Chapter 208

A long queue stretched in front of Lu Qin’s snack stall, its intimidating presence overpowering the other nearby stalls. Before Qin Hui could speak, several investors became intensely interested.

“What’s going on with this snack stall?”

“The number of customers here is really something, isn’t it?”

They had seen many food stalls with long lines before, but they had never encountered such an overwhelming queue! To call it terrifying wouldn’t even be an exaggeration!

The leader from the Cultural Tourism Bureau immediately brightened up and urged Qin Hui to quickly introduce the stall. The leader had never expected such a popular food stall in the Lianhua District. Since there were so many people waiting in line, the taste must surely be undeniable.

Qin Hui, feeling a bit anxious, had originally intended to introduce Lu Qin’s stall from the day the food festival began, as it had been extremely popular from the start.

However, given that it came from the Annan District, how could he introduce it?

“Leaders and distinguished investors, this is the popular food stall, Lu Qin, from the Annan District…”

But this was the food festival of Lianhua District!

Now that the leader had already spoken, and the investors were watching him closely, Qin Hui had no choice but to omit the Annan District origin, giving a simple introduction. The investors were intrigued.

According to Qin Hui’s introduction, this stall offered many types of food.

The leader of the Cultural Tourism Bureau said, “Gentlemen, you can try some of their snacks.”

The investors nodded. With so many customers in line, they were curious to see how good the food at this stall really was.

Qin Hui replied, “Please wait a moment, I’ll go tell them.”

One investor stopped him, saying, “No need for special treatment, we’ll queue up just like everyone else.”

Qin Hui was taken aback and reminded, “There are a lot of people in line; it might take a long time…”

“It’s fine, we’re customers too, we’ll wait our turn,” one investor said.

The other investors had no objection either. In fact, they wanted to see if this exaggerated number of people was genuine or a staged trick.

Qin Hui had no choice but to join them in line, though he couldn’t help but worry. After waiting for about ten minutes, the investors couldn’t take it anymore.

The mouth-watering smell of the food was wafting through the air, teasing their taste buds. As more customers passed by with food, the investors looked at the delicious snacks in their hands, and it became harder to resist. It smelled incredibly good, and their cravings were awakened.

“Leaders, gentlemen…” Qin Hui began.

At first, he thought the investors were frustrated with the long line, but then he noticed their intense stares – they were hungry. To be honest, the leader was also starving.

At first, he didn’t want to make exceptions, but seeing the investors’ expressions, he couldn’t hold back anymore. Qin Hui quickly made arrangements.

He was informed that the leader and the investors had arrived for an inspection, and it was a significant matter, so they gave them VIP treatment. Of course, they still paid for the food.

Once the food was in hand, the investors were eager to try it. They were excited, almost desperate.

Although they didn’t show it outwardly, inside, they were starving. After tasting the crystal shrimp dumplings, the Princess Chicken Wings, and the chicken tofu flower. Their faces immediately lit up with pleasure, and their eyebrows shot up in delight.

“This is so good! These shrimp dumplings are so tender!”

“The tofu flower! I never thought a snack stall could make such a delicious tofu flower! Amazing!”

“These Imperial Chicken Wings are authentic! Stunning!”

Their praise gave the leader of the Cultural Tourism Bureau a sense of confidence and pride. The big shots from Kyoto must have seen a lot in their time, but right now, their faces looked like a poor kid trying gourmet food for the first time. The leader also tried some fried noodles.

!!!

He was stunned. It was like an electric shock ran through him—surprised and delighted at the same time. Qin Hui found an empty table, cleaned it, and helped the leaders and investors sit down, then quickly went to buy more food from Lu Qin’s stall.

The earlier food was just for tasting, now they were going to indulge. The leader feigned apology and said, “Gentlemen, I truly apologize for the poor arrangement. To have dinner here in such an open-air space… I am so sorry.”

Actually, seeing how the investors were devouring the food, it was clear they were thoroughly enjoying it. How could it be a bad reception?

It was actually impeccable!

Even a grand banquet at the Jiangcheng Grand Hotel couldn’t compare to this level of satisfaction. The investors quickly waved it off, saying that although they had initially planned for a banquet, they had eaten enough luxurious food already. Now, encountering such delicious street food, it was even better than anything they had experienced. Qin Hui quickly brought back several more portions of food.

“Here’s some mapo tofu, and Chinese-style dim sum like ice crystal cakes, lotus pastry, and layered oil cakes…”

Each dish was laid out on the table. Qin Hui had barely set the food down when the investors, unable to hold themselves back, started grabbing pieces of food.

Chomp, chomp, chomp!

They ate while feverishly praising the food. Seeing how hungry the investors were, the leader figured they wouldn’t have enough to eat, so he pulled back a bit and let the guests have more. Finally, after eating their fill, the investors let out a few loud burps.

“This is the best meal we’ve had on this trip!”

“It looks like we’ll be staying in Jiangcheng a bit longer.”

The leader and Qin Hui exchanged glances, both hearts pounding. They knew the investment deal was now a real possibility. Their biggest fear was that the investors would hurry off. If that happened, the chances of a deal would be slim. The leader was almost grinning ear to ear. The investors pulled out their phones and began snapping photos of Lu Qin’s snack stall.

“This Lu Qin snack stall is definitely a signature food stop in Jiangcheng!”

“Yes, yes, absolutely!” the leader nodded, agreeing with a big smile.

But Qin Hui’s mind was racing.

Damn it, I still haven’t managed to win over Lu Qin. The stall is from Annan District.

What am I going to do?

If these investors find out the stall is from Annan District, it could ruin everything!

He could feel sweat forming on his forehead.

…

At Annan District, Investment Promotion Bureau

Office of the Director…

The director was furious, swearing loudly without any filter. It was clear that the director was absolutely livid. The investors from Kyoto were initially supposed to come to Annan District. The director had worked hard to make connections to get them to consider Annan District first.

However, the investors had suddenly decided to visit Lianhua District instead. This was largely due to Lianhua District organizing a food festival.

On top of that, people from Lianhua District had secretly played a part in stealing the investors away. The Investment Promotion Bureau in Annan District had prepared everything, and now, they were left empty-handed.

“How could your confidentiality work be so poor?”

“Did the information leak out?”

“Why did Lianhua District suddenly host a food festival? It must have been targeted at these investors!”

The director had no one else to blame, so he lashed out at his secretary. The secretary was nervous and didn’t dare say a word. The director had failed to cover all his bases. Initially, if Lianhua District had held a food festival, Annan District could have held one too. It would have been a fair competition. But now, it was too late.

Lianhua District had stolen the investment opportunity right from under their noses.

How shameless!