After divorcing my celebrity wife, I became the world's richest person

The two of them paid no mind to Huang Ban Cheng's explanations and sat swaying unsteadily to the side.

"Ban Cheng, I don't mean to criticize, but ever since Xiangyun Restaurant opened for business, countless people have coveted it over the past few centuries. If it were not for the efforts of several generations of the Huang Family, I'm afraid this business would have been taken away long ago."

The speaker was older in age and spoke with a strong, resonant voice, carrying an air of pride due to his achievements.

Chen Yu's brows slightly furrowed; he knew that these people were all Huang Ban Cheng's elders.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped back.

"Mr. Huang, I think we've seen enough for today. We can discuss the specifics later. I'll take my leave first." Explore more stories at empire

This startled Huang Ban Cheng.

Despite recent news media glorifying the Tong Family to the skies, anyone slightly cunning could see that the one actually manipulating everything behind the scenes was Chen Yu.

Who else but Chen Yu could coordinate the capital of several major families both domestically and internationally and launch a joint media offensive against the Zhao Family?

Now, with Chen Yu suddenly dropping such a statement, it was clear he was a bit irritated.

If he were to leave today and turn to manipulate capital to besiege Xiangyun Restaurant, the entire establishment would likely have to change hands within two days.

"Mr. Chen, in my opinion, it would be better to finalize all the details today. Besides, Xiangyun Restaurant has recently introduced some secret dishes, and I was hoping that Mr. Chen could give them a try."

The two elders saw Huang Ban Cheng's attitude and immediately found it intolerable; the younger of the two stood up and, grabbing his cane, moved to strike Huang Ban Cheng.

"You disgraceful brat, is this how you take care of Xiangyun Restaurant?"

Huang Ban Cheng had long reached the end of his patience with these old shareholders. Using their seniority and control over shares, they would speak without any restraints on a regular basis and even meddle in the management of the restaurant.

If it weren't for the fact that they shared the surname Huang, Huang Ban Cheng would have driven them out long ago.

"Great-Uncle, unless you have any business here, you and Granduncle should stay at home. I am now the Sect Leader of Xiangyun Restaurant."

The two elders were simultaneously taken aback. They never expected Huang Ban Cheng to speak to them like this.

Just as they were about to reproach him, several bodyguards suddenly appeared and forcibly escorted the two elders out.

Seeing this, Chen Yu's brows quirked slightly.

"Mr. Huang, it seems that the ownership of your restaurant isn't very clear, and it's a bit like a multi-stakeholder governance, isn't it?"

Huang Ban Cheng sighed helplessly.

"Not to hide from Mr. Chen, Xiangyun Restaurant has been around for several centuries, leaving behind an enormous and cumbersome system. In my generation, the actual funds used for the restaurant's operations and daily expenses account for only thirty percent. The rest is all used to support these elders."

Chen Yu was somewhat surprised; he had thought the internal consumption of Xiangyun Restaurant would only account for thirty to forty percent, but it turned out to be seventy percent.

No wonder there had been no development in the restaurant over the years, and there were even signs of regression.

"Mr. Huang, do you want to see Xiangyun Restaurant revitalized?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Ban Cheng's eyes lit up as he looked expectantly at Chen Yu.

"Please enlighten me, Mr. Chen!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Chen Yu adjusted the century-old staircase beside him and glanced at the bustling scene in the lobby on the first floor.

"The cicada sheds its shell! Use financial means to register an independent company, then expand the store opposite Xiangyun Restaurant. Trade space for time to undermine those stubborn old-timers!"

Huang Ban Cheng sighed helplessly, "Mr. Chen, I have thought about this method, but most of Xiangyun Restaurant's funds are in the hands of the elders who also possess the decision-making power. Every decision I make has to go through them, so to bypass them is simply impossible."

Chen Yu leaned against the staircase with a strange smile flashing across his face.

"Previously it was just you, Mr. Huang, but now with me on board, we two together can definitely make it happen."

Huang Ban Cheng was stunned at first, but then became excited.

He might not believe this from someone else, but he had complete faith in Chen Yu, the man who brought down the Zhao Family.

"If Mr. Chen can revive Xiangyun Restaurant, I am willing to give up half of my shares, as a gesture of respect to Mr. Chen!"

Chen Yu waved his hand, "Share distribution is a matter for later. Starting now, you and I must act as adversaries!"

As a businessman, Huang Ban Cheng got the point immediately.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen, I have some experience in acting! If you need anything on your side, just give me a signal. Though I may not be able to help you overtly, I will support you wholeheartedly behind the scenes."

Chen Yu nodded and, after patting Huang Ban Cheng's shoulder, he left with Tong Ya.

The building opposite Xiangyun Restaurant was originally a mixed-use office and residential tower, which had changed its operation model to a hotel due to the unique business practices on this street.

However, the hotel's internal systems were still quite complex. All the storefronts on the first floor were leased out for the catering industry.

The basement up to the third floor were turned into an entertainment center, known as a famous entertainment city locally.

The third to sixth floors were a business club that seemed to operate on a membership basis, visited daily by prominent figures from the capital.

Only from the sixth floor upwards was the hotel!

Chen Yu returned to his store and casually took a seat on a chair.

Although it was the store's first day of operation, the previous groundwork had attracted quite a bit of customer traffic.

Moreover, the waiters brought in were experienced, highly proficient in their jobs, and could start working right away.

Thus, the operations of the entire store ran without any hiccups.

Originally, Chen Yu had wanted to use this store to compete with Xiangyun Restaurant and then take the opportunity to merge it, but now it seemed there was no need for such complexities. If he could take over this building and manipulate it financially, he could achieve a complete integration with Xiangyun Restaurant.

"Husband, do you think that Mr. Huang can be trusted? Although he seems rather simple and honest, he does have some cunning. Otherwise, Xiangyun Restaurant would have gone under in his hands long ago."

Tong Ya was a bit worried.

After all, Huang Ban Cheng had managed to run the three floors of Xiangyun Restaurant in such a profitable way with just the operating capital – his talents were not to be underestimated.

Given enough funds, perhaps he could achieve even greater things.

But Chen Yu was unworried, "In this world, you only get results when you collaborate with those who are cunning and wise. Otherwise, you'll not only fail to gain what you want, but you could also lose everything."

Tong Ya nodded and said no more.

No matter what decisions Chen Yu made, she would support him unconditionally.