HLM – Chapter 909 Absolutely High-End Prices

Zheng Jinyuan was a tycoon, but not a fool—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to amass such a vast fortune.

He didn’t know much about Haidilao overseas, but he understood its general positioning: “What kind of high-end restaurant is this? Haidilao hotpot? Pfft, only office drones would eat this kind of thing.”

Chen Luoxian smiled like a blooming flower: “You have a misunderstanding about Haidilao. This hotpot restaurant is considered very upscale abroad, and the spending level is quite high.”

Hearing “high spending level” piqued Zheng Jinyuan’s interest. He said, “Fine, then we’ll eat at this one!”

Chen Luoxian shook her head privately. She had no idea how this man had earned so much money. Judging by his manners and his brain, he was clearly a crude thug!

She arranged for the tour guides to take the rest of the group to Spreese’s restaurant. One concerned guide asked: “Sister Chen, are you going to Haidilao with this man by yourself? Could it be dangerous?”

Chen Luoxian replied helplessly, “Going with him is just me torturing myself. It’s better than letting him stay with the group and torture everyone else, right? Don’t worry—broad daylight, what danger could there be? Besides, I have plenty of resources here. If Zheng Jinyuan dares to act recklessly, I’ll make him regret it!”

The two parties separated, and Chen Luoxian went to Haidilao with him.

Hou Wenyuan and his wife treated this hotpot restaurant very seriously. They had recognized the potential of Sunset Town and wanted to establish a model brand in New Zealand.

As a result, the restaurant’s staff were top-notch: all the young women were beautiful, gentle, and gracious, and the young men were handsome, confident, and energetic.

When Zheng Jinyuan saw the beautiful and sexy female waitstaff, his eyes almost froze in place. It was his nature—he habitually stared at beautiful women, especially those in uniform.

Chen Luoxian sighed. She guessed this meal was going to be excruciating.

After they were seated, a waiter smiled and asked, “Sir, our restaurant has two menus. Would you like the Fahrenheit menu or the New Zealand-style menu?”

This was Chen Luoxian’s first visit, so she asked curiously, “What’s the difference?”

The waiter explained, “The New Zealand-style menu features dishes specially prepared for local customers. The Fahrenheit menu focuses on traditional Chinese dishes, is more expensive, and includes some signature dishes only available at our restaurant.”

Hearing that the Fahrenheit menu was pricier, Chen Luoxian fell silent—she already knew what Zheng Jinyuan would choose.

As expected, he struck his usual pose of exaggerated “magnanimity,” slapped the table, and said: “The Fahrenheit menu!”

The Fahrenheit menu included ingredients like lamb tripe, beef tripe, duck intestines, goose intestines, duck blood, duck feet, goose feet, chicken tail, chicken gizzards, and chicken, duck, and goose hearts and livers. These were foods that Christians could not accept, and the New Zealand-style menu did not include any of them.

Coincidentally, these were the signature dishes of Haidilao’s Sunset Town branch, and they were also very expensive. For example, lamb tripe cost as much per pound as five pounds of lamb meat.

Wang Bo’s reasoning was simple: scarcity creates value. Hou Wenyuan and his wife had tried them and accepted the pricing because these ingredients genuinely tasted better than what they could buy cheaply elsewhere.

Since Zheng Jinyuan wasn’t short on money, Chen Luoxian saw no need to save. She started ordering according to the prices: lamb tripe, beef tripe, chicken hearts, duck hearts, etc., two portions each.

When she finished reporting the order, Zheng Jinyuan waved his hand: “Two portions are too little—make it four!”

Looking at the menu prices, Chen Luoxian swallowed hard: “Mr. Zheng, maybe you should look at the prices before ordering?”

Hearing this, Zheng Jinyuan’s heart leapt—finally, a chance to show off.

He said proudly, “I eat what I like, never care about the price.”

Chen Luoxian insisted, “You really should check the prices first.”

Zheng Jinyuan glanced casually, and his eyebrows twitched twice.

• Lamb tripe: 50 NZD/portion
• Beef tripe: 60 NZD/portion
• Chicken heart: 40 NZD/portion
• Duck feet: 50 NZD/portion
• Goose feet: 80 NZD/portion…

Zheng Jinyuan was used to traveling abroad, so he recognized the currency—these were all New Zealand dollars. That meant one portion of lamb tripe was over 200 RMB!

Chen Luoxian had ordered almost everything twice, and he wanted to double that to four portions. Just for these dishes, the bill would exceed 4,000 NZD!

Fortunately, Zheng Jinyuan did have the money. Spending tens of thousands on a meal wasn’t unusual for him. But he felt that paying tens of thousands of RMB for Haidilao hotpot didn’t seem worth it.

However, considering that Chen Luoxian was with him, he reasoned: “The price is fine! Haha, once there was Zhou Youwang playing with the nobles with beacons; now I, Zheng, offer a feast to charm a beauty!”

Chen Luoxian’s awkwardness surged countless times. She bit back several times, but finally her OCD kicked in and she had to correct him: “It wasn’t King Zhou who played with the nobles with beacons—it was Zhou Youwang.”

As for Zheng Jinyuan’s self-proclaimed title, she didn’t comment. After all, he was treating her to a meal—he could call himself whatever he liked, even if she thought it sounded ridiculous.

As the thousands-of-NZD menu was sent to the kitchen, Chen Luoxian quietly mocked herself: I’ve become a gold-digging tea bitch—eating someone’s lavish meal while secretly looking down on him.

Soon, the hotpot base arrived. Lifting the lid, a rich, aromatic fragrance wafted out, instantly whetting one’s appetite.

Zheng Jinyuan, who had initially been a little stingy, now had bright eyes and exclaimed: “Damn, this hotpot smells fucking amazing!”

Chen Luoxian almost choked on the words.

Realizing he had just blurted a curse, Zheng Jinyuan quickly explained: “Ah, sorry, I was just surprised by the smell.”

Chen Luoxian, unwilling to eat his lavish meal for nothing, said insincerely: “No need for manners, Mr. Zheng—you’re just being genuine.”

The hotpot ingredients arrived quickly on a small cart, each on delicate, small plates.

Zheng Jinyuan looked down and asked, “This is one portion? One portion of duck feet costs 50 NZD, and there are only two? That’s 25 NZD each?!”

The waiter smiled: “Yes, sir. Our duck feet are a premium ingredient sourced from Sunset Ranch. If you understand New Zealand’s food market, you’d understand our pricing. Sunset Ranch…”

Seeing she was about to give a long explanation, Zheng Jinyuan impatiently waved his hand: “Alright, alright, I get it—they’re expensive and high-quality. But your broth is not bad.”

The waiter replied: “Our broth is made using beef bones from Sunset Ranch—this is our signature soup.”

Duck and goose intestines cook quickly; just a few flips are enough. Chen Luoxian carefully dipped a piece in sauce, took a bite, and immediately made a satisfying “crunch-crunch” sound.