“Congratulations! Congratulations!”
Secretary Weng, Vice Governor He, and the others walked up and warmly shook hands with Tang Hao.
“That was an exciting competition! You brought glory to Huaxia!” Secretary Weng shook Tang Hao’s hand and laughed heartily.
“You flatter me, Secretary!” Tang Hao said humbly.
“Ha! Why are you so modest? It’s fine to brag a little, young man!” Secretary Weng laughed.
“Why don’t you stay here for a while? Let’s go to the restaurant and have a meal together. I’ll cook for you all!” Tang Hao said.
“OK, OK! I can’t wait!”
Secretary Weng and the others were excited.
Master Chef Ding and the others went to collect the kitchen utensils, packed them up, and were about to leave.
A group of reporters swarmed over.
“Chef Tang, no, Master Chef Tang, is it a convenient time for an interview?”
“Can I ask you a few questions, Master Chef Tang? May I ask how old you are? From whom did you pick up your culinary skills?”
They jostled among each other, which gave Tang Hao a fright.
Tang Hao and the other chefs quickly left through the side door.
When they arrived at the main store of New Magical Kitchen, Tang Hao, Master Chef Ding, and the other chefs went to the kitchen to cook up a feast. Following that was a celebratory meal.
It was almost ten o’clock when Tang Hao sent Secretary Weng and the others off.
“Look, Chairman Tang, you’re famous!”
Shi Yiwen walked out of the restaurant just when Tang Hao turned around and was about to head back inside. She was holding a tablet and giggling.
Tang Hao took the tablet and looked at it. He also giggled.
On the tablet was an article about the competition just now. There was a photo of him on it.
“Why is the photo so blurry? That’s a lousy photographer! He didn’t even manage to take a photo of your handsome face, Chairman Tang,” Shi Yiwen said.
“It must be the lighting!” Tang Hao laughed.
“Maybe!” Shi Yiwen said.
“Also, look here, Chairman Tang, our shop is going to be famous!” As she said that, Shi Yiwen tapped the tablet a few times, displaying a foreign website. “Now, all the foreign websites are full of discussions about the competition just now. They’re talking about our magical cuisine. It’s very popular.
“Some say it’s like a miracle, and some call it the ultimate delicacy. They’re praising us to the high heavens.
“And this one, this is the most popular photo!”
Shi Yiwen tapped on an image. It was a photo of those rich tycoons brawling.
“In a few days, our magical cuisine will be popular all over the world!”
“Isn’t that great?” Tang Hao grinned.
“It’s great! But with more people, the lines will be longer!” Shi Yiwen said.
After chatting for a while, Tang Hao said goodbye to her, Master Chef Ding, and the other chefs and went home.
He went upstairs and came to the door of his apartment. Just as he was about to take out their keys, he heard footsteps coming from inside. Then, the door opened, and a head popped out.
“You’re back!”
Tamamo smiled brightly.
She was dressed in a kimono and smelled of shower cream as if she had just taken a shower.
Tang Hao was stunned and did not resist when she dragged him inside.
“Why are you here?”
“I miss you, of course! Don’t you know how much I’ve missed you, my dear little brother? I really, really miss you…”
After closing the door, she hugged Tang Hao. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time! Let me see. It’s been almost five months! Five months! My dear little brother, you didn’t even come to find me! Not even a phone call!”
She spoke quite resentfully.
Tang Hao opened his mouth, but he did not know what to say.
“Never mind! I’m very forgiving. I won’t mind it at all as long as you spend tonight with me!” As she said that, she smiled smugly.
“Go take a shower first!”
She dragged Tang Hao to the bathroom and shoved him inside.
After he showered, she said, “I’m still hungry. Make something for me. I really want to see you cook. What you did earlier wasn’t enough!”
“What do you want to eat?”
“That fantasy fish! It’s so delicious! I want to eat more!”
She sat at the dining table, rested her cheeks on her palms, and looked over. Her face was delicate and cute without her usual maturity, like a young girl.
“OK!”
Tang Hao retrieved a spirit skate and slaughtered it. “This is called a spirit skate. A few days ago, I went to Changbai Mountain with the Taoist masters to catch it.” Tang Hao told her about the incident as he processed the fish.
She giggled when she heard the part about fishing. “How interesting!”
Soon, a large plate of raw fish slices cushioned by a bed of ice was served on the table.
He poured a bowl of sauce, and the dish was complete.
“I want you to feed me!”
She pulled Tang Hao to the seat beside her.
Tang Hao was helpless, so he picked up his chopsticks and fed her a few slices.
“No, feed me like this!”
She snatched the chopsticks and picked up a slice of fish so that Tang Hao could bite one end. Then, she moved closer and nibbled at the slice of fish.
Finally, she bit on his lips.
“Mm! This tastes even better!” She smiled charmingly, licked her lips, and kissed him again.
It took more than an hour to finish eating the plate of fish.
“Carry me inside!” She said shyly.
He carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. She pulled Tang Hao’s hand, and he fell on her.
“Love me well, my dear little brother!”
She said alluringly while her graceful body entangled with his, like a snake.
When she woke up the next day, she giggled. “My dear little brother, do you want me to give you a check? You can fill in any number you want! I was very satisfied last night.”
“No need!” Tang Hao said helplessly.
If he were to take money from her, that would be no better than selling his body!
“Never mind then. I’ll donate some to that charity fund later,” she said with a smile.
After lazing on the bed for a while more, the two of them got up.
After breakfast, Tang Hao sent her downstairs.
“Remember to call me, my dear little brother!” She waved at Tang Hao and smiled brightly.
Before she left, she came up to him again and kissed his face gently. Then, she giggled, got into the car, and drove away.
As he watched the car leave, Tang Hao stood there and scratched his head, feeling a little troubled.
He went back into the apartment and tidied up his room, then went to class.
“Tang Hao, Tang Hao, is this you?”
As soon as he entered the classroom, a group of girls surrounded him. They held their phones to his face and pointed at the photos.
“I guess!” Tang Hao said.
“Wow, you’re so amazing, the god of cooking! You even defeated the number one and number two chefs in the world!”
“You’re almost an internet celebrity! A lot of people are talking about you on the Internet!”
The girls shrieked.
“Haha!” Tang Hao laughed awkwardly. “It’s nothing!”
He did not wish to become an internet celebrity.
It was almost noon when Tang Hao received a call from Manager Shi.
He rushed to the restaurant to take a look and was shocked. A vast number of foreigners stood in line. It was a magnificent sight.
“This, I want this!”
“I want that very magical dish! What dish? That very magical dish!”
Many foreigners did not know the language, which made for many communication mishaps.
