At the Cheng family residence, Cheng Chen’s face was also grim.

Jin Laosan came and had a heated argument with him, subtly accusing him of being tricked.

Not only that, but he had also made a phone call that caused a scene at his father’s place.

The Cheng family had been in business with Jin Laosan for a long time.

After Jin Laosan left, Cheng Chen received a call from his father, scolding him for being too aggressive.

Not only had he ruined their alliance, but he had also completely angered the Jin family, leading to their counterattack.

The braised beef steak, which was originally planned to be delayed, was delivered early to the Mingde Grand Courtyard’s table.

Of course, with so many branches launching a heavy-hitting dish at the same time, the manpower was insufficient.

The first to enjoy this benefit were the two branches of the “Yunding Restaurant,” which were located close to the Cheng family.

Thanks to the popularity of Jin Yaojiao’s video, news about the heavy-hitting dish spread quickly throughout Linjiang.

After all, the braised beef steak, which had recently caused a stir, was something many customers had regretted not being able to taste during the anniversary banquet of the Xunxiang Feast.

Upon hearing the news, many of them flocked to these two branches.

As a result, the two unfortunate Yunding Restaurant branches suffered from a significant drop in customer traffic.

“Jin family is clearly retaliating against you,” said Mr. Cheng, feeling disappointed in his son’s actions. “You’ve just started managing the company and you’ve already made such a huge mess. Everyone is unhappy. I’m beginning to doubt whether you’re fit for your current position.”

Cheng Chen hung up the phone, nearly exploding in anger.

When his father said “everyone,” he was clearly referring to his brothers, who had almost directly told him that if he couldn’t handle things, someone else would take over.

After much persuasion, he managed to calm his father down by using the Mingde shares held by Jin Laosan as leverage.

After hanging up, he still couldn’t understand why the Jin family’s luck seemed so good.

The possibility of discovering lung cancer at an early stage was minimal—how could his opponent hit such a rare chance?

However, no matter how confusing, he had to suppress his anger and call Jin Yaojiao to try and smooth things over.

“Miss Jin, how have you been recently?”

The kitchen of the R&D Department was crowded with chefs from various branches, with several of Master Tu’s apprentices from the Xunxiang Feast also helping out.

Little apprentice Wang Sheng was closely assisting nearby, while Jin Yaojiao leisurely made a pot of chicken soup.

The sweet aroma of the chicken soup filled the spacious kitchen, blending with the strong fragrance of the marinated beef steak.

The chefs from other branches, who had already grasped the cooking steps, brought their dishes to her for evaluation.

The marinade ingredients were all her own concoctions, and the other chefs only needed to control the cooking time, which wasn’t too difficult.

As she tasted the dish and responded to Cheng Chen’s attempt to probe her, she said, “Very good, couldn’t be better. How have you been, Mr. Cheng? Are you sleeping well?”

Cheng Chen’s voice came a few seconds later, “Miss Jin, I feel that there’s been some misunderstanding between us. We need to clear things up.”

“Mr. Cheng, are you referring to my third uncle?” Jin Yaojiao asked.

Cheng Chen didn’t offer much explanation and just smiled. “Miss Jin, I was wrong before. I’m here to apologize. Would that be alright?”

Wow, this was truly shameless.

Jin Yaojiao couldn’t help but laugh. “Mr. Cheng, you’re really good at swallowing your pride. I admire you.”

Cheng Chen, who was mocked, felt a wave of anger and dryly laughed. “Enemies should reconcile rather than escalate.”

Jin Yaojiao replied, “Mr. Cheng, have you heard the saying ‘spilled water can’t be retrieved’?”

No matter what underhanded tactics he used, bringing up her father’s illness was something Jin Yaojiao couldn’t forgive. In her eyes, this grievance could never be resolved.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Chen replied, “Why bother, Miss Jin? Your uncle also regrets it now. There’s no need for both of us to end up with nothing. We might still be able to cooperate in the future.”

“I’ve recorded everything,” Jin Yaojiao said with a smile. “Your Uncle Jin will regret it even more after hearing this.”

“You recorded it?!” Cheng Chen exclaimed.

“I’m quite despicable,” Jin Yaojiao answered with a grin, then turned to comment on one of the dishes she had tasted. “Everything else is fine, but this one’s not cooked enough.”

The chef whose dish was rejected didn’t dare to argue.

He quickly returned to his station to continue practicing.

Most of them were apprentices trained by Master Tu, and when they first came for training, they felt uneasy about taking instructions from a young girl like Jin Yaojiao, who had a much smaller age gap than them.

However, after learning for a few days, they gradually accepted her as a leader.

In the culinary world, everything was judged by skill—whoever was better, had the last say.

Cheng Chen, feeling humiliated that she was still doing other things while talking to him, clenched his teeth in anger and said, “Miss Jin, why are you being so harsh? Actually, my apology is sincere. You’re only using Mingde Grand Courtyard to vent your anger against Yunding Restaurant. It’s just two branches, it’s nothing to us. Besides, Yunding isn’t a low-end restaurant, and our target customers are different. You can’t take all our business. Reconciliation would be a win-win situation for both of us. Being so impulsive could end up damaging your own reputation.”

Jin Yaotiao guided a chef in removing the fat from thawed foie gras. In response to the other person’s threat, she laughed it off.
“President Cheng,” she said with a smile, “why don’t we make a bet?”

Cheng Chen was taken aback. “A bet on what?”

Jin Yaotiao melted a piece of butter, letting its sizzling aroma fill the air. “A bet on whether I can steal all of Yun Ding’s business.”

Cheng Chen was silent for a long moment. “Miss Jin, don’t you think you’re overestimating yourself a bit?”

“Exactly,” Jin Yaotiao agreed completely. “You’re absolutely right.”

Cheng Chen was speechless.

What was with this woman? Her calm tone made him so frustrated he almost passed out.

The buttery aroma wafted through the kitchen. Jin Yaotiao hung up the phone, and Wang Sheng, who had been quietly working nearby, leaned over curiously.
“Director Jin, what are you making?”

He had just been instructed to knead dough, scalding it with a little chicken broth and kneading it repeatedly until smooth.

While letting the dough rest, Jin Yaotiao had him sear some foie gras.

“Foie gras pâté,” Jin Yaotiao said.

“And this?” He pointed to the dough.

“Scallion pancakes,” Jin Yaotiao replied.

Scallion pancakes with foie gras pâté?

That’s a weird combo.

Wang Sheng did the math in his head and couldn’t see how this dish would fit in with Ming De Courtyard’s affordable menu. He couldn’t help but worry.
“Director Jin, you’re not seriously using premium ingredients to pit Ming De Courtyard against Yun Ding Restaurant, are you?”

Yun Ding was famous for its pan-seared foie gras, and Jin Yaotiao’s actions felt like a direct challenge.

But Ming De Courtyard followed a budget-friendly approach with a different customer base. This seemed like a lose-lose situation.

The aroma of the foie gras spread quickly. Jin Yaotiao answered his question as she blended the seared foie gras, butter, and spices in a food processor.
“Of course not.”

Wang Sheng was stunned. “Then this dish is for…?”

It didn’t seem suitable for the upcoming Fragrance Banquet either.

That event’s competitor was Muhe Mansion, which had a high-end appeal but remained niche. There was no way it could compare to Yun Ding’s broad reach, let alone steal their customers.

“Did you forget?” Jin Yaotiao said. “Our new project, Yinyan, is opening its first branch soon. Its target customers happen to overlap with Yun Ding’s.”

She kneaded scallions into the rested dough and, considering some people disliked scallions, made a portion without them.

After shaping the dough, she flattened it and placed it in the pan.

As the dough, enriched with chicken broth and oil, hit the pan, it began to emit a tantalizing aroma.

The sizzling sound accompanied the dough as it puffed up, turning golden brown, layered, and crispy.

The pancakes were small, roughly palm-sized. Once cooked, they were taken out piping hot and placed on oil-absorbing paper.

Wang Sheng carefully picked up a piece with chopsticks.

The pancake was so crispy it crumbled at the slightest touch. Ignoring the heat, he eagerly took a bite.

Despite its plain appearance, the pancake had an incredibly rich texture. The outer layer was crispy, while the inside had a soft and chewy bite.

The toasted dough carried a strong scallion fragrance, yet it wasn’t greasy at all.

The version without scallions had a creamy sweetness instead. Whatever was added gave it a completely different, airy, and soft texture.

Jin Yaotiao tapped the table. “Stop eating all the pancakes! They’ll be gone before anyone else gets to try them.”

Only then did he remember the foie gras pâté sitting aside. Reluctantly, he spread some pâté on the pancake. Though hesitant—he disliked foie gras, finding it too gamey and greasy—he took a bite.

The moment the pâté and pancake entered his mouth, Wang Sheng realized he had underestimated everything.

Freshly made foie gras pâté was worlds apart from the canned variety. It had no gaminess, only a delicate, rich flavor that melted on the tongue. He couldn’t imagine any ingredient coming close to this perfection.

Jin Yaotiao wiped her hands and instructed, “We made too much. Fry the remaining pancakes and deliver them to my project teams. Let everyone try them and give feedback.”

Holding the steaming scallion pancakes, Wang Sheng looked at Jin Yaotiao and had only one thought in his mind:

You’re no longer just my goddess.

You’re my god.

---

The rich aroma, carried through the open kitchen doors, wafted into the project teams where Jin Yaotiao worked.

Cheers erupted from the teams as they realized they’d been treated by their “Crown Prince” once again.

Employees from other departments, separated by closed doors, could only sniff the lingering fragrance with envious tears in their eyes.

The Crown Prince’s closest aides truly live the good life.

Heavens, if you’re listening, let them get fat after eating all this!

Since the shareholders’ meeting ended, Jin Yao Tiao began frequently going to the company to develop new dishes for the “Hidden Feast” project, and she noticed that her relationships seemed to improve.

Previously, her status in the company was generally recognized as just “the only daughter of the chairman.” People privately called her the “crown prince” or “your highness,” speculating that she was the heir.

However, when they met her in person, they rarely dared to actively interact with her.

But now, after giving orders, apart from the members of her own project team, many leaders from other departments, upon learning that it was her directive, would offer help without her needing to do anything.

In the past, she hadn’t felt that this caused any inconvenience at work, but after experiencing how smoothly every order was carried out, she finally realized the true power a “heir” could wield within a company.

It was clear now that her position was truly solidified.

The most obvious sign was when she gave the order to promote the new dishes for Mingde Courtyard and accelerate the launch of new stores for the Hidden Feast project group, and no one, not even her direct superior, the director, dared to obstruct her.

The entire Mingde Courtyard team responded enthusiastically to her instruction to gather all the chefs for concentrated training. Within a week of her request, all the chefs arrived at the company to report for duty.

Of course, her high position at Mingde Courtyard was likely due to her rank in the company.

However, in the “Hidden Feast” project, she was just a team leader, and the mid-level and senior leaders who held more power in the department naturally acted as her assistants.

The mere title of “crown prince” could not have fostered such cohesion.

This was an incredibly, incredibly, incredibly reassuring sign.