Food: Senior year internship, you take over the university cafeteria

Chapter 25 Not Afraid

I saw Su Weiwei's message.

Wang Sheng immediately replied: "It's not nap time yet, but it will be soon."

Then Su Weiwei talked about her brother's blogger.

Wang Sheng was stunned when he saw the message from Su Weiwei.

The "food fraud fighter Su Hang" who questioned Su Weiwei's identity as a "plant" on the forum and later threatened to come and investigate the restaurant to expose its fraudulent practices is actually Su Weiwei's own brother?

The filial son who urged Su's father to go back when he was eating earlier?

What a small world!

He paused his finger on the screen for a moment, then replied, "It's okay, let him come. If it's good, I'll try it."

His tone was relaxed, radiating confidence.

With the support of the system, coupled with increasingly refined control over ingredients and a constantly expanding range of dishes, he is confident in satisfying even the most discerning diners.

After thinking for a moment, he searched for "Su Hang, the food fraud fighter," entered his homepage, and took a closer look.

With over 60,000 followers, he's not a top influencer, but he's still somewhat famous.

The video update frequency isn't high, but each one is made with great care. The commentary style is indeed sharp, sometimes even a bit sarcastic, but you can tell that they really know their food and aren't just spouting nonsense.

Occasionally, a few videos receive over 10,000 likes, with estimated views in the hundreds of thousands.

Hundreds of thousands of views —

Wang Sheng's heart stirred.

A thought suddenly dawned on me: if people from Suzhou and Hangzhou came and were completely captivated, giving me rave reviews—what kind of exposure would that bring?

On the system panel, the shop that required 100,000 popularity points to unlock suddenly seemed to be within reach!

Their popularity, which had been steadily increasing, might be able to take this opportunity to experience an explosive leap!

Thinking about it that way...

This isn't nitpicking; it's clearly a publicity stunt delivered right to their doorstep!

A glint flashed in Wang Sheng's eyes. His anticipation for Su Hang's arrival had turned into a burning desire. He was determined to take on this massive influx of attention!

This is a "traffic booster" delivered right to our doorstep!

As Wang Sheng was making plans, a slight commotion came from outside the kitchen, as if quite a few people had entered the cafeteria.

This isn't mealtime, is it?

Wang Sheng walked to the window with a puzzled look, lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside.

Five or six people walked in at the entrance of the cafeteria.

The leader was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties, with his hair neatly combed, wearing a dark jacket, and exuding a calm demeanor.

Principal Gu Lingyi was half a step behind him, whispering something to him with a respectful attitude.

Several people who appeared to be from the school's administrative department followed behind him.

The principal? Wang Sheng's heart skipped a beat.

The principal is Zhou Mingyuan.

Principal Zhou and his entourage did not go to the staff windows, but instead walked straight to the student windows in the cafeteria, pointing and gesturing as they went, seemingly inspecting something.

Upon seeing this, the shop owners at several windows quickly put on smiles, and some even tried to join in and say a few words.

But Principal Zhou only nodded slightly and continued walking.

Soon, they arrived at window number 07.

Principal Zhou stopped in his tracks, his gaze first sweeping over the simple sign above the window, then over the clean and tidy operating environment inside, which was clearly a level above the other windows, and finally landing on Wang Sheng, who had just opened the glass door and walked out with a bit of nervousness.

"Hello, Principal Zhou. Hello, Principal Gu."

Wang Sheng quickly greeted them.

"You must be Wang Sheng?"

Principal Zhou spoke, his voice calm yet carrying the authority of someone long accustomed to a high position, but without being oppressive. "I've heard Lingyi mention you before; you've started your own business and are doing quite well. Just now—when Mr. Chen was chatting with me, he spoke very highly of the breakfast you made."

Old Chen?

Wang Sheng felt a chill run down his spine; he hadn't expected this principal...

Mr. Chen also praised him generously.

"Mr. Chen, you flatter me. I just did my best to make something delicious."

Wang Sheng thought for a moment and said modestly.

"Being neither arrogant nor impatient is good."

Principal Zhou nodded, his gaze drifting towards the window. "Old Chen said your fried dough sticks wrapped in glutinous rice balls reminded him of many past events. I'm just passing by, so I thought I'd try some. Do you sell them at lunchtime?"

Wang Sheng quickly looked at the control panel.

The breakfast rush has just passed, and there are very few ingredients left.

There were still a few cold fried dough sticks left, and as for the glutinous rice balls—only the last two dough balls were left to be coated with flour.

"Principal Zhou, we still have some fried dough sticks, but for the mochi—we only have the ingredients left. Making them fresh might take a while, and we only have a little bit of glutinous rice dough left, so we can't make the standard size; we can only make a smaller one."

"It's okay, a small one is fine too, just have a taste."

Principal Zhou waved his hand, showing considerable interest.

"Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon!" Wang Sheng did not dare to delay and immediately returned to the control panel.

He quickly coated the two small dough balls with sesame powder, then picked out a smaller fried dough stick (actually, it was slightly flawed during frying and originally intended for his own consumption), heated it up, quickly wrapped it up, put it in a paper bag, and handed it out the window with both hands:

Principal Zhou took it, took a bite right by the window, and chewed it carefully. Several administrative staff members and the boss peeking out from the side held their breath.

After a moment, Principal Zhou swallowed his food and smiled, "Hmm, the fried dough sticks are crispy and fragrant, the glutinous rice balls are soft and chewy, and the sweetness is just right. It really has a unique flavor. No wonder Old Chen likes it."

He looked at Wang Sheng and said, "Gu Lingyi told me that your steamed buns, rice noodles, and meatball soup are all very good, and the students are very enthusiastic about them. That's great. Young people have ideas, are willing to work hard, and have good skills. The school supports student entrepreneurship, and you've made a good start. Keep up the good work, and if you encounter any difficulties, come to the school."

"Thank you for the encouragement, Principal! I will definitely work hard!" Wang Sheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

After offering a few more words of encouragement, Principal Zhou left, accompanied by Principal Gu and others.

As soon as he left, several business owners nearby immediately surrounded him, their faces full of envy.

"Boss Wang, you're amazing! Even the principal came to support you!"

"Old Chen? Which Old Chen is so influential?"

"Xiao Wang, your business is booming!"

Wang Sheng responded politely to each of them.

He knew in his heart that with the principal's personal presence and Mr. Chen's endorsement, window number 07 was considered a registered appointment in the school's eyes.

This invisible recognition is more precious than anything else in school.

Just then, Brother Liu, who sells "Northeast Big Bowl Noodles" next door, came over.

He was tall and burly, with a heavy Northeastern accent, a greasy apron, and a booming voice, but his face was gloomy and dejected: "Brother, I'm truly impressed! Look at your long line, and then look at mine—sigh, practically empty!"

Knowing that Brother Liu's business was struggling, Wang Sheng comforted him, "Brother Liu, your noodles have generous portions and are quite flavorful; maybe they suit students' tastes—"

"What flavors change so quickly!"

Brother Liu sighed and took out his phone.

"Look, I send out red envelopes in the food delivery group every day, one or two yuan at a time, and the students are grabbing them like crazy! But after they grab the red envelopes, how many of them actually come to eat noodles? None! It was okay when we first opened, but now we can't even sell thirty bowls a day! Rent, utilities, and labor costs are crushing us! The taste? I can swear on my life, it's absolutely unchanged! I make the bone broth every day, and I roll out the noodles myself! But nobody recognizes it!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his eyes reddening: "If this continues, I really will have to pack my bags and leave! But after half a lifetime in the restaurant business, what other industry can I switch to?"

Looking at Brother Liu's hunched back, Wang Sheng could only sigh helplessly. Under the same roof, their businesses were like night and day.

The brutality of market competition is laid bare before our eyes.