Chapter 65

Chapter 65

"Can we order now?" Chen Hu looked around for a menu and then noticed the electronic screen above the kitchen window, displaying the restaurant's specialty dishes in a loop.

"You can scan the QR code on the table," Uncle Wang called out.

As a pilot project in the Shennong Star food circle, the opening day of the Shennong Star Restaurant was of great significance. His role wasn't in this department, and the snack section he managed hadn't opened yet, so he took the opportunity to help out.

Chen Hu nodded, chose a table by the window, and sat down, feeling that the seat cushion was very comfortable.

The transparent windows framed the dark night, reflecting the interior scene, making every angle look like a movie scene.

The layout and design had a lot of texture.

He used his smart device to scan the QR code, and a dozen dishes appeared. Just by looking at the pictures, he could tell they would taste good.

The menu at Shennong Star wasn't very extensive. He had heard of the sour and spicy noodles and the Spicy Dried Radish, but the other dishes were almost completely new to him.

As an experienced foodie, there were still dishes he had never seen before, and Chen Hu was captivated.

His eyes swept over the pictures, and as he passed each dish name, he speculated on its taste.

Egg dishes: scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes, egg and mushroom soup, steamed eggs

Chicken dishes: chicken stew with mushrooms, Spicy Pepper Chicken, pickled chicken giblets

Vegetable dishes: mapo tofu, vinegar-glazed cabbage, roasted sweet potatoes, spicy bean patties, egg layer cake

Chen Hu, who wasn't short on money, ordered one of each.

At the moment, he was the only guest, so the dishes came out very quickly, and soon everything was on the table.

He started with a bowl of sour and spicy noodles to satisfy his long-starved stomach.

Then, he reached for the dishes he hadn't tried before: scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes, Spicy Dried Radish, egg and mushroom soup... He cleared the table and also ate five bowls of white rice.

His favorite was the rich and juicy mushrooms, which were even better than meat.

When he was so full he couldn't eat anymore, more guests gradually arrived at the restaurant. Satisfied, he patted his belly, took a photo of the messy table, and posted it in the "Foodie" group.

[Comfortable, haven't eaten this well in a long time!]

[Where is this? Never seen these dishes before?]

[Heavens! I'm here, not many people yet, the restaurant isn't full, waiting for the dishes, will report live later.]

An hour later, the group was flooded with messages urging for updates and @Chen Hu, but Chen Hu was nowhere to be found. The person reporting live finally arrived late.

[Sorry, it was too delicious, couldn't find time to send messages, more and more people are coming! If you want to come, hurry! The restaurant has started limiting each dish to one order per person!]

Two more hours passed, and the group received another live report.

[There's only one hotel here, and it's fully booked now, crazy, everyone's gone crazy! They're all thinking the same as me, staying at the hotel here to continue eating tomorrow!]

The foodies in the group couldn't sit still, curious and buying tickets to go to Shennong Star to eat. After a five-hour flight, the group was completely quiet, no one spoke, and it was unclear what was happening.

Arriving at Shennong Star, their first thought was: Isn't this just an ordinary barren star?

Reaching the long queue at the Shennong Star Restaurant, they thought: Is it really that good?

When it was their turn to order and sit down, they dug into their bowls of white rice and devoured the dishes without looking up.

No time—seriously, no time to brag in the group chat!

Like a whirlwind, they finished their meal, letting out satisfied burps, "So good!"

Then they unanimously opened their smart devices to book a hotel, preparing to hit the restaurant again tomorrow, but the result was astonishing.

It was only noon, and the hotel was already fully booked.

Shennong Star only had one hotel!

*

Yun Wan hadn’t anticipated the restaurant would be this popular, with many people coming from afar, even using up their vacation days just to eat on Shennong Star.

Even though there wasn’t much else to do, many chose to stay, choosing to wait in line outside the restaurant rather than leave.

Indeed, the allure of great food is undeniable. She had underestimated it, but luckily Lu Huai was there to help, with a few burly guys pitching in as temporary waiters, constantly running back and forth between the kitchen and tables.

Even Yun Wan had to jump in, barely keeping up with the orders.

And that was with the second and third floors still closed. If the third floor were fully operational, they’d be seriously understaffed.

The development of a planet is indeed not that simple, fixing one problem only to create another.

"Wow, that waiter is so handsome!"

"Look, look, he's coming over!"

"Wow, the apron is so cute! He's total husband material!"

Just as Yun Wan finished serving the dishes, she saw Lu Huai surrounded by a group of young girls, all asking for his contact information, and some even boldly hitting on him:

"Come back to the capital star with me, I'll take care of you!"

That girl looked to be in her twenties, decked out in high-end interstellar brands, with a very wealthy family, but her manners were lacking, like a little delinquent.

Lu Huai, holding a dish, stood there awkwardly.

He pursed his lips, uncomfortable with being cornered, and glanced at Yun Wan, saying softly, "Sorry, I need to serve the dishes."

Yun Wan could see the discomfort in his eyes.

Like a wolf out of its element, unused to crowds, seeking help from his master.

Ah! What a strange feeling!

Those girls were unreasonable, persistently blocking Lu Huai, not letting him pass unless he gave his contact information, and the customers at another table were growing impatient.

Not to mention these girls were hindering the normal work of the staff, such behavior of forcibly asking for contact information was already harassment.

Yun Wan couldn't stand it anymore and walked over to intervene, "Madam, we have rules, we cannot disclose the personal information of our employees."

Most people would realize their behavior was inappropriate at this point, but this girl was clearly spoiled by her family and didn't see anything wrong with what she was doing.

"It's just a contact information, is it really necessary?"

Her little follower also chimed in, "Exactly, what's the big deal? Isn't it better to follow our sister Yuanyuan than to serve dishes in this backwater place?!"

The girls were being rude, seemingly intent on making a scene.

It’s opening day today, and Yun Wan wanted to start with a good omen, not looking to start any trouble.

She patiently said, "He’s allowed to say no, ma’am. You’re already bothering other customers."

The girl in charge didn’t care, blocking Lu Huai and opening her smart device, continuing, "Just hand one over."

"Ma’am..." Yun Wan’s smile nearly slipped, only to be interrupted by the other party’s disdainful laugh.

"Hey! Who’s this girl with no curves? Why is she making such a fuss here? She’s so annoying!"

Glancing down at her chest and then at the other girl’s ample figure, Yun Wan was completely rattled.

I’d rather die than be humiliated! Ugh!

"Are you his girlfriend? Why are you sticking your nose in?!" Qin Yuanyuan mocked.

"So what if I am?" Yun Wan placed her hands on her hips.

"Why would he even bother with you?"

Taking a deep breath, Yun Wan went full throttle, stepping in front of Lu Huai, "Sorry, but he’s my boyfriend and my employee. You! Not only are you hitting on my man, but you’re also disrupting the restaurant’s operations. Lu Huai! Ban her right now! Shennong Star doesn’t put up with guests like this!"

"Okay!" Lu Huai replied without hesitation.

If you looked closely, you’d see his face turning red.

"You’re in charge?!" Qin Yuanyuan shrieked.

"That’s right." Yun Wan’s lips curled into a proud yet polite smile.

"Hmph!" Qin Yuanyuan clearly lost some confidence, "What does it matter if you’re the boss? I spent 10,000 star coins here, you..."

"Give them their money back and kick them out! They’re disturbing other customers!" Yun Wan didn’t even let her finish, directly instructing Lu Huai to escort them out.

At Lu Huai’s signal, Qian Zhuang, a big guy, stepped up beside Yun Wan, cracking his knuckles.

He threatened, "Are you leaving on your own, or do I have to make you?"

His huge frame, like a mountain, scared the girls stiff.

"I’ll leave on my own!"

"You’ll be sorry for this!" Qin Yuanyuan spat out her last words and slunk out of the restaurant.

After the troublemakers left, the restaurant broke into applause.

"The lord is so kind!"

"The lord is even more beautiful than in the livestream!"

"Great job, lord! I couldn’t stand them anymore! They were blocking the way, and I haven’t even had a bite of warm food yet!"

"Thank you all for your support. As an apology, each table will receive a small tomato fruit platter. I hope everyone enjoys their meal."

Hearing about the bonus, the eyes of all the customers in the restaurant lit up.

"No problem!"

"Lord, we don’t mind! Not at all!"

"The owner is so nice! The food is great, and so is he!"

After solving the problem, everyone looked at Yun Wan with fiery eyes. She kept her cool, greeting the guests as usual, but inside, she was super embarrassed. While everyone was busy eating and not paying attention, she slipped out quietly.

Let the guys take care of the serving!

Lu Huai had followed her out somehow.

Remembering how she had casually claimed to be his girlfriend earlier, Yun Wan felt a little awkward.

"Don’t worry about it, I just said it without thinking."

"Mm, I know," Lu Huai lowered his head, looking kind of pitiful, "I made things difficult for you, it's my first time being a waiter..."

"You did a great job, and it’s not your fault this time. You’re the good one, they’re the bad ones!" Yun Wan was still angry.

"Really?"

"Yes! Do you want to take the afternoon off?" It seemed like the incident had really affected Lu Huai.

"I want to keep at it," Lu Huai said seriously.

"Keep it up! I’ll get you an extra chicken leg later!"

Watching Yun Wan's departing figure, a small smile flickered in Lu Huai’s eyes.

He seemed to have figured out how to get along with her.

She had a really soft heart.

*

Mei Shi Jia lost a ton of followers due to the Shennong Star vegetable incident, and only after a public apology across the internet, blaming it on cosmetics, did the remaining fans grudgingly accept it.

Now that the vegetable storm had passed, seeing the popularity of Shennong Star, she started cooking up a new plan.

This time, she wasn't planning to oppose Shennong Star, but seeing the restaurant’s popularity shoot up, becoming the top trend in the foodie circle, she, as a natural food blogger, didn't want to fall behind. Seizing the opportunity before the big streamers went live, she started her own live stream, sure to grab a lot of attention.

To get back her lost followers, she immediately bought a ticket to Shennong Star and started a live stream to document the entire journey.

Her live stream was titled: Exploring Shennong Star Restaurant with You. As soon as the stream went live, the number of viewers surged, much higher than her usual food streams.

Mei Shi Jia knew she had made the right decision this time!

Arriving at Shennong Star, she pouted when the camera wasn’t on her.

Never thought she’d need to ride the coattails of a barren star!

How good could the vegetables from such a barren star taste? The way these netizens were behaving, Shennong Star vegetables were definitely not innocent; even if they weren't laced with poison, they must have some banned substances.

It's not like she hadn't eaten vegetables before; she knew exactly what they tasted like.

But for the sake of popularity, whether it was toxic or not, she had to take the chance.

Walking to Shennong Star, she had to wait in line under the blazing sun.

Mei Shi Jia had applied exquisite makeup, and fans had just complimented her, but now her eyeshadow was almost smudged.

Sweating profusely, her smile was almost breaking, but she had to pretend to be excited and chat with the live stream audience.

After waiting for several hours, she finally entered Shennong Star Restaurant, only to be told about the purchase limit, which made her a bit unhappy.

"This restaurant sure has a big attitude!" she said sarcastically.

She had long been dissatisfied, and now she was going all out to find fault.