The Talisman of Wealth Gathering and the Feng Shui Charm

The following morning, while still searching for a new location for Taste Pavilion, Zhou Xiaobai was summoned by Xiao Yao’s phone call.

“Boss, why did you ask me to come to Hanguang Tower? Are you planning to choose our new store’s location here?” Zhou Xiaobai asked casually upon arriving at the eighth floor and meeting her boss.

Xiao Yao replied, “Yes, I’m considering the eighth floor of Hanguang Tower for the new store. What do you think?”

“Boss, are you joking?” Zhou Xiaobai’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “The rent here is astronomical. Can we even afford it?”

“It’s only forty-five hundred per square meter annually, isn’t it? The entire eighth floor is over three thousand square meters, so the yearly rent is just over thirteen million. For high-end dining, a million or so in rent isn’t that much,” Xiao Yao said indifferently.

“Over a million in rent and you say it’s not much? Boss, you certainly have nerve!” Zhou Xiaobai was speechless. “Also, I heard the rent here should be around three thousand per square meter per year, and there should be discounts. How could it be as high as forty-five hundred?”

“The rent used to be around three thousand, but I felt that was too low. Yesterday, I decided to raise it to forty-five hundred per square meter.”

This statement stunned Zhou Xiaobai. “Wait, is Hanguang Tower your property?”

“That’s right. I just acquired Hanguang Tower a couple of days ago. The Ancient Charm Pavilion on the eighth floor couldn’t keep up and plans to vacate, so I’m intending to manage it myself. I think making the entire eighth floor the flagship for Taste Pavilion would be quite fitting.”

“Boss, you’re truly extravagant!” Zhou Xiaobai’s perception of her wealthy, handsome boss was once again refreshed. “You actually bought Hanguang Tower? That must have cost at least five or six billion. Boss, you really are rich!”

Xiao Yao said, “I’m giving you the entire eighth floor for Taste Pavilion’s flagship location. That’s quite the support, isn’t it? Do you have confidence in running it well?”

“Absolutely!” Zhou Xiaobai replied, brimming with confidence. “Recently, the new Hero’s Banquet dishes you and Chef Qin introduced have been incredibly popular. The food is so delicious people could swallow their tongues. Even in our little street shop, the average spend is maintained at two or three thousand per person. In a place as upscale as Hanguang Tower, that level of spending will be even easier to achieve.”

“If you, Boss, could show off your skills more often, my confidence would soar. You have no idea—since you occasionally cook, so many regulars specifically request your dishes. Forget ten times the price, even if it were twenty times, they’d pay if they could reserve it.” At this point, Zhou Xiaobai felt a deep sense of regret.

When it came to culinary skills, Zhou Xiaobai held her boss in absolute awe.

The dishes he cooked transcended the realm of deliciousness; they were delicacies fit only for immortals. Anyone lucky enough to taste his creations once was forever tempted by their extraordinary flavor, and if their finances allowed, everyone desperately hoped for a second chance to savor them.

But unfortunately, her boss was so extravagantly wealthy that even a table with a pure profit of one or two hundred thousand meant nothing to him. He only cooked when in the mood, never accepting reservations from anyone.

Such remarkable skills were wasted on her boss. If Chef Qin possessed such talent, Zhou Xiaobai was confident she could make Taste Pavilion renowned nationwide, even worldwide in no time.

“To be able to eat food I personally cook is a rare stroke of luck. Whether one gets to taste it depends on chance—the rarer it is, the more people treasure it. If you promote this properly, the results may be just as good as offering reservations for my cooking,” Xiao Yao said, his interest piqued. Occasionally showing off his skills in the kitchen was a pleasure; that was the only reason he would cook.

“All right, you’re the boss—you have the final say.” Zhou Xiaobai knew he was too lofty to be persuaded. Her goal was to get a rent reduction. “Forty-five hundred per square meter is really high. Since the building is your property and it’s just money moving from one pocket to another, we’re all on the same team. Why not lower the rent a bit? I think two thousand per square meter would be reasonable. What do you think, Boss?”

“If you’d come to sign the contract two days ago, that price might have been possible. But just yesterday, I decided at the management meeting that rent can never go below forty-five hundred. I just made this decision—how can I go back on my word?” Xiao Yao shot Zhou Xiaobai a glare.

“Looks like even insiders don’t always get a deal—sometimes, we end up at a disadvantage. Since there’s no rent discount, I’ll just check out the venue.” Though she was disappointed not to secure a rent reduction, Zhou Xiaobai was undeniably excited about choosing such a prestigious location.

Entering the hall, Zhou Xiaobai felt her eyes weren’t enough to take it all in and exclaimed, “The space is enormous, and the décor is very upscale. The style matches Taste Pavilion’s overall image design quite well. I don’t think we need a complete overhaul—just some tweaks to the details should suffice.”

“I won’t worry about those details—you decide. But whatever you do, make sure every aspect is the best, even if it costs more,” Xiao Yao instructed.

“Don’t worry, Boss—I won’t let you down.” Ever since Taste Pavilion launched the Hero’s Banquet, Zhou Xiaobai was full of confidence in the new store’s prospects. Now, with the opportunity to move into Hanguang Tower, her excitement soared; it was as if wings had grown from her sides.

Since launching the Hero’s Banquet, Zhou Xiaobai had positioned Taste Pavilion as a high-end restaurant. If it was to be high-end, then location was crucial.

The site needed to be prime, and the store’s area large enough. Such venues were rare gems—finding one suitable on short notice was not easy.

She had originally planned to settle for a location around a thousand square meters. She hadn’t even dared dream of a super-sized store exceeding three thousand square meters.

After touring the entire eighth floor, Zhou Xiaobai was utterly satisfied.

Xiao Yao, accompanied by Zhou Xiaobai’s barely contained excitement, took her to meet Chen Xingwen, introducing them before returning to his own office.

Today at Hanguang Tower, besides making introductions between Zhou Xiaobai and Chen Xingwen, Xiao Yao had another important task: to place the Wealth Talisman and Feng Shui Talisman in his own office.