Chapter 2

Without having time to look at any tasks or anything else, Yuan Zhou first excitedly stood up and walked around the room twice. Eventually, he realized how silly this behavior was and sat back down, his hands continuously fiddling with his phone, turning it on and off, until the phone was almost overloaded.

His mind was filled with countless thoughts, but they could be summarized in one sentence: "A Culinary God System? This is the rhythm of reaching the peak of life."

After all, the small shop was the result of his parents' hard work over several decades. However, it only operated for a couple of years before a traffic accident occurred during a delivery. That year, he was in his third year of college, and he suddenly became an orphan, his emotions collapsing. He couldn't focus on his studies and had to take a leave of absence, eventually managing to graduate a year later.

In this bustling city, his level of education was not enough to find a good job. He ended up working as a kitchen helper in a large restaurant. Initially, he wanted to learn cooking and continue his father's dream, but it turned out that cooking required talent.

After two years of learning, he was still average. Someone had shown interest in the dilapidated shop, and the main reason for his disappointment was one of the reasons. Additionally, he wanted to escape the shadow of his parents' death. Thus, Yuan Zhou decided to quit his job and start a new life elsewhere.

Could this system be his turning point and hope? With this thought, Yuan Zhou opened the initial task with an indescribable feeling.

【Task】Own a shop of your own

(Task Hint: How can a future Culinary God not have his own shop? Young man, go and strive.)

"What kind of hint is this? Is the system joking?" Yuan Zhou, with an excited heart, opened the task and immediately saw the words in parentheses, leading him to comment sarcastically.

"Own a shop of my own? It seems this is the will of heaven." Looking at the task, Yuan Zhou felt a bit sentimental.

Perhaps this was also his parents' wish, not wanting him to leave.

After much contemplation, he finally made up his mind. Yuan Zhou picked up the phone on the table, swiped to the contact list, found Li Li, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed the number.

After three rings, the call was answered:

"Hello, this is Li Li," came a gentle and soft female voice from the other end.

"Um... Hello, I'm Yuan Zhou, the owner of the shop at Taoxi Road No. 14."

Yuan Zhou had only met this female tenant once. She had a delicate face, long hair neatly tied up, and wore a well-fitted business suit. Honestly, he didn't know why she had decided to rent the shop without even looking inside and without haggling, and now he felt a bit embarrassed about going back on his word.

However, before Yuan Zhou could finish speaking, the voice on the other end said, "Oh, it's you. It's about the contract, right? Wait a moment, I have something urgent. Talk to my brother; he will handle the shop from now on."

Before Yuan Zhou could respond, the voice changed to a rough, arrogant male voice, "Tomorrow afternoon at 1 PM, we'll sign the contract at your shop."

"Sorry, the reason I'm calling is that I can't rent the shop to you anymore," Yuan Zhou, feeling a bit annoyed by the interruption, said directly, thinking of his purpose.

"What do you mean? Do you want to increase the rent?" The male voice sounded dissatisfied, not believing that Yuan Zhou was serious about not renting.

After all, he knew the shop well. It had been for rent for two years and hadn't been leased out. One reason was that it wasn't a food street but a mixed goods street, selling all kinds of things but not high-end items, just everyday household goods.

The location was also average. Although it was near several office buildings with white-collar workers, there was a food street below the office buildings. Modern office workers were lazy and didn't want to walk far, so the business on this street wasn't good.

Given this situation, the person who wanted to rent wasn't foolish. The reason they didn't haggle was because of some inside information.

Although the offer to buy was rejected, they planned to rent first and then buy later, which would definitely be profitable. Yuan Zhou's situation had been thoroughly investigated; he was an orphan with no connections.

"No, it's my personal issue. We haven't signed any contract, and I haven't even taken the deposit, so the lease is off," Yuan Zhou frowned at the mention of increasing the rent. He wasn't a greedy person but explained a bit.

"What do you mean? You said you would rent it. Do you think your shop is in high demand? I'll give you an extra hundred per month," the rough male voice on the other end said, sounding both anxious and dissatisfied.

"It's not about the rent. I want to run the shop myself, so I won't be renting it out," Yuan Zhou said.

"Hey, you...!"

Before the other person could finish, Yuan Zhou hung up the phone. He was joking; he had made the call, and if he kept talking, it would exceed one minute. As he had said, Yuan Zhou wasn't a greedy person; he was very greedy. Besides, without a deposit or a signed contract, saying it was off meant it was off.

"Knock, knock, knock"

Li Li, after seeing off her guest, returned to the house. The sound of her high heels on the wooden floor was crisp. Seeing her brother Li Li frowning at his phone, she couldn't help but smile.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you arguing with your phone?" she asked.

"That shop says it won't be rented anymore," Li Li immediately calmed down, a hint of dissatisfaction on his face.

"Oh? Why?" Li Li raised her delicate eyebrows in surprise.

"That guy says he wants to run the shop himself. It's fine; we've already secured four or five others," Li Li said nonchalantly, his handsome face showing no concern.

"Alright, what are you going to do?" Li Li, seeing her brother's indifference, didn't press further and asked another question.

...

Yuan Zhou, with a serious face and an empty mind, aimlessly tapped on his phone.

"Should I clean it myself, or clean it myself, or clean it myself?"

"Right, if there's a task, there should be a reward. Where is the reward?" Yuan Zhou muttered to himself, searching the panel in his mind.

【Reward】God-level Fried Rice Skill

Is God-level fried rice still fried rice? It's like the king of beggars is still a beggar. What's the point?

"System, does this reward match my task?" Seeing the reward, Yuan Zhou felt terrible.

The system displayed: The best fried rice in the world.

"How good is it?" Yuan Zhou asked seriously.

This time, there was no explanation, just a single line of text: Please complete the task first, host.

"Alright, an explanation without an explanation," Yuan Zhou mumbled, then continued to look at the panel, which he hadn't had time to examine in detail due to his excitement.

"Why is my cooking talent unknown?"

Yuan Zhou knew his talent might not be high, but unknown? What was that?

"The system does not have the ability to detect talent, and human talent is not fixed," the system explained.

"If you can't detect it, why mark it?" Yuan Zhou found it hard to understand.

"It looks better this way," the system suspiciously paused before the text appeared, making it even more bizarre.

To avoid letting a system affect his intelligence, Yuan Zhou decided to ignore this issue and continue reading.

"Cooking five dimensions?"

The system displayed: Specifically: color, aroma, taste, shape, and intent.

However, the glaring words "novice" made Yuan Zhou realize his cooking level, leaving him somewhat defeated. But thinking about the system he now possessed, he instantly regained confidence.

So, let's start completing the task.

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