Indeed, there’s no problem that food can’t solve.

The small kitchen in the Jin family became instantly warm and harmonious with a tray of crispy meat pies, while the atmosphere at the stairs was dark and heavy in contrast.

When Jin Wenzhi came down the stairs and heard his sister-in-law calling him to eat the pies, he could only smile awkwardly, making an excuse about being busy with something, and quickly left.

When he left the Jin family, he was in a daze, partly due to being scared.

His eldest brother was the leader of the Jin family’s generation.

Since taking charge of the company, he had been very supportive of friends and family.

He was a generous man, serious in nature, but whenever his siblings needed something, he usually didn’t hesitate to help.

Otherwise, Jin Wenzhi wouldn’t have been so confident in teaching his son how to handle the management after joining the company.

Jin San, the third brother, always thought he understood his eldest brother well.

According to his elder brother’s temperament, he would never mind letting other capable children from the family manage the group after his retirement.

In terms of wealth and power, he clearly trusted his relatives.

Today, however, hearing such near-warning words from his eldest brother was the first time.

Sitting in the car, holding his chest, Jin San recalled the look his eldest brother gave him before leaving, causing cold sweat to break out on his back.

After all, no matter how greedy he was, he knew the ideas he had been contemplating for years were beneath the surface and couldn’t be exposed.

Breaking the family rules would mean that, if revealed, he might not even be able to keep what he had.

Jin Jiarui, seeing there seemed to be no progress, anxiously asked, “Dad, did you tell Uncle the key points clearly?”

Jin San nearly choked with anger and raised his hand to strike him. “You useless thing! You can’t even beat a little girl!”

After thinking for a moment, he could only bite his teeth and comfort himself.

“Forget it, anyway, the Xunxiang Banquet is in such a half-dead state. She won’t be able to achieve much in a short time.”

Just as he tried to relax, a notification sounded, and his son, feeling wronged, rubbed his head and pulled out his phone.

He got angry again. “What time is it, and you’re still only playing with your phone!”

“I’m not playing with my phone, it’s a message from a buddy…”

Jin Jiarui opened the message, and his expression froze.

The message was from a drinking buddy:

“Buddy, it’s been a while since we hung out. I heard from a friend that a place called Xunxiang Banquet has been doing well lately. What do you think, let’s go for a meal.”

Xunxiang Banquet?

Business is good?

---

At Xunxiang Banquet.

“Manager Jin.” A young apprentice from Master Tu’s kitchen came in, wearing a chef’s hat and holding a delivery box, walking towards Jin Yaotiao. “You have a package sent from Mingde. The front desk called us here, so I went to pick it up for you.”

This apprentice was named Wang Sheng, in his early twenties, pale and thin.

He was favored by Master Tu due to his talent, so his personality was somewhat outgoing, daring to speak to Jin Yaotiao.

However, this boldness was only in contrast to his usual shyness. When Jin Yaotiao actually looked up at him, he couldn’t help but lower his head in embarrassment as he handed over the package.

Jin Yaotiao set down the list she had been working on and took the box, shaking it.

She hadn’t bought anything and didn’t know what was inside, but she still thanked him and casually gave him a meat pie made according to the recipe from that day at home: “Thanks for running this errand. Have a pie, it’s just out of the oven, so it’s a bit hot.”

She opened the packaging and found a wine-red long dress inside, waist-cinched and slit, finely tailored. Jin Yaotiao didn’t remember buying it. After a brief search, she found a handwritten card in the corner of the box:

“Sis, returning your favor.”

Heh.

Jin Yaotiao immediately knew who it was and sneered, tossing the card aside.

---

Wang Sheng, holding the plate, dared not make a sound.

His face was red as he walked away, only to be grabbed by his envious brothers and teased.

“Look at you, kid.”

“I told you to stop going out. You little schemer, secretly trying to win over the goddess.”

He smiled shyly, and after a bit of teasing, his brothers stopped and began to sneakily glance at Jin Yaotiao.

Jin Yaotiao stood by the window, using a paper cutter to open the delivery box.

The clean glass reflected the sunlight streaming through the trees outside, casting colorful patches of light on her body like a brilliant rainbow.

She was truly beautiful.

Someone lowered their voice, “I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than Manager Jin.”

She was so beautiful that people didn’t even dare to start a conversation. Just doing something for her felt like a reward.

---

A cough came from behind, and the boys turned to find Master Tu standing there, glaring.

They quickly scattered.

Master Tu had a bad temper, and since Jin Yaotiao came to Xunxiang Banquet, his mood had been even worse, like a pickled old eggplant.

After scaring away the apprentices, he stood with his hands behind his back and found a chair to sit on.

Wang Sheng, who wasn’t as scared of him, held the plate and tried to calm him down, “Master, don’t be mad at Manager Jin. It was you who troubled her first when she arrived, and she didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

Master Tu cursed, “You brat, stop bothering me.”

Wang Sheng stepped back but still argued, “What era is this, and you’re still being sexist? Even though Manager Jin is a woman, I think her cooking skills are better than yours.”

Master Tu suddenly stood up, scaring him so much that he turned to run.

But before he could escape, Master Tu grabbed him by the shoulder.

Wang Sheng almost cried but realized Master Tu wasn’t going to hit him. With a grunt, Master Tu snatched the plate from his hand and walked off.

In front of Xunxiang Banquet, the atmosphere was unusually lively.

Several private rooms were filled with people, something unthinkable in previous years.

Master Tu leaned against a tree trunk, slowly taking a bite of the pie. The meat juice dripped down his mouth as he happily shook his head.

This little girl, though sharp-tongued, really did have some skills.

While enjoying his meal, the customer, Old Wang, entered the courtyard with several unfamiliar faces. Upon seeing him, he greeted, “Oh, Master Tu, what are you eating? It smells really good.”

Master Tu’s face lifted in pride as he hummed, “Of course! It’s the meat-filled pastry developed by our young boss, meant to be on the anniversary banquet menu. You’re lucky today, it just came out of the oven.”

Old Wang quickly responded, “The young boss is here? Great! Don’t tell anyone else yet, leave a few pastries for us, and add some Eight Treasures Mountain delicacies. I brought some friends to try the new dishes. We’ll order the other dishes once we sit down.”

He glanced around the courtyard, impressed, and said, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Xunxiang Banquet so lively. I bet it’ll be packed around meal times soon, right?”

Master Tu became even more smug, smiling like a pickled cabbage, “Not in a while, today there’s no space left! Hahaha!”

Old Wang, standing by the door, fell silent.

Looking at the contemptuous, orange peel-like face of Master Tu, Old Wang thought for a moment and said, “Well… should I wait in line then?”

Master Tu smiled knowingly and waved his hand, “Just kidding! We usually have a spare private room, which is typically for the boss’s family. I’ll have someone show you there. The young boss said, you’ve been a loyal customer of our restaurant for over a decade, so you’re a VVIP, we really appreciate your long-standing support.”

Old Wang felt a lump in his throat, nearly brought to tears, but also proud, puffing up his chest in front of his friends.

——

As Master Tu had boasted, Xunxiang Banquet, after losing money for over a decade, suddenly became very popular, so much so that even the private rooms couldn’t accommodate all the customers.

There were many old food enthusiasts in Linjiang, and the circle was small.

Many, like Old Wang, would bring their friends to explore new restaurants when they discovered a good place. This kind of old customers bringing in new ones helped the business thrive.

The behind-the-scenes hero, Jin Yaotiao, stood in the back, directing Master Tu’s apprentice in preparing the Eight Treasures Mountain delicacy.

She was calm while working, unlike Master Tu, who was always a bit hot-tempered. She rarely got angry when someone made a mistake; instead, she would calmly guide them.

What was the use of scolding? Scolding someone after they made a mistake only made them panic more.

However, when she pointed out a mistake calmly, the apprentices would not feel flustered, but the sense of shame was far stronger than when they were yelled at by Master Tu.

They worked even harder, learning faster, which made Master Tu roll his eyes every time he saw their progress.

These scoundrels, when he stood by holding a cleaver, he never saw them work so hard before. Who taught them this?

They might as well go feed the dogs.

Luna called Jin Yaotiao, saying, “Yaotiao, what are you doing? Why aren’t you replying to my WeChat?”

Jin Yaotiao glanced at the beef ribs she was stewing, one of her signature dishes. Unlike Western-style steaks, the beef ribs were cooked with a completely Chinese method, resulting in tender and juicy meat.

The aroma of the beef steak spread, overpowering the smell of the Eight Treasures Mountain delicacy, and a few apprentices nearby peered over, following the scent.

She replied, “I’m working, what’s up?”

Luna said, “Oh, nothing. I’m shopping and saw a dress I really like. I sent you a picture. Aren’t you going to a banquet?”

Jin Yaotiao smiled, “You’re so… I’ll check it out in a minute, thanks.”

Luna replied, “No problem. My dear suddenly asked me to dinner, so I just happened to walk by.”

Her dear?

Jin Yaotiao was taken aback. “Jian Wen asked you to dinner?”

The scamming Phoenix Man?

“Yes, he suddenly invited me, looking all urgent, said he had something to discuss with me.” Luna laughed foolishly, “You think he’s going to propose to me suddenly?”

Jin Yaotiao’s eyes instantly turned cold, but her voice remained unchanged as she asked, “Where did you two arrange to meet?”

——

At a French restaurant in the Linjiang business district, Luna froze for a moment, looking at her handsome boyfriend across the table. “You’re starting a business?”

Jian Wen reached for her hand, his face filled with excitement. “I’ve finally found this new project, and once I’m in, it’s going to soar. Luna, trust me, I’ll make such an impression on your dad that he’ll willingly let you marry me.”

Luna was somewhat moved. “You really… why work so hard? What will you do if you get too tired? Starting a business isn’t easy.”

Jian Wen’s eyes darkened briefly, but he smiled. “For you, I don’t mind the hard work.”

Luna, holding back tears, was just about to respond when her boyfriend spoke again. “The thing is, I’m a little short on startup capital. Luna, could you lend me some money?”

Luna wasn’t a stingy person and would normally lend money, but just as she was about to agree, she remembered that she had already lent her savings to Jin Yaotiao. She quickly covered her mouth and nervously said, “Uh, how much do you need? Would 300,000 be enough?”

Jian Wen paused for a moment, smiling at her. “Of course not, the land is worth much more, my share should be at least 8 million.”

Luna was stunned. “But I don’t have that much.”

Jian Wen grew a little unhappy. “So you don’t want to lend it to me?”

Luna shook her head. “Of course not! I really only have 300,000 left. I’ll lend it all to you.”

When he heard this, Jian Wen fell silent. After a moment, his smile disappeared. “Luna, don’t lie to me. You must have at least 10 million in your bank account.”

Even Luna, being naïve, realized something was off. She froze for a moment. “How do you know that?”

Jian Wen, feeling guilty for saying something he shouldn’t have, grew angry and shouted, “Don’t ask so many questions! I’m asking you, why won’t you lend me the money?!”

Luna answered, “I’ve already lent it to a friend.”

“To which friend?” Jian Wen didn’t believe her. “Tell me.”

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but then quickly closed it, afraid that revealing her friend’s name might cause trouble. She shook her head. “I don’t want to tell you.”

She asked again, “Jian Wen, how do you know how much I have in my savings?”

Suddenly, her usually kind and considerate boyfriend stood up with a harsh look in his eyes. He grabbed her wrist tightly, his face filled with an unfamiliar rage. “Luna, I really need the money now! Why won’t you lend it to me?!”

Luna, frightened, looked up at him. After a moment, she grabbed her bag and stood up. “Jian Wen, it’s fine if you don’t start your business. I’ve never asked you to—ah! What are you doing!”

He grabbed her roughly, pulling her towards him. In the chaos, she saw the malicious look on his face and screamed in fear.

“Damn it, you…”

With the mounting gambling debts at home, the creditors were already knocking on the door. Now, his girlfriend had money and still refused to lend it to him.

Jian Wen, losing his composure, was about to resort to threats when suddenly his arm was grabbed.

A smooth, silk-like voice interrupted, “Let go.”

Jian Wen turned to find a beautiful woman standing before him. He froze for a second, then realized she was trying to stop him. With a cold expression, he warned, “This is my girlfriend. Stay out of it.”

However, the woman didn’t retreat. Instead, she twisted his pinky finger back forcefully. “Didn’t you hear me? Let go.”

Jian Wen stumbled back in pain, and at that moment, Luna cried as she fell into Jin Yaotiao’s arms. “Yaotiao! Wuwuwu, how did you get here?”

“Damn it!” Jian Wen yelled, clutching his hand in anger, but before he could approach, Jin Yaotiao lifted a vase from the table and was ready to fight him. Before Jian Wen could even get close, he was knocked back with a painful cry.

Jin Yaotiao held the vase in one hand and Luna in the other, her eyes full of fury. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face.

“Shen Qiming? What are you doing here?”

Shen Qiming stood a few steps away, wearing a gray coat, looking calm as he retrieved his leg from the recent kick.

He glanced at Jin Yaotiao, and for a brief moment, his gaze softened in a way that was hard for him to explain.

He had been coming to Xunxiang Banquet frequently lately, parking outside but not knowing exactly why. When he saw Jin Yaotiao leave the driver’s car in such a hurry, he felt something was wrong and decided to follow her.

He answered softly, “Just passing by.”

Just as Jin Yaotiao was about to thank him, Luna started crying again in her arms. “Yaotiao! Yaotiao! Jian Wen actually laid hands on me! I’m breaking up with him!”

Jin Yaotiao quickly patted her friend’s head and comforted her. “Don’t worry, if he dares to hit you, I’ll twist his head off. Men are all scum. Once you break up, I’ll set off fireworks to celebrate.”

Shen Qiming: “……”