HLM – Chapter 136 The Bank’s Inception

Bartier Jr. absentmindedly took a bite of the spicy pickled cabbage steamed lamb, then slightly frowned. He glanced at the dishes in front of him, seemingly reluctant to eat more.

The domineering CEO had been watching him closely. He was usually gentle with his son, but when it came to meals, he became quite authoritarian. Seeing his son put down the spoon, his expression immediately darkened: “Son, keep eating!”

Wang Bo shrugged helplessly—looks like his appetizers hadn’t worked their magic.

With a bitter expression, Bartier Jr. slowly ate another bite of the steamed lamb. After a couple of mouthfuls, he muttered dispiritedly, “I’m full, Dad.”

“No, finish this bowl. Wang made it especially for you. Don’t you remember what your mother always taught you?” Bartier said sternly.

At those words, Bartier Jr.’s eyes grew distant for a moment. Then, obediently, he resumed eating the lamb. Though he didn’t eat much, he was at least continuing.

Sitting beside the dining table, Zhuang Ding—who had been waiting to be fed by Wang Bo—noticed the boy’s disinterest in food. It quickly ran over, sneakily poking its head around the table and licking its lips toward the steamed lamb.

Bartier Jr. looked down and brightened. “Mr. Mayor, your dog wants to eat.”

Wang Bo scooped some lamb ribs and chicken breast into Zhuang Ding’s dish—no steamed lamb, though, since the spicy peppers made it unsuitable for a Tibetan mastiff.

Zhuang Ding had grown fast, and the bowl seemed too small now. Once the dish was placed in front of it, it opened its mouth wide and wolfed down the food, licking the bowl clean.

Watching Zhuang Ding devour its meal with gusto, Bartier Jr. seemed moved and took another couple of bites of lamb himself.

Seeing this, Bartier’s face lit up with joy. Forgetting his own meal, he quickly tried to hand over the lamb ribs from his own plate to Zhuang Ding, hoping it would encourage his son to eat more.

But Zhuang Ding didn’t eat food from anyone else. As soon as Bartier placed the lamb ribs in its bowl, it didn’t even glance at them and ran straight back to Wang Bo’s side.

When Wang Bo personally placed the lamb ribs into its dish, Zhuang Ding once again gulped everything down. Bartier Jr. kept watching the dog, eating slowly as he did. Gradually, the small bowl of steamed lamb in front of him was emptied.

Once Zhuang Ding was full, Bartier Jr. also stopped eating. He set down his bowl and said, “I’m going to play with Zhuang Ding.” Before his dad could respond, he quickly ran off with the dog.

Bartier beamed with satisfaction—clearly, just that one bowl of lamb had already made him happy.

Wang Bo glanced at little Hani next to him, who had his head buried in his food bowl. The contrast between the two kids made him sigh helplessly.

With his son gone, Bartier finally started eating. He picked up a cucumber and smiled, “I’ve had this dish at a Chinese restaurant before. Pickled cucumber, right? A delicious cold appetizer.”

He took a bite—crunch!—and the cucumber broke crisply in his mouth. Though it looked limp on the outside, it still retained its juiciness and crunch inside.

After finishing the cucumber, the CEO reached for the lamb ribs and fried chicken chunks. Clearly, he was a meat lover too.

The moment he bit into the lamb ribs, Bartier’s face lit up with joy. Slowly chewing and swallowing, he gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed, “My God! Who made this? I must be honest—this tastes incredible!”

Charlie proudly introduced his good friend to Bartier, explaining that Kobe came from a family of culinary experts and was currently a chef at a Michelin two-star restaurant.

Bartier replied, “Two stars? I’ve eaten at many Michelin three-star places, and honestly, their lamb ribs weren’t this good. The fried chicken chunks, the honey-glazed wings—they’re all amazing. That aroma—I can’t even describe it. Just phenomenal!”

Kobe humbly responded, “Thank you very much for the praise, Mr. Good, but I really don’t deserve it. These dishes are so delicious mainly because of the ingredients. The meat from Wang’s ranch is top-notch!”

Bartier nodded as he ate. When he got to the steamed lamb, his face once again lit up. “Hey! This way of cooking lamb is really unique, and it tastes fantastic. Kobe, you’re a genius chef!”

“That dish was made by Wang.”

“Then Wang is also a genius chef!”

While maintaining his composure, Bartier ate quickly and finished his entire meal. He even went on to have two more large bowls of the steamed lamb, complimenting every bite.

After his fill, he reminisced about the flavors and curiously asked, “Wang, why didn’t you use this great meat yesterday?”

Wang Bo explained the reason, and Bartier nodded in understanding. He then asked, “Has your ranch started producing beef and lamb? If so, I’d like to buy some.”

To Wang Bo, this was small money. He waved his hand generously and said, “If you like it, I’ll send you some when you leave.”

But Bartier quickly refused. “No, no, I can’t be that presumptuous. You’ve already been too generous letting us stay and eat here. Besides, I don’t want just a little—I want to buy a lot, and possibly on a regular basis.”

Since that was the case, there was no need for Wang Bo to pretend to be generous. In a capitalist society, business is business. If Bartier wanted to purchase his ranch’s meat long-term, then that was a serious opportunity.

That night, Bartier Jr. once again fell asleep with no issues. The Heart of the Castle was incredibly powerful—sleep disorders didn’t stand a chance within its walls.

This made Bartier suspicious. He went to Wang Bo and asked bluntly, “Wang, it seems like my son sleeps especially well in your castle?”

Wang Bo feigned ignorance. “Yeah, same with us. Maybe the castle has some kind of magical power—like a sleep-inducing magic.”

Bartier furrowed his brows, muttering, “Why is that? I need to find the reason. If I can, maybe I can cure his sleep disorder.”

Wang Bo speculated aloud, “First, maybe Bartier Jr.’s sleep problem has naturally improved. Second, maybe the castle has some kind of magnetic field that regulates the body’s own field…”

Bartier gave him a strange look. Wang Bo chuckled awkwardly and quickly added, “I’m just making stuff up…”

“No, I think your second theory makes sense. When I studied at Cambridge, I learned about the Unified Life Field Theory. The human body has a magnetic field, and when that field resonates with the surrounding area’s field, it can strengthen itself!”

Wang Bo eagerly nodded. “Exactly! That makes total sense!”

Thanks to Bartier Jr.’s improved sleep, the domineering CEO decided to extend his stay from two days to a full week.

Though he didn’t pay rent or meal fees, he brought greater benefits to the town. The very next day, he called his headquarters and ordered the opening of a bank branch in Sunset Town.

Naturally, a bank’s office couldn’t be built with makeshift blocks. It needed bulletproof glass, secure vaults, and high-standard facilities.

That wasn’t a problem—Wang Bo was already planning to build community housing. Porter’s “Countryside Scholar Construction Company” could take on the project. They would prioritize constructing a bank office building alongside Highway No. 8.