Chapter 281 - I Have A Lot Of Money. It’s Okay If It Fails.

Episode 274-  I have a lot of money. It's okay if it fails.

There was also another thing this business student mentioned which was always knowing who her competitor was. And that got Eugene thinking, hence she went around the academy looking for her competitor only to find out that there was no one who had a restaurant as a business. Most businesses mostly offered objects, which are often customized, and this was not in her scoop of competitors at all as the genre of restaurant and merchandise was different. 

In the end, she felt hungry and ended up in the school canteen and just when she was about to take her first bite, she had a sudden realization. 

'My competitor…' She muttered speechlessly in her head as she glanced slowly across the canteen. Of course, who else could her competitor be other than your one and only… school canteen!

Eugene felt an immense crisis as she put her spoon of food down. Two drops of sweat even trickled down her face as she thought about this crisis. There was no way commoners would pay for food when there was already a free food option. In the academy, the first plate of food was free, your second plate and above cost you money. Hence, there was no way commoners would want to eat at her 'restaurant' if there was already cheap food here in this place!

These were the things Eugene had never thought about until now which put Eugene in deep thoughts. In the end, Eugene gave up on being a millionaire as the only thing they could do was earn a bit of pocket money. To be the number one in the food industry in the academy, there was only one thing she could do, which was to make her food cheap. Cheaper than the school's kitchen. 

And like that, one week passed and finally it was the day of their restaurant opening. Of course, news spread far and wide about the restaurant because of Eugene's smart marketing tactic. She made the art students pass on the brochure to their friends, and in exchange, they get a 25 percent discount on eating. Because Eugene is a popular student these days, the art students readily accepted and trusted Eugene when she assured them with confidence that her restaurant's food was great. 

It was also the first time Watt, Ppa, and Camille would see the abandoned kitchen in a week since they were forbidden to cook in the abandoned kitchen for a week due to renovations. 

They didn't even head inside the kitchen yet when they became stunned at Eugene's piece of art which is the iron plaque that stated the name of the restaurant, Heaven's Menu. The plaque was beautiful and it looked as if the person who crafted it put in a lot of effort. There are even drawings of clouds on the iron plaque. 

"... You did all that?" Watt's voice was filled with speechlessness as he turned slowly to Eugene with eyes that only showed amazement and shock.

Eugene nodded but then shook her head, "If you mean the iron plaque, I ordered it from our fellow art student."

"They are very talented." Said Ppa in a very low spoken voice. 

Eugene nodded. She had not expected the art students to be this talented as there were no prior projects they could show her. What she had believed in when she went to the art classroom was if the students here were brave enough to choose art as a subject, it means they are talented or believed that they were good at doing what they do. 

"I didn't think Miss would truly turn our hangout space into a real business." Said Watt with a helpless smile. 

Eugene raised a brow, "Why? Did you think I wouldn't invest in the restaurant?"

Watt nodded, "Yes, I didn't know Miss was very serious about it. Now it makes me slightly anxious if people will come to like my food."

Eugene thought for a moment. Well, all this time she had been running around to places setting things up without truly properly gathering everyone or talking to the group about their future route. It's no wonder that they didn't know what was going on. This is a bad business mistake!

"Don't be anxious." Eugene tried to reassure the group, "I know your food is good. So if it fails, it's on me as the manager. Besides, I have a lot of money. It's okay if it fails." She shrugged, walked to the door and slid it open. 

"Ready?"

Everyone nodded a second after. Eugene showed a proud look as she slid the door open and stepped aside for everyone to see. 

The beige wallpaper that had not been touched up by new paint in many years has been completely replaced with grey paint to maximize the atmosphere. The bench chairs have been replaced by real chairs, and tables big enough to accommodate 10 people have been switched to 4 people tables. There were candleholders on each table along with small vases with roses.

If not romantic, then no one knows what this 'atmosphere' could be called. It was beautiful, sophisticated, and never seen before.

"I have never seen grey paint before…" Said Watt as he stepped in and touched the wall. 

Eugene nodded, "The art students experimented with many things and their new invention was this colour pain, hence I ordered it. It should be one of a kind for now." Eugene glanced around the room and nodded in satisfaction. 

"Did you spend a lot of money sister?" Aernest asked as he glanced around the room. 

Eugene thought for a bit. To be honest, the only thing she spent money on was the paint, the iron sign, hiring the business student, buying plates and cups, and placing and sourcing the ingredients. The tables were donated by the principal, and the candles and roses were given to her as an extra for sourcing orders for the plates and cups.

The oil lamp for nighttime use was already in the room and it matched well with the atmosphere Eugene was going for so she didn't change that. In the end, Eugene replied, "Not a lot. A lot of it was given as gifts."

"Oh…" Aernest humbled as he looked around satisfied. 

"But is it me, or does the room feel smaller?" He asked again. His question made everyone look around properly only to realize that what he said was completely right. Their dinner hall could fit 80 people but now it could only fit in a max of 40 people. Everyone turned to Eugene with a bizarre look. 

"Well…" Eugene began to explain but her words were stuck in her throat. In the end, Eugene gave up on trying to explain and brought everyone directly, "I'll just show you." She said before opening a door that was looked to be a part of the wall from a distance however upon coming closer, you would notice a slight crack. 

Eugene opened the door and immediately everyone gasped. 

"What…"

Eugene scratched her head, "Well…" She had extra money so she thought that she might as well renovate their dining hall. The room was painted in white, and instead of the benched tables, there was a real dining table. It was made to fit 8 people. This space included a relaxing corner with a bunch of books for people to read. 

Everyone turned to Eugene with a shocked expression. Who is this woman? 

"I had extra money…" Eugene began awkwardly. To be honest, this wasn't even an excuse as Eugene was someone who always had money. Hence no one believed her when she said she had extra money. They were incredibly moved by Eugene who thought of their well being while she had to deal with this stressful project. Turning an abandoned dinner room into a real restaurant. 

"Thank you. It's truly… beautiful." Ppa expresses his sincere thanks to Eugene. With this renovation, he felt that they had truly become a gang. A friendship gang. 

Eugene pursed her lips awkwardly before walking forward, "Let's go check out the kitchen." 

"You redid something with the kitchen as well?" Camille said as she ran after Eugene. 

"Not too much. Just painted the walls and got rid of stuff I didn't see you using." Basically what Camille saw as she entered was no longer a cluttered kitchen with many items on the shelf but a minimalistic kitchen with stuff put away. Not a single pan or pot could be seen hanging on the shelf, not to mention any spatula or ladle. 

"Where did everything go?" Camille asked as she looked around before running to a shelf and opening it. 

"Oh, it's here." She breathed out in relief as she thought that Eugene threw everything away. It was something that felt like a Eugene thing to do.

"It looks very clean now." Said Ppa as he looked around. Before, the kitchen looked depressing and dark, but now because of the white paint, it looks sophisticated and as a kitchen area for rich people. 

"You worked hard." Watt was just about to put his arm on Eugene's shoulder when he paused and retracted his arms. He just remembered Aernest telling him that Eugene hated people touching her and would kill the person immediately.. He didn't want to be a dead corpse just yet hence he pretended as if nothing happened and stepped away.