Two days later, as Li Fuyou arrived at Dongfeng Restaurant, he heard the Xiao’er shouting at the entrance of Yuelai Restaurant across the street, "Dear patrons, don’t miss out as you pass by, to show our gratitude to all customers, old and new, today everyone who dines in will receive one dish for free."
Customers who were about to enter Dongfeng Restaurant turned their heads at the shout and ran towards Yuelai Restaurant instead. Yuelai Restaurant had a long-established reputation, and such promotions were not common. "Let’s go, we’ll eat across the street."
Seeing the customers snatched away from his own restaurant, Li Fuyou was neither angry nor annoyed; instead, a smile curled at the corner of his mouth, "Heh, I thought they would be a formidable opponent, but this is just a trivial trick."
Indeed, Chu Lian hadn’t done anything underhanded; it was just the beginning of a declaration of war. Toppling Dongfeng Restaurant wasn’t going to happen overnight.
Li Fuyou entered Dongfeng Restaurant in such a manner. Unsurprisingly, the number of customers had dwindled that day due to Yuelai Restaurant’s promotion. He didn’t confront the situation directly; instead, he wanted to see just how long the Eldest Young Master Chu would keep up this petty trick.
But in just a few days, he sensed something was amiss when he overheard conversations from customers dining at Dongfeng Restaurant.
"Ah, I didn’t expect to see you dining here too. Why didn’t you go across the street? They’re offering a free dish there."
"Aren’t you also not going there?"
"Haha, I just felt like having this dish today, and it’s only available here, not across the street. Otherwise, I might have actually gone there."
"That’s the same for me, I also had a craving for it today, or else I would have gone across the street too, since they’re giving away other dishes there."
His face ashen, Li Fuyou could not have anticipated being outmaneuvered by the Eldest Young Master Chu; it turns out the only reason the remaining customers came was that Yuelai Restaurant was too crowded or because they desired a dish that only his place offered.
"Young master, news has come from restaurants everywhere saying that because of Yuelai Restaurant’s promotion, our patronage has gradually declined. The shopkeepers are asking what to do. Should we start a promotion as well?"
Li Fuyou furrowed his brow. Giving away dishes—Yuelai Restaurant wouldn’t lose money, but if this continued in the long run, it would drag his business down. "Send the orders down; we’ll also start a promotion and give away dishes, specifically the dish that they don’t have."
A hint of malevolence flashed through Li Fuyou’s eyes. They were offering their signature dish, something Yuelai Restaurant did not have. He wanted to see how they could compete with that.
As expected, the promotion worked wonders, and many customers returned. Giving away the signature dish was indeed appealing - after all, its high price often deterred people from ordering it.
What he didn’t expect, however, was that within a couple of days, Yuelai Restaurant came up with a new strategy. Diners dining at Yuelai Restaurant would be charged only seventy percent of their bill. This tactic managed to draw back the customers Dongfeng Restaurant had just regained.
Sitting in the private room of Dongfeng Restaurant, Li Fuyou sipped his tea with a smile at his lips. He hadn’t anticipated that in order to oppose him, the Eldest Young Master Chu would continually employ such self-damaging strategies. If he continued to follow suit, only the patrons would benefit, and neither of them would make much money.
"Young master, shall we do like before and send people to cause trouble in their establishment?"
"No need," Li Fuyou said leisurely as he drank his tea. Getting the Eldest Young Master Chu to back down was quite simple—all he needed to do was to involve Miss Wang of the Wang Family, Chu’s Achilles’ heel. "Arrange a meeting with Miss Wang."