The weather had already turned cold.

Looking out from the window, people walking along the streets of the business district had already changed into winter coats to keep warm, hustling along the roads they traveled every day to make a living.

Jin Yaotiao pushed open the small window as wide as it would go, sighing as the cold wind brushed her face.

The table was piled high with thick financial reports.

Those she had already read were spread out beside it, a compilation of Mingde’s financial reports over the past few years that had been arranged for her.

In the past, such documents had always been handled by her father, so she had never had access to them.

Now, as she went through them, she realized the figures were far from optimistic.

In the meeting room that day, her third uncle had sarcastically told her that Mingde’s business condition was deteriorating.

She had a sense of it, but she didn’t expect things to be this dire.

---

Currently, Mingde only had two active brands—“Mingde Dayuan” and “Xunxiangyan.”

As for Xunxiangyan, it had been stagnating in a loss for many years, with expenses outweighing income, relying entirely on the revenue from “Mingde Dayuan” to stay afloat.

However, “Mingde Dayuan” followed an affordable pricing strategy, meaning its profits were limited.

Though it had performed decently over the years, it could not really be considered a booming success.

At least before the anniversary banquet she managed, this brand’s popularity and customer loyalty ranked nowhere near many of the other restaurants in Linjiang.

It was only because her father was decisive, launching the restaurant during a market vacuum period that Mingde had remained firmly established in the business world.

However, this stopgap approach to management was clearly not sustainable, or else her father wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of establishing “Yinyan.”

---

“Hu…”

Jin Yao Tiao combed her long hair back, leaning on the window, lost in thought.

In fact, the “Yinyan” project didn’t go very far either.

Thanks to the rapid development of the economy, the high-end restaurant market had become the new battleground in the food industry in recent years.

There were many competitors for “Yinyan,” one of which was the Cheng family’s Yunding Restaurant.

At the time, she didn’t care much about the family business.

She occasionally heard her father mention that her cousin, Jin Jiarui, had decent work abilities, and with such a strong competitor as Yunding Restaurant, “Yinyan” had managed to secure a foothold in Linjiang.

It was thanks to this impressive performance that her father had started to pay special attention to him, selecting him to focus on nurturing among the younger generation of the Jin family.

But although “Yinyan” later surpassed Mingde Dayuan to become Mingde’s most important project, the restaurant still couldn’t break the curse of Mingde’s mediocre reputation.

She had once pondered why this was the case, and now she realized that her third uncle had already been in contact with the Cheng family early on.

Naturally, there was no need to say more.

“Yinyan” was actually the performance gift from the Cheng family to Jin Jiarui, which helped him secure his position in Mingde.

Since it was a gift, everything made sense.

No matter how close the cooperation between her third uncle and the Cheng family, they could never allow a truly equal competitor to emerge.

---

She remembered the various reports she had made afterward.

At that time, her domestic network of contacts was limited, while Jin Jiarui had already taken charge of Mingde.

Though both sides were not worlds apart, the power balance was not significantly skewed.

Still, in this situation, Jin Jiarui had been gradually losing ground, with mounting scandals about him turning to alcohol to drown his sorrows, and the company’s morale plummeting.

Was it because Mingde had been on the brink of collapse at that time?

Jin Yao Tiao could not know for sure, but through these signs, she could already see the danger beneath the calm surface.

A company of such a large scale required astronomical daily expenditures.

Her father had never expressed his struggles to the family, providing her with a life of luxury, but Jin Yao Tiao could analyze his difficulties from these financial reports.

Adding to the large sum spent on buying back her third uncle’s shares not long ago, she knew her father was probably nearing a breaking point.

Money was as heavy as a mountain.

Mingde could no longer afford to be this passive.

---

Her second uncle’s cousin arrived soon after being notified.

At the time, Jin Yao Tiao was doing research in the store with the Yinyan project team.

She was a bit surprised to hear that her cousin had come to thank her.

In the past few years, it had become very common for younger members of the Jin family to work in the company through connections.

Except for Jin Jiarui, who had visited for a better position, very few relatives would specially come to express their gratitude.

Usually, only their parents would call Jin Yao Tiao’s father.

She briefly considered many possibilities, such as her cousin wanting to get familiar with her for a smoother career.

But when she saw her cousin in person, all those thoughts turned to bitterness.

Her cousin was extremely cautious, far more than the other Jin family members who seemed to think it was their entitlement to enter Mingde.

She looked almost terrified of the special treatment she was receiving.

She didn’t even dare to show familiarity with Jin Yaotiao’s colleagues in front of her, and after arriving, she hid outside to call Jin Yaotiao, telling her she had arrived.

Jin Yaotiao came out to meet her.

Her cousin was small, a little reserved, with a gentle demeanor typical of a Jin family girl.

She nervously said, “Yaotiao, thank you for letting my father agree to my working here. I don’t have much work experience, and I didn’t do as well in college as you.

I don’t know if I can handle the position you gave me.

But I’ll learn from my colleagues, and if I make mistakes, you don’t have to spare me because of my father.

Just tell me directly.

I’m not here to slack off, I’ll work hard and won’t cause you trouble.”

Jin Yaotiao nodded, “I understand. Why don’t you go inside?”

“No, I heard you’re usually busy, so I just wanted to drop by and say thanks today while I don’t have a task yet.” Her cousin glanced inside, noticing the colleagues, and quickly stepped back. “Sorry for taking your time. You go back to work, I’ll leave now.”

“Did you start today?” Jin Yaotiao grabbed her cousin’s arm and pulled her into the store. “Everyone’s discussing the project work. If you want to learn, now’s a good time.”

Her cousin was shocked when pulled into the store.

She tried to avoid being seen, but was immediately noticed by a sharp-eyed colleague.

A manager looked at her face and, seeing her being led by Jin Yaotiao, asked, “Director Jin, who is this?”

Her cousin, Jin Sui, was startled and quickly straightened up. “Hello, I’m a new member of the Yinyan project team, just starting today. I’m here to report to Director Jin. Please take care of me, you can call me Sui Sui.”

She didn’t mention her relationship with Jin Yaotiao.

Jin Yaotiao glanced at her and said nothing.

The girls of the Jin family were so difficult, raised without the right to choose their lives, which made their confidence vastly different from that of the Jin family boys.

It was rare for her cousin to still have a career-oriented mindset despite such upbringing. Since she said she wanted to work well, there was no need to emphasize her being a relative.

Her colleagues immediately greeted her with smiles, and though her cousin lacked confidence in front of Jin Yao Tiao, she was poised and well-mannered when meeting others. She seemed to be a good communicator, speaking softly and with tact. She quickly blended into the group of strangers, becoming much more popular than Jin Jiarui.

In front of everyone, she didn’t take the initiative to speak to Jin Yao Tiao. The project manager of Yinyan cheerfully suggested, “Director Jin, everyone is so busy lately, and now there’s a new colleague. How about a dinner tonight?”

Her cousin thought she had caused Jin Yao Tiao trouble and quickly waved her hand. Jin Yao Tiao smiled and said, “Sure, everyone’s worked hard. Let’s have a big dinner.”

With her agreeable attitude, everyone immediately cheered.

Although they really wanted to eat the meal cooked by Jin Yaotiao, it was clearly inappropriate to ask their superior to cook, especially for a group meal. That would be quite out of place.

But being able to have a meal with His Highness the Crown Prince was already a great honor!

---

However, although it wasn’t appropriate for her to personally cook for the group, Jin Yaotiao didn’t make them settle for anything less.

She gathered the team of trusted subordinates who had been working overtime for weeks and made simple sandwiches in the kitchen as a fun way to build team cohesion.

The sandwiches, though simple, were not as easy as they seemed.

Fresh ground beef was pressed into patties and cooked to medium rare, then placed between perfectly toasted thick slices of bread.

She added pre-made buffalo mozzarella and cheddar cheese, occasionally helping out, mostly guiding the team.

The team worked enthusiastically, occasionally asking her whether they could add certain ingredients.

The atmosphere was lively, and it boosted morale more than ordering takeout.

Arugula, pickles, Mexican chili slices, or just simple tomato slices—Jin Yaotiao only removed a few ingredients that would clearly affect the flavor.

The rest was up to them, and the final sandwiches, each with its own unique characteristics, came out piping hot.

The uniform smell of the beef patties filled the kitchen, and Jin Yaotiao took out the dessert she had made the other day to pair with it.

Her cousin, though intentionally hiding the fact that she was related to Jin Yaotiao, couldn’t help but ask curiously when she saw the dessert, “What is this?”

The dessert was simple, a milky white block, large and served on a plate.

It looked almost like fresh tofu, emitting a faint coolness, understated and even somewhat plain.

“It’s milk pudding,” Jin Yaotiao said, slicing the plain-looking block into equal squares with a sharp knife. “Made with buffalo milk. I plan to put it on the ‘Hidden Feast’ dessert menu.”

Everyone was a bit confused. “This… looks like tofu?”

She didn’t explain further, instead offering forks for them to try it themselves.

The project manager picked up a piece, stared at it for a moment, and then cautiously took a bite. His eyes widened in disbelief: “What?”

What was going on?

The milk pudding didn’t have a strong scent, but once he tasted it, it melted immediately on his tongue, the rich creamy flavor wrapped around his taste buds with a subtle coolness.

The smooth sweetness was perfectly balanced, not overpowering the delicate taste, and the texture was far more intense than its plain appearance suggested!

He immediately stuffed the rest of the pudding into his mouth and, when he looked back at the plate, found it empty.

His colleagues were much more careful, taking small bites, savoring it as though afraid they’d eat it all too quickly.

Jin Yaotiao asked, “How does it taste?”

Everyone could only nod in agreement.

The project manager smacked his lips, clearly savoring the lingering taste, and then shook his head. “Director Jin, if you dropped that piece on the floor, I’d pick it up and eat it.”

Jin Yaotiao: “?”

Project Manager: “I’d eat it immediately.”

Jin Yaotiao: “…”

Seeing that she didn’t take action, he reluctantly grabbed one of the sandwiches he had made himself.

As soon as he took a bite, his eyes widened again.

The soft beef patty released a burst of juices from the edges of the toast, dripping all over his mouth, complemented by the gooey buffalo mozzarella and rich cheddar cheese.

It was incredible!

He stared at his hand in disbelief: “Did I make this? This… this is what I made?”

A colleague couldn’t help but speak up: “Manager Wu, don’t you think the flavor of the beef patty was guided by Director Jin?”

The project manager seemed to have an epiphany, tears welling up as he chewed. “If I had this kind of skill, my wife wouldn’t have divorced me.”

Jin Yaotiao: “…”

Who would’ve guessed he was a man with a tragic fate?

---

Jin Yaotiao decided to treat her colleagues to a special gathering, choosing a rather low-key club near the river for the location.

The place was relatively upscale, and only a few people could attend due to her requirements.

The project team had been working hard recently, and this outing was her way of showing appreciation.

Everyone was excited, and when they entered the club, their excitement only grew.

However, just as they entered the lobby, Jin Yaotiao unexpectedly ran into a group coming out.

The contrast between two figures walking side by side was particularly striking.

A colleague behind her whispered in laughter, “Wow, look at those two walking together.”

“Ha, the comparison is brutal, a handsome man and a beast?”

“Not a handsome man and a beast, more like a handsome man and a pumpkin.”

Jin Yaotiao glanced at the “pumpkin,” who was just a typical middle-aged, slightly overweight businessman, with a beer belly and short stature.

He wasn’t ugly by any means, but the striking contrast next to the tall, distinguished man beside him made him appear even more out of place.

She was about to move away, but the handsome man next to the “pumpkin” quickly turned his head toward her, then stopped, staring at her.

This time, it seemed like it was a genuine encounter.

She sighed and said, “President Shen, what a coincidence.”

The “pumpkin” glanced between the two of them, then looked up at Shen Qi Ming and asked curiously, “President Shen, do you know her?”

Shen Qi Ming nodded, his gaze still on Jin Yaotiao. “She’s… a friend of mine.”

The “pumpkin” smiled broadly and immediately called over a nearby staff member, sternly instructing, “This is President Shen’s friend! Be sure to treat her well!”

The staff member rushed off to carry out the instructions, and Shen Qi Ming glanced at the group behind Jin Yaotiao before asking, “Here for fun?”

“Yes,” Jin Yaotiao smiled and looked at his group, waving her hand. “We won’t disturb you, President Shen. We’ll be on our way.”

Without further ado, she decisively led her team away.

The club staff, upon hearing the news, eagerly invited them to the VIP floor.

Shen Qi Ming stood there, watching her leave, his gaze lingering for a moment.

When he didn’t move, the others had no choice but to stand still.

A girl in a silk qipao behind him hesitated for a while before quietly asking, “President Shen, why aren’t you leaving?”

Shen Qi Ming came back to his senses, furrowing his brow, and finally walked a few steps forward.

He then turned to the “pumpkin” and said, “Please have Mr. He send them more drinks, and less alcohol.”