Chapter 93

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Actually, Uncle Lu's story is quite cliché.

When Dingtian Restaurant was just starting out, it was extremely similar to the situation of Luo Tai and Sun Fat. Lu Sideng and his best friend Lu Tian jointly ran a newly opened restaurant. The name of the restaurant, Dingtian, was formed by taking one character from each of their names.

The start of Dingtian Restaurant was much better than the situation Luo Tai and his friends were in, because Lu Sideng had put up two million yuan as the registered capital of the restaurant, which allowed Dingtian to quickly open the market and enter a period of rapid development.

Of course, without Lu Tian's superb culinary skills, Dingtian Restaurant would not have ultimately become the leader in the food industry of Jibei City, successfully ranking among the top three of the ten best restaurants.

As the restaurant's reputation grew, a deep rift was carved between the two brothers, who were once inseparable, by the sharp blade of money.

Initially, Lu Sideng had provided most of the funds needed for the opening, while Lu Tian had joined as a technical partner. They had agreed on a 30-70 split, with Lu Sideng owning 70% of Dingtian Restaurant and Lu Tian 30%.

Gradually, Lu Tian became dissatisfied with his 30% share. He believed that Dingtian Restaurant's rise was entirely due to his culinary skills, so he demanded that Lu Sideng change the share distribution.

After several negotiations with Lu Tian, seeing that Lu Tian was not willing to budge at all, for the sake of their long-term friendship, Lu Sideng was prepared to give Lu Tian 5% of the shares. Unexpectedly, Lu Tian took Lu Sideng's concession as an insult and demanded that Lu Sideng transfer 20% of the shares to him.

This condition was something Lu Sideng could not possibly agree to. The market value of Dingtian Restaurant had already exceeded 100 million yuan, and 20% of the shares were worth over 20 million yuan. How could Lu Sideng possibly give them away for free?

The final outcome of this incident was that Lu Tian sold his 30% stake to Lu Sideng for 40 million yuan. The former brothers completely fell out, and Lu Tian led a group of chefs to resign collectively, leaving the Dingtian Restaurant he had helped create.

The night Luo Tai met Lu Sideng was the day Lu Tian signed the share transfer contract and took away a huge check.

After handing over the check, Lu Sideng was heartbroken. The friendship of many years was destroyed, and his mood was low. He got rid of his entourage and wandered aimlessly along the street. When he was tired, he randomly entered a nightclub, where he vented his inner frustration by shouting and drinking to forget the memories in his mind, until the incident where he was saved by Luo Tai.

After Lu Sideng finished telling the story, he sighed deeply.

"Mr. Luo, when I came to thank you, I didn't intend to reveal my identity. And the reason I came to your store in person is because I saw your experience. Besides gratitude, I also felt a sense of familiarity, as your situation with Mr. Sun is almost identical to the situation Lu Tian and I were in when we started our business."

When Sun Fat heard this, he snorted disdainfully, "Uncle Lu, that Lu Tian is such a scumbag. How can you put money above brotherhood?"

Lu Sideng smiled bitterly, "Mr. Sun, you are still young and full of passion, so you naturally believe that brotherhood is above everything. In fact, I don't hate Lu Tian for what he did. My frustration is more about the helplessness of reality."

Sun Fat was still不服气 (unconvinced), "Pfft, money, if you don't have it, you can't do without it, but if you have too much, it becomes a burden. Like me and Luo Tai, we earn enough to eat and drink without worry, and it's not too hard to support our families. But if we want to indulge occasionally, we still have to work hard to earn more. This is real life. Whether you have more or less money, it loses its meaning."

Lu Sideng laughed at the fat man's words, "Mr. Sun, your views are profound. But after all this talk, I actually have something to say to Mr. Luo."

Turning to look at Luo Tai, Lu Sideng said with a serious expression, "Mr. Luo, I just tasted the two dishes you cooked. To be honest, after so many years in the food industry, I have never tasted such delicious home-style dishes. Other chefs can't make them as delicious, or those who can have already moved on to more sophisticated dishes."

Luo Tai smiled, thinking to himself that Lu Sideng probably couldn't imagine the existence of a chef skill like his.

"Mr. Luo, as you heard, my Dingtian Restaurant is currently in need of a head chef. I plan to hire you to oversee all kitchen operations, which means you will be the head chef of Dingtian Restaurant." Lu Sideng looked at Luo Tai with a smile, confident in his judgment, just as he had recognized Lu Tian's talent in cooking years ago. He felt that Luo Tai would be the second Lu Tian, and might even reach the pinnacle of culinary skills, becoming one of the few great masters in the world.

After hearing Lu Sideng's words, Luo Tai didn't even think before he blurted out, "Sorry, Uncle Lu, I can't accept your offer."

Lu Sideng was stunned by Luo Tai's unexpected response. He never thought that Luo Tai would still refuse him after knowing his identity. Dingtian Restaurant was almost a symbol of Jibei City, and for an ordinary person to have the opportunity to work there would mean being envied by neighbors every day. Moreover, he had offered Luo Tai the position of head chef, which was a position of power second only to the owner.

"Mr. Luo, are you worried about the salary? Don't worry, I, Lu Sideng, am always fair. Given your culinary skills, I can offer you a salary of 2.4 million yuan per year, and after three years of service, I can give you a portion of the restaurant's shares through stock options." Lu Sideng liked Luo Tai more and more and was determined to get him to work at Dingtian, so he offered very attractive conditions.

2.4 million yuan per year!!

Sun Fat secretly swallowed his saliva, his eyes shining as he looked at Luo Tai, thinking to himself, "Holy cow, Luo Tai is about to become a super tycoon. This is going to be big."

Luo Tai still shook his head and said, "Uncle Lu, I'm really sorry, but it's not about the salary. I really don't want to work at Dingtian. Of course, don't misunderstand, I have no prejudice against Dingtian. I just quit my job and started my own business, and I don't want to give up halfway and go back to working for someone else."

In Sun Fat's eyes, Luo Tai's decision was somewhat incomprehensible. Although it was working for someone else, the allure of a million-yuan salary was too great.

"Luo Tai, are you okay? This is a super executive position with a million-yuan salary, and you say you don't want it? How can I, a commoner who wants it but can't get it, bear this?"

After scolding Luo Tai, Sun Fat turned to Lu Sideng and said, "Uncle Lu, Luo Tai is just overjoyed and speaking in reverse. I'll accept the offer for him. Luo Tai will start at Dingtian tomorrow."

Lu Sideng laughed heartily.

Before Lu Sideng could speak, Luo Tai put his hand on the fat man's shoulder, turned him around, and looked at Sun Fat face-to-face, saying slowly, "Fat man, I really don't want to work at Dingtian. I'm serious."

The fat man was very familiar with Luo Tai's temper. Seeing Luo Tai's serious expression, he knew that Luo Tai had made up his mind not to go to Dingtian Restaurant. He shrugged at Luo Tai, stood up, and picked up the bowls and chopsticks to go to the kitchen.

Lu Sideng's smile froze on his face. He asked in confusion, "Mr. Luo, I think your thinking is a bit extreme. When you come to Dingtian, you won't be working for anyone. We can be partners. Even if you are working for someone, it will be for yourself."

Luo Tai also stood up and said to Lu Sideng with a smile, "Uncle Lu, I think I've made myself clear. Sorry, I need to prepare for the evening customers. I'll have to excuse myself."

Lu Sideng watched Luo Tai's figure walk into the kitchen, blinked in surprise, and raised his voice to shout into the kitchen, "Mr. Luo, I hope you will reconsider. Please keep my business card, and you can contact me at any time using the phone number on it." (To be continued. Please search for Piaowen for faster updates!

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