Chapter 13

Chapter 13

This was the least cloying hangover soup Nan Shuyi had ever drunk.

He had tried the ones cooked by his family's housekeeper and Zhou Yi's mother—some were unbearably salty, others sour and spicy enough to sting the nose, and some had a strong fishy smell. Every time, he had to force himself to down it with a frown, and the effects were mediocre. But this bowl of hangover soup had a slightly sweet-and-sour taste without being overpowering, like drinking a bowl of milky white fish soup without any fishiness. The fish had been prepared well; after drinking it, his throat and stomach felt comfortable and relieved, with no discomfort. He even felt like having another bowl, though he wasn't a glutton.

The Nan family was mainly in the food industry, naturally involved in the restaurant business as well. Having grown up tasting many delicacies, Nan Shuyi had his own standard for food. On a scale of ten, today's hangover soup could score a seven, which he considered above average.

Jiang Yicen asked him, "Can you drink some more?"

Nan Shuyi didn't hold back his praise for the soup: "It tastes pretty good, the best hangover soup I've ever had so far."

Chef Xu smiled and said, "It was all made using the method Mr. Jiang provided."

Nan Shuyi looked at Jiang Yicen: "You know how to do this?"

"I don't know how to cook; I just remember a method. I'm a theorist, not a practitioner," Jiang Yicen said truthfully. Then he turned to the chef and said, "Please serve the dishes."

Chef Xu, the manager, and a few others stepped out, and the waitstaff brought in the soup tureens and dishes. Soon, only Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen remained inside—Nan Shuyi savoring the aftertaste of the hangover soup, and Jiang Yicen quietly arranging the tableware.

To Nan Shuyi, having an extra person in his life all of a sudden was still something he wasn't quite used to.

On normal days, at this time, he would be out freely drinking with friends, or attending some special event or gathering, or maybe driving his sports car, playing games, or enjoying sports. He had never lacked money or friends since childhood, always seeking some excitement. After his mother passed away, he had no real goals in life. Nan Anru was at his wit's end with him but, despite his frustration, was extremely indulgent with this son. He would scold him, but never cut his allowance.

Nan Shuyi never imagined he would go through a blind date and then marry the person he was set up with. He never thought something like this could happen to him, but in reality, he was not only married, but his husband was also a man.

He hadn't eaten anything all day, only had alcohol in his stomach. Now, he finally had a warm meal.

Whether it was because he was hungry or the food was truly delicious, Nan Shuyi drank the sweet and savory morel soup and ate dishes that suited his taste. His hangover faded, he was no longer drowsy, and his fatigue was gone.

Jiang Yicen, sitting across from him, had impeccable table manners. He had also been hungry for most of the day, but his pace of eating remained the same, and he sat upright while dining. If you wanted to tell whether someone was putting on a show, the key was to observe their unintentional movements—no one could keep faking it forever without slipping up.

Could Jiang Gongming really raise such a son? Probably not entirely, since Jiang Yicen had spent years abroad. The Jiang family wouldn't bother grooming a son they had abandoned, unless Jiang Yicen himself had self-discipline and goals, or had been secretly trained by his mother. But He Nuanqing didn't seem like a clever person. From sending her only son to the United States to arranging a marriage with the Nan family, these actions made it hard to think she was smart. Her ingratiating behavior only benefited herself and the Jiang family, leaving Jiang Yicen with no advantage.

The Jiang family was never going to end up in his hands; Jiang Gongming would eventually hand the company over to Jiang Yiting.

Nan Shuyi kept these doubts to himself. Perhaps Jiang Yicen, like him, had made some agreement with the Jiang family and wasn't voluntarily married.

"How did you convince Chef Xu to cook this meal for us?"

The most important thing was that he personally came up to ask Jiang Yicen if the soup suited his taste and if it was authentic—that was pretty surreal.

Jiang Yicen said, "I went straight to the kitchen to find them."

Nan Shuyi: "So he's pretty easy to talk to. Our company tried to reach out to him before, and he didn't even respond."

Jiang Yicen had almost finished eating, so he put down his chopsticks, surprised that Nan Shuyi had voluntarily mentioned the company to him.

He asked, "Did you want to recruit him for the company?"

Nan Shuyi: "Yeah, I offered him the position of executive chef with an annual salary higher than his current one."

"How much higher?" Jiang Yicen didn't know the current salary level for chefs, but he knew that the former head chef of Yongjiang Restaurant didn't earn a low salary.

Yongjiang Restaurant had one head chef, and different regional cuisines each had a chef de cuisine. The executive chef managed the entire kitchen, while the chef de cuisine handled their respective cuisines.

Most diners at Yongjiang Restaurant were gourmets with picky palates. They could easily tell if the dishes weren't cooked by a specific chef; they were all experts, and the chefs dared not slack off. However, chefs who performed well at Yongjiang often left to start their own businesses. Jiang Yicen would try to retain them but also remember their contributions to Yongjiang, giving them red envelopes when they left. Those who remembered his kindness would send him New Year gifts every year—a relationship of give-and-take.

In those days, Yongjiang Restaurant was not only reputable for its food, but its employees also spoke highly of the owner for being benevolent and righteous.

Jiang Yicen often remembered the Jiang family's teachings: never bring shame to the family name.

Nan Shuyi: "He makes about 800,000 here a year. The offer I made him was over a million annually."

Jiang Yicen calculated in his mind the salary he used to give the head chef of his own restaurant. Back then, top chefs in the outside world earned about eight to twelve silver dollars, while Yongjiang paid higher.

"That's a very high salary level, but..."

"But what?" Nan Shuyi just wanted to boost the restaurant's performance quickly. Hiring a famous chef to improve the taste of dishes was the most important thing. Since he was the chef de cuisine at Yongjiang Restaurant, he shouldn't make big mistakes.

Although Yongjiang's performance had declined in recent years, it was still a famous restaurant. Many people come for the food, and Nan Shuyi believed that a renowned chef was indispensable to saving his restaurant company. At the very least, he could use the chef's name for marketing.

Jiang Yicen also knew about Nan Shuyi's current company situation. He realized that the Cantonese restaurant where Nan Shuyi had taken him when he got lost was actually one of the chain stores under his company.

"But what?" Nan Shuyi had only brought this up casually. He usually complained about work matters to Zhou Yi, but Zhou Yi was also a trust-fund kid with no such pressure. Their industries were different, so Zhou Yi couldn't give him specific advice. He hadn't expected Jiang Yicen to give him any feedback at all.

Jiang Yicen said, "Actually, Chef Xu isn't suitable for Cuizhu Restaurant."

Chef Xu wasn't particularly strong with soups, and the most iconic aspect of Cantonese cuisine is its soups. A single dish can reveal what a chef excels at.

Nan Shuyi became interested: "It's true that he's not good at Cantonese cuisine, but he does have some experience in it."

"Are you just after his reputation?" Jiang Yicen reconsidered. Nan Shuyi must have investigated Chef Xu. Maybe what he valued wasn't the dishes he was good at.

Nan Shuyi: "That's one factor."

Jiang Yicen stuck to his point: "But in the end, it's the food that keeps customers coming back."

Nan Shuyi: "For now, he's the most suitable candidate."

Jiang Yicen: "Maybe you should think it over more. After all, dishes are the biggest factor in customer retention."

Nan Shuyi had more experience in marketing. Many restaurants have succeeded through marketing campaigns in recent years. To meet Nan Anru's requirement within a year, he could use this approach, though the upfront investment would be significant.

"I remember you majored in marketing management in college, but you're focusing more on the food itself?"

Jiang Yicen thought to himself: he hadn't studied marketing either. But he had noticed many marketing-related books on "Jiang Yicen's" bookshelf—it turned out that was his field of study. If he continued this conversation with Nan Shuyi, he would give himself away since he knew nothing about modern marketing.

Actually, back in his time, Yongjiang Restaurant and the Jiang family's factories and shops all placed newspaper ads when they launched new products. Different products had different promotion methods. For example, high-end snacks were promoted by fashionable women to children of wealthy families.

Recently, he had only been catching up on modern everyday knowledge. He hadn't studied product marketing at all. Moreover, modern marketing uses new technologies like video billboards, celebrity endorsements, and various platform promotions.

"Because I put the diner first?" Jiang Yicen looked at the fresh fruit the manager had brought in. "Do you eat strawberries?"

Nan Shuyi leaned back in his chair and smiled. The topic change was so abrupt. He noticed that whenever he brought up something about Jiang Yicen's time abroad, he would avoid answering. Was his time abroad really that bad?

"I'll wash them." He noticed Jiang Yicen had been staring at the creamy white strawberries on the fruit plate for quite a while.

Nan Shuyi picked up the plate and washed the fruit that could be washed.

Jiang Yicen had never seen cream-colored strawberries before. While Nan Shuyi was washing them, he quickly looked them up. It turned out they were called white strawberries.

He took a small bite. The flesh was translucent, with a jelly-like texture, and had a milky aroma.

Nan Shuyi watched him eat with enjoyment and tried a couple himself.

Thinking of the bed he had slept in with his clothes on, he asked, "Are we staying here tonight or going back?"

Jiang Yicen said, "Whatever you say."

Since they had got married at his own restaurant, spending another night there seemed just fine.

Nan Shuyi had a bit of a neat freak: "Let's go back home. It smells like alcohol here, and your luggage should have been moved over."

Jiang Yicen replied, "Mm."

Though the suggestion wasn't abrupt, he still wasn't fully prepared for it.

Nan Shuyi glanced at his watch: "Eat some fruit first. I'll call the driver to pick us up."

They had both been drinking today, so they couldn't drive.

The temporary bridal chamber was just that—temporary. Nan Shuyi still preferred to go home.

The driver was busy that day, shuttling guests from the Nan family to their destinations. It took half an hour before he could pick them up.

Throughout the ride, neither spoke much.

Jiang Yicen was a bit tired, while Nan Shuyi's buzz hadn't fully worn off, his head slightly heavy, so he closed his eyes to rest.

After being stuck in traffic for over two hours, they finally arrived at the house where they would live together.

It wasn't a private garden-style imitation antique villa like the Jiang family's, nor a modern standalone townhouse, but a duplex penthouse.

The house was right in the heart of the city, in a prime location.

Jiang Yicen had never lived on such a high floor before. Watching the incrementing numbers on the elevator display, he felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

The elevator stopped at the 17th floor. Since it was a duplex building, the top floor was the 21st.

Nan Shuyi unlocked the door with his fingerprint. Jiang Yicen was amazed—the Jiang family always had someone around, so they never used a fingerprint lock; he'd never seen one before.

Every new piece of technology fascinated him.

As soon as he entered, Jiang Yicen spotted a suitcase sent over from the Jiang family. It mainly contained clothes he'd gotten since arriving in this world; he hadn't touched any of "Jiang Yicen's" belongings.

The house had been arranged and decorated by Nan Anru's people. The walls were covered with wedding symbols. Nan Shuyi had been living in a small apartment near his office and didn't stay here often, so he hadn't paid much attention. Only when he turned on the lights did he realize how overly festive the place was—even the chandelier in the living room had red ribbons hanging from it.

On the table sat a red tray, a red wine pot, and red wine glasses, so festive it was almost blinding.

Nan Shuyi: “...”

He shouldn't have casually said "whatever." It was way too red. He suspected Nan Anru bought all these himself!

Jiang Yicen didn't feel uncomfortable. A little tired, he asked, "Where do I sleep tonight?"

Nan Shuyi picked up his suitcase: "Come upstairs with me."

Once upstairs, Nan Shuyi immediately regretted it. He should have checked first before bringing Jiang Yicen up.

His black-and-white bedding had been completely replaced with cheerful red covers, and his heart sank.

Nan Shuyi stopped at the entrance of the bridal chamber. Jiang Yicen, standing behind him, asked, "Is this where we're staying?"

Nan Shuyi, who had intended to retreat, turned away from the guest room and headed to his bedroom and replied, "Yeah, here."