With the arrival of capable assistants, Jin Yaotiao was finally relieved of some of her workload.

The ongoing projects, like race cars fueled up and ready, sped forward at an incredible pace.

In one of the factories they partnered with, the first batch of seasonal menu items was unveiled.

Among them were two products that had been the most popular in Linjiang last winter.

As a new executive at Mingde, Jiang Bai accompanied Jin Yaotiao to familiarize himself with the projects he would be assisting with.

Reviewing the technical details provided, Jiang Bai frowned and pointed out, “I’ve researched similar products in the market. For this type of product, their costs definitely don’t come close to these numbers. With the prices Mingde has set, it’ll be tough to gain a competitive edge.”

Jin Yaotiao shook her head. “I’m building the Mingde brand. Every product we launch must align with our market positioning. As long as we’re unique and irreplaceable, price won’t be an issue.”

What she envisioned was a range of one-of-a-kind products stemming from the Mingde brand, much like their restaurants.

Today, food enthusiasts in Linjiang and Shenzhen wouldn’t confuse Mingde’s restaurants with any other brand. Take their signature braised beef steak—anyone who had tasted it would immediately associate its aroma with Mingde.

The results of their quality-first approach were evident.

Although not all their Shenzhen branches were operational yet, in Linjiang, anyone asked to recommend a standout local restaurant would undoubtedly mention a Mingde brand.

Expanding physical restaurants required time and preparation.

Using mass-produced products to establish a reputation among diners in other cities who are not yet familiar with Mingde is undoubtedly more efficient.

As long as this “high-quality” aura can be firmly grasped,

it will be easier for Mingde to gain trust and acceptance when expanding into various industries in the future.

Jiang Bai thought she was being overly idealistic: “It’s just mass-produced products; how can they be made irreplicable?”

It wasn’t until the samples were cooked by the technicians and brought to the table that he realized he might have misunderstood something.

---

At the Shenzhen Broadcasting Building, after finalizing the production line, Jin Yaotiao came to discuss the program that Chairman Lu of the Restaurant Association had previously introduced to Mingde.

Chairman Lü had arrived early and mentioned that he was with representatives from restaurant associations in other cities and the program director on the top floor.

Jin Yaotiao followed the staff member who came to escort her into the elevator.

The elevator paused on the first floor, and there was a commotion outside.

Several people wearing masks were waiting at the elevator door, with a noisy crowd behind them, seemingly there to see them off.

Jin Yaotiao didn’t pay much attention, but the staff member, noticing the excitement outside, nervously stood in front of her: “Chairman Jin, please be careful; there might be fans outside. Don’t get pushed.”

Representing Mingde in a significant project and being an entrepreneur, Shenzhen Broadcasting dared not be negligent.

Jin Yaotiao took a step back and suddenly felt the masked individuals who entered simultaneously look up at her.

Sensing their gaze, she looked back at them but didn’t recognize them.

The fans were blocked outside the elevator, and the doors slowly closed. One of the individuals reached up to remove their mask and sunglasses.

The staff member escorting Jin Yaotiao into the elevator became slightly excited upon seeing him: “Ning Shun! What are you doing here?”

Ning Shun, dressed in youthful hip-hop attire, smiled at her. Simultaneously, his gaze on Jin Yaotiao deepened, though it was unclear whom he was addressing: “I took a job; I’ll be recording a program in Shenzhen soon.”

The staff member, perhaps not expecting a response, nodded somewhat flattered: “I see.”

After a few seconds, Ning Shun turned to the staff member: “And you are?”

The staff glanced at Jin Yaotiao and, though Ning Shun had asked, hesitated to divulge much, vaguely replying: “Ah, this is Vice Chairman Jin of Mingde Company, here to discuss a collaboration with the broadcasting station.”

“Vice Chairman Jin…” Ning Shun lowered his head, mulling over the title, and smiled.

Not bad, a promotion.

He opened his mouth but, for some reason, didn’t greet her.

Jin Yaotiao glanced at him, frowning.

It had been so long since she’d seen him that she had almost forgotten about him.

And what was with the two people beside Ning Shun staring at her? The one on the left was fine, but the one on the right had such a sharp gaze it felt like it could turn into a knife.

Unfazed, she looked directly back at them.

Seeing this, the person with the sharp gaze hesitated, then softened their look.

After observing for two seconds, Jin Yaotiao confirmed she didn’t know them at all.

Ning Shun remained silent. When the elevator reached the fifteenth floor, the group exited simultaneously.

The elevator returned to its quiet state. The staff member, clearly excited, smiled at Jin Yaotiao: “Chairman Jin, what luck! I’ve worked at the broadcasting station for years and rarely encounter celebrities like Ning Shun. And I heard he paused work for over a month recently; I never expected to see him here.”

Jin Yaotiao, not particularly interested, smiled: “Is that so.”

Outside the elevator, Ning Shun walked silently.

Qiao Yusi, who had earlier glared at Jin Yaotiao, noticed his displeasure, slowed her pace, and cautiously asked: “Ning Shun, what’s on your mind?”

Ning Shun glanced at her from the corner of his eye, then turned away irritably: “What’s it to you?”

Noticing his starkly different attitude, Qiao Yusi clenched her fists, softening her tone: “Ning Meng has already resigned from Jingmao; you haven’t forgotten, right?”

Ning Shun looked at her coldly: “What are you implying?”

Under his gaze, Qiao Yusi pressed her lips together, not daring to say more: “Nothing, I just wanted to remind you that Jin Yaotiao is no longer associated with us.”

Ning Shun remained silent.

He was well aware of this fact.

That’s why he hadn’t greeted Jin Yaotiao in the elevator.

Ning Shun walked with his head down, lost in thought. Upon reaching the lounge door, he suddenly stopped.

Those who had entered turned to look at him.

He calmly said: “I need to use the restroom; you all go ahead.”

After the door closed, he stood still for a moment, then abruptly turned and ran back.

He glanced at Jin Yao Tiao and greeted her, “Long time no see.”

The staff looked at him and then at Jin Yao Tiao, confused: “Mr. Jin, do you know each other?”

Jin Yao Tiao wasn’t sure what Ning Shun was trying to do, but it didn’t matter: “I suppose so. We’ve met a few times.”

Ning Shun paused after hearing this, and after a moment, he gave a slight “mm” in response.

Just then, a large door nearby suddenly opened, and someone walked out, talking as they did.

Jin Yao Tiao looked toward the sound and was surprised to see Shen Qi Ming.

There were both men and women in the crowd, but he was the tallest, listening calmly as people around him greeted him.

“Mr. Shen, this way please.”

“Mr. Shen, there were some details in the meeting earlier that weren’t clarified. I’ll have them organized and sent to your assistant’s email later, and you can review them then.”

“There’s a meeting with a financing party coming up; would you like to rest and have a meal in the lounge first?”

Shen Qiming’s voice had a special resonance; as soon as he spoke, all the surrounding noise seemed to fade: “No need to waste time, let’s go directly to the meeting room.”

After he spoke, he raised his head and immediately saw Jin Yao Tiao, his steps halting.

He then noticed the person standing next to her.

The people around him, who had fallen silent after his rejection, instinctively stopped in their tracks as well.

The staff guiding Jin Yaotiao saw the many high-ranking leaders around him and nervously nodded in greeting.

Upon recognizing Ning Shun, they focused on Jin Yaotiao and asked, “This is…?”

With her looks and figure, could she be a celebrity working in the studio?

Jin Yaotiao smiled slightly: “My name is Jin, Vice Chairman of Mingde.”

The leaders from the studio recognized Mingde’s name, so they immediately straightened up and adopted a more respectful tone: “Hello, hello.”

After exchanging greetings, they awkwardly glanced at Shen Qiming, unsure whether to leave immediately or worry that Mr. Shen, who valued efficiency, might get upset about wasting time. To their surprise, the assistants behind Shen Qiming all simultaneously greeted: “Hello, Mr. Jin!”

It was so synchronized, it was as if they had been specially trained, and their earnest tone was something even the studio leaders, who had interacted with them countless times, had never experienced.

The studio leaders: “…?”

Shen Qiming stood in the crowd, his back to the light, making his expression hard to read, but he grumbled in a low, drawn-out voice: “Yaotiao.”

The tone lingered for half a second, slow and almost pitiful.

Jin Yaotiao was silent, giving him a quick glance, before deciding not to bother him further: “You all carry on, I’ll head to the meeting room.”

“Ah!” The studio leaders seemed to snap out of their trance and hurriedly nodded, “You’re busy, please go ahead.”

After she left, several of them exchanged glances, their minds made up. They called over their subordinates and instructed them, “Be careful and serve Mr. Jin well.”

Once the instructions were given, the group continued to accompany Shen Qiming to the meeting, but they noticed that he seemed even more silent than before, appearing distracted.

His assistants also seemed strange, as if walking on eggshells, every move cautious, exchanging glances with a look full of unsaid words, hard to interpret.

What’s going on?

The assistants from Jingmao remembered how Jin Yaotiao had left earlier with the young man. “QAQ”

Their boss really was in a bad situation. How did it come to this?

---

In the meeting room, the briefing had not yet started, and during a break, the assistants from Jingmao worked cautiously, while Shen Qiming sat in his office chair, focused on something on his phone.

The studio leaders sensed that the atmosphere was unnervingly quiet but dared not disturb him.

Mr. Shen was likely handling some official business, as they had heard of his workaholic tendencies, always making every minute count.

In another meeting room, Jin Yao Tiao, led by the guild president, met a few representatives from different cities attending the show.

It seemed like the program was still in the planning stage, so there weren’t many people present, and she hadn’t seen any representatives from Linjiang.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that some of the people she greeted seemed to act a bit strange.

When she entered, the guild president seemed to be angry but smiled after seeing her, though she had no idea what had happened before her arrival.

The guild president didn’t mention it, just smiling as he took out his phone: “Since we’re about to participate in the program, let’s add each other on WeChat and create a group.”

Once the WeChat contacts were added, one of the representatives shared an elderly meme in the group, followed by a public article link.

The other representatives in the group were puzzled: “?”

The representative cleared his throat: “This is something I wrote in my spare time. The main focus is promoting our food culture, so please help share it.”

He was elderly, but his expression was serious.

Jin Yaotiao glanced at the article’s headline: “…”

Opening it, it was about the difference between old hens and black-boned chickens.

It was well-written, informative, and professional.

The representative coughed: “For exposure, you know. These days, it’s all about catchy headlines. I’m not good with computers, so I just write it on paper and have my kids type it out for me.”

The article had a high readership, though half the comments were criticizing the sensational headline.

Jin Yao Tiao found it difficult to share this in her own friend circle, but since the elderly man was trying hard to promote his work, she decided to share the homepage of his public account instead.

Ten minutes later.

Jiang Sen, during work hours, refreshed his WeChat and was stunned by an eye-catching headline:

“Shocking! Becoming a chicken isn’t as simple as you think! You must read!”

Jiang Sen: “???”

He looked up and saw that Shen Qiming had shared it.

Jiang Sen: “……………!!!!???”