Guilongchao: I played the domineering CEO to the bone.

Zhongpu Hot Pot is a well-known food destination in Linglongge Food City.

Despite the ghost stories causing some negative impact, the restaurant remains bustling with customers. The three-story, hundreds-of-square-meter luxury hot pot restaurant is so crowded during peak meal times that it can't even accommodate everyone.

The enticing aroma wafting from the hot pot restaurant is what makes countless diners willingly queue up in long lines outside.

........

"Wow... what a long line...!"

Yu Bing and Min Moyou's group arrived at Zhongpu Hot Pot, where a long queue had already formed.

Xiao Guang looked at this wonderful place, a place she usually couldn't afford but would squat at the doorway to savor the aroma while eating—she was prepared!

"Luckily, we made a reservation when the boss told us we were coming here for dinner! We were quick enough to get the last table..."

"No wonder this is the place I've been dreaming of eating at! The line is so long and not a single person has complained... It must be incredibly delicious!!!"

The aroma wafting from the hot pot restaurant gradually woke Biaozi, who was sleeping in the backpack. He nestled on Xiaoguang's shoulder, tears welling in his eyes...

Before Xiao Guang could even pull out a screenshot of his successful seat reservation to show off to his new boss, Min Moyou, Min Moyou and Yu Bing bypassed the long queue and headed straight into the hot pot restaurant.

Xiao Guang wondered to herself: Could it be that Boss Min had already seen that I had successfully reserved a seat when I made the reservation? Or did he think that as Boss Min's secretary, it was only natural for him to do so?

Yes, Min Moyou intended to take Xiaoguang in as a maid, but Xiaoguang has successfully put her clever, witty, lively, cute and energetic self into the position of the president's secretary!

Actually,

Yu Bing: My Yu family's property, do I, the dignified head of the Yu family, need to wait in line?

Minmoyou: Queuing? If there are no seats, just buy them. If someone is unhappy, throw money in their face until they're satisfied. Anyway, anything that can be solved with money isn't a problem.

And so, Min Moyou and Yu Bing ignored all the accusations and insults from the people in line, such as: "How dare this person cut in line?" "Is there no law anymore?" "I, a dignified person, am in line, who are you to have the audacity to cut in line?"

Xiao Guang followed closely behind with a proud look on his face, ready to pull out his seat reservation certificate at any moment and slap them in the face!

Biaozi's drool was almost dripping onto Xiaoguang's clothes, but Xiaoguang hadn't noticed...

The group swaggered into the hot pot restaurant.

..........

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, how many of you are there? Do you have a reservation? We currently have no seats available..."

As soon as I entered the hot pot restaurant, a well-dressed receptionist quickly came up to ask what was wrong.

Then she glanced at Biaozi on Xiaoguang's shoulder and said persuasively:

"Furthermore, our store has a rule that pets are not allowed inside. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you."

Min Moyou and Yu Bing were dressed in very luxurious and stylish clothes, so there was no mindless scene of them looking down on each other. The hostess bowed slightly, spoke in a gentle tone, and was very respectful.

Looking around the entire hall, it seemed that only a small round table for three people in a dark corner was unoccupied.

That must be the spot that Xiaoguang reserved.

"I—I have it here—!"

Xiao Guang stood on tiptoe behind Min Moyou, opened the proof of successfully reserving a table online, and lifted Xiao Lingtong high, wanting to show that he was very farsighted and had reserved the seat!

She raised her little face with pride, seemingly waiting for a gentle compliment from Min Moyou.

Meanwhile, Min Moyou had already reached into the pocket of his suit jacket, which seemed to contain countless riches, ready to throw money at people at any moment.

Yu Bing narrowed her eyes in annoyance—what a clueless person! Doesn't she recognize me, the dignified head of the Yu family?!

"Don't tell me there are people dining in the No. 1 private room on the third floor?"

Yu Bing spoke calmly, and the hostess in front of her was taken aback—how did this lady know there were private rooms on the third floor?

"Excuse me, ma'am, the private rooms on the third floor are reserved for our highest-ranking members, senior management, and shareholders. The 'Top-Tier' room you mentioned is reserved for our largest shareholder—the Yu family..."

Before she could finish speaking, a well-dressed, chubby man in a suit and tie rushed out of the kitchen. Judging from the name tag on his chest, he was the manager of Zhongpu Hot Pot.

As soon as he arrived, he quickly shooed the young lady who was greeting guests to another area.

"Get out of here! You must be blind! You can't even recognize the current head of the Yu family?! No wonder you'll be a receptionist for life!"

Then he quickly forced a fawning smile and bowed obsequiously to Yu Bing and Min Moyou.

"Master Yu, Young Master Min, your presence at our shop is truly an honor!"

"Is the No. 1 VIP room empty?"

Yu Bing didn't give him a friendly look. She didn't think he was worth a single polite word. She simply asked him a question and went upstairs.

"Yes, yes, yes! How could we not reserve some for you? How could we dare to outsource it? Please follow me! Please follow me! I'll show you the way..."

The chubby manager wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly stepped forward to lead the way.

Minmo humbly withdrew his hand from inside his suit jacket and casually straightened his tie.

This little trick didn't escape Yu Bing's eyes, and she gave Min Moyou a smug little look.

Minmo smiled slyly, remaining silent.

Xiao Guang and Biaozi, feeling equally proud, pressed the portly manager for answers:

"Are pets allowed inside?"

"Yeah, yeah! Can I come in, sir?"

The chubby manager assumed Xiao Guang and Biao Zi were friends of Yu Bing or Min Moyou, and inwardly cursed the receptionist for being so clueless, while replying in a humble voice:

"Yes, yes, of course..."

In fact, Xiao Guang and Biaozi exchanged a glance and both saw the pleasure in each other's eyes—because of rules like "pets not allowed," Xiao Guang and Biaozi, along with their cat, had been given a hard time many times.

Today I can finally hold my head high!

Cool!

Huh? Then you can just cancel the seat reservation, right?

Xiao Guang had a flash of inspiration!

It costs nothing, and you get to demonstrate your foresight and professionalism as a secretary to the boss, plus you get a meal!

They've made a fortune!

Xiao Guang thought to himself happily and then casually canceled his seat reservation.

..............

"Damn, there are so many people? We don't necessarily have to eat hot pot here, do we? Maybe we should go somewhere else?"

Tong, Suo, and Zhu arrived late. In front of the long queue at Zhongpu Hot Pot Restaurant, Tong was the first to speak up and discourage others from joining.

"Why don't you save your sesame paste for another time when we get together? There are so many people today, how long will it take to get a table?"

Longevity locks on an unyielding heart.

"I've already bought the sesame sauce... Let me check if there are any reserved seats on Xiaolingtong?"

As he spoke, he opened the official WeChat account of Zhongpu Hot Pot, his lips pursed, and kept scrolling down and refreshing the seat reservation page.

Damn it... how could I forget this lousy place is usually packed with people...

It's all that stinky Taoist priest's and that stinky director from Longchao Pavilion's' place's fault! They dragged their feet and wasted my time eating hotpot...

"Come on, accept your fate. The line is already this long, how could it possibly be..."

"Hey! Got it! A three-seater! Perfect! All set!"

With lightning speed, Changmingsuo snagged a reservation for a three-seater that popped up!

Perhaps others are also eyeing this seat reservation interface—but the Longevity Lock is a Dragon's Blood, and its reaction speed is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Wait, no? There really is one?"

Tong turned her head in surprise and looked at the screen of the little spirit eye that had successfully reserved the longevity lock with great disbelief—it really was there!

We're so lucky!

Destiny is mine!

"If Grandma says it's there, then it's there! Humph~ Today, Grandma absolutely has to have this hot pot with sesame sauce!"

"Come on! Your grandma will show you the authentic flavors of Zhongpu!"

After Min Moyou and his group went upstairs, Tong and the other three entered the store and sat at the small round table in the corner that Xiao Guang had reserved.

The closest Tong ever came to meeting Min Moyou was just one step away...

...divide...line...

(Just a quick note: A friend of mine, a college student majoring in history, is also planning to write a book to earn some extra money. As a public figure and writer with over a thousand followers, how could I possibly ignore that?)

So, the fox agreed to give him a shout-out, and everyone can check it out if they have time, are interested, or are looking for something to read!

The book title is "Difficult to Send Off: The Beginning with Zhao Gou's Adopted Son Killing Qin Hui to Save Yue Fei," which is about the Southern Song Dynasty. (I only realized the character was pronounced "Qin Hui" after typing it; I always pronounced it "Qin Kuai" before...) The book is currently under contract, and the author is Lin Bei's Seven Wolves, a history major who writes historical fiction. He's also open to advice, so feel free to give him some pointers.