Chapter 105 People You Can't Offend

Southampton, Riverside Pavilion.

As soon as Elvi Dekun walked into this Chinese restaurant, he could immediately feel a unique atmosphere.

It's like a woman. Even if she covers her face and wears ordinary clothes, you can still feel a unique temperament from her exquisite figure and her every move.

He has been to many, many Chinese restaurants, but this is the only one where he felt the atmosphere of high taste.

The others, no matter how expensive they are, can only be considered high-end luxury at best, but not high taste.

It is obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the entire restaurant, from its decoration, layout to furnishings.

One side of the restaurant faces a river, with lamp posts erected along the riverside and an open-air restaurant under the lamp posts. This has a unique charm in the summer and also enhances the taste of the entire restaurant.

"It's really good!" Elvi Dekun nodded in praise.

Now he finally understood why Richard Parker spoke so highly of this Chinese restaurant.

The service was also very good. They sat outside in an open-air restaurant by the river. Every once in a while, when the tea got cold, a waiter would come over and ask if you wanted a hot cup of tea.

The tea is also authentic Tieguanyin from China.

Richard Parker did not hear Elvish Dekun's admiration. He had just learned from the on-site manager Huang Tianshun that the owner of this restaurant was called Yang Huan. Wasn't he the young man he met at Harrods in London?

It turns out that he is the owner of this Chinese restaurant!

After learning this, Richard Parker began to wonder whether he should change the purpose of his trip.

After all, there are many things that Yang Huan and others don’t know or understand, but Richard Parker himself knows them very well.

Moreover, Yang Huan was his benefactor, and the two of them got along very well. If possible, he did not want the two of them to become estranged because of this incident. Instead, it would be better to use this incident to bring them closer.

"Richard." Elvi Dekun looked at Richard Parker, and only continued after the latter woke up and looked over.

"I felt familiar with this person before, so I searched online for this Yang Huan. Take a look."

As he said that, he handed the phone to Richard Parker.

The latter took it and looked at it. Although there were no clear photos of Yang Huan on the Internet, there was very detailed information.

It was only then that he unexpectedly discovered that this old friend of his who shared the same interests with him was actually so famous.

"He is very influential now, not only in the food industry, but also in all fields." Elvy Dekun said somewhat distressedly.

In the past, all they had to deal with were some famous chefs at best.

But even if he is a famous chef, his influence is at most limited to the time and place.

But Yang Huan is obviously more than that now. Just based on the millions of fans he has on WeChat, it is enough to attract everyone's attention.

Not to mention that he is also the boss behind WeChat, Southampton, and popular stars like Psy and Yoona.

Elvy Dekun himself also uses WeChat, plays two games produced by WeChat, and listens to Psy's songs. He is naturally aware of Yang Huan's current influence and weight.

If someone accidentally offends him, a single word from him could cause a serious blow to the Michelin Travel Guide.

This is something that the Michelin travel guide, which has been in poor condition recently, does not want to see and cannot accept.

Richard Parker understood what Elvy Dekun meant, "I understand. I'll talk to him."

"You?" Elvi Dekun was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that Richard Parker had just said that Yang Huan was his old friend.

Richard Parker smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I didn't know before that he was the owner of this Chinese restaurant. If I had known, perhaps this wouldn't have happened. However, I want to have a good talk with him."

Elvi Dekun thought about it and nodded in agreement.

To them, Yang Huan is someone who cannot be offended.

It’s a turbulent time for the Michelin Travel Guide, and less is better.

What's more, offending someone like Yang Huan is not necessarily a good thing.

After figuring this out, Elvy Dekun laughed, "It seems that your old friend is quite a big shot. We have been waiting here for two hours, but he still hasn't shown up."

Richard Parker was also helpless. He had understood Yang Huan's character to some extent from the last incident.

As the two were talking, they heard shouting coming from Wangjiang Pavilion.

"Master Huan!"

"Um!"

"Morning, Master Huan!"

"morning!"

"Master Huan is here!"

"Yeah, here we come!"

Soon, they saw Yang Huan and Long Wu appear at the door.

"Richard Parker?" Yang Huan had sharp eyes and recognized the white-haired old man at a glance.

Isn’t he the unlucky guy I met in Harrods?

"Mr. Yang Huan!" Richard Parker immediately stood up with a smile as soon as he saw him.

Yang Huan walked over quickly, "Wow, you are such a secretive old man. I always thought you were mysterious. It turns out you are one of those food detectives in the Michelin travel guide. If I had known that, how could I have let you go so easily?"

"Thank you!" Richard Parker shook hands with him warmly. "I didn't expect that you are not only the owner of this Chinese restaurant, but also the most popular new Internet celebrity. If I had known, I would have asked you for advice."

Yang Huan pointed at him and greeted Hervé Dekun with a smile. He did not make a fuss about his identity as the editor-in-chief of Michelin Publishing Company and politely asked them all to sit down.

This made Elvi Dekun a little disappointed. He felt that his importance in Yang Huan's heart was even lower than that of a subordinate.

But he also knew that his little achievement was nothing in front of Yang Huan!

"Richard, you are so dishonest. You came to my restaurant to eat without calling me, and you even secretly rated us. That's so dishonest!"

Richard Parker smiled bitterly, "I didn't know you were the owner of this restaurant, and what we do needs to be kept anonymous and confidential."

"Just like a spy!" Yang Huan laughed.

"Oh, by the way, let's go to Harrods in a few days. It's the same Chinese restaurant we knew before. It's reopening."

"To support John Hunter?" Richard Parker was not happy.

"John Hunter?" Yang Huan laughed proudly. "That restaurant has long ceased to be called John Hunter. It is now called Yang Huan. The name of the restaurant has also been changed to Wangjiang Pavilion. It is our first branch."

"What?" Richard Parker was a little surprised. They've opened a branch?

"You bought it from John Hunter?"

"I guess so." Yang Huan laughed. "After you left, I went to watch a football game and happened to meet John Hunter. When he saw me, he was so scared that he knelt down and begged for mercy. He shamelessly insisted on giving me the restaurant. Tell me, how could I refuse such a good thing?"

As the saying goes, if you don’t take advantage of an opportunity, you are a coward!

Long Wu understood the situation. After hearing what Yang Huan said, and thinking back to how John Hunter was squeezed to the point where he had to hand over every last drop of his private money, he almost burst out laughing on the spot.

Richard Parker and Elvi Dekun looked at each other and both felt that Yang Huan did not explain clearly.

There must be a lot of details and inside information involved, but since they are outsiders, it is not easy for them to ask.

"That restaurant has a great location, but there are some management issues." Elvy Dekun found an opportunity and interjected.

Yang Huan nodded and said, "I think so too. Running a Chinese restaurant but doing it in a weird way not only deceives consumers, but also tarnishes the reputation of our Chinese food culture. So, I think I should take it over and run it myself."

At this point, Yang Huan looked at the two people opposite him and said, "Come to think of it, you are all veteran experts. What do you think of opening another Wangjiang Pavilion in London?"

"You have to ask our editor-in-chief about this. I'll be responsible for the food." Richard Parker pushed it to Elvy Dekun.

Elvi Dekun smiled bitterly and thought for a while. "From the perspective of a personal friend, I would say that the price in London must be higher."

"What do you mean?" Yang Huan became interested.

"In fact, in big cities, especially metropolises like London, the average per capita consumption in Michelin three-star restaurants is 300 euros. Southampton, as a small city, currently has an average per capita consumption of 100 euros. This price is relatively low, but in Southampton, it is considered high consumption."

"But it's different in London. London is a big city, and Harrods is a luxury mall. The surrounding shops are basically very high-end luxury flagship stores. If Wangjiangge Restaurant continues to operate at 100 euros, it will inevitably give people a cheap feeling."

Yang Huan listened and nodded, "That makes sense."

“But isn’t 300 euros per person too expensive?”

The market is not good now, the economy is depressed, and luxury goods have no market. Is it too outrageous to spend 300 euros on a meal? And you know, many Michelin three-star restaurants are in trouble in operation.

"I think it's normal, because you provide the most high-end and tasteful Chinese food service in the world, and it is the only Chinese restaurant in the world to be selected as a three-star Michelin restaurant. Do you think it's expensive?"

That being said, it doesn’t seem expensive.

Yang Huan suddenly thought of something and smiled playfully, "Mr. Dekun is indeed right, but we are planning to give up the honor of Michelin three stars because we all feel that this honor puts too much pressure on us."

When Elvy Dekun saw Yang Huan change the subject and get straight to the point, he also fell silent.

Richard Parker had just said that he would be the one to talk, so as soon as Yang Huan brought it up, he took over the conversation.

"Actually..." But he didn't know how to say it for a moment.

"Is there any problem?" Yang Huan looked at his old friend with a smile.

Richard Parker looked at Elvy Dekun, who stood up.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Whatever!" Yang Huan was a little surprised by their behavior.

What's going on? Why is it so mysterious?

After watching Elvish Dekun leave, Richard Parker looked at Yang Huan again.

"Honestly, I'm very grateful to you for helping me out that day. I also sincerely believe that we two get along well. Although we just met, we can be considered good friends. So, there are some things I want to talk to you in private."

Yang Huan didn't understand what he meant, but still waved at Long Wu.

Long Wu nodded, turned and walked towards the restaurant, standing in the door between the restaurant lobby and the open-air restaurant.

"Why do you want to give up the honor of Michelin three stars?" Richard Parker asked.

“Didn’t I just say that? You have audits every year, which puts a huge amount of pressure on the restaurant. Also, I heard from them that you have very high requirements for ingredients, and running a Michelin three-star restaurant is actually not profitable, so…”

In Yang Huan's opinion, bringing so much suffering upon oneself just for the sake of vanity is pure self-abuse.

But Richard Parker just shook his head in amusement after hearing this.

"What's the problem?" Yang Huan felt strange.

Richard Parker smiled and looked at Yang Huan seriously.

"What you said are indeed the rules of Michelin, but have you ever understood how the rules work behind the scenes? Also, why did Michelin suddenly decide to add a Chinese restaurant to the three-star rating?"

When he asked this, Yang Huan really didn't understand.

"Tell me about it!"