It was not the first time that Qin Kai felt the taste of living a life worse than death. He had been on the brink of life and death many times, and many times even he thought he would not make it. He still remembered those feelings that made people want to die and want to hit their heads on the ground. Qin Kai thought that after experiencing all this, no matter what kind of pain and torture he encountered, it would not be a hurdle that he could not cross.

However, at this moment, none of the painful memories engraved in his bones could be compared with this time. His mind was completely clear, it was as if there was a pair of hands holding a small hammer hitting and crushing his limbs to his internal organs, and then his mental power and brain bit by bit. The severe pain made him become particularly clear and calm. Obviously, he should have howled louder than any time before, but the pain was so extreme that he could not make any sound, and even moving his fingers slightly became a luxury.

 Zhou Jinnan’s face was solemn, which Qin Kai had never seen before. His hands were steady. He followed the steps in his mind step by step, and put the prepared herbs into the bathtub without delay. Then he used his mental power to sort out the medicinal properties and guide the energy to reshape the body… Time passed slowly, but it felt like it passed quickly. Before he knew it, Zhou Jinnan’s forehead was covered with cold sweat.

He was more nervous than Qin Kai. Qin Kai only needed to know that he had to try his best to stay awake and get through this painful process, while he could not make any mistakes. Even the slightest deviation was not allowed. However, Zhou Jinnan did not panic. He carried out all the steps with a rigorous attitude as usual.

Mozhi lay quietly beside Zhou Jinnan, which was rare, ready to take over the work when Zhou Jinnan could not hold on.

In the Zhou family’s small building, Huo Xuan had sent everyone away two days ago. At this time, Huo Xuan was waiting anxiously outside Qin Kai’s room. From time to time, he would turn his head to look at the closed door, and then lower his head to look at the time displayed on his personal terminal. He felt that every minute and every second he spent waiting was unprecedentedly long. Prince lay silently by the door, with his ears pricked up to carefully capture any movement coming from inside.

One hour, two hours, half a day… The longer the time, the more restless the people waiting outside became. Even Zhou Shudi couldn’t help showing a worried look.

“Click–” The door was opened from the inside. Zhou Jinnan walked out with a pale face and weak steps. Even Mozhi in his arms showed fatigue. He spoke very lightly, but his words were very clear: “It’s done. No one is allowed to enter this room before Qin Kai wakes up. The process of reconstruction is much more difficult than I thought. Qin Kai is really a pervert. This time, I must raise the price.” Even at this time, he did not forget to raise the price.

After saying this, Zhou Jinnan lost his balance and fell on Zhou Shudi’s shoulder who came to greet him. This scared Huo Xuan and Zhou Shudi.

“It’s okay, I’m just too tired. I’ll go take a rest.” After checking Zhou Jinnan’s condition, Chen Wenyan, who was temporarily pulled over by Huo Xuan, made a reassuring gesture to Zhou Shudi and Huo Xuan. He asked curiously, “What did Chef Zhou do? Generally speaking, few people are tired to this extent now.”

Huo Xuan didn’t say anything, and waved his hand to let Chen Wenyan leave. Chen Wenyan didn’t need to know too much about Qin Kai’s affairs. Seeing this, Chen Wenyan stopped asking tactfully, and after reminding Zhou Shudi on the side about the precautions, he took the initiative to leave.

Zhou Jinnan was not in control of the overall situation in the back kitchen. Zhou Shudi initially assigned Jushanlou’s work to Shu Xiaotong and others to share, but the diners soon noticed the difference from usual, and many people complained about it. These complaints and opinions were firmly remembered by Shu Xiaotong and others. Many diners could not resist their curiosity. After asking, they found out that the chef who was in charge of cooking before was absent for a few days. So they all asked about the time when the chef would return and made an appointment to come on that day.

At this time, Shu Xiaotong, Liang Yongning and others deeply understood the importance of Zhou Jinnan to the kitchen. Without Zhou Jinnan, the customer flow of Jushanlou dropped at a visible speed, which made them more eager to learn. They secretly decided to work harder to learn Zhou Jinnan’s cooking skills and abilities.

But when Zhou Jinnan was supposed to come back, the diners still did not see the chef, which caused everyone’s dissatisfaction. Shu Xiaotong and others could take on the diners’ questions and called Zhou Shudi over. After getting Zhou Shudi’s answer, the diners could only continue to make do with the apprentices’ skills even if they were reluctant.

When will Chef Zhou come back!

It was at this time that Bai Xiran arrived at Aquamarine Star. As soon as he got off the spaceship, Bai Xiran followed the instructions on the map and headed straight for the destination, Jushanlou. During the time on the spaceship, Bai Xiran learned a lot about Jushanlou on the Star Network and knew that Jushanlou’s business hours.

“Jushanlou… is this the place?” Bai Xiran looked up at the imitation wood sign that was custom-made in an antique style. There was a sign of tiredness between his brows after a long journey.

After entering the restaurant, Bai Xiran did not find a seat to sit down and order, but directly called a service robot and said politely: “Can you take me to see the owner of Jushanlou? I have something important to discuss with him.”

Bai Xiran’s approach was different from others, which attracted many people’s attention. Many people took the opportunity to look at Bai Xiran quietly while waiting for their dishes to be served. All kinds of thoughts and guesses flashed through their minds.

Bai Xiran’s statement certainly could not convince the service robot. How could such a casual excuse easily allow Bai Xiran to see the boss?

 “I really have something important to discuss with your boss. If your boss is not available for the time being,” Bai Xiran thought for a moment, and took out a document proving his identity from his briefcase and showed it to him, “Then please tell your boss that someone from Baoda Group wants to discuss cooperation with Jushanlou, and we came here with full sincerity.”

Baoda Group?! After hearing Bai Xiran’s intention, the people present inevitably showed a curious look. As a giant group ranked in the top three in the Federation, Baoda Group’s industries are spread across various fields. Almost no one in the Federation has not used products or services related to Baoda Group. Such a huge giant group actually came to the door to cooperate with Jushanlou?

Could it be that Baoda Group saw the value of Jushanlou and wanted to acquire and operate Jushanlou? Some people couldn’t help but guess.

When Zhou Shudi heard from the service robot that someone from Baoda Group had come, he was stunned. He quickly restrained his expression, and after thinking again and again, he decided to meet the person who came from Baoda Group to discuss cooperation.

However, Zhou Shudi never thought that the person who came from Baoda Group this time would be Bai Xiran.

Zhou Shudi knew Bai Xiran, and he had known him for a long time. As early as more than 20 years ago, Zhou Shudi had heard this name and met Bai Xiran.

 But Bai Xiran didn’t know Zhou Shudi. When he saw that the visitor was a handsome man, he was also a little confused: “Is this the boss of Jushanlou?” Why doesn’t he look like a chef at all?

Zhou Shudi did not look like a chef. Even from his appearance, many people thought that this person should not be associated with a place like the kitchen when they saw Zhou Shudi for the first time. He stopped in front of Bai Xiran, with an upright posture and a light and distant aura, just like the tall pine trees on the mountains after the snow, cold and lonely. If someone observes carefully, they will unexpectedly find that there are some similarities between Zhou Shudi and Bai Xiran’s eyebrows from a certain angle.

Bai Xiran and Zhou Shudi’s appearance are not much different. Because of his professional preference, Bai Xiran wore a white suit. This kind of clothes that are extremely picky about people’s figure and aura were interpreted by Bai Xiran as a gentle and modest temperament. The clothes and the person set off each other, and it is hard not to make people feel good.

 However, in Zhou Shudi’s eyes, his good impression turned into disgust and aversion. Fortunately, Zhou Shudi knew his limits and did not show any preference. He gestured to Bai Xiran coldly and introduced himself: “I am the owner of Jushanlou. It is not convenient to talk about things here. Come with me.”

Zhou Shudi turned around and walked straight to the private room on the second floor without waiting for Bai Xiran to follow him. During the days when Zhou Jinnan was away, many private rooms in Jushanlou were vacant. These private rooms were well soundproofed, and were just the right place to talk about things.

Bai Xiran was stunned by Zhou Shudi’s perfunctory attitude. After reacting, he hurriedly followed Zhou Shudi’s pace, leaving those people downstairs whispering and talking. It might not be long before the news that Jushanlou and Baoda Group were interested in cooperation would spread all over Aquamarine Star.

Turning into one of the private rooms on the second floor, Zhou Shudi sat directly in the middle without knowing any etiquette, crossed his hands on the table, and asked directly: “I wonder what kind of cooperation Baoda Group wants to reach with Jushanlou? As for high-end restaurants, I remember that Baoda Group already has a high-end chain restaurant Zhenxiu Pavilion under its name, so it shouldn’t be interested in Jushanlou.”

Bai Xiran hasn’t met someone who is so impolite to him for many years, and his tone is not as polite and courteous as at the beginning: “It’s about the method you have to develop and use mental power. Baoda Group is very interested in this and hopes to reach a cooperation with you. You should know the strength and reputation of Baoda Group, and you should also know how valuable the things you have are. If we can join forces…” 

Zhou Shudi interrupted Bai Xiran’s endless speech without any hesitation: “Sorry, Jushanlou does not intend to cooperate with Baoda Group at any level.”

“Why?” Bai Xiran asked subconsciously, “This can obviously be a mutually beneficial win-win cooperation. I don’t think you have any reason to refuse. You can first listen to the conditions offered by Baoda Group…”

“No need. No matter how tempting the conditions you put forward are, Jushanlou will not agree to any cooperation with Baoda Group.”

“By the way, I forgot to introduce myself,” Zhou Shudi said here, leaning back leisurely, “My name is Zhou, Zhou Shudi.”

Bai Xiran’s pupils shrank when he heard the words, and his face was instantly filled with astonishment. He looked at Zhou Shudi with disbelief in his eyes.