Chapter 258: Full Course

Lei Yin took Zhang Mingyu to a café not far from the construction site. There, Zhang Mingyu met several people that Lei Yin wanted to introduce him to, including Zhang Xuan, the chief designer and chief engineer of China Town, whom he had recently discussed the entire construction plan with.

Through Lei Yin’s introduction, Zhang Mingyu learned that the middle-aged man in a black suit was named Wang Bo, who would be in charge of all legal affairs for China Town and would act as the legal advisor and representative lawyer. The smiling, mixed-race man with an English name, Roy, was a senior publicity director that Lei Yin had specifically invited from the United States. Roy would be responsible for promoting and planning the publicity for China Town. The last person introduced was a mature woman in her early thirties named Huang Yin, with the English name Helen. She was a French-Chinese who had come to Japan a few years ago to open an accounting firm. Soon, she would relocate her firm to China Town at Lei Yin’s invitation, with her rent waived as part of the condition to serve as the financial director of China Town. Sitting next to her were two young women who were her assistants.

After introducing everyone, Lei Yin turned to Zhang Mingyu and said, “I’ve already booked several top chefs from China. Once China Tower is completed, I will bring them over. I’ve also invited two people with years of experience in large property management to assist you in managing both China Tower and the entire China Town. Miss Huang Yin, as the financial director, will oversee the financial management and expenditure accounts for China Town. From now on, if you need funds, you can apply to her. Do you have any questions?”

“Not at the moment.” Zhang Mingyu felt unprecedented pressure as he looked around at these seasoned professionals, each with an astounding annual salary. Compared to them, he was just a rookie who hadn’t even graduated from university yet.

At this point, the publicity director, Roy, spoke up. “Mr. Gennai, when do you plan to start real publicity?”

Lei Yin responded, “You’re the expert in this field. What’s your suggestion?”

“I think it’s best to start publicity now. Although China Town is still under construction, the earlier we start, the more we can make an impression. But in the early stages, it doesn’t need to be too much. Once the entire project is almost finished, we can launch a large-scale publicity campaign for a better effect. This is my suggestion. Of course, starting the publicity early would require a larger investment.”

Lei Yin thought for a moment and then said, “Please prepare a detailed plan and a list of the funds required. But there’s one point I’d like you to note. I want to position China Town’s main customer base as foreign tourists visiting Japan, with the goal of allowing them to experience China’s traditional culture. This can be considered a theme culture, similar to Chinatown in the U.S. So, I don’t want the publicity to mix in too much modernity or any Japanese local culture. What I’m looking for is purely cultural characteristics.”

At this point, he suddenly turned to the chief engineer, Zhang Xuan, and said, “Engineer Zhang, I hope China Town can open at the same time as the nearby aquarium. That way, we can leverage the aquarium’s influence to attract more customers. Do you think this can be done?”

Zhang Xuan thought for a moment and then said, “If we start working overtime to speed up the progress, it should be possible to meet the deadline.”

“Then I’ll count on you.”

“You’re too polite.”

Roy smiled and said, “It would be even better if we could open at the same time. This way, we can save a lot of effort. Since Mr. Gennai wants a purely cultural essence, I have a suggestion: China Tower should offer some unique dishes, so that it can stand out from regular Chinese restaurants.”

Lei Yin smiled and said, “As expected of a professional. That’s exactly what I was thinking. Do you know what the most famous dish in China’s culinary world is?”

Roy thought for a moment and said, “Is it Peking duck? That seems quite famous.” He had lived in the United States and had only visited Beijing once, so he was familiar with Peking duck.

Lei Yin shook his head and said, “That’s too narrow.”

Roy, puzzled, said, “Is Peking duck too small? I don’t think so.”

“I’m not saying the dish is small, but your scope is too small. Mingyu, do you know?”

Zhang Mingyu thought for a while and was about to name a few famous dishes he knew, but when he remembered Lei Yin’s earlier words, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and blurted out, “Is it the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast?”

Lei Yin snapped his fingers in appreciation and said, “Exactly.”

Huang Yin and Wang Bo, who were unfamiliar with the business aspects, hadn’t spoken up, but when they heard Lei Yin’s affirmative answer, even they were momentarily stunned.

Zhang Mingyu, somewhat confused, asked, “Gennai-san, isn’t this a bit too extravagant? Manchu-Han Imperial Feast has at least a few hundred dishes, and it would take three days and nights just to eat it all. Would anyone actually come to taste it? And where would we find chefs who can prepare Manchu-Han Imperial Feast?”

Lei Yin smiled and said, “Do you know why a piece of clothing made from the same material and quality costs ten to a hundred times more when sold in a branded store than at a street stall? It’s because the reputation of the place determines the price. Similarly, Manchu-Han Imperial Feast is the pinnacle of Chinese cuisine, and its fame has been built up over a century. We don’t need to advertise. Anyone who knows anything about China knows this dish.”

“Of course, I’m not foolish enough to serve hundreds of dishes to every random customer. If that happened, China Tower would be bankrupt in three days. We just need to show them the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast menu, and they can choose whichever dish they want. As for the chefs, don’t worry. The top chefs I’ve hired can prepare this dish. But they are experts, so make sure not to treat them lightly.”

“I understand.” Zhang Mingyu felt a surge of excitement. The more he thought about it, the more he believed this idea was feasible.

Roy also appeared a little excited and said, “This is definitely the biggest selling point. Don’t worry, if I can’t promote China Town with this, then I’ve wasted all these years of experience.”

On the way back to the construction site, Zhang Mingyu remained silent. When Lei Yin was about to leave, Zhang Mingyu suddenly called out to him.

“What’s the matter?” Lei Yin turned to look at him.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Mingyu said, “Mr. Gennai, I don’t quite understand. Why did you choose me to be the manager of China Tower? If you wanted, you could easily find a large group of professionals for this position. Yet you chose me, a Chinese student who’s still half a year away from graduating. While I am grateful, I also feel a bit uneasy.”

After looking at him for a while, Lei Yin became serious and said, “First of all, the representative manager of China Tower must be Chinese. Otherwise, it would seem out of place. So, you meet the first condition. In fact, before I selected you, I carefully reviewed the information of you and several other students. After comparing everything, I still chose you. Do you know why?”

“I don’t know.” After thinking for a moment, Zhang Mingyu replied.

“That’s because you don’t have ulterior motives, or rather, you don’t have any yet. This is very important. Experience can be gained through learning and practice, but a person’s character is hard to change. Indeed, compared to those professionals, you still seem too inexperienced. But that’s fine. I can give you time to learn, which is why I specifically brought in two people with management experience to assist you. I can assure you, as long as you genuinely care about your fellow countrymen and work hard to make China Town a success, I will never fire you.”

“I understand. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.” Zhang Mingyu respectfully bowed to him.

Lei Yin patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Watching his back, Zhang Mingyu remained silent for a long time.

After leaving China Town, Lei Yin’s phone suddenly rang.

“Kazumi, what’s up?”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be back in a bit. By the way, can you invite Takeda and the others too? It’ll be livelier with more people.”

“Okay, let’s do that. Wait, I almost forgot, there’s something I want to ask you.”

After hanging up, Lei Yin casually hailed a taxi and told the driver to head toward Shinjuku.

“Kazumi, do you want me to help?” the kendo girl asked from the kitchen doorway.

Kazumi turned around and smiled, “No need, just sit there and relax.”

“But I really want to help.”

“Well then, you can wash the vegetables for me.”

“Okay.” The kendo girl happily started washing the vegetables.

While washing, she noticed that Kazumi had prepared a lot of dishes and couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. “Kazumi, don’t cook too much, I’m afraid we won’t finish it all.”

“It’s not too much at all. Brother has already invited Takeda and the others. I’m worried it won’t be enough.”

“They’re coming too?” Hearing so many people were coming, the girl felt even more embarrassed.

Seeing her like this, Kazumi couldn’t help but chuckle.

Just then, they heard the sound of a door opening, followed by the voice of Takeshima Shinobu.

Rumi walked outside and saw Takeshima Shinobu placing a large cake on the table, while Takeda, Yoshikawa, and Shiraishi Akira each entered carrying a bag of goods.

“Just give it to me. Thanks, Yoshikawa.” Takeshima Shinobu said as he took the bag from Yoshikawa.

“It’s my pleasure to serve such a lovely lady.” Yoshikawa grinned.

“Hey, why are you thanking them? I helped carry stuff too,” Takeda protested, a bit displeased.

“Hmph, a grown man making a fuss over such a small thing, really shameful,” Takeshima Shinobu said, rolling his eyes.

“If I’d known you’d act like this, I wouldn’t have helped you carry anything.”

“Then don’t, you have no class,” Takeshima Shinobu retorted.

“Rumi, happy birthday.” While the two were bickering, Yoshikawa saw the kendo girl just walking out and immediately smiled and greeted her.

“Thank you.”

At that moment, Shiraishi Akira walked over to the kendo girl and said, “Happy birthday, this is your gift.” He handed her a wrapped present.

“Thank you.” Rumi took it and thanked him.

Yoshikawa laughed and said, “You’re giving it too early, aren’t you supposed to give gifts when the cake is cut?”

Shiraishi Akira said, “I didn’t know there was such a rule, I rarely attend other people’s birthdays.”

“It’s not really a rule, I’d say it’s more of a habit.”

Seeing the birthday girl, Takeda forgot about his argument with the ‘violent girl’ and quickly walked over to Rumi to wish her a happy birthday.

“Thank you.” Rumi returned the greetings one by one.

Takeshima Shinobu, seeing that guy’s fawning expression, inexplicably felt irritated. She immediately walked over, grabbed the kendo girl by the arm, and said, “Rumi, don’t bother with this pervert. I just bought some adorable cups; let me show them to you.”

Hearing this woman call him a pervert in front of Rumi, Takeda glared at her in anger.

Around 6 PM, Rumi began to worry as she noticed Lei Yin hadn’t returned yet. She asked Kazumi, who was cooking, “Kazumi, did senpai mention when he’d be back?”

Kazumi reassured her, “Don’t worry; Brother will be back soon.”

Just as she finished speaking, the doorbell suddenly rang.

When Rumi went to the entrance hall, she saw Lei Yin walking in through the door.

“Senpai, you’re so slow!” Seeing him finally arrive, the girl sighed in relief.

“Sorry, I was a bit delayed with something today, but at least I made it back in time for dinner. Here’s a gift for you.” Lei Yin handed her a box.

“Thank you, senpai.” The kendo girl accepted it with a bright smile and curiously asked, “What’s inside?”

“You’ll know when you open it. But save it for after dinner. Speaking of which, is dinner ready? I’m starving.”

“I’ll go check!” Rumi immediately ran to the kitchen.

After enjoying the sumptuous dinner Kazumi had personally prepared, everyone gathered to play cards.

After a while, Kazumi suddenly took the kendo girl’s hand and led her out of the room slowly.

Due to her angle, Takeshima Shinobu was the first to notice them.

“Rumi, you look stunning!” Takeshima Shinobu immediately dropped her cards and ran over.

“Thank you,” the kendo girl replied, blushing.

Seeing the girl in her light green dress, everyone couldn’t help but be amazed.

Although the kendo girl occasionally wore dresses, the sleek and elegant design of this particular dress perfectly highlighted her slender figure. What made it unique was that this type of gown was typically suited for more mature women. However, when paired with the girl’s fresh and pure aura, as clear as spring water, it created a captivating contradiction—a blend of innocence and maturity that made hearts race.

After observing her from head to toe, Lei Yin smiled. The dress suited her perfectly.

When it came time to blow out the candles and cut the cake, Takeshima Shinobu, as usual, asked Rumi to make a wish.

The kendo girl lowered her head and silently made her wish.

“Rumi, what did you wish for?” Takeshima Shinobu asked teasingly after she finished.

“I can’t tell you,” the kendo girl replied with a smile.

“Ugh, how stingy. Fine, let’s cut the cake already,” Takeshima Shinobu urged enthusiastically.

After the cake was cut, no one noticed that Rumi quietly gave Lei Yin the piece with her name written in strawberry syrup. Unaware of its significance, Lei Yin accepted it without hesitation.

As she watched him eat the cake, Rumi blushed and smiled shyly to herself.

What she didn’t realize, however, was that someone had silently observed her bashful expression the entire time.

The next day after class, Lei Yin received an unexpected phone call. He walked out of the lecture building alone to the agreed meeting place, where he saw the person waiting for him.

“Masashi, can I have a kendo match with you?” Shiraishi Akira asked seriously.

“Why?” Lei Yin asked, puzzled.

Shiraishi Akira hesitated for a moment before repeating, “Can I?”

After giving him a deep look, Lei Yin nodded.