Chapter 225 Victory
The sounds of car horns, parents' angry shouts, and fans' screams mingled together, creating complete chaos.
Soon, someone called the police, and a reporter carrying a camera rushed over, pointing the lens directly at Zhu Lili's face.
"Ms. Zhu, your fans caused a traffic jam and conflict. Do you have anything to say about this?"
"When you chose to set up your stall at the school gate, did you consider that it would affect students' departure from school?"
Zhu Lili's face flushed red and then turned pale. The crew members were sweating profusely and urged her repeatedly, "Quick! Move the stall into the alley!"
The fans followed the stalls to the next one, but the alley was too narrow to accommodate so many people.
Even worse, after being left out in the cold wind for a short time, the rice in Zhu Lili's fruit sushi became hard and cold, the freshness of the eel dissipated, the shrimp lost its springy texture, and the fruit wrapped in it turned sour due to the cold wind.
Parents passing by glanced at it, then turned away with sneers: "Who eats cold sushi on such a cold day? And they're charging twenty yuan a serving? Are they robbing us?"
Only fans were reluctant to buy it, but most people were eyeing the one-yuan lemon sparkling water.
Chen Mo and Chen Chen were surrounded by the beverage machine, so busy that they didn't even have time to look up. They boiled kettle after kettle of hot water and filled cup after cup of sparkling water, completely ignoring the sushi stall.
Chef Wang stood before several plates of unsold sushi, staring at the cold rice grains, and sighed anxiously, "I told you long ago, not selling hot food in winter simply won't work!"
Zhu Lili gritted her teeth, looked at the mountain of sushi in front of her, and made a firm decision: "Nine yuan and ninety cents a serving! Buy sushi and get a free sparkling water!"
Even with price reductions and promotions, very few people responded. Fans bought sparkling water and left in a hurry; no one was willing to spend nearly ten yuan on a cold, hard piece of sushi.
In the end, Chef Wang had no choice but to sell or give away the remaining sushi, and even gave some directly to sanitation workers who passed by. Watching them frown as they took their first bite, he felt a mix of emotions.
As night deepened, the stalls in the industrial park remained bustling with people. Workers held bowls of hot rice noodles and chewed on crispy spring rolls, their foreheads sweating as they ate, praising the food repeatedly.
Su Yingxue counted the last sum of money, exchanged a glance with Shen Yu, and both saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
In the alley of Yuying Road, Zhu Lili looked at the empty stall and the meager turnover, her face ashen, and even her lips were trembling slightly.
The production team member came over with statistical reports, his steps hurried. This time, his voice held an undisguised astonishment: "The dinner competition's revenue statistics are complete—"
The live stream chat exploded with comments, the vibrant atmosphere of the industrial park contrasting sharply with the desolation of Yuying Road, and everyone's eyes were drawn in one direction.
"Su Yingxue, Shen Yu, Lin Qiao, and Xia Paopao's group, dinner revenue—4,680 yuan!"
As soon as the production team finished speaking, cheers erupted in front of the industrial park's booths.
The workers clapped and cheered, their spicy rice noodles still steaming, red oil dripping down the sides of the bowls, but they didn't bother to wipe it away.
Xia Paopao jumped up excitedly and hugged Su Yingxue tightly: "Sister Yingxue! We won! We really won!"
Shen Yu stared at the numbers on the calculator, her fingertips trembling slightly, her eyes brimming with barely concealed joy. Lin Qiao wiped the sweat from her brow, looked at the empty spring rolls in the bamboo basket, and grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
The live stream chat was flooded with comments like crazy:
[Holy crap! The revenue has doubled! Su Yingxue's team is amazing!]
Spicy rice noodles with fried spring rolls – this is heavenly in winter! Seeing the workers enjoying it makes my mouth water!
[Shen Yu's selection is absolutely brilliant! The workers in the industrial park love this kind of hot and filling food!]
Compared to Zhu Lili's situation, it's like heaven and hell, okay?
Director Hu Xiaoguang paused for a moment before picking up another report, his voice completely flat: "Zhu Lili, Chef Wang, Chen Mo and Chen Chen's team, dinner revenue - 1,830 yuan."
One thousand eight hundred and thirty yuan.
This number, though seemingly insignificant, felt like a slap in the face, landing squarely on Zhu Lili's cheek.
She staggered back a step, staring incredulously at the report in the director's hand: "Impossible! This is impossible! We sold so much sparkling water, how could there be so little?"
Chen Mo and Chen Chen lowered their heads, their faces filled with shame. They had worked all night, selling over a thousand cups of sparkling water, but each cup only cost one yuan, and the money they earned wasn't even enough to cover the cost of the lemons.
Those sushi pieces priced at 20 yuan were sold for 9.9 yuan each, but nobody wanted them. In the end, it was a huge loss.
Chef Wang sighed, his voice full of exhaustion: "I've told you, making cold dishes in winter won't work. You insist on chasing that 'celebrity aura,' completely disregarding the audience and the timing..."
Zhu Lili's face turned white, then green, then purple. She looked at the scattered support signs in the alley, at the unsold sushi crumbs on the ground, and at the gradually departing figures of the fans. Suddenly, she covered her face, squatted down, and started crying.
The crying attracted the attention of reporters, and the camera zoomed in again.
"Ms. Zhu, what are your thoughts on this sales figure?"
What do you think were the reasons for this failure?
The sharp questions pierced Zhu Lili's heart like needles, and she turned her face away in embarrassment, unable to utter a single word.
The tide has completely turned in the live stream:
[Over a thousand? That's not even a fraction of Su Yingxue's money, is it? That's hilarious!]
[Zhu Lili is really too arrogant. Who would buy sushi in the dead of winter?]
[She even blocked the road, causing a conflict. If the production team hadn't helped move her stall, she probably would have been scolded to death by the parents!]
[They mocked Su Yingxue before, but now it's their turn to lose face, isn't it? Is this what they call 'strength and strategy'?]
As night deepened, the stalls in the industrial park began to pack up. Su Yingxue looked in the direction Zhu Lili was heading, her eyes calm, without a trace of smugness. She simply said to the people around her, "Let's call it a day. There will be new challenges tomorrow."
The workers bid them a warm farewell, with one shouting, "Boss Su, come again tomorrow! We'll eat your spicy rice noodles again!"
Su Yingxue smiled and nodded. The last rays of the setting sun fell on her, blending with the steam rising from the pot, making her feel warm and radiant.
In the alley of Yuying Road, Zhu Lili was still squatting on the ground, her crying growing softer and softer until only suppressed sobs remained.
She stared at Su Yingxue's sales figures on her phone, her fingers clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, leaving deep red marks.
She just couldn't understand how she, a popular female celebrity, could have lost so completely at noon when she had won so much.
What she didn't know was that winning was never about fame or pomp, but about down-to-earth dedication and the wisdom to see through needs.
Just like that bowl of spicy rice noodles, it warms the stomach and soothes the heart.
Zhu Lili gritted her teeth and said, "Since that's the case, don't blame me for causing trouble. I'm withdrawing my investment. I'm not staying at this lousy show anymore."
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