Upon seeing the Wanxianghui Supreme VIP card that Jiang Tao casually pulled out, a flash of surprise clearly passed through the waiter's eyes.
"Sir, please wait a moment. I'll arrange a table for you right away."
The waiter spoke and then picked up the walkie-talkie to inform the restaurant's scheduling manager about Jiang Tao's situation.
Soon, a woman in her thirties hurriedly walked out of the restaurant. She was dressed in a well-tailored, feminine black women's suit. Underneath the suit, she wore a sapphire blue blouse. Her dark hair was neatly tied up, revealing a slender, fair neck—a simple yet professional appearance.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Jiang. Good afternoon, ladies. Welcome to our Black Bull BBQ," she said with a smile, gesturing for Jiang Tao and his two companions to follow her. "Please come in. I'll arrange a table for you."
Jiao Yaqi led the way, and Jiang Tao, Xu Li, and Jiang Bing followed her into the restaurant. The people waiting in line, noticing the special treatment Jiang Tao's group received, felt a bit disgruntled but could do nothing about it.
That's just how the world works. With enough status, you can bypass rules and enjoy all sorts of privileges. Without it, you have to obediently follow the rules and wait in line.
Black Bull BBQ was spacious, spanning at least seven or eight hundred square meters, divided into various sections: meats, vegetables, fruits, and an assortment of pre-made small cakes. There were also beverages, milk tea, various noodles, and seafood. With an average cost of about 300 yuan per person, the ingredients were relatively abundant and appeared fresh.
It was the peak lunch hour, and the restaurant was bustling with groups of three to five people dining together, totaling at least a few hundred customers. The sounds of conversation, laughter, and chatter blended together, creating a lively, vibrant atmosphere.
"Please take your seats here. If you need anything, feel free to call our staff," Jiao Yaqi said with a smile after leading Jiang Tao's group to a small private booth. She then prepared to leave.
"Thank you," Jiang Tao nodded with a smile, expressing his gratitude.
"Let's go, Second Sister-in-Law! Time to raid the ingredients!" Jiang Bing exclaimed, taking off her jacket and enthusiastically pulling Xu Li toward the ingredient section.
Black Bull BBQ operated as a self-service barbecue, where you could take whatever you wanted to eat. Jiang Tao also shed his jacket and headed to the ingredient section to pick out his favorites.
The trio split up and soon returned with a table full of ingredients, ready to start grilling! Jiang Bing and Xu Li, the sister-in-law duo, always seemed to have endless topics to discuss. They chatted and laughed non-stop, so engrossed in their conversation that they barely paid attention to the food.
Jiang Tao took on the role of the grill master, handling the cooking of various ingredients.
"Second Brother, you're such a weirdo! Who dips barbecue in sesame sauce?" Jiang Bing teased, noticing the dipping bowl in front of Jiang Tao filled with his own custom-made sesame sauce. "Try their barbecue sauce! It's supposedly Black Bull BBQ's secret recipe, and it tastes amazing!"
Black Bull BBQ had earned its reputation as Wanxianghui's "queue king," with its booming business tied to both its high-quality ingredients and its unique barbecue sauce. The combination of fresh, premium ingredients and the distinctive sauce left a lasting impression on every customer. Many who dined there once were hooked by the sauce's unique flavor and became regular patrons.
"Really? Let me try it then," Jiang Tao said, intrigued by his younger sister's comment. He reached for the Black Bull BBQ sauce in front of Xu Li and placed it in front of himself. Picking up a piece of grilled, golden-brown steak with his chopsticks, he dipped it into the sauce and took a bite. His eyes lit up instantly.
The sauce was indeed remarkable. The charred aroma of the steak combined with the secret recipe sparked a multi-layered explosion of flavors, greatly enhancing the meat's natural taste.
"Well? I didn't lie to you, did I, Second Brother?" Jiang Bing said proudly, her expression practically begging for praise.
"Not bad at all. The flavor's pretty good. This homemade barbecue sauce is something special," Jiang Tao said with a smile, nodding in approval. His sesame sauce suddenly seemed lackluster, and he promptly switched to the Black Bull BBQ sauce.
"Of course! If we could get our hands on this sauce recipe, we could open our own BBQ restaurant, and it'd be a hit!" Jiang Bing said excitedly, her mouth stuffed with grilled meat but her words still clear. "You know, Second Brother, Mom and Dad really want to open a self-service BBQ restaurant back in Ping County. Every time I take them to a BBQ buffet, they see how bustling the business is and get so envious."
"Really? They want to open a BBQ restaurant?" Jiang Tao was slightly surprised but quickly nodded in understanding. A BBQ restaurant was just another type of restaurant—nothing wrong with that!
Jiang Bing grinned. "Yup! Dad's always looking up stuff about self-service BBQ restaurants on his phone. Check it out—you'll see his Douyin feed is full of BBQ buffet videos."
"I see. That explains why Dad's always watching those videos. So he's been dreaming of opening a BBQ restaurant," Xu Li said, nodding in realization. She'd seen her father-in-law watching BBQ restaurant videos multiple times.
Jiang Tao laughed. "Then we'll have to bring Mom and Dad to Black Bull BBQ sometime to check it out and do some research. But with their scale and standards, it'd probably take a few hundred million to set up something like this. It's not really comparable. Besides, the secret BBQ sauce is the soul of their business, and something that valuable definitely isn't shared."
Jiang Bing, her mouth full of grilled meat, mumbled clearly, "We don't need to aim for Black Bull BBQ's level right off the bat. It's just for reference."
"Second Brother, you're not seriously thinking of opening a BBQ restaurant for Mom and Dad, are you?" Jiang Bing looked at her brother in surprise. Knowing him, he was capable of doing something like that!
"We'll see. It depends on their wishes," Jiang Tao said with a smile.
Spending a million or two to help his parents fulfill their dream of opening a BBQ restaurant? He was willing to do that. And if the restaurant could turn a profit in the process, that'd be even better. After all, no one ever complained about having too much money.
"Count me in! I'll buy a share too!" Jiang Bing chimed in.
"Sure, you're in. But don't cry if we lose money," Jiang Tao teased.
"Hehe, with you leading the way, Second Brother, the future's bright! No way we'll lose money—absolutely no way!" Jiang Bing grinned, throwing in a bit of flattery for her brother.
Even with their usual "two-eight split" (where Jiang Tao took the lion's share), she'd already earned her first million in life. That meant her brother had likely made tens of millions! She was thoroughly convinced of his investment acumen.
"Haha, you've got more confidence in me than I do," Jiang Tao laughed.
"Of course! You're my super handsome, super visionary Second Brother!" Jiang Bing's flattery made Jiang Tao feel good. It wasn't in vain that he always included her whenever he stumbled upon a money-making opportunity.
As the older brother, Jiang Tao doted on his little sister. The trio laughed and chatted, the atmosphere warm and lively. With Jiang Bing, the chatterbox and mood-maker, the conversation never died down. Before one topic ended, she'd jump to another, covering everything from daily life to work to family matters, her thoughts as lively as a monkey swinging through trees.
They ate from around 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, about an hour, and were all full. Although Black Bull BBQ had a two-hour dining limit, they didn't overstuff themselves and left once they were satisfied.
In the past, Jiang Tao would've made sure to eat for the full two hours at a 300-yuan-per-person buffet, determined to get his money's worth. He'd have walked in and out holding the wall, eating as much as possible to justify the cost, especially since 300 yuan was more than a day's wages for him back then. He wouldn't have splurged on such an expensive buffet often, and when he did, he'd eat enough meat to last a month.
Now, 300 yuan was trivial to him. He focused on enjoying the food rather than worrying about "eating his money's worth." Overeating to the point of harming his stomach was no longer worth it.
*Ding-a-ling—*
As the trio left the restaurant, full and satisfied, Xu Li's phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw it was a call from Du Ennan.
"Hey, Nannan," Xu Li answered with a smile, greeting her friend on the other end.
After a five- or six-minute call, Xu Li hung up and turned to Jiang Tao. "Honey, Nannan invited me to hang out with her. Do you guys have any plans this afternoon?"
Du Ennan was the first friend Xu Li made after moving to the city, and their bond had deepened since Jiang Xue recognized Du Ennan as her godmother. The two were now inseparable best friends, video-calling almost daily for at least half an hour.
Jiang Tao, recalling some information he'd come across about Xu Xinlei the previous night, said, "I'm heading back to Cuicun to talk to Liu Yuan about some business."
Jiang Bing added, "I've got a ton of orders to process this afternoon."
"Then you guys go handle your stuff. I'll head up to meet Nannan," Xu Li said. "Honey, you don't need to pick me up later. I'm inviting Nannan over for dinner tonight."
Xu Li didn't mind. Men prioritizing their careers was normal, and she and Du Ennan usually just chatted casually without any serious agenda. She wouldn't deliberately interfere with Jiang Tao's work or make unreasonable demands.
Jiang Tao nodded with a smile. "Alright, I'll head back with Third Sis. Have fun with Nannan."
"Okay! Drive safely, bye~" Xu Li waved to Jiang Tao and Jiang Bing before heading toward the staff-only elevator in Wanxianghui.
After watching Xu Li enter the elevator, Jiang Tao and Jiang Bing headed to the elevator leading to the underground parking garage. Jiang Tao found his Mercedes GLS, and they drove back to the Cuicun greenhouse base, arriving around 2:00 PM.
Having enjoyed the legendary Black Bull BBQ, Jiang Bing was re-energized and dove back into her busy work with enthusiasm. Though tiring, she found it fulfilling. For every blueberry plant sold, she earned a commission of over 4 yuan. With over 5,000 plants sold daily, she was making more than 20,000 yuan just from that. Including profits from other products boosted by the blueberry sales, her daily income was around 25,000 yuan.
Recently, the Tianjiazhuang cattle farm she'd co-invested in had started selling cattle and generating profits. With all her income streams combined, Jiang Bing was earning nearly 30,000 yuan a day—a remarkable figure even by national standards. While this income wasn't sustainable long-term, it had already made her a small fortune, transforming her from an unmarried rural woman into a millionaire.
No wonder matchmakers were practically breaking down her family's door during the New Year, though she refused to meet any suitors. After glancing at their heavily edited photos, she dismissed them all, unimpressed. None were as handsome as her brother's candid shots, and their salaries—15,000 yuan a month at most—weren't particularly impressive.
Adhering to the principle of "better to stay single than settle," Jiang Bing wouldn't marry someone she didn't like. Her standards for a partner were clear: at least 1.82 meters tall, as handsome as her brother, as caring as her brother, and more successful at earning money than her. While these criteria might not have been too demanding initially, her brother's recent success had raised the bar significantly—especially the last one, which was now exponentially harder to meet.
Before the New Year, Jiang Bing had saved just over 100,000 yuan after years of work. In just two months, her assets had skyrocketed, officially crossing the million-yuan mark, making her a proper little rich lady. For a suitor to outearn her was a tall order, and those who could likely wouldn't need to resort to matchmaking.
Watching Jiang Bing dive into work alongside Du Jun and others, Jiang Tao, the idle boss, stood out amidst the bustling greenhouse. After observing the mutated blueberry seedlings for a bit, he strolled out onto the street, leisurely wandering while pondering how to inform Liu Yuan about her husband's infidelity.
---
Inside the office of Xinlei Agricultural Co., Ltd., Liu Yuan frowned at Xu Xinlei's outfit. "Old Xu, what's with your clothes? You're out surveying with the Agricultural Academy experts and still have time to shop for clothes?"
Xu Xinlei wore a flashy white sweater and a peacock-green trench coat, paired with jeans he rarely wore. Over the past six months, his style had become increasingly youthful. As his wife, Liu Yuan noticed these changes, and an uneasy feeling grew in her heart. Something was off.
Beyond his wardrobe, Xu Xinlei's social engagements had increased, and he was coming home less often. They hadn't been intimate in over two months. While Liu Yuan didn't have a strong need for that aspect of their relationship, the complete absence was unusual. Women are sensitive, and she felt a growing distance between them, with fewer shared topics and less patience for each other—definitely not normal.
Liu Yuan, consumed with company matters, believed she'd done nothing to wrong Xu Xinlei. That left only one possibility. Once suspicion took root, it grew rapidly. The more she looked at him, the more suspicious he seemed, though she clung to a sliver of hope that she was overthinking.
"We're not surveying 24/7 with Professor Liu and the others," Xu Xinlei replied without looking up from his computer, his tone dismissive and tinged with impatience. "There's dining and drinking to do. What's wrong with spending my own money on a few new outfits to keep up appearances? Do I need to report something this trivial to you?"
"Can't you talk properly? We haven't seen each other in over ten days, and you want to start a fight the moment we meet?" Liu Yuan snapped, her temper flaring at his attitude.
"Who's not talking properly? Who's starting a fight? You're the one making a big deal out of me buying clothes. What are you suspecting me of?" Xu Xinlei's gaze shifted from his screen to Liu Yuan, his impatience growing.
Without comparison, there's no harm. Compared to Liu Yuan, he thought of his docile, adoring girlfriend, who was like a gentle kitten. He couldn't stand another moment of this life with Liu Yuan. But to minimize financial losses in a divorce, he needed to bide his time and transfer more of their joint assets. When the time was right, he'd lay his cards on the table.
"You're saying *I'm* making a big deal? Is this me making a big deal? I've never said anything about you buying clothes before—can't I even ask?" Liu Yuan's chest heaved with anger.
"You're being unreasonable! Are you hitting menopause early or something?" Xu Xinlei shot back.
"Who's being unreasonable? Who's got early menopause?" Liu Yuan retorted.
Within half an hour of reuniting after over ten days, the couple erupted into a heated argument. Xu Xinlei kicked over several chairs, and a new tea set on the coffee table shattered into pieces on the floor.
"I've had enough of you all these years!" Xu Xinlei roared, yanking the office door open with a bang and storming out without looking back.
As he left, he nearly bumped into Jiang Tao, who was passing by.
"Xu—" Jiang Tao started to greet him, but Xu Xinlei, fuming, stormed past without acknowledging him.
Jiang Tao's hand, raised in greeting, dropped back into his pocket. Being ignored like that was, frankly, a bit annoying.
Moments later, muffled sobs came from the office—likely Liu Yuan crying.
"Looks like Xu just had a fight with Liu Yuan," Jiang Tao mused, glancing toward her office with a touch of sympathy for his fellow villager. Her husband was keeping a mistress and secretly transferring their joint assets, and she was probably still in the dark.
Xu Xinlei's actions were utterly deplorable. After over a decade of marriage, if he could at least part ways amicably, he'd still be a man. But this? It was low.
Hearing Liu Yuan's sobs and recalling Xu Xinlei's disregard, Jiang Tao's sense of justice surged. "Xu, if you're going to be unrighteous, don't blame me for not playing nice. I'm siding with my old friend."
Muttering to himself, Jiang Tao walked to Liu Yuan's office door and knocked.
*Knock, knock, knock—*
The crying stopped instantly, but there was no immediate response. After about a minute, Liu Yuan's voice came through. "Come in."
Jiang Tao gently pushed open the door. The office was a mess—chairs toppled, ceramic shards and tea leaves scattered across the floor, water pooling everywhere.
"Jiang Tao? What… why are you here? Is something up?" Liu Yuan asked, her expression slightly embarrassed, as if she felt he'd caught her at a low moment.
"Liu Yuan, is it convenient to talk here?" Jiang Tao asked, scanning the room and noting the absence of cameras or surveillance equipment.
"What's wrong?" Liu Yuan's expression grew serious at Jiang Tao's cautious demeanor, and she stood up from her chair.
"Someone gave me some information yesterday that I think you'll find interesting. Also, I suggest you check the company's recent financial transactions. That's all I can do for you," Jiang Tao said, pulling up Liu Yuan's contact on WeChat and sending her a video he'd saved from a movie website the previous night.
Since he couldn't think of a tactful way to break the news, he decided to be direct.
*Ding-dong!*
Liu Yuan glanced at her phone on the desk. Unlocking it, she saw Jiang Tao had sent her a video—one with a rather explicit thumbnail. Her face flushed, and her heart raced. "What… is this?"
"Wait until I'm gone and watch it yourself. I think it'll be helpful. And… don't act impulsively. Think about what's best for you before you do anything. That's all I'll say. The rest is up to you," Jiang Tao said, then turned and left the office as quickly as he'd come.
After Jiang Tao left, Liu Yuan tapped the video he'd sent. Watching the 30-minute clip, her face turned ashen. She wanted to confront Xu Xinlei immediately, phone in hand. But remembering Jiang Tao's parting words, she suppressed her rage and resolved to gather more evidence in her favor first.