Chapter 391: If You’re Not Satisfied, Then You’re Not Satisfied

After pondering for a while, Lin Dong raised his head, looking somewhat helpless.
“Owner Liang, is the price… a bit too low?”
“A bit too low?” Liang Gufeng was stunned. It took him a long time to understand Lin Dong’s meaning, and he felt displeased. This Owner Lin really knew how to demand too much.
“Owner Lin, joining forces between us is indeed a good thing for Maple Forest Restaurant. It’s also entirely beneficial for Lin’s Inn. I’ve already decided unilaterally to offer you terms beyond what I’m authorized to allocate—eight or nine million taels of silver is no small amount. In Lingnan Prefecture, there are probably no more than a hundred people who can afford such a sum.”
“That’s true, but the problem is…” Lin Dong acted stubbornly, “I just think it’s a bit low.”
Liang Gufeng’s gaze froze. Suppressing his annoyance, he asked, “Then how much do you think should be paid, Owner Lin?”
“Let’s leave that to you, Owner Liang!” Lin Dong replied softly. “I’m afraid I might not say the right amount.”
Liang Gufeng was furious. If not for the positions of both parties involved, this behavior would be nothing short of haggling with a street vendor. Since he had the upper hand, Lin Dong could keep demanding more, while he would just say he wasn’t satisfied. Once Lin Dong couldn’t take it anymore, he would decide what to do.
“If Owner Liang can’t decide right away, maybe we should discuss it again in a few days?” Ma Chun interjected humorously to defuse the tension. “That way, Owner Liang can also consult the headquarters to avoid setting a price that displeases them.”
Liang Gufeng sighed. This was a good suggestion. In fact, using these few days to pressure Lin’s Inn would make negotiations easier.
Yet, he couldn’t afford to delay!
If an agreement were reached, he would become the greatest manager in Maple Forest Restaurant’s history—receiving rewards and status beyond imagination. There would be no need to consult the headquarters, and most of the credit would go to him. Even if it meant delaying for a few days, Liang Gufeng couldn’t bear such torment.
With time on one’s side, a consensus must be reached today. Ideally, the details could be finalized day and night so the contract could be signed by tomorrow.
Ma Chun’s words hit Liang Gufeng’s weak point.
“Sixteen million taels of silver, Owner Lin!” Liang Gufeng snapped. “This is the highest limit I’m authorized to offer. If anything goes wrong and we incur a loss exceeding the six million taels I’m allowed to allocate, I fear I’ll never be able to escape blame.”
Lin Dong remained silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “I think it’s still a bit too little.”

“Seventeen million taels of silver!” Liang Gufeng stood up and said, “If Manager Lin is still not satisfied, then consider today as if I never said anything.”
“Manager Liang, please sit down and have some tea!” Ma Chun laughed as he pulled Liang Gufeng back to the stone bench.
“Manager Liang, business may fail, but integrity remains. Don’t let a trivial matter ruin our relationship,” Lin Dong advised with a smile.
“Manager Lin, give me a definite answer—will we do this or not?” Liang Gufeng was furious, his emotions surging. If he showed weakness, it meant Manager Lin was showing weakness too. That meant his tactic of turning around and leaving had successfully intimidated Manager Lin.
I’m no stranger to deals between street vendors. With this powerful move of turning away, control surely returns to me.
Under Liang Gufeng’s intense gaze, Lin Dong remained silent for a long time.
This silence only strengthened Liang Gufeng’s belief that a deal was within reach.
Finally, under Liang Gufeng’s increasingly excited, impatient, and frantic gaze, Lin Dong sighed and slowly said, “Manager Liang is truly skilled—seventeen million taels of silver…”
With a gulp, Liang Gufeng swallowed hard, his gaze on Lin Dong growing even more urgent.
“It’s still a bit low!” Lin Dong said softly.
Huh…
Liang Gufeng felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. It drove him to the point where he wanted to slam the table and glare angrily.
“M-Manager Lin…” Gasping for breath, Liang Gufeng struggled to say, “Seventeen million taels of silver is already my bottom line.”
“Well then, there’s no way. This deal has to be called off,” Lin Dong said nonchalantly. “I’m sure someone else will be willing to pay more to buy Lin’s Inn.”
Liang Gufeng stood up abruptly and bowed, saying, “In that case, Manager Lin, keep it. I’ll be leaving.”
“Ma Chun, see Manager Liang out!” Lin Dong’s attitude exceeded Liang Gufeng’s expectations. Not only did he not try to hold him back, but his words of seeing him off were also straightforward.
Unable to preserve his face, Liang Gufeng turned and walked away with a dark expression.
“Manager Liang, let me see you out,” Ma Chun said with a smile as he stood up and followed.
Without another word, Liang Gufeng strode off.
Lin Dong picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, looking relaxed and content.
In just a short while, Liang Gufeng returned.
“Twenty million taels of silver!” Liang Gufeng almost shouted. “Any higher, and it’s absolutely impossible—unless they include Lin’s Inn’s signature dishes and spicy dishes.”
“I think this price…” Lin Dong said calmly, “is still a bit low!”
“Still low?” Liang Gufeng’s veins bulged on his forehead, ready to charge forward at any moment.

A deal worth twenty million taels of silver—forget Lingnan Commandery, even in the entire Great Han Empire, it would be an astonishing miracle if it happened once in a hundred years!
Is that too low? Do you really think buying Lin’s Inn means acquiring a gold mine? Do you truly believe that having Spirit Stone Fans and VIP cards equates to getting a treasure basin?
“Manager Lin, your demands are so high that even our second young master can’t reach an agreement with you.”
“Manager Liang, I think it’s not that our demands are too high, but rather that your offer is too stingy,” Ma Chun said with a smile, as if talking about a deal worth just a few taels of silver. “Only a few million taels more each time—not even enough for my boss to open a few more Lin’s Gyms.”
“It seems that Manager Lin and Manager Ma think that just through cooperation, our Fenglin Restaurant will help you spread Lin’s Gyms across the Great Han Empire for free,” Liang Gufeng said angrily.
“Isn’t it worth it?” Ma Chun retorted.
“Of course not. Have you ever thought about how much profit VIP cards and Spirit Stone Fans could bring to our Fenglin Restaurant if we just cooperated?” Liang Gufeng said, breathing heavily. “One million taels a year? Two million taels? At most, it can’t exceed three million taels—assuming nothing goes wrong. But if someone can replicate VIP cards and Spirit Stone Fans and build gyms like Lin’s Inn, our Fenglin Restaurant will lose everything. That possibility isn’t impossible. Since you can create Spirit Stone Fans and VIP cards, even the top engineers can figure it out with some reference. The same goes for Lin’s Gyms. Even if no one can find that transparent ceiling, just by having open-air venues and spending silver to bring in better competitors, even if they don’t make a profit, they can still overshadow Lin’s Gyms.”
A glimmer of joy flashed in Lin Dong’s eyes. After all this time, something useful had finally appeared.
“Well, that’s how you put it!” Lin Dong repeated his old tune. “But I still think the price is a bit low.”
“Then how much do you want?” Liang Gufeng asked coldly.
“Ten million taels!” Lin Dong said casually.
“What?” Liang Gufeng thought his ears were playing tricks. Ten million?
“Ten million taels of silver!” Lin Dong said calmly.
“Are you crazy? Forget Lin’s Inn—everything combined can’t possibly be worth that much. Even the imperial treasury doesn’t have that much silver,” Liang Gufeng said frantically. “Manager Lin, are you trying to tease me?”
Lin Dong’s eyelids widened slightly, and he immediately started clapping his hands without hesitation.

Over by the side, Ma Chun also kept clapping enthusiastically.
“Owner Liang is truly skilled—he figured out so quickly that we were just trying to tease him.”
Pfft…
Liang Gufeng felt the world spinning around him. He staggered a few steps before managing to steady himself. Then, overwhelming despair swept over him, leaving him dizzy and filled with such rage that he wanted to tear Lin Dong and Ma Chun apart and devour them alive.
Teasing him!
All along, he had been treated as a target for mockery.
In his entire life, Liang Gufeng had never experienced such extreme joy and sorrow. Watching a remarkable achievement turn into a joke—Liang Gufeng didn’t even have the energy to feel furious.
“Lin Dong, you’re ruthless…”
All he could do was spit out a few words filled with anger through gritted teeth.
“What’s this? As soon as Hongfu Restaurant collapsed, Owner Liang came to our Lin’s Inn to threaten us,” Lin Dong said nonchalantly. “He threw down two conditions with an air of certainty that our Lin’s Inn would lose. I think Owner Liang is the real ruthless one. Just thinking about it makes me so disgusted that I won’t have the appetite for dinner tonight.”
Ma Chun laughed, “I guess I won’t have the appetite to eat either tomorrow.”
“Great! Just three months—three months alone, and I’ll show you what true disgust feels like,” Liang Gufeng said, filled with rage.
“Why?” Ma Chun sneered.
Liang Gufeng snapped, “Why? Because my Fenglin Restaurant can double the number of chefs, because it can have several better signature dishes, because it also has a gym, and because it will add thirty paintings of beautiful women!”
Lin Dong was stunned. No wonder Liang Gufeng dared to show up and threaten them. With such an overwhelming advantage, if Lin’s Inn didn’t have its own strong countermeasures, it would indeed be crushed.
“Lin Dong, what does your Lin’s Inn have?” Liang Gufeng demanded.
“Well… Owner Liang, please calm down. Although we’re competitors, we’re just competing based on our own skills. It’s not yet necessary to become enemies. Earlier, I was just trying to figure out why you dared to come and threaten us. If I angered you, please forgive me.” Liang Gufeng hadn’t used any underhanded tactics, and there was no need to become enemies just by meeting. Lin Dong smiled and bowed in apology, “If I offended you, Owner Liang, please don’t hold it against me.”
“That’s right! Please sit down, Owner Liang!” Ma Chun quickly stepped forward to invite Liang Gufeng to sit. “We can’t take all the blame here. To be honest, Owner Liang, you came here aggressively—you were the one who provoked us first.”

Liang Gufeng was dazed and confused, staring blankly at the smooth, flat table, almost knocking his head on it. The manager of the county-level branch of Fenglin Restaurant was tricked by two younger people, so angry that he felt he had to vent his frustration no matter what. What was left of his face and dignity? Moreover, there was no way to regain them. He had to swallow his anger. It was strange that his own motive for coming to Linji Inn was also to set a trap for Lin Dong. Logically, he was at fault first. In terms of skills, apart from hitting the wall, he couldn’t think of any other solution.