The Game of Life

July 12th was a big day for the catering industry in Beiping.

It was rumored that the powerful and wealthy owner with endless resources and a mysterious background had decided to open Taifeng Building on July 12th.

These past few days, no member of the Jiang Family had rested; the kitchen staff were practicing and coordinating under the command of the two sirs, the lobby staff were strict and ready under the guidance of Fan Mei, and Jiang Zaidi and Jiang Shoucheng were practically throwing money around. As soon as the people of Beiping opened their phones to check the news, they were bombarded with updates about Taifeng Building’s opening on July 12th, with a barrage of strange headlines and content that seemed to be written by editors who were paid yet still used their feet to write.

Just casually browsing the news these past few days, Jiang Feng had seen plenty of it.

“The Top-level Restaurant in Beiping That You Don’t Know”

“Mysterious Restaurant About to Open”

“Shocking, the Man Behind Taifeng Building is Actually Him!”

“The Struggle of the Six Emperors, Who Will Reign Supreme?”

Jiang Feng really wondered if those editors all had a template, into which they could fit any piece of news by just changing the title to create an entirely new article.

Even the sisters, Jiang Junqing and Jiang Junlian, weren’t idle; since the busy kitchen kept them from ruining radishes and potatoes, they were given a couple of days off to wander around Taifeng Building. These two drama queens, playing the tourists, spent the days asking passerby in nearby shops and malls: “I see that restaurant over there is quite busy, is it about to open?”

Everyone was ready, aiming for the grand opening.

Taifeng Building was to open at 11:08 a.m., a time set by Wang Xiulian. According to her, she had specifically sought a famous fortune teller to calculate this auspicious time for the opening, promising that business would surely thrive if they started at this moment.

Everyone knew she was spouting nonsense.

The only time Wang Xiulian ever indulged in feudal superstition was when she sought a fairly well-known fortune teller in Z city for Jiang Feng before his college entrance examination. The fortune teller had said Jiang Feng was inherently lazy and would have a difficult time becoming very rich, his exam results would be mediocre, there would be a romantic encounter between ages 18 and 24, and a romantic calamity after 25, which would cost another 800 yuan to resolve. If he wanted to improve his grades quickly, he could buy a talisman for just 150 yuan each.

Later, with the acceptance letter from Jiang Feng’s college entrance exam in hand, Wang Xiulian and her fourth sister-in-law nearly tore the fortune teller’s door off its hinges.

If there was anyone in the Jiang Family who despised feudal superstition the most, it was surely the fourth sister-in-law, mainly because she went with Wang Xiulian to see that fortune teller. While Wang Xiulian inquired about Jiang Feng, the fourth sister-in-law asked about Jiang Ran, and ended up buying three 150-yuan talismans because the fortune teller suggested that having three might give a chance to become the top scorer on the exam.

Who could’ve known the fortune teller’s idea of “chance” was zero?

Though women might occasionally fall for odd things and pay what’s known as a “stupidity tax,” it was still rare to see someone like the fourth sister-in-law do so with a fortune teller.

July 12th, 9 a.m.

Two hours before the opening, the entire Taifeng Building was bustling about; the kitchen staff had arrived early, preparing and organizing everything with precision. Under the supervision of Fan Mei and Ji Yue, the waitstaff double­checked the decorations in the lobby, the cleanliness of the floor, and the neatness of the tablecloths without any wrinkles, making sure everything was repeatedly inspected for perfection.

Fan Mei tirelessly reiterated to everyone: “Remember, always greet each guest with a smile. The guests in Area C are VIPs invited specifically for the opening by the boss, many of whom are reporters, so maintain a good image. Area A has tables for groups of four; manage the seating properly, don’t just lead customers to any empty table, and be proactive when guests need assistance, don’t stand idly by like a block of wood. And when you see guests with children…”

Today’s opening banquet invited many prominent guests. Due to Xu Cheng accepting Jiang Feng’s invitation, a lot of gourmands and professional gastronomy critics came, drawn to the venue like sharks to blood, enclosing Taifeng Building completely. Not only did Jiang Feng invite Xu Cheng, but also the other judges from the Good Taste culinary competition, including Han Guishan.

Except for Han Guishan, who couldn’t leave because of business matters, everyone else gladly accepted the invitation. Pei Shenghua even brought a few friends from the culinary circle to join, bolstering the event for Jiang Feng.

The old Sir had also invited Sun Guanyun, but apparently, some trouble had arisen at Jubao Building and Sun Guanyun couldn’t leave, so while the floral baskets arrived, the person did not.

Regardless, the array of floral baskets at the entrance of Taifeng Building was quite impressive—only the largest and most expensive ones, and many were from people the Jiang Family didn’t even know, who were simply following the trend.

It all started with Han Guishan; seeing him send two baskets, Xu Cheng followed suit with one of his own. The other judges, noticing Xu Cheng and Han Guishan had sent baskets, did the same. But the key point was that Xu Cheng and Han Guishan weren’t just customers; they each controlled companies worth billions and even tens of billions. Bandwagoners, those seeking favor, acquaintances, and incidental contributors made the line of floral baskets in front of Taifeng Building quite long.

Passersby, out of curiosity, would take a glance and exclaim in surprise to their companions, “My, the owner of this restaurant must really be something extraordinary. Look at these floral baskets—each one is from some company or group.”

His companion glanced at the well-decorated Taifeng Building and couldn’t help but feel intimidated. He said, “Forget about it, the dishes are definitely expensive in a place like this. Let’s just go back and eat fried noodles at the entrance of our community.”

Passersby reluctantly took another look at the sign and suggested, “How about we splurge here once I get paid? You can tell the food is good just by looking at the decorations.”

Companion: ???

Because the two had lingered at the entrance for too long, they caught the attention of the hostess greeting guests at the door, who was Qi Rou. Because of her pleasant appearance, Qi Rou was assigned to the entrance by Fan Mei.

“Gentlemen, our restaurant opens at 11:08 am, and it hasn’t reached opening time yet. If you would like to dine with us, you will need to wait a little longer. There are still 26 minutes before we open,” Qi Rou said in a gentle voice.

“We’re just looking around, not eating, not eating,” the companion said, fearing they might be lured in and suffer a wallet catastrophe.

“Sir, since our restaurant is newly opening, there will be a lottery event shortly with eight vouchers, each worth a thousand yuan, given away. If you’re interested, you can join in,” Qi Rou offered.

“Are there any conditions for participating in the lottery?” the passerby’s eyes lit up.

“There are no conditions, but each person can only participate once,” replied Qi Rou. For a moment, she forgot the closing phrase Fan Mei had reminded her to say after speaking with guests and, on a whim, added, “I wish you a pleasant life.”

The two: ???

“Shall we wait?” the passerby asked his companion.

“Let’s wait,” the companion checked his phone, “Anyway, it’s Saturday and we’re not busy, and it’s only 20 minutes. What if we win?”

So, the two of them listlessly began their wait by the side of the road.

As they waited, passersby grew curious. The restaurant wasn’t even open yet, so why were people already waiting outside? Could it be that the food here was that good?

“Hey, buddy, can I ask what you two are waiting for?” a young man in casual clothes asked.

“Waiting for the lottery. This restaurant is new and will give away vouchers worth a thousand yuan to eight people soon,” said the companion.

The young man’s eyes shone, and he joined the waiting queue.

After a while, a curious elderly lady passed by and inquired.

The elderly lady also joined the waiting queue.

A family of three came over to ask.

The family of three joined the queue.

More and more people gathered in front of Taifeng Building, making it an intimidating sight and stirring various different thoughts in people’s minds.

Could the news they saw these past days be true, that the backers of this restaurant are really powerful?

Could the news they saw these days be true, that the chef behind this restaurant is indeed the top-secret chef who never shows his face?

Could the news they saw these days be true, that this restaurant…

At eleven o’clock, the journalists invited under the financial influence of Jiang Shoucheng and Jiang Zaidi arrived one after another; some were quite professional, with a whole team and even carrying equipment.

But no matter how professional or not, as soon as everyone got out of their cars and saw the crowd of people waiting in front of Taifeng Building, they were all stunned.

“Tang, quick, quick, start filming from that angle over there,” a certain Mr. Hu, a professional journalist, said excitedly.