Jiang Tao walked up to Ye Chen and Xia Yingluo.

"Hello, you are the boss of this Hot Pot Restaurant, right?"

Jiang Tao walked up to Ye Chen and asked in a very gentlemanly manner.

Ye Chen had noticed the other party these past two days, but he hadn’t paid much attention.

Seeing the person greet him, Ye Chen nodded and said, "That’s right, I am. And you are?"

Jiang Tao handed Ye Chen a business card.

"I am Jiang Tao, President of Tiantou Group, and also a graduate of Jing University. I currently work in investment."

Ye Chen glanced at the business card, which read: President of Tiantou Group, Jiang Tao.

It looked like he was quite impressive.

"Student Ye, I am very optimistic about your Hot Pot Restaurant and want to invest in you."

After speaking, Jiang Tao looked at Ye Chen.

He wanted to see expressions of happiness, joy, or even bewilderment on Ye Chen’s face.

But soon, Jiang Tao was disappointed.

Ye Chen’s expression was very calm.

Investment?

Ye Chen looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, discerning that the man was very serious.

Moreover, judging by the man’s expression, he was determined to secure this investment.

Ye Chen glanced at Xia Yingluo beside him.

Clearly, the sudden offer of investment made Xia Yingluo pause as well.

Xia Yingluo hadn’t expected that opening a Hot Pot Restaurant would actually attract investors.

Seeing that the two were silent, Jiang Tao assumed they were stunned by the sudden, overwhelming surprise, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Shall we find a spot and have a proper chat?"

The three of them found an empty table and sat down.

Coincidentally, their seats were behind Wu Hao.

Wu Hao and his companion were also curious why Senior Jiang Tao was looking for Ye Chen.

"Mr. Ye, I have observed your restaurant for several days, and I believe it has great investment potential, which is why I want to invest."

Ye Chen looked at Jiang Tao and said, "President Jiang, we are only a newly opened Hot Pot Restaurant. What makes you think we are worth your investment?"

He was also very curious.

It wasn’t strange for someone to discover the commercial value of the Hot Pot Restaurant.

However, the fact that Jiang Tao could discover the investment value of the Hot Pot Restaurant so quickly still surprised Ye Chen.

One must remember that in this era, Hot Pot Restaurants were not yet very popular.

Even chain stores were extremely rare.

Hot Pot Restaurants were generally small, workshop-style operations.

Jiang Tao smiled faintly after hearing Ye Chen’s words and said, "I am a professional investor, and I trust my judgment. I actually saw your Hot Pot Restaurant on a forum and was initially curious, but seeing your business model made me very interested, and I am optimistic about your future prospects."

In fact, Jiang Tao was also very surprised when he walked into the Hot Pot Restaurant.

It was his first time seeing a Hot Pot Restaurant with this kind of model.

He even felt a bit of admiration for Ye Chen.

To devise such a business model, he must be a genius.

At this moment, Ye Chen was also admiring Jiang Tao’s business acumen.

After all, the business model Ye Chen was using was from more than ten years in the future.

In this era, this model could be described as bizarre.

But Jiang Tao immediately recognized its commercial value.

At this moment, Old Man Xia and Xiao He were also sitting nearby, listening to the conversation.

Jiang Tao began to speak eloquently.

"In fact, before encountering your restaurant, the catering industry was not within the scope of our business operations. Especially Hot Pot Restaurants—that small workshop model simply has no investment value."

"However, your restaurant is unique."

"First, you are very progressive. From the layout of the entire store, the design style, and even the store’s trademark design, it is clear that you prioritize branding. This is the first step toward a successful chain enterprise. If I’m not mistaken, you want to build your own brand, right?"

Ye Chen nodded. Jiang Tao was absolutely right.

Most Hot Pot Restaurants now just open one store, give it a name, and ensure the food tastes good. That’s all.

As for building a brand, they don’t even consider it.

But the later generations are different; some branded Hot Pot Restaurants use various marketing strategies solely to establish their name.

Jiang Tao continued, "I have observed your Hot Pot Restaurant for a week. The popularity of your Hot Pot Restaurant is driven by the forums of Jing University and the Film Academy. What surprises me is your high conversion rate. Many students come out of curiosity, but they all become repeat customers."

"While Hot Pot cannot be eaten every day, eating it two or three times a week is fine. Your Hot Pot Restaurant leans more toward fast-food culture, so it suits the tastes of students and white-collar workers."

"That’s why I say I am very optimistic about your Hot Pot Restaurant. This model could even succeed in China’s first-tier cities."

Jiang Tao eloquently laid out his entire analysis of Ye Chen’s Hot Pot Restaurant.

Everyone nearby was stunned by what they heard.

Especially Xia Yingluo.

She still couldn’t believe what Ye Chen had said previously—that he wanted to open Hot Pot Restaurants all over the country.

Jiang Tao was a professional analyst, and hearing his analysis made Xia Yingluo start to believe it too.

It turned out that what Ye Chen said wasn’t empty promises, but reality.

Xiao He nudged Old Man Xia and said, "Didn’t I tell you? Little Ye is just better than you."

Old Man Xia: "Hmph..."

Wu Hao looked at the Hot Pot in front of him and fell into deep thought.

Previously, Wu Hao had been trying to figure out the gap between himself and Ye Chen.

Now he understood that the difference between him and Ye Chen wasn’t just physical appearance; the biggest difference was strength.

I come here every day to eat Hot Pot, but her Boyfriend has already attracted investment from a business giant using the Hot Pot Restaurant.

That is the gap!

...Ye Chen looked at Jiang Tao, actually feeling great admiration in his heart.

After all, Ye Chen was from ten years in the future, yet Jiang Tao could instantly see the Hot Pot Restaurant’s development potential.

For someone living in the 2008 era, Jiang Tao was truly formidable.

Although his analysis wasn’t entirely comprehensive, having such vision was genuinely rare.

Ye Chen looked at Xia Yingluo beside him and asked, "Yingluo, what do you think?"

Xia Yingluo shook her head: "I’ll follow whatever you decide."

In truth, Xia Yingluo’s head was still buzzing.

Xia Yingluo was different from Ye Chen. Ye Chen possessed a System and experience from his previous life, so he was very confident.

But Xia Yingluo was still a freshman, and facing a big shot like Jiang Tao, she still felt a lack of confidence.

Jiang Tao looked at Ye Chen with confidence. His self-assurance told him that Ye Chen wouldn’t refuse.

After all, even if a college freshman had some business sense, they couldn’t refuse the temptation of capital.

In fact, not only Jiang Tao thought this, but Old Man Xia, Xiao He, and Wu Hao all shared the same view.

Wu Hao was also extremely envious.

To be able to open a Hot Pot Restaurant and attract investment from a major investor was truly incredible.

One should know that every company typically seeks out investors themselves; it was extremely rare for an investor to come knocking!

Wu Hao even felt that he was witnessing the rise of another major figure at Jing University.

(Fifth bonus Chapter, dedicated to Tianyue for the 15,000 Book Coin reward. I have been busy with work, and I apologize for delaying the bonus Chapters for so long! I don’t know if you are still around and supporting Little Chicken, but Little Chicken has never forgotten your reward. Thank you again!)