After Mr. Frank left, Jason returned to the original private dining room where his classmates greeted him with warm applause and celebration. At that moment, Megan's eyes looked at Jason with noticeably more warmth than before.
Megan: Favorability +5.
A well-dressed woman who still maintained her charm entered with a drink tray, greeting everyone with practiced skill.
"Sir, this is our specialty tea. While it can't compare to those fine wines, it does have its own distinctive character." The woman smiled sweetly as she placed the tea in front of Jason.
Jason nodded and said, "Mr. Frank gave a brief introduction earlier—I hope I heard correctly—you're Smith?"
The charming woman smiled, "You have an excellent memory, sir. Yes, I'm Smith Jonhson."
Jason asked, "Are you responsible for the operations and management of this restaurant, or is Williams in charge?"
Smith hesitated for a moment, seeming to want to speak carefully.
Jason said, "Just tell me the truth as it is."
Smith nodded, "I handle most things..." She briefly explained the situation. In reality, she was the actual manager, but Williams had seniority and ultimately made the final decisions.
Williams was actually quite capable—otherwise he wouldn't have reached his position. But he'd previously worked in bars and had picked up some bad habits. At first, he'd shown some restraint, but after settling into this role, he'd become increasingly reckless.
His arrogance had led to numerous employee complaints, and he'd even had several violent confrontations with customers, damaging the restaurant's reputation. While today's declining business was partly due to the economic downturn, Williams's behavior was also a significant factor.
Jason wasn't easily convinced, so he had Williams step out and then called in employees one by one to question them individually. Their accounts were essentially identical to Smith's story.
Jason said, "From now on, you'll manage the restaurant and receive Williams's salary."
Smith's eyes lit up, "Thank you, sir! I'll definitely take this restaurant's business to the next level."
At that moment, Williams opened the door and entered. Seeing Zhang, he couldn't help but frown, "Smith, please step outside. I need to report to our new owner."
However, Smith didn't move. Williams snapped, "Didn't you hear me? I said I need to brief the owner."
Jason said coolly, "Williams, quite the authoritative tone you have there."
Williams's expression changed upon hearing this. He hurried over and said respectfully, "Sir, I was worried she might be presumptuous. I run this restaurant and know the situation best."
Jason replied, "But I've heard that conflicts you've had with customers have damaged our reputation."
"You don't need to make excuses—they're useless anyway. You were quite polite to me earlier, but you weren't very friendly to my classmates. I saw that arrogant, domineering attitude of yours."
"This kind of arrogant management style, abusing your authority for personal gain—it seems this isn't your first time. Acting like this, who would want to dine here? For the sake of how polite you were to me initially, I won't take any drastic action. Just leave on your own."
Williams's face darkened. He bowed deeply and pleaded, "Sir, I know I was wrong. For the sake of my competence, could you spare me this once? I promise I'll reform and take this restaurant's performance to new heights."
"I've been at this restaurant the longest—I practically built this place up. Smith is here, but she simply can't handle the responsibility."
"I don't know how much rent Mr. Frank was charging you, but a high-end restaurant like this can't be cheap. Poor management could mean serious losses."
Jason pulled the property deed and contract from his bag, slammed them on the table and said, "I bought this building too. No rent needed. So there's basically no risk of losses. And I believe Smith will be more valuable than you."
Williams drew a sharp breath. He bought the building? This restaurant was worth over $12 million.
Smith was also surprised, but this was good news—it meant the owner was financially strong and she wouldn't have to worry about unpaid wages.
The students present looked at the property deed and were stunned speechless. They'd thought he was just taking over the restaurant lease, but he'd actually bought the entire building.
With the value of this property, it had to be worth at least $12 million.
We know you're rich, but just how wealthy are you?
Megan's eyes couldn't help but sparkle again, becoming increasingly captivated.
Megan: Favorability +15.
Jason was momentarily surprised by the system notification. The further along you get, the harder favorability becomes to increase—was this jump too much now?
Wait, does she think I spent this $10 million mainly to defend her honor?
Williams saw that Jason's attitude was resolute and had nothing more to say. Worried that continued argument might lead to even worse consequences, he bowed and obediently retreated.
His guts were churning with regret—why had he acted so arrogantly in front of him today? But what he didn't realize was that his arrogance wasn't a one-time thing; he just happened to encounter Jason this time.
After Williams left, the room fell silent. It took several seconds for everyone to process what had happened.
Jessica picked up the deed and contract from the table in disbelief, examining them to find that not only had the restaurant been transferred, but the entire building had been purchased.
Total value: $10.1 million.
Jessica exclaimed, "I'd only seen multi-million dollar transactions on TV and in rumors before, but now it's happening right in front of me."
Other classmates gathered around too.
"I thought Jason was just taking over this restaurant, but he actually bought a building worth tens of millions."
"I never dared to imagine this—poverty really has limited my imagination."
"No wonder Jason asked us to check nearby rental rates instead of this store's business. After all, if you own the building, what matters most is rental income potential."
Chris, Mike, and Ryan looked at the deed and contract, once again feeling the stark inequality between people.
Mike sighed, "The new wave of the river pushes forward, and the old wave crashes on the shore."
Chris said, "Can't compare, just can't compare."
Ryan's expression darkened as he lowered his voice, "Have you ever thought about this—it's not just as simple as buying a multi-million dollar restaurant. If he were doing this as a business investment, then while he'd be wealthy, it wouldn't be completely outrageous."
"But Jason isn't here to do business, obviously. He just couldn't stand Williams and got angry on Megan's behalf. Though he did briefly inspect the property, his main purpose was to defend Megan's honor."
"What does it mean to spend $10 million just to stand up for a girl?"
Mike and Chris grasped the key point and immediately gasped.
After a long silence, Mike managed to utter just one word: "Damn."
But unfortunately, they were really overthinking it. Jason's main purpose was to acquire assets through the system. Now this restaurant and building had become his property.
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