Afternoon, 5.30 pm.
Ping An Street. The sudden situation had caught everyone from Li Zhi Restaurant off guard.
“What is going on?”
“Hello? Hello? The speakers had stopped working.”
“Why are the lights in the restaurant not working?”
“Check the circuit breaker!”
“It is not a short-circuit. I think it is a blackout!”
The restaurant workers are running around. It is the dinner peak hour, and they have lots of diners. The loud commotion in the afternoon had attracted more diners, and they were almost half-filled. But the diners’ dinners are disrupted. Although the sun had not set yet, it was dark inside. The air conditioners had also stopped. How are the diners going to eat their dinner in the dark and heat? All the diners started complaining.
“What is going on?”
“How are we going to eat?”
“Why is it so dark?”
Li Lu is looking terrible. Why did is a blackout happening at this time?
But blackouts are common, and power will be restored after a few minutes. Li Lu and the restaurant staff thought it was just another blackout. Li Lu looks at his watch and waits for the electricity to come back. He did not even make any calls, as blackouts will affect a big area. Someone will report it.
But a staff suddenly exclaimed. “Eh, Boss!”
Li Lu looks at her. “What’s wrong?”
“This…” The waitress looked around. “It seems that we are the only business that is experiencing a blackout.”
Her words reminded everyone else.
“What?” Li Lu and the rest look around. The barber’s pole at the barber opposite is still spinning, and business is as usual at the small general store next door.
Other than Li Zhi Restaurant, the whole street is not affected!
Damn! What is the meaning of this?!
Before Li Lu could get over his shock, Dong Xuebing patted his shoulder again. “I wish you to have a prosperous business.” He turns to the rest. “Director Zhou, Director Meng, let’s go. I will give you all a ride.” Dong Xuebing returned to his Cayenne. Zhou Yanru, Meng Shenguo, and Qu Yiqiang exchanged looks and smiled. They took a last look at the commotion in Li Zhi Restaurant and boarded Dong Xuebing’s car. They remembered what Dong Xuebing said. “Let’s see who will win.” By now, everyone knows Director Dong causes this blackout!
This is too wicked!
Electricity is very important to a restaurant. Cutting the electricity is cutting their lifeline!
How is a restaurant going to operate without lights and air conditioning? How are they going to cook their food without their electric ovens? Their fridges will stop working. Li Zhi Restaurant cannot even do business, let alone continuing with their promotion activities!
The Subdistrict Office staff learned something new about Dong Xuebing. Not only is he overbearing, but he is also decisive and ruthless. Some staff members told their colleagues in their offices about Dong Xuebing causing Li Zhi Restaurant to have a blackout, and everyone cheered.
“Serve them right!”
“Stop their electricity!”
“One must be ruthless when dealing with someone like them!”
“This restaurant owner is a moron to provoke us!”
“Director Dong is mad now. Didn’t you all want to harass us with your speakers?! Carry on! Why are you all so quiet now?”
Who says Director Dong has no backings? The City Daily newspaper, and this blackout incident, show that Dong Xuebing has connections with the City government!
Guang Ming Subdistrict Office staff are rejoicing, and Li Lu could not even smile.
Cutting the electricity? Li Lu knows the severity of this problem and immediately calls Ping An Subdistrict Office. “Hello, I’m Li Lu. Director Liu, our restaurant doesn’t have electricity!”
“No electricity?”
“There is no short-circuit, and the surrounding shops are fine. It’s just our restaurant that does not have electricity.”
“Really? Let me ask for you.”
“Alright. Thank you, Director Liu.”
Li Lu is young and is bold and fearless when he opens this restaurant. But Dong Xuebing had cut his electricity, and it is cutting his source of income. He still has to pay the rental, ingredients, wages, etc. The losses incurred per day are too high for a newly opened restaurant. He had focused on building a close relationship with Ping An Subdistrict Office and had never thought much about that young Director from the neighboring Subdistrict!
Cut my electricity?!
I shall see how long you can cut it!
Li Lu knows Dong Xuebing is only scaring him. He had paid his electrical bills on time, and the electric company could not cut his electricity. He is not scared and doesn’t think Dong Xuebing can stop his electricity for days. Even if Dong Xuebing wants to do that, the electricity will never agree as they will be held responsible. That’s why he thinks the blackout will last an hour at most.
Ring… ring…. Li Lu’s phone rang.
“Hello, Director Chu.” Li Lu answered.
Chu Qinghua said. “I heard from Xiao Liu. What happened?”
Li Lu complaint angrily. “It’s Dong Xuebing from Guang Ming Subdistrict! He made a phone call earlier, and our electricity got cut! This is taking revenge on our restaurant!”
“I had called the City’s Electric Company about the blackout, and they still have not to get back to me. Don’t be anxious. Just wait for a while and see how it goes.”
Li Lu is assured. “Ok.”
Everyone did not expect the blackout to last too long, but they are wrong!
The restaurant’s counter staff received a phone call and ran out in a hurry. “Boss! The City Electric Company had called us!”
Li Lu asked. “What did they say?”
The waitress replied. “They are repairing the cables and are informing us about the electricity cut.”
“How long will it take?”
The waitress started stuttering.
Li Lu gave her a stare. “I am asking you a question!”
“The Electric Company’s staff say electricity will be cut indefinitely and told us to be prepared!”
Indefinitely?!
Li Lu heard that, and his face turned green!
What does that mean? Are they stopping electricity for a day, a week, or a month?
F*CK you, Dong Xuebing!
Li Lu did not expect Dong Xuebing to be so ruthless and thought he was only scaring him. Suddenly, he remembers that Dong Xuebing had beat up his Subdistrict’s residents. If he dares to beat up civilians, what else does he not dare to do?
Indefinite cable repair works?!
Li Lu almost cursed out loud. He had met lots of Government Leaders and staff, but he had never met any Leaders as wicked as Dong Xuebing! He had cut his electricity with a phone call indefinitely!
How is he going to run his restaurant?!
