“When I’m at home, just one day without seeing you feels like three years apart. I can’t even enjoy the New Year’s Eve dinner!”

Jin YaoTiao shoved a red envelope into the girl’s hand: “I think you miss the canteen more than anything.”

This was followed by another round of hearty laughter.

After the laughter subsided, she clapped her hands, straightened up, and said solemnly, “Everyone, MingDe’s first branch in Shen City will soon be opening. We’re about to face a tough battle, so let’s all work hard. Thank you for your efforts.”

When she smiled, she was approachable, but when her smile faded, she exuded an aura of authority that no one dared to underestimate.

Her words had an immediate effect, causing the casual, holiday atmosphere in the company to disappear, and everyone straightened up in response.

Jin YaoTiao nodded in satisfaction before smiling again: “To reward everyone, on the first day of work, the canteen will serve all the signature dishes from the new Yinyan branch. Everyone, make sure to try them!”

After she left, the office area was silent for a few seconds, and then erupted into cheers.

On the first day of the New Year, as the local workers in Shen City refreshed their Weibo, they suddenly discovered a new super-topic in their real-time feed.

MingDe Shen City Branch Canteen Super-Topic?

Many office workers clicked to take a look, and for now, it was all text content—

【Oh my god! The food’s so tempting, I can’t wait till noon!】

【God! Today they have crab roe silver powder and honey-glazed beef tendons! Which company’s canteen serves this kind of dish?!】

【We can’t disappoint His Highness, we need to conquer Shen City just like we did with Linjiang!】

【MingDe’s employees are fearless! They’re not afraid of big cities. Under His Highness’ leadership, we’ll charge ahead!!!】

What is this?

The office workers were puzzled but quickly forgot about it.

At this moment, they still had no idea that the fear that would dominate their lives for years was quietly approaching.

---

The news of Yinyan’s upcoming opening gradually spread in Shen City.

Many locals who had read Ye Baiqing’s article about morning sickness showed interest in it, but many people in the industry were pessimistic about MingDe’s future.

The reason was simple.

People from the Xia family in Shen City had openly shown their displeasure with the company at social gatherings.

Shangjia’s Zhenlong is one of the biggest restaurant companies in Shen City, with its restaurants spread across all corners of the city.

Over the years, the chefs from Shangjia had traveled far and wide, accumulating numerous honors.

Even those in the industry who might not have liked them couldn’t ignore their achievements.

In comparison, MingDe, a company from out of town, simply lacked the confidence to compete with them.

During this time, Jin YaoTiao’s father, who was busy networking in Shen City, met many entrepreneurs from the same park.

Some had quietly warned him to be cautious.

Before he could become alert, the park management gave him the good news that MingDe had been selected for this year’s small and medium-sized business tax incentives.

Jin YaoTiao’s father: “…”

Forget it. He hadn’t been in Shen City for many years, and this city was becoming harder to understand by the day.

---

Jin YaoTiao brought in her newly chosen head chef to the new store.

Master Tu was a hard worker, moving wherever needed.

He was there to help once again.

Though his son hadn’t moved into the new house yet, he happily brought some housewarming candy for Jin YaoTiao and urged her to eat.

The money for the house naturally came from the dividends MingDe gave him.

Master Tu was a man of few words, but for this house that arrived like a timely rain, he would work like a horse for MingDe without regret.

He didn’t let Jin YaoTiao work.

Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and moved the ingredients to the kitchen along with the other apprentices. His strength was as energetic as a sled dog.

He carried a bucket, which contained the vermicelli that Jin YaoTiao had soaked earlier.

The vermicelli would be used for making crab roe silver powder.

This ingredient was a bit tricky. It was hard to soften when dry, and if soaked too much, it wouldn’t absorb the flavor of the crab roe.

It had to be soaked just right—neither too dry nor too wet—so that it could absorb the crab roe’s freshness without overcooking it.

Jin YaoTiao, chewing on a milk candy, was also working on dairy products.

She had just made fresh cheese by catalyzing and cooking buffalo milk.

The cheese was fragrant and sweet, white and soft, like congealed cream.

In her hands, it was smoothly divided into pieces and wrapped in glutinous rice dough to make little dumplings.

In the pot next to her was coconut milk, mixed with wine yeast.

The rich coconut fragrance blended with the refreshing yeast to create a light and sweet texture.

Once the dumplings, filled with cheese, were boiled to a soft and sticky consistency, she added them to the coconut milk.

The first time she made this dessert, Jin YaoTiao’s mother ate two large bowls.

Outside the restaurant, a media team hired by Jin YaoTiao’s father was adjusting their equipment.

They seemed uninterested in the upcoming work. The photographer and reporter chatted idly.

“Before I came, someone in the team told me that this new store has somehow offended Zhenlong. I don’t think many people will show up for today’s opening event.”

“That’s why they hired us, right? I guess they couldn’t find a better media channel in Shen City. Who cares, they’re paying us, so we’ll just take some photos.”

Downstairs, Ye Baiqing, the model who had helped MingDe gain a foothold in Shen City with her article, got out of the car.

Her belly was showing as her morning sickness had started to fade, and she had gained some weight, no longer as thin as before.

Her husband helped her out of the car, then turned to signal a following interview car to stop.

He said to her, “You really are something, still worrying about everything even when you’re pregnant. You could have just sent someone to greet them, why bother coming yourself?”

Ye Baiqing smiled and said, “MingDe is unfamiliar with the area. Didn’t you say people were targeting them in Shen City? They’re struggling. They’ve helped us, so of course, I need to show my support. Besides, I’m feeling better now, it’s no problem.”

After thinking for a moment, she added, “Actually, I just want to try their opening menu. If I still can’t eat, I’ll ask Director Jin to make me some pickled radish stew with duck again. I’ve been craving that flavor ever since I ate it last time.”

As they spoke, they led the media team upstairs. Ye Baiqing’s husband turned to the head of the interview team and said, “Please do your best today. Try to write it up as lively as possible.”

“Of course, of course.” The leader was very polite to the couple. It was no surprise, considering that Ye Baiqing was an international model, and even if they were big names in Shen City, they wouldn’t dare show disrespect to her.

Hearing that Ye Baiqing had arrived, Jin YaoTiao was surprised and went out to greet her, “How did you get here?”

Ye Baiqing held her hand, and her demeanor was very different from the last time they met.

A soft smile adorned her face, and she looked almost radiant with a maternal glow. “I heard you’ve opened for business, so I’m here to show my support. This is my friend, Journalist Liu. I invited him to come and help promote your business.”

Jin Yaotiao turned to the journalist Ye Baiqing had introduced.

Mingde had limited connections in the Shenzhen media scene, and couldn’t invite many reporters for support.

Ye Baiqing’s help was undoubtedly a timely blessing, and Jin Yaotiao felt touched by her thoughtfulness. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Not at all, our small company is not very capable. I’m honored that Miss Ye invited me here. It’s a privilege to cooperate with your company,” Liu, the journalist, said, grateful to have been asked by someone with international resources like Ye Baiqing.

He was especially polite towards Jin Yaotiao, whom Ye Baiqing had referred to as a benefactor.

Jin Yaotiao was busy with the company and didn’t know much about the structure of the Shenzhen media industry.

She didn’t know exactly who this journalist was, but after hearing his humble words, she didn’t underestimate him and asked someone to serve them some freshly brewed sugarcane water from the store.

Since they were there to help, regardless of their capability, they shouldn’t be treated poorly.

Liu and his team started working, carrying the sugarcane water provided by Mingde’s staff.

They noticed the colleagues Jin’s father had invited, and joined them at the designated area.

The interview team glanced at the logos on the equipment brought by the other journalists and lost interest in greeting them.

After sipping their water, they began chatting among themselves.

“Wow, this water is so good!” one of them exclaimed.

“It’s probably homemade sugarcane water, with corn and a lot of flavored herbs. I saw it mentioned in my research, and it really tastes amazing.”

“Quick, make a note of it, this can be added to the promotion.”

They chatted enthusiastically, while the few smaller reporters invited by Jin’s father shrank back, whispering.

“Isn’t this the flagship team from Channel Six? Why are they here?”

Channel Six was one of the top-rated channels in Shenzhen, and normally, the smaller media could only look up to them.

But now that they encountered them outside, there was no intention to exchange greetings.

Jin Yaotiao went back to her work, and after Jin’s father seated Ye Baiqing and her husband, he came out again and unexpectedly ran into someone he didn’t expect.

A middle-aged leader from the Shenzhen district, who had visited Mingde before, came with a group of people, walking proudly.

Upon seeing Jin’s father, he laughed heartily. “President Jin, congratulations on your grand opening!”

Jin’s father was surprised but greeted him. “What brings you here?”

The middle-aged man laughed, “Mingde is our own, how could we not come and support the opening?”

He turned around and introduced the unfamiliar faces behind him.

When Jin’s father heard their background, he nearly showed a puzzled expression but managed to maintain his composure, inviting them into the store. “Welcome.”

The group behind the middle-aged man studied Jin’s father closely, their looks as if they were trying to memorize his face.

However, their attitude was very friendly.

One of them smiled and said, “President Jin, congratulations on Mingde’s opening in Shenzhen. We didn’t bring any gifts, so we invited some familiar media to come. Hope you don’t mind?”

Jin’s father replied, “Of course not.”

Looking outside, more journalists had arrived.

There were many of them, and their demeanor was very formal.

They naturally joined the original interview team without needing any invitation.

Journalist Liu from Channel Six immediately recognized them. “Oh? How come you guys are here too?”

They were from an official channel team, one that was very hard to invite.

The newcomers simply replied, “Mission.”

Liu was surprised but didn’t ask further.

He helped Mingde’s staff serve the sugarcane water to these colleagues.

The smaller media in the corner of the interview area shrank even further, afraid to speak to these influential people.

Just when they thought this was the end, another group arrived by elevator!

Liu and the third interview team, who had been so surprised by the last arrival, were now even more shocked when they saw who was leading the new group.

It was people from the Shang family!

The same few high-profile disciples of the elderly Shang patriarch!

Many in the crowd had heard rumors about the Shang family’s public statements, and seeing them now, they initially thought they were here to disrupt the event.

However, the oldest of the Shang family’s disciples smiled widely and opened his arms. “Big Brother!”

Jin’s father, with a helpless expression, looked at him. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to support Mingde,” the second disciple said, hugging him softly. “Big Brother, please don’t send us away.”

Jin’s father sighed. “Why would I send you away? Come on in.”

Leading the way, the disciples followed, visibly happy.

The second disciple asked, “Big Brother, I brought some journalists I know. Is that okay?”

Jin’s father glanced at the growing crowd of journalists outside and shook his head. “It’s fine.”

The second disciple looked back at the large group and wondered aloud, “Big Brother, who did you invite?”

Jin’s father listed the media companies he had invited, and after some reflection, the second disciple realized he had never heard of them. He couldn’t help but feel glad he had invited familiar media.

It seemed the elder brother’s family had it tough.

---

Outside, the media were stunned.

“Big Brother? Little Brother?”

Mingde’s owner was actually the elder brother of Shenzhen’s top chef, the Shang family’s number one master?

The reporters looked at the respect shown to him by the Shang family chefs, and no one would believe that Mingde had offended the Shang family!

But rumors about the Shang family’s outspoken behavior were also true. Could it be that there was an internal conflict in the Shang family?

This was a question for later, but the most important thing now was that Mingde was a major player!

The journalists, mostly elite teams from Shenzhen, were now gathered in front of Mingde, their minds filled with confusion.

They were at a restaurant opening, but it felt like a press conference!

The small media, initially invited, now shrank into corners, afraid to speak to the big names. Meanwhile, the bigger teams looked around, unsure of how to react.

---

In the store, the second disciples of Jin’s family were seated together at one table, observing the bustling scene.

There were many unfamiliar faces, and although competitors hadn’t arrived, they had at least put down some snacks.

In the end, the elder brother’s family hadn’t been abandoned. They had a strong foundation after all.