NOVEL NEXT Chapter 506: 关才板
"Is it because of that restaurant across the street?" Ye Huan pursued the question.
Tang Yao nodded, "Yes, it's because of them."
"Have you had any conflicts with them before?"
Ye Huan asked this because Tang Yao had previously mentioned that the gangster came the day after 'Xiaoxiao's Canteen' opened to take over the restaurant across the street.
This was obviously targeted.
"No, we don't know them at all, it's impossible to have any conflicts." Tang Yao's voice suddenly grew angry, his eyes fierce: "On our first day of opening, we were so busy, from nine in the morning until ten at night, we were packed. By eleven when we closed, most of the customers had left. All the customers had great things to say about us, saying the food was delicious and cheap, and they wanted us to reserve tables for them the next day."
"But the next day, the boss of that group across the street, that so-called 'door god'—Guan Caiban took over the restaurant across the street and started playing dirty tricks on us."
"They sent a bunch of people to smear our restaurant's reputation, even offering customers five hundred bucks to eat at the restaurant across the street."
"Most of the customers were drawn over, and only a few 'fans' refused their money and came in to eat."
"But after eating, they left the restaurant only to be ambushed by thugs and had their legs broken. When this news spread in the CBD area the next day, everyone was saying our restaurant had offended some big shot, and anyone who dared to eat here would have their legs broken by this person. This completely scared everyone away from coming to our restaurant."
"Only those who were not in the know would still come in our direction, but they would eventually be persuaded to go across the street."
No conflict?
Ye Huan frowned.
Impossible, if there were no conflict, the people across the street wouldn't go to such extremes.
The dirty tricks used by the people across the street were more or less what Ye Huan had guessed.
And…
Guan Caiban?
Why does this name sound so familiar?
Ye Huan thought for a while with no result.
Ye Huan stopped thinking about it and continued to ask, "Did you try to communicate with this Guan Caiban?"
"We did, but they said they wouldn't stop until our business couldn't continue and we were forced to close down."
"Later, we were so furious that we called the police."
"But it only constituted unfair competition, so the police just gave Guan Caiban a verbal warning and ordered him to apologize to us."
"At the time, Guan Caiban seemed genuinely remorseful. We thought he had a change of heart, realized his mistakes, accepted a private settlement, and took some financial compensation, so the police didn't pursue the matter further."
"Who knew, not only did they not change their ways, but they intensified their actions. Apart from openly affecting our business, they also secretly retaliated against us, impacting our normal life."
"Either while we were sleeping at night, the front door would be kicked in; or when coming home from work, we'd find the front door dismantled, the floors covered with dead chickens and ducks, and the walls and bed stained with their blood."
"The scariest time was when Xiaoxiao was followed on her way home from school. If she hadn't been clever enough to lose the person tailing her and escape, she might have been kidnapped by now."
"This incident terrified our whole family, and even now, we're too scared to let Xiaoxiao go to school."
Tang Yao recalled this, his face turning pale, and he instinctively held onto Tang Xiaoxiao's hand.
Tang Dongqiang and his wife also showed signs of fear.
These methods… were excessively vicious and ruthless.
A cold gleam flashed in Ye Huan's eyes as he said, "Keep talking."
"Afterwards, we called the police again."
"We could almost be 100% sure that these were all orchestrated by Guan Caiban's people, but the police needed to investigate and collect evidence, and they needed proof to arrest someone."
"There was no evidence linking Guan Caiban to these criminal activities, so the police only questioned him and didn't take further action against him."
"We are at our wits' end now, and losing money is the least of our concerns; we're most afraid of Xiaoxiao experiencing danger again."
"So we are planning to…"
"Give them what they want, announce our closure and leave in the next couple of days."
Saying this, Tang Yao sighed helplessly.
Tang Dongqiang and his wife looked utterly despaired.
They chose the location in the CBD area precisely because of the high foot traffic and spending power.
The first day's turnover of 250,000 proved that their choice was right.
As long as the business was well-managed, they wouldn't say they'd become rich, but the family's food, clothing, and housing needs wouldn't be a concern, and they might even improve their living standards.
Who would have thought Guan Caiban would suddenly appear, breaking the rules and using all kinds of dirty tricks to ruin them, leaving them with no recourse?
Now that they're forced to close the business, their hearts are bleeding.
It's important to know that just the rent and initial inventory and renovation costs ate up over six million, which was nearly all of Ye Huan's gambling winnings after paying off debts to relatives.
The closure of this business announced they had no funds or capacity to restart, and life would become extremely tight again.
At this moment,
seeing the despair on Mr. and Mrs. Tang Dongqiang's faces, Tang Xiaoxiao raised her little fists and said, "Don't worry, Daddy and Mommy, when I grow up, I'll learn martial arts and beat that bad uncle so hard he won't know where his teeth went."
Tang Yao and the Tang Dongqiang couple, who were initially downcast, couldn't help but smile at Tang Xiaoxiao's innocent expression and words.
In the next second, a lazy voice from outside the door caused the Tang Family's faces to change drastically.
"Little girl."
"Who are you planning to beat so badly they lose their teeth?"