"You two, be good! It’s already Wednesday. Just two more days until the weekend. Hurry up and go,"
Jiang Liu habitually used his ultimate baby-coaxing technique.
"Waaah, I’ll listen to you, Daddy."
"Okay, hubby."
The two of them hugged Jiang Liu, then left holding hands.
In the line, there were three women dressed in professional attire with hip-hugging skirts.
The moment the three saw Jun Qingmeng, their eyes lit up. "Isn’t that President Xiao Jun?"
"Holy crap! President Jun actually has such a doting-little-wife side to her. It’s so adorable! What do I do? I’m totally fangirling!"
"I think so... but the vibe is all wrong." Song Yan, who had a killer figure and sharply-defined black eyebrows, wasn’t so sure.
’Could this sweet and lovely woman, acting so childishly cute, really be President Xiao Jun?’
’That can’t be right!’
"It has to be her. With those long, fair, and beautiful legs, who else could it be but Sister Jun?" Cao Xin said with certainty.
She’d even accidentally touched them once. They were so smooth that she, a woman herself, had nearly started drooling on the spot.
The three of them gradually accepted the fact that this person was indeed President Jun.
It was just that the contrast in her persona was too jarring.
In everyone’s impression, President Xiao Jun was supposed to be the aloof, ice-queen type, always clicking around in high heels.
Cao Xin said, "I thought Sister Jun would never get married. I can’t believe she got married even before I did. It suddenly makes me curious—what kind of man could possibly handle Sister Jun’s domineering personality?"
"Totally!"
"It would be great if President Xiao Jun could come back. Facing those disgusting men every day is nauseating. President Xiao Jun is so much easier on the eyes, and to be honest, she’s always been really good to us girls."
"I want her back too. I’m sick of that creepy feeling of having my ass stared at all day. Every time I have to go to the office, my heart pounds with dread."
After Jun Qingmeng had walked further away,
the women withdrew their gazes.
"Sister Song, are we really going to eat at this place?"
Lü Ziqing, who was petite and fairly average-looking, chimed in, "Aren’t we just giving money to this hateful owner?
If he makes more money, when will Sister Jun ever come back?"
"Exactly. I really want Sister Jun to lead us again. I loved that feeling of growing under her guidance."
"Don’t panic," Song Yan said seriously. "We’ll eat here just this once, and after this, we’re never coming back!
"Besides, aren’t you curious what ’species’ of man this is? And they say you can judge a person by their cooking. We have to properly vet him for President Xiao Jun’s sake, you know?"
"Alright, then. Just this once. We’re letting that bastard off easy!"
7:05 AM.
Jiang Liu announced he was open for business.
The customers at the front of the line sprinted in, quickly forming a new line at the counter to order.
"Morning, Boss Jiang! I’ll have fifteen buns, a mix of all the fillings, and a bottle of fruit juice."
"I’ll take an order of ham and a bottle of draft beer."
"Fifteen buns, one order of the yak, potato, and mushroom soup, and two more glasses of juice!"
After ordering, the customers would first go claim a seat, then help themselves to the chili oil.
This chili oil was just too fragrant!
No one could resist the fragrant, spicy temptation.
Song Yan and her friends waited for a while before it was finally their turn to enter the shop.
They stormed into the restaurant, but when they got a close look at Jiang Liu, busy behind the counter and wearing a mask, the three of them simultaneously fell silent.
’Hm?’
’This owner is kinda handsome!’
’Why is he so perfectly my type?’
"I didn’t expect him to be so good-looking..." Lü Ziqing whispered.
"He’s alright. It’s just that we’re so used to seeing bald guys at the office that seeing a man with a full head of hair seems novel. It’s nothing special."
Song Yan talked tough, but her eyes were glued to Jiang Liu.
Cao Xin nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Once a man passes thirty-five, his hair falls out in clumps, and, you know, ’that department’ starts to fail."
She said this with an air of great authority.
"What’s so good about men, anyway."
The women grumbled, each trying to sound more cynical than the last.
They were career women, after all, and generally looked down on men.
They ordered forty buns and three bottles of juice.
Before long, Jiang Liu had the forty buns ready.
"Number fifty-four, your buns are ready."
Jiang Liu bent down to get a plate, revealing his well-defined pecs and abs to the three women.
They radiated power!
Seeing Jiang Liu’s physique, the three "sisters" almost couldn’t stop themselves from drooling.
’Oho.’
’Have to admit it.’
’This guy really does have a little... tiny... bit of charm.’
The women were beginning to understand a little bit of President Xiao Jun’s "happiness."
Lü Ziqing went over to get the buns and juice.
Just then, two gold-medal master chefs from the Jing City Deer Garden Residence joined the line at the entrance.
One of them, an outspoken female chef, excitedly shouted the moment she stepped inside, "Jiang the Great God! I finally get to see you in person!"
A question mark formed over Jiang Liu’s head as he glanced at her.
She had a kind face but wasn’t particularly attractive. Her lips were especially thick, like sausages.
"Hello..."
"Jiang the Great God, can I shake your hand?"
The female chef asked expectantly.
Boss Jiang’s name had already spread throughout Jing City’s upper echelons, earning him titles like Master, Kitchen God, and even Immortal.
After Elder Yu and Elder Hou returned yesterday, two posts on their social media feeds caused an uproar among all the wealthy onlookers.
Hou Canjun: "I thought that after fifty years in the industry, I had already reached the pinnacle of the culinary world. Only today did I learn that there are always mountains beyond mountains, and beyond masters, there are immortals! Boss Jiang is the junior I admire most."
Immediately after, Yu Guoguang also posted, lavishing praise on the food he had eaten at Jiang Liu’s place that day.
Once these two titans had spoken, the wealthy people who had previously been watching with disdain could no longer remain calm.
’For real?’
’Is it that amazing?’
But with both big shots having spoken, they had no choice but to believe it!
Jiang Liu had now completely blown up in the upper echelons of the Jing Circle.
*
Jiang Liu said apologetically, "Sorry, I’m working right now. Maybe next time."
"Alright then!"
The female chef reluctantly withdrew her hand. She was holding her phone in her left hand, hoping to record a video of her handshake with Boss Jiang. If she could shake hands with a Kitchen God admired by even Elder Hou, she’d be able to make a name for herself in the Jing Circle.
In the line at the door,
Elder Hou and Elder Yu were back, and behind them stood three unfamiliar middle-aged men.
All of them were impeccably dressed.
They were either in sharp suits or designer clothes, with simple, custom-made watches on their wrists.
Understated luxury.
The three of them were friends of the two elders and would occasionally invite them to their homes to cook.
The two elders were very difficult to book; out of ten invitations, they might agree to only two or three.
Because of this, their friends respected and cherished Elder Hou and Elder Yu all the more. They even couldn’t bear to finish the meals they cooked in one sitting, saving the food to eat over several occasions.
A saying was now circulating in the Jing Circle: If someone could get either Elder Yu or Elder Hou to cook for them at home, that person must be someone with incredible power and connections!
"Elder Hou, can you describe the taste of the buns to me again?" asked Tang Zuhua, who was dressed in a formal suit.
"You’ll be able to taste them yourself in a minute, what’s the rush? In short, they’re so good it’s ridiculous."
"The buns are delicious, but every dish here at Boss Jiang’s is top-tier, cosmic-level stuff. Whether it’s the ingredients or the preparation techniques, everything is impeccable," Yu Guoguang huffed proudly.
He was now a fanatical supporter of Jiang Liu.
The three men stared at each other, speechless.
They remained half-convinced, half-skeptical.
...