Chapter 17 – Locking Down the Province
By late autumn, the map in Li Ming's office was a battlefield he had already won.
Every major city, every county seat, every bustling town in the province had at least one of his Italian restaurants.
Some had three or four, all turning steady profits.
It wasn't luck — the supply chain he'd built over the past year ran like a well-oiled machine.
The cold storage warehouse in the provincial capital could now supply any location within 48 hours, no matter the weather.
Delivery trucks were making the rounds like clockwork, painted with his restaurant logo in bold red and gold.
The Hotpot Rival's Last Push
But his spicy hotpot rival wasn't ready to give up.
Their stores still camped next to his in several cities, offering new promotions every month.
In one bold stunt, they even distributed flyers right at the entrance of his restaurants — until his store managers had to call security.
Yet, when the monthly sales report came in, the Italian chain's numbers hadn't dropped.
If anything, sales were up in most locations.
Li Ming found it amusing.
"They're spending a fortune to annoy me, and all they're doing is raising foot traffic in the whole street," he thought, sipping his coffee.
The 'Emergency' Purchase
One morning, his logistics manager barged into the office.
"Boss, there's a cold storage facility on the west side going bankrupt. Their landlord is looking to sell the building and equipment. Cheap."
Li Ming raised an eyebrow.
He didn't need another warehouse — his current one was running at only 70% capacity.
But then he remembered that napkin sketch of a burger chain from a few weeks ago.
Cheese. Beef patties. Frozen buns.
Cold storage would be critical.
"How much?" he asked casually.
"About 1.2 million yuan. It's bigger than our current one, but it needs some repairs."
Li Ming tapped his pen against the desk.
"Buying it now will look like I'm overspending… perfect."
"Get the paperwork," he said. "We'll take it."
Quiet Preparations
To his managers, the purchase was framed as "future-proofing" the Italian chain's logistics.
No one suspected he was slowly gathering pieces for a whole new business.
In the evenings, he began jotting down supplier names for meat, cheese, bread, and sauces.
Not to buy from them — not yet. Just to keep them in mind.
The burger plan wasn't public.
Not even his closest managers knew.
For now, he was still the man who had "conquered the province" with pasta, pizza, and tiramisu.
But Li Ming knew the truth: the next act was coming.
And if everything went as "badly" as he hoped, it would drain the profits from his Italian empire in no time.