Chapter 2

“Spring Noodles that don’t taste like Spring Noodles?” Lin Jingwu burst into Chi Zhihan’s home just as she was cooking. Hearing his request, she looked up, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, her dimples faintly visible. “The orders you’ve been taking lately are getting stranger and stranger.”

“No matter how strange, they still revolve around food, don’t they?” Lin Jingwu grinned, his molars on full display, clearly brimming with excitement.

“Last month, you took an order where the client wanted meat to taste like vegetables.” Chi Zhihan was too lazy to look at him, focusing instead on finely dicing the king oyster mushrooms on her cutting board. “This month, for seven days, the order is for a full vegetarian menu, but the main dish must be eggplant. Seven days, three meals a day, twenty-one meals in total, all featuring eggplant.”

“And now you’re telling me you want Spring Noodles that don’t taste like Spring Noodles?” Chi Zhihan’s large kitchen knife came down hard on the cutting board, chopping off the toughest part of the mushroom. Lin Jingwu flinched at the sound. “And it’s for an interview, with no pay!”

“It’s for the Qi family’s private chef position. If they want dragon meat right now, we’d have to find a way to get it.” Lin Jingwu rubbed his hands together, peeking around Chi Zhihan’s kitchen. “This is the twentieth meal, right? What are you planning to make?”

“Braised eggplant.” Chi Zhihan divided the diced mushrooms into two portions. She sautéed one half in olive oil until fragrant, then added the other half once the first batch had dried out, briefly stir-frying them before setting them aside. The dried mushrooms had a texture similar to minced meat, while the lightly cooked ones added depth to the dish. “I made some doubanjiang^[1]Doubanjiang (豆瓣酱), also known as spicy fermented bean paste or chili bean paste, is a deeply red or brown paste made from fermented fava beans (broad beans) and chili peppers. It is rich, … Continue reading a while back, and it was just opened yesterday. Take some with you when you leave. It’s quite good.”

“Everything you make is always delicious.” Lin Jingwu chuckled, using his chopsticks to pick up a bit of the mushroom and popping it into his mouth. He nodded as he chewed. “It really does taste like minced meat. You have a real talent for cooking. Save up some money and open a restaurant. It’ll be a hit.”

Chi Zhihan didn’t respond, merely glancing sideways at Lin Jingwu.

Lin Jingwu was in his forties, not particularly well-maintained, of average height and slightly overweight. With small eyes and a small nose, his first impression was that of a shrewd businessman.

However, after getting to know him, Chi Zhihan discovered that Lin Jingwu had a certain integrity when it came to money. He believed in earning it honestly, and when it didn’t involve personal interests, he was actually a decent person.

“Get ready. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 3 PM downstairs.” Lin Jingwu patted Chi Zhihan’s head and then, familiar with her kitchen, went to find a container for the doubanjiang.

“Do you think I’ll pass the interview?” Chi Zhihan was in the middle of preparing the sauce—one part soy sauce, one and a half parts doubanjiang, a suitable amount of cooking wine, oyster sauce, and sugar. The client’s taste leaned toward the heavier side, so after a moment’s hesitation, she added a bit more doubanjiang. When she tasted the sauce, it was so salty that she couldn’t help but smack her lips.

“Definitely not. I’ve never heard of the Qi family hiring a female private chef.” Lin Jingwu was blunt. “But the fact that they’re giving you an interview opportunity means your rates could increase by over 40% once word gets out. It’s a rare chance to get close to a powerful family. Making a good impression won’t hurt.”

“Who exactly am I cooking for? They always make such a big fuss.” Chi Zhihan was curious.

The Qi family had started looking for private chefs earlier this year. It was already strange that they would bypass their own dedicated chefs and rely on word-of-mouth to find a private chef. What’s more, their requirements were extremely high, the process was complicated, and despite going through all that trouble, they would only keep the chef for a month at most. Aside from the fact that the chefs’ market value would usually double after the stint, those who came out of the Qi household remained tight-lipped about what went on inside. The only thing known was that the chef had to be on call 24/7, and both the kitchen and living room were under surveillance.

The reason such a bizarre, short-term position was so sought after in the private chef circle was simple—money.

The Qi family paid more than double the market rate, and after a month locked inside, the chef would instantly become famous. With conditions like these, even if that month inside was hellish, there would still be people willing to take the risk. Especially since none of the chefs who came out seemed to be missing any limbs.

“Try not to be too curious about the affairs of the wealthy.” Chi Zhihan was sautéing the doubanjiang, filling the room with its rich aroma. Lin Jingwu swallowed hard, clutching the jar of doubanjiang to his chest. “Remember, when you get there tomorrow, ask fewer questions and do more work.”

“Can’t I even ask about their preferences?” Chi Zhihan turned to look at him.

“No, that’s also part of their privacy.” Lin Jingwu said seriously, then laughed at Chi Zhihan’s pouting expression. “You used to be wealthy yourself. Do I really need to teach you about these formalities?”

…

When she was wealthy, she wasn’t this neurotic… But bringing up the past now was somewhat disheartening. She shook her spatula, as if bidding Lin Jingwu farewell, and focused on cooking the eggplant she had been making every day for the past week.

As Lin Jingwu was changing his shoes at the entrance, he added, “This interview isn’t completely unpaid. The salary you advanced last month doesn’t need to be repaid this month. And once your rates go up, I’ll take a slightly higher commission.”

Without waiting for Chi Zhihan’s response, he hummed a tune and walked downstairs, cradling the precious jar of doubanjiang.

In truth, Chi Zhihan herself didn’t realize it, but she had some of the quirks of the wealthy—specifically, the old-money type.

She had taken on her father’s debts without a second thought, saying that repaying debts was a person’s duty. The whole world knew her mother had run away to escape the mountain of debt, but Chi Zhihan insisted her mother had her reasons. In her early twenties, she had dropped out of college, spending her days and nights cooking and filming videos. Even at her most desperate, she never considered selling the house, saying it was what her father had left her.

And she never asked for help. Outwardly, she was carefree, often smiling brightly with her eyes narrowed. But behind the scenes, she had survived on plain steamed buns for months without complaint. Lin Jingwu had been her agent for two years, and the only time he saw Chi Zhihan break down was at an annual party, where she got drunk and hid in a corner, crying so bitterly that even he, a grown man, felt heartbroken for half the day.

When he got home that night, he made his wife swear that if anything ever happened to him, she must take their son and run.

After that day, he started cutting Chi Zhihan some slack, finding her more work and offering advances when she was struggling.

But that was the most he could do. Fortunately, the girl was capable and still young. Once she paid off those debts, better days would surely come.

…

Chi Zhihan prepared a lot for this interview, which was destined to fail. It wasn’t really about currying favor with the powerful. For an interview that was bound to fail, all she needed to do was maintain the right attitude.

After all, this opportunity was something Lin Jingwu had fought hard to secure.

The interview location was a three-story villa built within the Qi family’s private garden. It took six minutes to drive from the gate to the villa.

When Chi Zhihan got out of the car, she shivered. Meeting Lin Jingwu’s gaze, she smiled. “I was just thinking, this place is so remote, it’s perfect for the opening scene of a murder mystery…”

Seeing Lin Jingwu’s serious expression, she stuck out her tongue and quickly made a zipping motion over her lips.

Lin Jingwu looked several times more solemn than usual, completely uninterested in engaging with Chi Zhihan’s jokes.

Taking a deep breath and temporarily pushing Lin Jingwu’s grave expression to the back of her mind, Chi Zhihan pressed the doorbell for the interview.

The person who greeted her was someone she knew—or rather, someone everyone in S City knew.

Qi Ning, the most formidable woman in the Qi family, had married the son of the Qi family’s second young master’s nanny. It was said that she had single-handedly taken over all the Qi family’s business and was now the de facto head of the family. Behind her back, people called her the “modern-day Wu Zetian^[2]Empress Wu is one of the most controversial leaders in Chinese history for her method of rule and the means she likely used to rise to power. Wu is said to have potentially killed her own daughter to … Continue reading”…

Chi Zhihan finally felt a bit nervous. She couldn’t understand why this interview was important enough to warrant the presence of such a high-profile figure, someone who often appeared on TV. And to make matters worse, it seemed Qi Ning was merely playing a supporting role.

“You have plenty of time. I will return four hours after you enter the kitchen to collect the results. During this period, you may use anything in the kitchen, but we will not provide any assistance.” Qi Ning led Chi Zhihan through the door on the left side of the villa, which opened into a large living room and kitchen. “Our requirement is punctuality- four hours exactly. Finishing early or late will both be considered disqualifications.”

Chi Zhihan swallowed hard. Seeing the scale of the kitchen only made her more nervous.

This kitchen could rival the private kitchens of five-star hotels…

“Everything you do during these four hours will be monitored. Do you have any questions about that?” Qi Ning signaled her assistant to bring all of Chi Zhihan’s ingredients into the kitchen, then turned to look at Chi Zhihan, who was still surveying the kitchen. Qi Ning’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

She’s still young. It seems she’s nervous.

Qi Ning didn’t want Chi Zhihan to fail. Qi Cheng had slept in the closet again last night. If Chi Zhihan failed, all the pressure Qi Ning had applied during the day and the psychological torment Qi Cheng had endured would have been for nothing.

“No questions.” Chi Zhihan pulled herself together, quickly focusing her gaze downward.

Although she knew the Qi family had no intention of hiring a female private chef, any chef who saw such a kitchen would inevitably feel a spark of ambition. Chi Zhihan was no exception.

Watching Qi Ning nod at her, then leave with her assistant and close the door, Chi Zhihan looked around the massive, dream-like kitchen. Suddenly, she felt the urge to really give it a try.

If Qi Ning herself was overseeing the interview, perhaps the Qi family was finally considering hiring a female private chef?

…

Qi Cheng had been watching the camera feed the entire time, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the girl.

She had a peculiar surname, but he couldn’t remember it.

Her appearance was too typical. After just one glance, he started breaking out in a cold sweat.

On the screen, the girl had her long hair tied into a ponytail, dressed simply in a T-shirt and jeans.

She was very perceptive. The moment she entered, she immediately noticed the camera. Though she tried to hide it, she couldn’t resist a curious glance.

That glance allowed him to see her eyes clearly—round, cat-like eyes with slightly upturned corners, giving her a mischievous, spirited look.

They were identical to the eyes in the portraits in his studio. When speaking gossip, these eyes would narrow slightly, carrying intense malice.

Not a good person.

Qi Cheng nervously curled himself deeper into the large recliner.

Different people couldn’t be lumped into the same category.

Dr. Zhao had been trying to make him understand this over the past few years. He had understood it from the start. But his heart never listened to reason.

That incident hadn’t even been a severe psychological blow. He hadn’t truly blamed the girl back then…

For over a decade, he hadn’t been able to look directly at the faces of girls like her.

As cold sweat poured down his back, his vision began to blur.

Faintly, he heard her clear voice answering Qi Ning’s question, saying she had no questions. His grip on the armrest tightened.

This dose of medicine was still too strong for him.