Chapter 560: The Lion’s Open Maw

Seeing Liu Dahua’s expression, Lin Dong stopped cooperating. He picked up his glass, took a sip, then picked up a chopstickful of food and began to eat and drink on his own, clearly intending to deal with Ma Chun’s matter later and ensuring no one could take advantage of the situation.
Everyone was somewhat disappointed. This Manager Lin wasn’t as foolish as to question Ma Chun right away.
With the fine food and wine, Lin Dong ate slowly, ignoring the guests at the table and showing no intention of raising his glass to invite them. He simply ate and drank leisurely, completely disregarding his fellow business owners present.
The owners of the top restaurants felt helpless. Manager Lin was neither particularly smart nor stupid—just at the level of a typical small restaurant owner. What they hated most now was that Lin Dong’s capabilities were only at that level.
If he had been a bit smarter, he would have prioritized the bigger picture, endured temporary setbacks, and let them take the initiative. Once they revealed their plans, he could then make his move. If it truly posed a fatal threat to Lin’s Inn, they would have to accept compromise and endure further humiliation. If not, it would still be time to fight back—after all, this was Lin’s Inn. Unfazed by the plans of those top restaurants, it would be easy to regain control—by having the staff serve jars of well water as fine wine or having the servers mock them intentionally. If they wanted to take matters into their own hands, they could simply order them to leave, and they could regain control in any situation.
By acting this way, Lin Dong also gave the owners of the top restaurants an advantage. Compromise was naturally the best option. If he wasn’t afraid, it meant Lin’s Inn must have some strength. They could discuss how to identify that strength and find a way to deal with it.
Alternatively, if Manager Lin was a bit foolish and acted recklessly, turning hostile on the spot, then everyone would speak even more harshly, provoking him further.
Once someone is enraged, things become much easier. Fifteen people, fifteen mouths, all articulate and cunning—using his anger to extract valuable information wouldn’t be difficult at all.
But unfortunately, Lin Dong’s capabilities were just mediocre, which frustrated everyone.
Knowing they had come prepared with some major plan, yet still unable to hold back their anger, they remained somewhat calm despite their frustration. This disrupted the strategies they had discussed upon arrival.

There was a brief silence. The fifteen giants of the restaurant industry exchanged glances. Zhang Qinglin, the owner of Qinghui Restaurant, smiled and raised his glass toward Lin Dong, saying, “Master Lin, the food and drinks at your inn are truly exceptional. Especially those two signature dishes—Vitality Beef Balls and Maple Leaf-Stewed Turtle. I’ve tasted many fine dishes in my life, but I’m utterly captivated by these two.”

“I think these three spicy dishes are among the finest of the finest, truly at the pinnacle of delicious dishes,” said Dong Weilang, the owner of Chenguang Restaurant, with a smile. “I’ve always loved spicy food. I thought I’d never taste anything better than the ‘Top-Class Spicy Dish’ at our Chenguang Restaurant. But after trying these three dishes today, I realize there are always those better than us. It seems I was simply uninformed before. These dishes are so spicy that you can’t stop eating them—they’re truly exhilarating. If I had known Lin’s Inn had such delicious food, I would have come to try it no matter what.”

“Actually, I think the Roasted White Wind Beast is the one that’s truly irresistible,” said Jiang Fang, the owner of Yangfan Restaurant, smiling. “It melts in your mouth, with delicious flavor and fresh meat, leaving a lasting taste. Yangfan Restaurant also has some good roasted meats, but compared to this, I really can’t boast about our own anymore.”

Everyone started commenting on the specialties of the dishes, clearly deciding to change their strategy and flatter Lin Dong to make him feel proud. Once someone feels proud, their mindset isn’t much better than when they’re angry, and they’ll surely reveal something useful if pressured.

Unfortunately, they were disappointed again. Lin Dong immediately raised his glass and said to everyone, “You all are being too kind. Lin Dong isn’t worthy of such praise. You are all veterans in the restaurant industry, with decades of experience—far beyond what a young man like Lin Dong can compare to. With just this simple drink, Lin Dong hopes you, my seniors, will look after Lin’s Inn in the future and give it a chance to survive. Lin Dong doesn’t ask for much—just enough to make a living.”

Everyone was speechless. Was this Master Lin not modest enough? They hadn’t planned to make Lin Dong feel proud with just a few words each. But for an ordinary person, hearing so much praise should at least bring a hint of pride, so they could gradually guide him into a state of arrogance. Yet Lin Dong’s expression showed no trace of pride, let alone arrogance. No matter how many plans they had, they couldn’t make an accurate judgment right away.

Beyond having an average intelligence, people’s impression of Lin Dong grew by one more trait: calmness in the face of praise or criticism. Many were disappointed and annoyed at having used the wrong approach. It was only natural for him to develop such a calm attitude after forming a relationship with Prince Qingliu; otherwise, it would have driven this Lin owner crazy with joy. If it were them, gaining Prince Qingliu’s favor would surely make them ecstatic, so excited they wouldn’t even remember their own names. Times change, and they would no longer feel anything toward the admiration of their peers. Compared to Prince Qingliu’s status, even the Fenlin Restaurant, which had connections with the Third Prince, was insignificant among those present. After another exchange of glances, everyone became reserved. One by one, they put on airs of being seasoned veterans and displayed the demeanor of wealthy urban elites, staring at Lin Dong indifferently. They set down their glasses, with none rising to engage in polite conversation with him. Lin Dong grew annoyed. Although he had control over the attitudes of these top restaurant owners, having to be polite only to be treated coldly was like seeking trouble for no reason! “Gentlemen, I still have some matters to attend to. If you have any business, please bring it up soon. If not, I must excuse myself,” Lin Dong said, tired of further scheming, and decided to be straightforward. “If Owner Lin is busy, he should go ahead and take care of it!” The others clearly didn’t buy Lin Dong’s act. Confident that they had figured out his character and mind, they naturally wouldn’t give him the initiative. Lin Dong’s attitude, as expected, was furious, yet he dared not leave in anger, fearing they might have some ultimate tactic yet unused. All he could do was sit down angrily, eyes closed, adopting a cold demeanor. The others exchanged smiles, continuing to eat and drink, occasionally glancing at Lin Dong to observe his expression. They didn’t want to quarrel or drive him away. The planned tactics carried too high a cost, and their greatest hope was that Lin’s Inn would compromise, allowing them to divide the profits peacefully without conflict. Ling Weifeng glanced at Lin Dong, who was casually drinking and eating. From start to finish, he had been observing Lin Dong—his every move, every expression. The result filled him with awe. This Owner Lin was indeed extraordinary, confident enough to bring fifteen top restaurants under his control.

Others couldn’t see Lin Dong’s thoughts, but Ling Weifeng could. This Manager Lin had been deliberately luring those fifteen top-tier restaurants into his grasp from start to finish. The main purpose of this scheme was to force these fifteen restaurants to incur huge expenses until they were weakened to a level similar to ordinary restaurants.

Ling Weifeng felt he wasn’t strong enough to confront so many top-tier restaurants. None of those present were weaklings; by pooling their wisdom, sharing resources, and combining their financial strength, their power was immense. Back when Fenglin Restaurant usedguild information to suppress restaurants across the country, it had overlooked only the capital city.

One reason for not being too ostentatious in the emperor’s presence was to avoid attracting the attention of Emperor Qianwei. The bigger reason was that Ling Weifeng lacked the confidence to subdue all those top-tier restaurants at once.

Yet Manager Lin clearly intended to push those top-tier restaurants to use even more extreme tactics. Ling Weifeng didn’t believe Lin Dong was the kind of arrogant person who looked down on others, but he also couldn’t understand where Lin Dong got such confidence.

These were the finest top-tier restaurants in the entire capital. If pushed to the limit, their combined power could cause a severe upheaval in the city’s business community. Even more, this upheaval could reach the imperial court.

In the private room, everyone was lost in their own thoughts, ignoring one another, and the atmosphere once again dropped.

After a long while, the owners of the fifteen restaurants seemed to communicate telepathically. Suddenly, they all turned their attention away from the food and began exchanging glances.

“Manager Lin, it’s getting late. I think we should take our leave,” said Peng Kun, the owner of Qiuyu Restaurant. Everyone else also stood up and bowed.

Lin Dong opened his eyes, hesitating to speak, clearly overwhelmed by anger and unable to utter a word.

“By the way, Manager Lin, my family has been highly praising the Spirit Stone Fans from Lin’s Inn. I was wondering if you could sell me some at a lower price?” suddenly asked Li Yiliang, the owner of Renheng Restaurant.

“How many?” Lin Dong’s expression softened slightly.

“Every month…” Li Yiliang said nonchalantly, “a thousand, perhaps?”

“What about the price?” Lin Dong pressed.

“I had someone calculate the cost of the Spirit Stone Fans. It’s around 200 wen. How about 300 wen?” Li Yiliang smiled. “Friendship is friendship, but business is business. Manager Lin still needs to make a profit when the time comes.”

Lin Dong laughed. He realized he could finally say the word “roll” out loud.

Undoubtedly, the owners of these top restaurants have great confidence in the plan that was devised. Otherwise, one restaurant wouldn’t have made such a huge demand. Similarly, with one restaurant already making such high demands, fifteen of them together would undoubtedly swallow up Lin’s Inn until nothing remains but its bones. Smart people, upon learning of the plans of these fifteen top restaurants and realizing they have no chance of resisting, would surely weigh the pros and cons. But ordinary people, even if they know they can’t resist, would certainly refuse to be swallowed up like this. It’s only natural to vent the pent-up anger.