Damn it.

Hu Wanyue racked her brain, but she couldn’t recall a moment in her life more awkward than this.

Last time, at the chamber of commerce gala, she had witnessed her dream man, Shen Qiming, showing endless concern for Jin Yaotiao.

While she felt a pang of sourness in her heart, she managed to maintain her composure.

Even though she was always slightly uneasy during gatherings where her friends badmouthed Jin Yaotiao, she still managed to keep up appearances.

After all, in the circle of second-generation elites in Linjiang, most girls shared a subtle animosity toward Jin Yaotiao.

Even if one were to recount stories of being humiliated by her, it wouldn’t be a unique experience.

They could all simply hate Jin Yaotiao together—problem solved.

But now…

Hu Wanyue took a deep breath, forcing herself to maintain her dignity. “I… I just happened to pass by on my way home. Haha.”

Pass by?

The Yunding Restaurant in the south of the city was at least a twenty-minute drive from this mall in the east.

Hu Wanyue lived in the west of the city, so there was no way this place could be “on the way home.”

However, she wasn’t the only one living in the west.

Her frenemy across from her, catching her gaze, stammered as she glanced at her watch: “Yes, yes, me too. I just got a message from the H store clerk on the first floor and decided to stop by to check out the new arrivals.”

From the mall’s speakers came a most untimely song lyric:
“The ice cubes haven’t melted yet, you’re checking your watch, and I’m smiling so awkwardly…”

The two of them: “…”

The server at the front desk, oblivious to the tension in the air, spoke up, “How many of you?”

Hu Wanyue: “…”

The two women exchanged a glance, tacitly agreeing not to expose each other, and replied in unison, “Two.”

“Oh,” said the server, printing out a number slip. “Table for two, seventy parties ahead of you.”

Hu Wanyue’s eyes widened in disbelief, momentarily forgetting to keep up her facade. “What? At this hour? Aren’t you still in your trial opening phase?”

The server merely smiled, pride evident despite his restraint.

In truth, even the staff themselves hadn’t anticipated such a turnout for Hidden Banquet, which wasn’t even officially open yet.

The project team’s initial expectations for the trial opening had been moderate, drawing comparisons to the much-improved business of Mingde Courtyard.

They had set higher expectations accordingly.

Sure enough, on the first day of the trial opening, many regulars from Mingde Courtyard, as well as curious readers of the youth magazine article, came to check out the new place.

The bustling scene had matched their predictions, filling them with excitement over what they thought was a record-breaking success.

But who would have guessed that this was just the beginning?

Over the next few days, Hidden Banquet’s foot traffic grew exponentially, far surpassing their wildest expectations.

Mingde hadn’t engaged in any promotional partnerships. Its main pre-opening advertisement was the magazine article authored by their very own Director Jin.

However, the limited reach of a single magazine couldn’t have possibly made all of Linjiang aware of Hidden Banquet.

Yet here they were, with most of the queue consisting of familiar faces who had already visited once during the past few days.

To get repeat customers willingly lining up in such a short span—this wasn’t something marketing alone could achieve.

—

Hu Wanyue and her friend were feeling increasingly dejected.

As privileged beauties, they had never had to wait for a meal.

Even when exploring Michelin-starred restaurants in other cities, they had always booked in advance and were treated with the utmost respect.

This was especially true on their home turf in Linjiang.

Take Yunding, for example.

No matter how busy they were, a single phone call would ensure Bai Qin arranged a table with the best view for them.

Now, what? Were they supposed to call Jin Yaotiao directly?

Thinking back to the soufflé Luna had posted on her Moments late that night, Hu Wanyue huffed as she held her number slip. “Hmph, who cares? I’m not eating it.”

Her friend, also discouraged by the prospect of being the 70th table, nodded in agreement.

At that moment, they overheard a young couple who had just gotten a number slip chatting with the server.

“There are so many people! I hate waiting in line. Let’s eat somewhere else, okay?”

“No, please. I was lucky enough to get in on the first day of the trial opening and had a meal.

Their drunken crab is divine. I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. Don’t you love drunken crab? If we leave now, you’ll regret it and yell at me later.”

—

By 8 PM, after wandering the mall three times, they were finally allowed into the restaurant.

Both women were now laden with shopping bags, their embarrassment unspoken but mutual. They tried their best to diffuse the tension:

“Wow, what a coincidence that the number came up just as we finished shopping.”

“Exactly! So lucky.”

After a night filled with so many “coincidences,” this one didn’t seem out of place.

Hu Wanyue put down her pile of impulse purchases, glanced around the restaurant, and was shocked to find there really wasn’t a single empty seat in sight.

Nowadays, even bubble tea shops used scarcity marketing tactics.

She had assumed Mingde had finally learned the trick. But to think they actually had this many customers?

A server handed them menus. She opened hers and found that the prices were anything but modest, clearly on par with Yunding.

Flipping quickly to the desserts page, she pointed at the soufflé and said coolly, “I’ll have this.”

Her friend ordered the drunken crab, pouting as she perused the menu. “Why are there so many meat dishes? I’m on a diet—I can’t eat these for dinner.”

Hu Wanyue replied, “Exactly, and we just ate at Yunding…”

Before she could finish, a server passed by carrying a dish to the neighboring table.

The rich, savory aroma wafted over, completely ignoring any boundaries as it invaded their senses.

Hu Wanyue’s eyes, seemingly with a mind of their own, followed the scent.

The dish placed on the table was served in a wooden bowl with shallow edges, making it easy to see its contents.

At the bottom, there was a layer of moist, swollen bamboo shoots, covered with thin, translucent slices of meat.

The meat slices were evenly marbled with fat and lean parts, still steaming, and their aroma was so rich that it seemed to spill out endlessly.

The customer at the table beamed with delight upon seeing the dish.

As soon as the server steadied the bowl, he quickly picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks and placed it into the bowl of the woman sitting across from him. “This! You’ve got to try this! The bamboo shoots with salted pork! I paired it with rice yesterday and finished two full bowls at lunch!”

The meat slice wobbled delicately at the tip of his chopsticks, and its juicy richness dripped onto the rice below.

Hu Wanyue’s eyes froze on the sight, and the sentence she was forming took an abrupt turn:
“…I didn’t eat enough earlier at Yunding.”

Her friend hesitated before agreeing, “…Yeah, same.”

At the same time, another dish was delivered to a nearby table.

The aroma of scallion pancakes immediately competed fiercely with the bamboo shoots and salted pork.

The pancakes’ owners, a group of elegantly dressed young women, couldn’t resist their temptation. In no time, the few pieces of pancakes on the plate were divided and devoured.

The pancakes were small but fried to a golden brown on both sides, so crisp they crumbled at the slightest touch. One could almost imagine how crunchy they were.

Hu Wanyue tore her gaze away from the dish, only to lock eyes with her friend, who had just withdrawn her own longing glance from a bowl of fresh foie gras pâté.

The two shared a moment of silent understanding before simultaneously flipping open their menus again.

Hu Wanyue said decisively, “Let’s get this, this, this, this, and this.”

Her friend nodded and added, “And these, these, and these too.”

The server holding the ordering pad hesitated, glancing at their fit figures. “Are you sure you want this much? It’s a lot of meat dishes in a row…”

“It’s fine.” Hu Wanyue’s friend answered with a look of earnest seriousness. “I’m on a ketogenic diet, so I need to eat more meat.”

---

Meanwhile, Jin Yaotiao was in the kitchen supervising Wang Sheng, who was preparing a dish of squirrelfish.

During the restaurant’s soft opening, Master Tu had delegated the work at Xunxiang Banquet to his senior apprentices, freeing himself to help here.

He was busy mixing a sauce, his face solemn as he pursed his lips, his small, bean-like eyes half-shut. With his stern demeanor, he resembled a cabbage freshly fertilized.

A large mandarin fish was being filleted along its bones, its surface scored into a pattern. This step required exceptional knife skills.

The cuts had to be neither too shallow nor too deep—shallow cuts would lack visual appeal after frying, while deep cuts could ruin the fish entirely.

Wang Sheng had honed his knife skills well. After coating the fillets with cornstarch, he gently slid them into the hot oil. A loud sizzle burst forth as the aroma of frying fish filled the air.

Wang Sheng had prepared many dishes that day, all to a high standard, which greatly pleased Jin Yaotiao.

Although she was a skilled chef, it was impossible for her to oversee every restaurant under Mingde. Eventually, she’d need to entrust them to capable people.

Master Tu, with his difficult temperament, had nevertheless trained apprentices with solid fundamentals.

After some additional guidance, they could become key figures capable of carrying significant responsibilities.

After several senior staff and chefs had left with her uncle, she had been contemplating how to retain talented individuals in the future.

The soul of a restaurant undeniably lay in its flavors. If she wanted Mingde to expand, she couldn’t keep everything to herself forever.

But when young talents like Wang Sheng were ready to take on greater responsibilities, how could she ensure their loyalty?

Relying on goodwill alone would be too naïve—after all, who in this world wasn’t chasing fame or fortune?

Under her watchful eyes, Wang Sheng carefully fried the fish head and tail.

As the high temperature shaped the fish bones into a beautiful curve, he let out a sigh of relief and plated the crispy fish skeleton.

Smelling the fragrance of the fish, Jin Yaotiao spoke up. “Well done. You’re the fastest learner. Once Hidden Banquet expands, the first restaurant will be under your charge. The company will give you a 5% share in the restaurant’s profits.”

Master Tu looked up abruptly at her words, and his other apprentices cast glances in Wang Sheng’s direction.

Caught off guard, Wang Sheng held his chopsticks nervously. “Director Jin…?”

Facing everyone’s attention, Jin Yaotiao calmly announced the decision she had reached with her father. “Not just Wang Sheng. The same goes for all of you. Mingde will open more branches in the future, and every restaurant will need someone to oversee it. From now on, the head chefs of each Mingde branch will receive a 5% profit share as compensation. You can’t live on salaries forever.”

The kitchen fell silent, but in the eyes of everyone present, including Wang Sheng, a spark of hope ignited.

They were young and had joined Master Tu to learn skills, fully prepared to work hard as apprentices. They had barely thought about their long-term future, which had seemed set in stone.

Some of their former colleagues who had left with Jin Yaotiao’s uncle had been offered significantly higher salaries at Cheng’s family business. To be honest, those offers had been tempting.

But now, Director Jin was offering them a chance to become shareholders in Mingde’s future branches.

If the restaurants they managed performed well, their rewards would grow accordingly.

This promise was like a candle in the darkness, illuminating a previously unseen path ahead.

Master Tu, however, frowned deeply, his eyebrows resembling pickled long beans straight from the jar. He tapped his ladle against the pot edge and scowled. “Who told you to come up with this? Someone complaining again? Tell me who, and I’ll toss them into the pot myself!”

While he played the stern role, the apprentices couldn’t help but shrink back, though they continued to work with newfound enthusiasm, their hearts ablaze with motivation.