After leaving the teahouse where I had just met Fangyuan, I drove to the "Empty City" music restaurant in the depth of night. When I arrived, the diners had almost dispersed, with only a few tables left drinking beer and eating spicy hotpot, which made the air lose its original taste.

Until now, before I had dinner, I ordered a fried rice with the waiter and two cold dishes. While I was waiting, I was drinking water while listening to the female singer on the stage singing. She looked like she was singing here, and she clamped the cigarette between her fingers and playing the guitar, which was so deeply rooted in the hearts!

During the meal, I called the restaurant manager. I was afraid that it would touch her nerves too much, so I tactfully asked, "Yiqing (the manager's name), how was the business situation of the restaurant last month?"

The store manager looked at me with some confusion and said, "Mr. Zhao, we had reported the operating data of last month to the head office a week ago. Didn't you read it?"

"I saw it, but this data makes me a little difficult to accept. You must know that this restaurant could still make a profit six months ago, and it was losing so much in a blink of an eye!"

The manager's expression became dim. After a long time of silence, he asked me: "What do you mean by Mr. Zhao? Should you make rectifications or give up this restaurant?"

“I hope there are other individuals or units to take over this restaurant.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the manager had tears in his eyes. She choked and said, "A few days ago, several clerks told me that the restaurant suffered such a great loss last month, and the company will definitely take measures. I also comforted them that the headquarters has a clear positioning of this restaurant. What it wants is spiritual characteristics. Profit is second. President Zhao will definitely keep this restaurant. Unexpectedly... you still give up it so easily. Is the headquarters so short of funds now? He has to give up the empty city!"

I looked at her. Although I knew in my heart that this was just a false abandonment, my employees cherished this restaurant so much, which made me feel a little guilty. However, since it had already started and the play had to continue, I replied: "Even if it was finally transferred in the empty city, the headquarters will properly place you and give you better jobs, because I have always been sure of your job, but there is a problem with the business model of this restaurant..."

The store manager interrupted me and said, "Mr. Zhao, do you think we work in this empty city really just to be able to enter the headquarters in the future to make a fortune?... Let me tell you that the brothers and sisters who are willing to work in this empty city live with faith. For example, Brother Sun Yao and Sister have been working as a chef in the restaurant since their business operations. It's not that no other restaurants have paid high salaries to poach him in recent years, but he has been sticking to this restaurant. Tell me, what is he for?...Is it for the so-called promotion and salary increase?...No, no, it is Sister CC's personality charm that retains him, and the feelings expressed in the empty city... Maybe, in Mr. Zhao's eyes, it is just a profitable tool, but in our eyes it is a city with flesh and blood, spring, summer, autumn and winter..."

Her words infected me and I didn't say anything for a long time...

"Mr. Zhao, if you know that you plan to give up this restaurant, you will definitely be sad and scold you. You are sorry for her entrusting."

"I made a communication, and I decided to give up this restaurant after I got her consent."

The store manager looked at me in sobs, and his faith seemed to collapse so much that he didn't say a word!

I sighed and said, "Maybe I have changed...but Yiqing, I want to tell you: Behind human nature is the white clouds and cage dogs. There is no one in this world who remains unchanged, including you who have faith in the empty city. One day, you will have a deep understanding after you form a family and face the cruelty of this society."

The manager ignored me and lay on the dining table and cried. But Robben didn't know when he came to the restaurant. He sat down beside me, picked up the red plum smoke I placed on the table, lit one and said, "You're taking pretentious medicine. Even the words "Bai Yun Canggou are behind human nature!"

In fact, after saying this, my heart was filled with depression, because this seemingly pretentious sentence contained the sadness of the times, the changes of things and people, and the helplessness of the iron heart corrupting the society of fame and fortune. I had truly experienced it. For this reason, I once gave up the music I liked and went to work in accordance with the rules.

Robben looked at Yi Qing who was crying across from me and asked me, "Why did she cry?...Are you scolding someone else's girl again?"

I looked at Robben, and after a moment of silence, I said, "...I plan to transfer the empty city. The loss has been too serious during this period!"

Robben's eyes suddenly became as sharp as a sharp knife, stabbing straight at me, and said, "I didn't hear it very clearly, please say it again."

The store manager seemed to be full of resentment towards me, and Robben, who had a strong reaction, seemed to be her life-saving straw. He raised his head and wiped his tears, and said to Robben instead: "Mr. Zhao, he is ready to give up the empty city and transfer the empty city."

Robben squeezed the cigarette with his fingers, looked at me with a gloomy face, and suddenly grabbed my neck and said, "You are stupid... Who the hell agrees to you do this? Do you really treat this restaurant as your own?"

I was unable to breathe and kicked Robben's chair over, and at the same time, waved his hand and shook him away. The two of them then kept a distance of one meter. Robben squinted his eyes and said, "Zhaoyang, you told me clearly today, why did you transfer this restaurant?...You Luku has always been rich and powerful, and will you lack the little money you lost in the city?"

"Luku is not my own, I am responsible for the investor... I originally wanted to keep the empty city, but the investor and the company's senior management believed that the empty city would have a negative impact on other restaurants, so I decided to force the transfer. I can't protect this restaurant against the will of the collective!"

"Transfer your uncle and you can lock it up!"

The dispute between Robben and I immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the restaurant, and at the same time made the play more realistic, so that customers who had not left criticized me, and there was no lack of some rational advice to continue operating the restaurant. They were willing to pay for the consumption expenses in the empty city at the market price or even more.

I said to everyone: "Since everyone is willing to pay for the consumption generated in an empty city according to the market price, after the transfer, change the charging model and clearly mark the price, so everyone can come and consume it!"

Most of the people who come here to eat are the characteristics of literary youths and angry youths, and immediately replied with disdainful voices: "We come to the empty city to have a meal, and what we like is the feeling of trust between people. If you want to make a clear price tag, it is an insult to this restaurant, so it is better to close it!"

I focused on watching the people who often come to the empty city, trying to find a clue in their indignation, so that they can determine the person they suspect first, but I feel that anyone can do it. This is not something that can be solved by doubt alone. It needs to be further moved forward. I gritted my teeth and took out the business document with the company seal from my briefcase, handed it to the store manager Yiqing, and said, "You can post this business document. The restaurant will either be closed or transferred, and it will be impossible to continue to operate as it is now... I want to keep this restaurant from my heart, but the overall situation of the company is more important."

My determination made everyone silent collectively, and finally someone took the lead and said, "It seems that our fate with this restaurant has ended here. I have been here to eat all the money and have no money in recent years, and I have taken advantage of it. This is the last night. Everyone should take out some human nature and leave all the cash on them to commemorate this restaurant that gave us faith but was about to go bankrupt!"
Chapter completed!