Chapter 167: Madam, You Don’t Want To…

When she came out of Jinrui Store, it was already close to noon.

She stepped outside.

Rode quite a distance before Jiang Ning finally felt her stomach growling.

She touched her belly.

No point in going back now.

If not, she might as well head to the next place—Shi Ning Ji—for lunch, right?

So she kept riding.

As she passed Sihuan Road,

Suddenly,

A hawker’s shout reached her ears.

“New item! ‘Emperor’s Big-Bone Chicken Wings’!”

“Only 18 bucks to take the ‘Emperor’s Big-Bone Chicken Wings’ home!”

Then came a rousing wave of music.

This made Miss Jiang instinctively look toward the source of the music.

She saw a fried chicken shop with a red sign and white letters that read “Emperor’s Chicken,” less than ten meters to her right.

Seeing this,

The corners of Jiang Ning’s lips lifted slightly.

She turned her bike around and rode straight to “Emperor’s Chicken.”

Ten meters.

Very close.

Just a few breaths and she was there.

When Jiang Ning arrived at the entrance,

She was surprised to find

Quite a few people inside.

There was a sense of constant foot traffic.

…Interesting.

Jiang Ning muttered to herself and parked her bike along the roadside.

Then walked into the store.

The interior was fairly spacious.

The layout was decent.

Not every inch was utilized, but at least there wasn’t much wasted space.

The décor, though, was a bit outdated.

At this moment,

Jiang Ning noticed

Several people dining inside had a massive roast chicken wing on their table.

Judging from the size,

A single wing was nearly as big as an entire regular Sanhuang chicken.

This…

Isn’t that basically a turkey?

Wow.

Using turkey as a gimmick.

Truly fitting for the Hongsheng Group.

Only they could come up with this.

Turkey meat? That stuff’s dry and tough.

And yet they’re using it for promotions?

Impressive.

Jiang Ning muttered again and walked to the counter.

At the counter,

Three or four customers were in line.

But what caught Jiang Ning’s attention was a young woman standing off to the side, talking with a supervisor.

The woman had a graceful figure, shoulder-length wavy hair.

A dark red qipao outlined two dramatic curves.

Her slim waist could be held in one hand.

It drew a lot of looks.

Yes,

Including Jiang Ning.

At that moment,

Maybe sensing Jiang Ning’s gaze was too intense,

The woman turned around.

She glanced at Jiang Ning.

There was a moment of surprise, then a graceful, knowing smile appeared on her lips.

Caught peeking by a beauty, thick-skinned Jiang Ning wasn’t the least bit embarrassed.

She returned the smile in greeting.

Just then,

It was Jiang Ning’s turn to order.

She lowered her head to look at the menu in front of her.

With just one glance,

She couldn’t help but frown.

【Three burgers for 10 yuan】

【Saucy chicken wings, three pairs for 10 yuan】

【Set meal, 10 yuan each】

Nothing surprising about the prices.

And the food wasn’t anything special.

But what made Jiang Ning frown was that even the kids’ meal at “Emperor’s Chicken” came with a toy—just like certain global chains.

“Hello, what would you like to order?”

“I’ll have this.”

Jiang Ning pointed to the 25 yuan kids’ meal on the menu.

“I’m quite interested in the toy.”

A moment later,

Jiang Ning was seated by the window with her tray.

She sampled the food while fiddling with the chicken toy in her hand.

The wings were average.

Probably lacked seasoning during marination.

The burger bun was a bit tough.

Likely over-toasted.

As for the toy,

Jiang Ning poked the chicken’s butt.

The toy let out a “cluck” sound.

Hey.

Nice toy.

Fun.

I like it.

Just as Jiang Ning was having a good time,

A figure suddenly sat down across from her.

Before she looked up,

She smelled a light fragrance at first, but a rich peony scent emerged upon closer whiff.

She raised her eyes.

It was the beautiful woman from earlier.

So…

“Something you need?”

As she spoke,

Jiang Ning noticed a mole at the corner of the woman’s lips.

Her otherwise ordinary features took on a unique charm with that tiny mark.

“Nothing in particular, just wanted to ask—what do you think of our food?”

“You want the truth or a polite answer?”

At that,

The beautiful woman curved her lips.

“Honest feedback.”

Ahem.

Since you came over yourself, don’t blame me for being blunt.

Jiang Ning cheerfully picked up a chicken wing.

Facing the woman’s equally warm smile,

“This—tastes weird. Not good.”

Then pointed at the burger.

“The bun’s too dry. Nearly turned into a cracker.”

Next,

She pointed at the dull, yellowish fries.

“Too greasy. Also a fail.”

After she finished,

Jiang Ning looked up and met the woman’s eyes.

Only to find the woman’s expression hadn’t changed much.

Still that gentle, serene smile.

“Anything good?”

“Sure.”

Jiang Ning picked up the chicken toy and poked its butt.

“I like this chicken.”

“It’s fun.”

A restaurant’s most praise-worthy item being a toy chicken—

Jiang Ning thought the words were a bit insulting, yet the woman didn’t seem affected.

She just nodded lightly.

“I understand. Thank you.”

So polite?

Jiang Ning was a little surprised.

She’d already pictured several scenarios in her head before she spoke.

She even considered the possibility of being cursed at.

But instead, she got this reaction.

Interesting.

Jiang Ning sensed something indescribable in this woman.

She couldn’t help but ask,

“Sis, are you… from this store?”

Upon hearing that,

The beautiful woman smiled warmly. From her X-logo handbag, she pulled out a white business card.

She gently placed it on the table.

“Thank you for your feedback. We’ll try to improve.”

With that, she bowed slightly, stood up with grace, and walked toward the supervisor.

Watching that graceful figure,

Jiang Ning smacked her lips and glanced down at the table.

When she caught sight of the name on the business card,

Her eyebrows shot up.

【Executive Director, Hongsheng Group; Chairwoman, Qianwen Food – Ms. Shang Jie】

Whoa.

The lady of Hongsheng Group?!

Luo Guosheng’s wife?

Luo Chengming’s stepmother?

Jiang Ning really hadn’t expected it.

Just passing by, casually checking out the competition,

And she ran into the final boss?

This luck…

Tsk tsk.

She should buy a lottery ticket later—might just win the jackpot and score some spending money.

After two sighs,

Jiang Ning twirled the business card in her fingers, eyes fixed on Ms. Shang Jie’s retreating figure.

Meanwhile, her mind sifted through their earlier conversation,

Trying to glean any useful information.

But that beautiful young woman was like a fully armored fortress, leaving Jiang Ning completely unable to make a move.

As expected.

None of the women behind these corporate bosses are simple.

In the midst of her sighs,

Miss Jiang suddenly remembered that she had just called her “sister.”

If she really thought about it that way,

Wouldn’t that make her a whole generation older than that brat Luo Chengming?

Maybe next time she should make him call her “uncle” and see how it sounds?

As she pondered,

Watching that alluring figure from behind,

Miss Jiang suddenly imagined a scene.

“Madam, you don’t want the Hongsheng Group to fall into decline like this, do you?”

(End of chapter)