Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Sorry, I've got something I need to take care of."

Xi Wang didn't know who these two men were, only that they made a perfect couple.

After a quick hello, he spotted the Manager approaching from a distance. Worried about looking bad by lingering too long, he quickly turned to Jiang Jining and asked: "Are you a guest of the restaurant?"

Jiang Jining nodded slightly.

"It's not too busy in here. If you're not in a rush after you're done, feel free to hang out in the lobby." Seeing Jiang Jining hesitate, Fu Yuze smoothly stepped in: "We're having a meal here."

Xi Wang just wanted to wrap things up and was really thankful for Fu Yuze's suggestion: "Alright!"

Jiang Jining gave him another little wave, softly saying goodbye.

Xi Wang smiled and said he'd see him later.

Once they left, he pulled himself together and greeted the Manager who had come over: "Hello, are the results in?"

"There's going to be an extra round."

The Manager had eyes. He'd already been really impressed with Xi Wang—a handsome young chef, only the second one of that caliber he'd seen, Fu Yuze being the first. What's more, his skills and creativity were really solid, making him the clear frontrunner from the previous rounds of voting. "The dish for the extra round will be evaluated only by the head chef. You only have one chance. His standards are extremely strict. Try to make sure every part of it is objectively top-notch."

Xi Wang gave a firm nod.

The Manager entered the break room to announce the rules again. But when it came to the decision part, he left out what he'd just told Xi Wang.

Was he the only one who knew?

Xi Wang nervously grabbed a handful of his pant leg.

The last time he felt this way was the day his gaokao scores came out.

He carefully recited the rules to himself again, afraid of missing anything.

Shishu's employee benefits were top-tier, from salary to career prospects. It had a huge number of high-end customers and, in just over three months, had become a dark horse in the domestic culinary scene.

For career advancement, many chefs in Jingzhou had been keeping an eye on Shishu. After a long shift, Xi Wang saw Shishu's official recruitment post for a sous chef position. While finding it hard to believe, he immediately applied and began preparing for the interview. He stuck it out until payday, then quit his job as head chef at a five-star restaurant the very next day.

Xi Wang had even spent a pretty penny to try Shishu's dishes. He was blown away by the level of service and the skill of the kitchen team.

This further solidified his resolve.

Xi Wang had a gut feeling.

That stunning long-haired boy and the man beside him... were probably VIP guests here.

He seemed to have run into some big shots.

In the private room around the corner—

Jiang Jining was holding Fu Yuze's hand and telling him about running into that guy.

"His name is Xi Wang."

Fu Yuze listened patiently the whole time.

Jiang Jining was pretty surprised: "Do you know him too?"

"No." Fu Yuze now found everything Jiang Jining said absolutely delightful. He explained: "His resume is decent. He has lots of relevant experience, and he outperformed the other three candidates in the first two rounds. He ranked eighth in the Jingzhou Keju culinary competition."

Jiang Jining caught on right away.

"He's here for a job? He didn't greet you earlier."

"I wasn't present for the front-end recruitment rounds." Fu Yuze explained both aspects: "I'm in the decision-making position. He hasn't met me. Do you want me to hire him?"

Jiang Jining spoke his mind: "Can you?"

Fu Yuze saw his anticipation: "Yes."

Jiang Jining knew this probably wasn't difficult for him, but then remembered something important: "How many chefs are you hiring?"

Fu Yuze told him: "One."

Jiang Jining hesitated.

"Then... how many people were eliminated in the previous rounds?"

"Twelve or thirteen."

Fu Yuze played with his hand, pinching and touching it, acting like a besotted ruler.

Jiang Jining quickly felt as if he had done something improper and began to feel troubled.

"Later, you just need to choose the one that suits your taste the most." Fu Yuze saw through his little worries at a glance and comforted him: "I have a good grasp of his skill level, and I also have veto power. If the dish you choose matches mine, and it indeed turns out to be his, it won't be considered favoritism."

Fu Yuze's way of opening this "back door" was perfectly reasonable.

If nothing else.

Jiang Jining had considerable expertise in food.

This was specifically demonstrated during Shishu's trial operation period—the dishes he commented favorably on were now in high demand.

He was indeed picky, but he also truly knew how to appreciate good food.

But soon, Fu Yuze regretted it.

The candidates' dishes were considered an extra course. However, Jiang Jining didn't touch anything else, saving his appetite. He took the selection process extremely seriously, even losing focus on his meal, repeatedly tasting the three designated dishes.

His palate was naturally sensitive.

The differences between the dishes quickly became apparent.

It didn't take long for Jiang Jining to write down a number on a card.

Even if Xi Wang lost, it wouldn't be embarrassing.

In Jiang Jining's view, there was a clear gap in skill between these dishes.

Fu Yuze only took one bite of each, roughly forming his judgment. He took Jiang Jining's completed scorecard, opened it, and met his eagerly expectant gaze: "I'll tell you the result after you finish eating."

Jiang Jining had no choice but to bury his head and eat diligently.

When Bian Jiacheng found out what they were doing, he also became interested.

Fu Yuze, showing no bias whatsoever, had the manager hand him a card as well. He took it, looked at the result, and wasn't surprised in the slightest.

Jiang Jining nervously nibbled on his chopstick. "What did he choose?"

"His vote doesn't count." Fu Yuze glanced at Bian Jiacheng, who was signaling the manager to clear away the plates. Afraid Jiang Jining would get too distracted to eat, he made a show of placing Bian Jiacheng's card in his pocket in front of him, indicating it was void.

Jiang Jining blinked.

So be it.

Bian Jiacheng had to butt in on Shishu's recruitment...

It would be even worse if he gave suggestions that could sway the boss's opinion.

As it turned out, Jiang Jining was right.

Fu Yuze never planned to use Bian Jiacheng's "absolutely subjective" suggestion. The card was completely blank save for a big cross on dish number three!

Dish three was made by Xi Wang.

And Jiang Jining had picked it perfectly as well.

Fu Yuze had watched the chefs' cooking techniques and methods via video in the first two rounds, roughly understanding Xi Wang's approach to cooking, and recognized it at a glance.

As for Bian Jiacheng...

Coincidentally, he had hated white radish since childhood.

He despised anything that tasted of white radish or anything remotely similar. The sauce for dish three happened to have a broth base made from white radish. Despite the complex and impressive flavor profile, Bian Jiacheng instantly detected it, spat it out onto a napkin without a second thought, and panned it.

From any perspective, his suggestion would not be adopted.

This was undoubtedly a good dish.

After the meal, Fu Yuze announced to the manager: "The chef who made dish three stays. Have him wait in the lobby. Reimburse the travel and accommodation expenses for the other two applicants over the past few days."

The manager said, "Okay."

Jiang Jining still stared intently at Fu Yuze. Later, when Fu Yuze looked over, he got an affectionate nod.

Jiang Jining was so delighted it was as if he himself had been selected. He stood up and kissed the corner of Fu Yuze's mouth, then froze, realizing what he had done.

Bian Jiacheng: "..."

"You two are really annoying."

"Come on, it can't be a coincidence—"

Not only did his sworn enemy, white radish, win, but he also had to watch the two of them being all lovey-dovey. "You both chose three? Fu Yuze, you didn't even choose, you're biased!"

Fu Yuze had no intention of emphasizing his status as the boss. "I'm not biased."

"Yeah, right?" Bian Jiacheng wiped his hands and stood up to leave. "If I ever tag along on your dates again, I'm a dog."

And with that, the biggest eater was the first out the door.

After the door closed, Jiang Jining asked Fu Yuze, puzzled, "Why did he suddenly compliment himself?"

*Puppies are cute.*

Fu Yuze found him utterly adorable all day long.

Meeting his gaze again, he cupped Jiang Jining's face and kissed him, reminding him, "No one's here now. Let's have a proper kiss."

Jiang Jining's response was lost in the passionate kiss.

It didn't last long.

After all, there was still a friend waiting outside.

Fu Yuze took Jiang Jining, whose eyes were shimmering and lips tenderly red, to the lobby, only to find Bian Jiacheng hadn't left yet.

Following his gaze—

It landed precisely on the person sitting upright in the lobby, writing.

Xi Wang clicked the pen shut, put his daily notebook and pen into his backpack, and rose to his feet, bowed, and accepted the fruit tea the manager brought him with both hands. "Thank you."

Jiang Jining let go of Fu Yuze's hand and walked over, sitting in the chair opposite Xi Wang and softly offering congratulations.

Xi Wang was both surprised and delighted.

Jiang Jining formally expressed gratitude for the previous help.

Both seemed like people who weren't naturally enthusiastic, yet they chatted back and forth quite naturally.

Xi Wang inadvertently saw the manager walking respectfully toward Fu Yuze and immediately understood his identity. He looked at Jiang Jining somewhat unexpectedly. "Is it because of you that I..."

Jiang Jining shook his head. "You were the best one."

Across the way, Fu Yuze walked over to Bian Jiacheng and asked as if seeing through people's hearts, "Know him?"

Bian Jiacheng initially thought he had mistaken him too.

He was wondering why there were still customers when Shishu wasn't open for business today?

He glanced over, feeling the face was familiar, but couldn't remember who it was for the longest time. Standing here and looking a bit longer, he finally recalled Xi Wang's face.

That guy who...

In front of the hospital coffee shop, said he couldn't get into bed and broke up crying.

But...

"How does Ningning know him?"

Bian Jiacheng watched the two sitting together.

Last time, he thought Xi Wang was a bit ordinary, a sickly, delicate little white flower. Not only had he become much more handsome and sharp after the breakup, but he also looked quite presentable next to Jiang Jining?

"You met him at your birthday banquet." After Fu Yuze said this, seeing Bian Jiacheng's confused expression, he helped him recall: "The background check showed he had worked as a head chef at Yunhao Hotel. He was the chef de cuisine at the time."

"My birthday banquet..."

Bian Jiacheng quickly got an impression when reminded.

Right, the food that day was really good. He had been busy with the event all day and hadn't had time to eat. He went there and finished two bowls right away. Many friends praised the menu planner that day, saying they had excellent taste.

Bian Jiacheng looked at Xi Wang, a thin and frail-looking person, probably around 182 cm with shoes on, dressed simply—you really couldn't tell he had any arm strength. He found it strange: "Can he even lift a wok?"

Fu Yuze looked at his privileged friend with no life skills and patiently instructed—

"Any normal adult male can."

Bian Jiacheng was at a loss for words.

The dramatic breakup scene of the fragile "white lotus" with a heart condition was too deeply ingrained in his mind; he couldn't quite connect it with a chef working a roaring-hot wok. "...Was that white radish sauce just now made by him?"

Fu Yuze gave a confirming hum, glancing at the two who had started exchanging contact information. "A Ning has never taken the initiative to socialize before. They should become good friends."

Cats need friends too.