, but still showed a harmless and confused look on her face.
"What seasoning? Do you mean the seasoning packets for the red - oil stewed chicken sold in the fishing village? Recently, the weather has turned cold, and the chili production is not as good as in midsummer. I had no choice but to ask the villagers to reduce the external sales. I don't know what this has to do with Yunlaixuan?"
Li Yun's face turned bright red. He gasped for a breath and then angrily said, "The crucial spicy flavor in our cold - eaten chicken feet comes from that seasoning base!"
Li Ying pretended to suddenly understand and smiled, "I see. That kind of chili can only be planted in my fishing village. A few days ago, I thought Yunlaixuan had found a new variety of chili. I even wanted to discuss it with you, but I didn't expect it was still my own product."
She said it lightly, but there were some smart people among the commoners who immediately realized what was going on.
"Tsk tsk, Yunlaixuan really did something unethical this time."
"Exactly. The idea of cold - eaten chicken feet originally came from Boss Li. Yunlaixuan just adjusted the flavor to be spicy and oily. Who would have thought that even the seasoning was copied from her ready - made base!"
"They stole her recipe and then tried to drive her and her three - person family to a dead end. It's really heartless..."
The commoners whispered to each other. Out of respect for Inspector Lin and others, they didn't show their strong contempt too obviously.
But Li Yun, hearing the disdainful voices in the crowd and realizing that he had admitted to "stealing the recipe" with his own mouth, was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
"Folks, don't just listen to this woman's one - sided story! Our Yunlaixuan has been standing firmly in the capital for many years. We use high - quality ingredients, which you all can see. But this Li Ying, her origin is unknown. She's clearly a witch!"
One of the thugs remembered how Li Ying had easily made all the fish sauce disappear in the alley. Summoning up his courage, he shouted.
The others beside him also woke up as if from a dream and echoed him one after another.