Chapter 185: Reunited with an Old Friend
Seeing the vulgar old man’s head, it seemed that it was his handiwork. He didn’t think that anyone else could come up with such a boring idea. But the scale of this storefront was beyond Chen Ran’s expectations, not at all inferior to that of a special-grade restaurant.
This… was it a fast-food restaurant or a genuine high-end restaurant…
Chen Ran stood there, stunned for a long time.
On the street behind Chen Ran, luxurious carriages came and went. They were either noble ladies in black mink coats or richly dressed young masters. It was completely unlike the storefronts he had opened in Xilan City, which were mostly dining places for ordinary students.
Just by looking at their clothes, Chen Ran, in his casual attire, was of the lowest grade, very out of place. The taste of the people in the Imperial Capital was often particularly advanced. The set he had in Diya City would not work here. At the very least, the current Chen Ran did not have the slightest bit of the arrogance that the people of the Imperial Capital should have. He looked like an outsider at a glance.
Entering this high-end fast-food restaurant, the clean floor and the fresh facade immediately gave people a very comfortable feeling. The employees were wearing specially made Imperial Capital-style work clothes, with friendly smiles on their faces, which gave a very natural feeling.
This gave Chen Ran the feeling of being in the Neutral Zone of Diya City. Like here, there was a very thoughtful service attitude and work etiquette. It was obvious that they had all been trained and would give people a VIP-like experience at any time. But perhaps because of the different environment, the feeling of the Imperial Capital was a little more real.
Speaking of the business model, in Chen Ran’s impression, this kind of shop was, after all, a fast-food restaurant that sold hamburgers and Coke. Seeing the people coming and going, treating this place as a luxurious dining hall, it always felt a little strange…
It seemed that he was outdated.
The distribution inside was very thoughtful. It was divided into a children’s area, a couple’s area, a leisure area, and a specific private room, which distinguished the most suitable places for different groups of people. And the way of ordering was changed to the menu of a regular restaurant. After all, it would be too much of a loss of face for the upper class of the Imperial Capital to queue up. There were many improvements in the details.
Of course, you could also go directly to the front desk to order. After all, this was the traditional model, and the way of serving was faster. Most students would take the initiative to choose this method to show their consideration for their partners.
The decoration inside was indeed perfect, and it was hard to find anything disharmonious. It was indeed comparable to any high-end restaurant Chen Ran had ever seen, whether in scale or service attitude, far better than the one in Xilan City.
After a short tour, Chen Ran soon saw a familiar figure.
One of the orphans from the church in Xilan City, the boy named Karl. Because he was the tallest and most handsome among the boys, he had been given a fitting name from Dota.
At this time, the little Karl, who was nearly one meter seven, was wearing a handsome white shirt and was on patrol.
Chen Ran smiled. He couldn’t help but walk over and lightly tap his head. “Kid.”
“Who is it?” a disgruntled voice came. Little Karl turned his head and saw Chen Ran’s figure. He was stunned for a moment. “Big brother, why is it you?”
“Why can’t it be me?” Chen Ran’s fingers couldn’t help but tap little Karl’s head twice again. “And why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be staying in Xilan City? How did you open a shop here? It seems to be doing quite well.” Chen Ran compared his height and couldn’t help but nod. “Not bad. I remember you’re only twelve or thirteen now, and you’ve already grown so tall.”
“Big brother, let’s talk in the private room,” little Karl’s face flushed. “I’m one of the supervisors here now. You’re embarrassing me, big brother.”
“Yo, you’ve been in the Imperial Capital for a while, and you already know what face is,” seeing the little fellow’s serious look, Chen Ran couldn’t laugh. He found it quite interesting.
Little Karl glanced around like a thief and quickly led Chen Ran to a private room to chat in secret.
Chen Ran looked at the menu in his hand, speechless.
Whether it was hamburgers, crispy chicken wings, pudding jelly, egg tarts, pizza, Coke, or anything else, the prices on it were either ten times or more than twenty times higher than in his Xilan City.
“Are you robbing people… The things are so expensive…”
Little Karl shrugged. His slightly childish but somewhat calm eyes turned vividly. “Big brother, you’ve misjudged the market in the Imperial Capital. Not to mention that the location and everything costs money, and we provide a first-class environment, first-class service, and a brand new dining model and a new meal system. With all these gimmicks, the price naturally can’t be too low. Besides, if the price is set too low, it will make these noble young masters of the Imperial Capital feel that it’s beneath their status, right?”
“Alright, you’re good,” Chen Ran said, flipping through the dazzling set menus and food on it. There were many food names he had never heard of. It seemed that those kids were really serious about this industry and had spontaneously researched a lot of good things.
“By the way, how did you guys open this shop here? Was it your big sister Ella’s idea?” Chen Ran asked curiously.
“Well, it was actually the big sister’s idea,” at this, little Karl laughed. “When we were about to go to the Imperial Capital, the big sister said that she also wanted to eat hamburgers and pizza in the Imperial Capital. So, big sister Ella followed the big sister’s meaning, thinking that there might also be a market for this in the Imperial Capital, and at the same time, to test our abilities. So she brought a certain amount of working capital and some experienced people over. I was the first one to be brought out by big sister Ella among our group of brothers and sisters.”
“It really was that little girl Dongfang’s doing. I was wondering how Ella could have taken the initiative to do such a thing,” Chen Ran said with a smile, looking around. “But your methods are not bad. You actually managed to make this place so good. It’s beyond my expectations.”
“Mmm, I was also stunned when this place was completed. I didn’t expect it to be so good. But all of this is thanks to big sister Ella’s friend, another beautiful big sister’s help. The storefront and the restaurant’s decoration and staff were all helped by that big sister. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to achieve such a scale in less than a year.”
“Is there such a good thing? It seems Ella’s connections are not bad now,” Chen Ran asked. “By the way, what is your big sister Ella doing now?”
“Big sister Ella is very famous now. She has guest-starred in several well-received operas, which has made her famous. She has even been hired as a tutor in the literature and art department of the Dawn Academy,” at this, little Karl couldn’t help but be nervous. “Big brother, it’s a good thing you’re here now. Now, many of the male teachers and male students in the Dawn Academy are pursuing big sister Ella. They are all more handsome than you, big brother, and their status is not low. Fortunately, big sister Ella has always been steadfast in her feelings for you. Such a good big sister is hard to find in the world. You have to hurry up, big brother!”
“Is there such a thing?” Chen Ran said with a smile. “By the way, how can I contact your big sister Ella now? I really want to see her.”
“Well, big sister Ella has rarely managed this restaurant since it stabilized. It’s enough for us to handle it. She usually just brings the big sister over for a meal occasionally. She probably only comes two or three times a week. Most of the time, she’s in the Dawn Academy. I heard that the environment there is very good, but you can’t go in unless you’re a student or a tutor, except for sending letters to contact,” at this, little Karl was a little regretful. “But it will probably take some time.”
“Uh, so you mean I can’t contact her for a while?”
“Besides sending a letter, there’s another way!” little Karl squinted his eyes and smiled secretly. “There’s a freeloader who often comes here. He always has an endless supply of free meal vouchers. You also know him, big brother. With him, it’s very easy to contact big sister Ella.”
Chen Ran raised his eyebrows and suddenly thought of a certain lewd guy…
In the evening, it was also the busiest time for business.
After a day of classes, the students of the Dawn Academy would go out to the various restaurants in groups of three or five.
The high-class people would naturally go to “high-class” places. Colin was such a person. Relying on his cousin’s relationship, he often went to that luxurious KFC restaurant. This was another thing that was enviable besides his innate lightning runes.
Sitting in his exclusive luxurious private room, Colin was flipping through the newspaper, absent-mindedly looking at the contents.
Soon, a “waiter” came up with a large plate of food.
After the things were placed on the table, Colin was about to start eating when he saw the waiter take out a slice of pizza and put it in his mouth.
Colin followed his gaze and, seeing the familiar face, was so surprised that he couldn’t speak for a moment.
“Long time no see,” Chen Ran said with a smile, sitting opposite Colin. “You’ve been doing well recently, kid. This outfit is much more spirited than before.”
“Damn it, it’s you, kid!” Colin jumped up in excitement and looked at Chen Ran with an excited expression. “You’re finally here, kid.”
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s just a meeting. Do you have to be so excited?” seeing Colin’s signature lewd expression, Chen Ran’s mood couldn’t help but relax.
“How can I not be excited!” Colin’s face was streaked with tears. “Chen Ran, I need your help, brother. Think of a way to let me break through my power limit in a short time…”
“It’s not that serious. We’ve just met, and you’re already asking me to do things. I’ve just arrived,” Chen Ran was speechless. “I haven’t even seen Ella yet. I wanted to ask you to help me contact her. I really can’t get into that damn school.”
“Heh, that’s easy,” Colin couldn’t help but size Chen Ran up and praised, “You’ve changed a lot, kid. You look much better. You’re almost half as handsome as me, and you’re also more mature. It seems you’ve been through a lot.”
“It’s alright,” Chen Ran couldn’t help but use his Eye of Insight to observe Colin’s strength. It showed that he was at the peak of the sixth tier. He couldn’t help but be surprised. “Not bad. It’s only been a little over a year, and you’ve already gone from the fifth tier to the peak of the sixth tier. I estimate that you’ll soon advance to a seventh-tier lightning-element mage. It seems you’ve worked hard this past year.”
