Shen Yi wanted to be angry at her, but seeing the slight trembling on her body made him feel regret leaving her earlier. She must be really scared of being threatened by that Lei Peng and his men.
“Were you scared?” His tone softened, surprising Shen Xue who was listening to them.
‘Damn. My Big Sis is good, alright,’ Shen Xue thought.
Not only Lu Xinyi avoided being scolded by her husband, but she was also able to divert his attention away from spending a fortune to support Oriental Bliss.
Seeing her eyes turning wet, Shen Yi ran his fingers on her short locks, reminding him that she was his utmost priority above all. Damn all the consequences! If his wife was happy to compete with Lei Peng, he only had to make sure she wouldn’t lose a single cent from this cooking face-off.
“They said their three chefs would compete. If you and Lingyu will represent Oriental Bliss, you’re short of one chef,” Shen Xue said, placing the twins to sit at one of the tables so they wouldn’t step on broken shards on the floor before crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.
“Eh? You’re forgetting about me!” Huang Shenghao exclaimed, “Of course, the great Chef Huang is here to save the day!” He patted his chest confidently.
“Shenghao, your nose is getting longer.” Tian Lingyu broke his bubble. “Xinxin didn’t even say your name earlier.”
Huang Shenghao gasped dramatically.
“Madam Shen, I thought you also considered my help. Does this mean I wouldn’t be cooking alongside you?”
Lu Xinyi, who was still in her husband’s embrace, turned to face Huang Shenghao.
“Of course, you are included, Brother Huang. Although I cannot promise you monetary rewards later,” she told him.
“I don’t care about any monetary gain! I want that thrill and excitement to compete against professional chefs. I’m sure this is what Lingyu wanted.”
“Yu Gege will be the head chef though, and you, the sous chef. I’ll take over the desserts so you needed not to worry about it,” Lu Xinyi informed him.
The next day, Shen Yi asked Kang Wei and Qiao He to process the turnover of Oriental Bliss’s ownership under his wife’s name. With only two days remaining, Lu Xinyi together with Tian Lingyu and Huang Shenghao had a limited time to learn the family recipes of the Ji family.
To support his wife, Shen Yi canceled all his appointments for the week to watch her train with her brother and oversee the competition Lei Peng started. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
In just a day, Oriental Bliss was restored in its previous state. The walls were newly painted and the front had new signage to attract customers. Oriental Bliss temporarily closed their business until the day of the festival.
“So this will be the final menu? Not bad at all. I think we were able to save and create signature dishes that customers would easily remember,” Huang Shenghao told his friend.
They were currently seated inside the empty dining hall while Shen Yi was seated several meters away from them, working on his laptop while Qiao He was reading the documents on his hands in a low voice.
The three switched their casual clothes and wore the restaurant’s uniform. While the waiters were wearing navy blue shirts and black pants, Lu Xinyi and the two princes were wearing black shirts with the restaurant’s name printed on their backs.
Lu Xinyi pulled her hair tie out of habit and was about to fix her hair when she remembered that it wasn’t as long as before.
“Is this really alright, Grandpa?” Ji Mingqian asked her grandfather. Before the old man was hard to convince to change his mind after his long talk with the Lu siblings, Old Man Ji gave his approval to change the menu of the restaurant.
“What Madam Shen and Mr. Tian said to me made sense. We want to leave a legacy. Showcasing the best dishes as our signature ones would attract them to come back in the future, not only with their family but their friends.” Old Man Ji sat next to her and pushed an old book of recipes towards Lu Xinyi.
“This is our heirloom. Although our recipes might not be the best among the rest, we treat these recipes as our most valued treasure so, Madam Shen, I entrust this book to you.”
However, Lu Xinyi shook her head and pushed it back to the old man. She didn’t need this. She knew how important these family recipes to the Ji family.
“I’m not a member of your family. This… I think this book should belong to your granddaughter, Ji Mingqian now.” Lu Xinyi smiled while Ji Mingqian was shocked by her suggestion. She wasn’t good as a cook; neither was she able to continue the legacy of their restaurant.
Did this mean that once Old Man Ji passed away, the Oriental Bliss would also disappear with him?
“Then at least try to learn it, Madam Shen. If you think you need to revise the recipes, you are free to do so.” Old Man Ji insisted.
“You have such trust in me, old man?” Lu Xinyi raised a brow on him. How could Old Man Ji entrust her with such an important heirloom?
The old man laughed and ran his hand on his white beard. As he laughed, his eyes turned crescents. His mood was really calm as his worries about Oriental Bliss’ future had been saved by Lu Xinyi’s sudden appearance in their lives.
“Madam Shen, I may be old; but my eyes and memory aren’t as bad as Lei Peng’s. Anyone who has heard Madam Shen’s name before would know that you’re one of the best chefs of Silver Leaf Academy although I’m surprised to know that you are also related to the reigning king of Silver Leaf, Tian Lingyu.”
“But the three chefs of le Reverie are all professionals. Do we stand a chance against them?” Ji Mingqian asked worriedly.
Maybe entering a bet with Lei Peng was a bad idea.
