517: A million dollar meal

Lin Fan said blandly, "Today's protagonist is CEO Ren. Whatever we eat, let CEO Ren decide."

The female housekeeper pursed her lips into a smile, walked over to Ren Yi, and said, "CEO Ren, please forgive my oversight. What would you like to eat?"

When the menu was handed to Ren Yi, her body leaned against his arm, intentionally or unintentionally.

Ren Yi didn't pull his arm away, pretending not to notice.

It would be foolish not to take advantage of a good opportunity.

Under Lin Muwan's guidance these days, he no longer felt as flustered when facing female temptations as before.

So he smiled and said, "The guest is paramount, and I'm from the countryside, so I'm never picky about food. Besides, I've never even heard of these dish names, so let CEO Ye make the decision. I'll just follow his lead."

Lin Fan chuckled and said, "CEO Ren, you're quite the talker, very much to my liking."

The female housekeeper also instantly understood and handed the menu back to Lin Fan.

This time, Lin Fan didn't delay and casually said, "Do you have fresh large yellow croaker today?"

"Yes, it was just air-freighted from the Yellow Sea this morning. The largest one weighs ten catties and eight taels and is still alive."

"Then let's have a steamed yellow croaker. Remember not to add chili; last time, it made the yellow croaker taste off, and I couldn't taste its freshness."

"Understood."

"Do you have three-catty Yangtze River swordfish? It's been a long time since we had any. It should be swordfish season now, right?"

Lin Fan asked again.

"Swordfish are currently out of stock; they usually won't be available until after New Year's Day, and even then, they're only about one catty. However, Siberian tiger penis arrived today. Would CEO Ren like to try some..."

The female housekeeper spoke while looking at Ren Yi.

Lin Fan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, this is perfect for CEO Ren. Then, let's have some braised duck tongue, Northeastern Di San Xian, and also help me prepare a smashed cucumber for drinking. You can decide on the rest."

The female housekeeper asked, "Do you need a staple food, like fried rice or dough drop soup?"

Lin Fan nodded and said, "For the staple food, let's have sea cucumber rice. That's all for now. Tell the kitchen to hurry up and serve the dishes; don't let the guests starve."

The female housekeeper agreed and left. As she departed, she even winked at Lin Fan.

Ren Yi pretended not to see it. He estimated this meal would cost at least fifty thousand, as a ten-catty large yellow croaker alone would be over a hundred thousand, plus the two bottles of fen wine, it would probably approach a million.

While waiting for the dishes, Lin Fan started to make small talk: "Where is CEO Ren from?"

Ren Yi said, "Jiangsu, Shanghai."

Lin Fan said, "Oh, so CEO Ren is from Shanghai. I have a friend there who does real estate business with me. Tan Palace is one of his properties. Oh, by the way, his name is Ma Jing. You should know him, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Yi gasped.

Good heavens, that's Tan Palace! The villas there cost hundreds of thousands per square meter. Tomson Riviera is nothing compared to it.

But he still shook his head and regretfully said, "I know Tan Palace, but I haven't heard of this Mr. Ma Jing. Is he the hidden investor behind Tan Palace?"

He then added, "I, a small fry, rarely get to meet such important figures. It's only because I know CEO Ye that I have this opportunity."

Lin Fan laughed heartily again, seemingly very pleased with Ren Yi's flattery.

But a hint of gloom flashed across Li Bing's face. He was somewhat resistant to Ren Yi and Lin Fan becoming familiar.

He was originally an internet video startup entrepreneur. By chance, he met Lin Fan.

Through Lin Fan's connections, he gradually became the other party's frontman, thriving in the market.

Now, as Ren Yi and Lin Fan's relationship grew closer, he felt a sense of crisis.

Seeing the waitress start serving cold dishes, Li Bing interjected, "Come, come, why don't we eat and talk?"

Ren Yi stood up, picked up the fen wine, filled Lin Fan's glass, then filled Li Bing's glass, and finally filled his own.

Ren Yi raised his glass and said, "Come, come, I'm truly happy to meet CEO Lin today. Although it's our first meeting, your insights have truly impressed me beyond words. I'll drink this glass first; you can take your time."

With that, he drained the wine in his glass.

Li Bing became even more annoyed. It was always "CEO Lin" this and "CEO Lin" that. Didn't he mention him, the one who brought him here?

He wished he had known he was the one who brought him.

Of course, he could only say this in his heart.

On his face, he still wore a smiling expression:

"CEO Ren is truly young and promising, a talented and dashing man."

Then, he downed his own glass.

After Lin Fan finished his drink and just put down his glass, Ren Yi immediately refilled it for him, then poured wine for Li Bing again.

Li Bing said, "I can do it myself."

Lin Fan said, "CEO Ren, I heard that you just took office two years ago and managed to make the On the verge of bankruptcy Fenglei Automobile successful. How did you do it? Do you have any secrets to share?"

Ren Yi pondered the meaning of his words. The other party should be a very influential person, and he must have already investigated his background thoroughly before coming today.

Asking now was just a test.

Because there are many people like them.

They all have frontmen outside who earn money on their behalf.

Ren Yi managed to bring the company to its current level in just two short years. If he didn't have a backer, he definitely couldn't have done it.

However, Ren Yi knew he was being tested.

But he wouldn't directly take the bait. At this moment, he was in the dark, and the other party was in the light.

His unseen backer, of course, was the country.

Ren Yi said, "CEO Ye, I don't know if you believe it, but actually, I'm just an ordinary person. My major in university wasn't even related to automobiles. As for getting to where I am today, it was just a fluke, a lucky accident."

Lin Fan heard that Ren Yi didn't directly answer his question, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "CEO Ren, you're too modest. When you started your company, didn't you have a backer to help you out?"

This question was already extremely direct.

I don't believe that someone without a background or connections could suddenly get so many black technologies and turn a company on the verge of bankruptcy into one that stands shoulder to shoulder with Tesla in just two years.

Ren Yi still didn't take the bait. Instead, he started talking about his family background.

"My parents are both farmers. They farm all year round at home, and during the off-season, they do odd jobs to supplement the family income.

Actually, my dream since childhood was to be a farmer, to inherit my parents' small plot of land. As for going to university, it was all a blur; I never really studied seriously..."

Lin Fan didn't interrupt Ren Yi's rambling, although he was already extremely unhappy.

However, he also became increasingly curious about Ren Yi's backer.

After all, with his considerable influence, he still hadn't found out who Ren Yi's specific backer was.

Not just him, a certain marshal had also investigated for a long time but returned empty-handed.

...