Chapter 110: Chen Shuyi: Li Jiaming, do you think your mother and Qi Lin will sit together? - The Rich Second-Generation Villain With No Morals

110: Chen Shuyi: Li Jiaming, do you think your mother and Qi Lin will sit together? When Fang Yuanyuan passed by with the keys, she indeed saw a brand-new Beetle. Looking at the car, she couldn't help but laugh and cry, "Could it be that this guy actually saved a beauty?" "I've been a good Samaritan lately and now saved another beauty. It's not even his year of fate. How did he get so lucky?" Fang Yuanyuan shook her head with a smile. Following Qi Lin's instructions, she drove the Beetle onto the stage and then covered it with a big red cloth. At this moment, Qi Lin called Lan Gang again. "Uncle Lan, you should quickly send some police officers to the site for help. The number of visitors at our family's Lobster Gourmet Festival has reached fifty thousand. We can't maintain order." Qi Feng had also mobilized several dozen staff from the farm to help maintain order. Initially, there were only a few thousand people, and they barely managed. But now, the number surged to fifty thousand, and the staff was sweating and packed as tightly as sardines. With such a large crowd, any stampede or major conflict might turn the festival into a bloody event, and the Qi family would bear the primary responsibility as the organizer. "What's going on? How come so many people are going to your Lobster Gourmet Festival?" "Are you kidding?" Lan Gang, who was leisurely sipping tea at the police station, was stunned. He had seen Qi Lin's interview and knew that Qi Lin's family was organizing some gourmet festival. He had seen such festivals a few times and thought that even at peak instances, there might be a few thousand people. When he heard Qi Lin mention fifty thousand, he thought it was a joke. After all, only a stadium packed during a World Cup final could have that many people. Qi Lin helplessly said, "Uncle Lan, if you don't believe me, take a look at the Jianghan City news." Upon hearing this, Lan Gang immediately turned on the police station TV and switched to the Jianghan channel. "Poof!" Seeing the crowds squeezing together, completely filling the scene, Lan Gang spat out his tea in shock. That brat wasn't lying to him. He reckoned with such a huge crowd, definitely five, if not even ten thousand people would've gathered. With this realization, Lan Gang's expression turned serious. A crowd of such magnitude, without order maintained, could have severe consequences if a stampede occurred, and Jianghan City's police department would also face responsibility. "Wait, I'll bring a couple of people over immediately to maintain order." Recently, after solving a murder case, the police station was unusually relaxed and full of vitality. They could scramble together a backup team from the armed police unit. Rose Bay Square 527 When Chen Shuyi and Li Jiaming arrived, they too were startled by the throng of people on site. Chen Shuyi said with a puzzled expression, "I seem to remember Qi Lin saying in an interview that his family was hosting a Chinese Lobster Gourmet Festival. Could it be that Qi Lin asked me for help?" The gourmet festival hosted by Qi Lin's family was terrifyingly popular, but Li Jiaming's expression wasn't pleasant. Jealously, he said, "What Lobster Gourmet Festival? He used the news interview as an opportunity. It's not even advertising." "These lobsters look filthy; they don't even seem appetizing." After tasting them, people would surely leave disappointed, maybe even throw things in protest." Chen Shuyi didn't catch what Li Jiaming was saying. Instead, her eyes were focused intently on the front of the stage. At the front were seats reserved specifically for Jianghan City's business bigwigs or VIPs to taste the lobsters. This was Qi Lin's idea. If Chen Shuyi wasn't mistaken, one of the people seated there seemed to be Li Jiaming's mother, Yan Yan. "Jiaming, do you see that? Is that your mother?" Chen Shuyi pointed to Yan Yan's position and asked Li Jiaming. "Uh, looks like her." Upon seeing who was sitting there, Li Jiaming's face immediately turned sour. Yan Yan had mentioned that her car was in an accident, and when he asked about her new car, she snapped at him and hung up. Li Jiaming figured his mother returned to the company, not expecting to find her here. This was his enemy's event. What was his mother doing up there? Supporting Qi Lin? "No, I need to go over and find out what's going on." "Shuyi, come with me," Li Jiaming said to Chen Shuyi. Chen Shuyi shook her head, "I haven't figured out how to get along with your mother yet. You go ahead." Li Jiaming couldn't press further on Chen Shuyi. "Alright, just wait here for me. I'll be right back." With that, Li Jiaming squeezed through the crowd. Not long after Li Jiaming left, someone tapped Chen Shuyi on the shoulder. "Shuyi! You're my special guest, why are you standing here?" Qi Lin looked at her with a bright smile. Chen Shuyi had no choice but to admit defeat with a pretty and helpless face. How did Qi Lin manage to spot her amid more than fifty thousand visitors standing within the crowd? Was he a walking magnet? "Come on, join me in the front row. When the lobsters are ready, you'll be the first to try them." Qi Lin cheerfully grabbed Chen Shuyi's hand, trying to pull her over. Chen Shuyi blushed slightly and swiftly pulled away, "I don't want to go. I don't like crowded places." She was at a loss on how to interact with Qi Lin. She was supposed to be with Li Jiaming, but her first kiss had gone to Qi Lin. Last night, even though it was in a dream, Qi Lin kissed her. Seeing Shuyi's refusal, Qi Lin's face turned a bit pale. "You know my personality. If you don't want your princess to carry you, you better come with me." Chen Shuyi sighed with a blush, having no choice but to silently follow Qi Lin to the front row. Chen Shuyi didn't hold any social status and couldn't sit with all those big shots. "You can stand right next to the stage, and I'll bring the lobster to you in a bit." Qi Lin instructed her. He didn't have time to look at Chen Shuyi's expression; he hurried towards the center of the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first Chinese Lobster Gourmet Festival. I now declare the festival officially open!" "Next, we'll invite our sponsors, Chairman Qi Feng of Tianlin Farming Group, General Manager Fang Yuanyuan, and young host Qi Lin to kick off the opening ceremony." The host's rich voice over the microphone drowned out the noise below. All eyes were fixed on the center of the stage. Fang Yuanyuan, Qi Lin, and Qi Feng held the gavel together. "Dang!" With the sound of a deafening gong, the first Chinese Lobster Gourmet Festival officially opened. Jianghan TV and Chu Province TV jointly broadcasted live, presenting this spectacular feast to audiences unable to attend in person. After the gong was struck, Qi Lin immediately issued instructions to all the chefs. "Begin seasoning the garlic lobsters." With Qi Lin's command, under the shocked gazes of the crowd, hundreds of pounds of minced garlic, tons of fresh, tender lobsters, and a wide selection of seasonings were poured into a giant copper pot. Visual marketing is a strategy that never gets old. Used to adding half a spoon of seasoning at home, seeing the entire bucket poured into the copper pot was a spectacle. A crane lifted a large iron container filled with tons of lobsters over the copper pot, and a dozen muscular men flexed their muscles to tilt the container, allowing the lobsters to go into the pot. Regardless of the taste, the dramatic scene alone captivated the audience below. "Place the steamed lobsters in the steamer." Qi Lin's mouth twitched slightly as he issued the second command. Immediately, several strong men carried a steam basket with a diameter of 1.5 meters, stacked as high as a person, to the furnace burning with firewood, placing it on top. There were 20 such steamers. In the front row, Yan Yan had a clear view and watched with fascination. She never imagined that a typically dull festival could be so exciting, all thanks to the young man who had rescued her. "Mom, why didn’t you go home? You came here instead?" But just then, an untimely voice emerged next to Yan Yan. "Shh~" Seeing it was her son, Li Jiaming, Yan Yan glared at him and signaled him to keep quiet. Then, she quietly asked, "Where do I have to report my whereabouts to you? I should be asking you what you're doing here." Li Jiaming smiled wryly, "Shuyi wanted to see the lobster festival, so I'm accompanying her, though I don't see what’s so great about this silly lobster event." Hearing Li Jiaming belittle the lobster festival, a hint of displeasure flickered in Yan Yan's eyes. "Jiaming, haven't I told you many times? One must learn humility and study those who are better. We couldn't even dream of organizing such a successful event. What right do you have to criticize?" Hearing his mother praise Qi Lin's festival, Li Jiaming grew a splitting headache. He quickly changed topics, "Mom, who did you give my car to? Now I have no car for Shuyi, how am I supposed to appease her?" Annoyed at Li Jiaming's focus on the car issue, Yan Yan directly pointed to Qi Lin and said, "It was that handsome guy on stage who saved me earlier, so I gave him the car." "Him?" "Mom, you must be talking about Qi Lin, right?" Li Jiaming's eyes widened in disbelief. "You know Qi Lin too?" Suspicion filled Yan Yan's gaze, wondering how Jiaming would even know Qi Lin’s name if she hadn't mentioned it. Judging by Yan Yan's expression, Li Jiaming realized his guess was spot on. At that moment, he clenched his fists tightly, his face dark and filled with anger. "Of course, I know him. Because he's my greatest enemy and my rival in love." Yan Yan: "" She could hardly believe such a coincidence existed in the world. The boy who saved her was actually her son's most loathed rival. "This car belongs to our family, why should it go to him? I'm going up to take it back right now." Li Jiaming angrily prepared to head to the stage. Yan Yan's expression turned cold, "He may be your rival, but he's also your mother's savior. I decided to give him that car, and if you dare go up there, don't blame me for losing my temper." As his stepmother, only a bit older than him by over a decade, Yan Yan still held some sway over Li Jiaming. Hearing her warning, although feeling wronged, he reluctantly unclenched his fists. "Damn it, why did the person who saved my mother have to be that disgusting Qi Lin?" Li Jiaming was in agony. Simultaneously, on stage, Qi Lin gave his final command with a smile: "Now, let's start dinner with our Tianlin Group restaurant's prized dish—Braised Prawns." Like a flowing banquet, as per Qi Lin's instructions, plates of spicy and delicious braised prawns started appearing on the round tables by the stage. People could simply reach out to grab some if they wanted to eat. Fang Yuanyuan and Qi Feng watched the visitors expectantly. Whether the lobster market would take off depended crucially on public reception—this was the most critical step. Yet, at that heightened moment, an awkward situation unfolded. Quite a few people there had never tasted lobsters, unsure of their flavor, and worried about potential adverse effects from eating them. Additionally, lobsters have hard shells and little meat; some feared the embarrassment of failing to eat them properly and dared not try. Most had come drawn by the buzz from Qi Lin's interview, just for the spectacle, recalling his words. If the atmosphere remained inactive, the festival risked ending in failure. "Hehe, what a laughable Lobster Gourmet Festival. This is clearly just a cheap trick to attract attention and use the media for self-promotion. Now everyone’s here to see the joke, but in the end, who's the joke on?" Similarly full of criticism for Qi Lin, Li Jiaming couldn’t resist but sneer. Contrary to his reactions, Yan Yan's bright eyes conveyed concern and a hint of anticipation as she looked at Qi Lin. When Qi Lin had saved her, he was brave, smart, and resourceful. She refused to believe the young man she admired so much would fail and ruin this grand culinary event. He must have a way to turn the situation around, right? At that moment, on stage, seeing his parents' worried and awkward expressions, Qi Lin smiled. He walked over to the Beetle covered by the red cloth and lifted a corner. In the next second, to the astonishment of all the visitors, Qi Lin dramatically pulled off the red cloth, revealing a brand-new Beetle underneath. "I forgot to mention, besides offering unlimited lobsters at this Lobster Gourmet Festival, we've also prepared extravagant prizes for everyone." "Like this Volkswagen Beetle worth 260,000." "I’ve hidden the lottery ticket with the Beetle logo inside one of the lobsters. Whoever's lucky enough to eat the ticket can immediately drive the car away." "However, there's a rule: you have to eat all the lobsters you peeled yourself. Any wastage will result in disqualification, even if you find the lottery ticket." These rules were Qi Lin's safety net to prevent people from destroying the lobsters without eating the meat, avoiding exploitation. The mood among the previously reserved crowd instantly burst into energetic enthusiasm with Qi Lin's announcement. Even now, in 2022, most people's monthly salaries were just a few thousand, with some earning even less. A car worth 260,000, many might toil their whole life and still not afford. Now the organizers were not only generously offering free lobsters but a hidden surprise too. Suddenly, unable to just stand by, the visitors dove for the flowing dishes of lobster. The butterfly effect was astounding. Moments earlier, lobsters went untouched, but now they had become the main attraction. Thousands pushed and shoved, scrambling for a dish of lobsters. Two on-duty policemen were drenched in sweat, desperately trying to keep order. Initially, most attendees had ignored eating lobsters, eyeing the luxury Beetle instead. But after just a few bites, they were astounded, as if an entirely new culinary world unfurled before them. Spicy! Numbing! Invigorating! A fusion of different flavors transformed into a gourmet delight that lifted spirits. "This is insane. How can he do that?" Staring incredulously at Qi Lin on stage, smiling faintly, Li Jiaming muttered in disbelief, Qi Lin had broken through and charmed the audience, offering the car meant for him as a prize. "This is so spicy yet so damn good!" With amusement-filled voices, Li Jiaming's schadenfreude vanished, replaced with stone-faced shock at the praises shared amongst the crowd. "Damn, this lobster's amazing!" "Wow, how did I not realize before that something resembling a bug could be this delicious." "Haha, I initially came just to join the crowd. Who knew I would discover such tasty goodness? This was worth the trip!"