Chapter 4

Teng Tang Yue, with an excited look on her face, hugged Guo Kejun, although she saw Li Xin Gong standing nearby, she chose to ignore him...

"Isn't that Li Xin Gong's girlfriend? Although her face isn't stunning, her figure is incredibly sexy. Hehe, it seems that sexy women can't be trusted!"

"Exactly! She saw that Guo Kejun is a native of the capital, with a car and a house. After hooking up with Old Guo, she dumped Li Xin Gong and turned her back on him! Look at her, she's so cold-hearted, not even a bit considerate!"

"Shh... Don't say that, didn't you see the little lady looking over here?"

Teng Tang Yue heard a series of whispers. She noticed that the atmosphere in the kitchen was very strange and thought it was because of her, Li Xin Gong, and Guo Kejun. She quickly said loudly, "Honey, you're amazing! You don't know, the garlic sautéed mustard greens you made just now made the young lady cry. She wants to see you!"

Buzz...

Guo Kejun suddenly heard a sharp buzzing in his ears, his face turned pale, and his mouth twitched rapidly, as if he had a sudden seizure.

The kitchen was immediately filled with whispers.

Guo Kejun, with a fierce look on his face, pushed Teng Tang Yue away and asked loudly, "What? This garlic sautéed mustard greens was ordered by the young lady? Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Someone nearby muttered, "Hehe, this is going to be good!"

Teng Tang Yue, looking at Guo Kejun with a worried expression, pulled his wrist and shook it, "Honey, honey! What's wrong with you?"

Guo Kejun, with a slightly blurred gaze, looked at Teng Tang Yue and then, as if deflated, asked weakly, "Why didn't you say this dish was ordered by the young lady?"

Teng Tang Yue, with a slightly aggrieved look, said, "She specifically asked not to tell you that she ordered it... But when I wrote the order, I specifically asked you to cook it yourself and to do it well, well..."

As she spoke, Teng Tang Yue's tone changed to one of confusion, "Honey, you did a great job! Don't worry, the young lady praised the dish just now! She asked me to call you over, there must be something good."

Guo Kejun turned his head slightly to look at Li Xin Gong and noticed that Li Xin Gong didn't have a smug look on his face, but rather a low-key demeanor that was hard to read.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Guo Kejun's mind that even scared himself: Li Xin Gong isn't really stupid, he's just extremely deep and calculating.

Thinking back to everything that happened, from when he picked on Li Xin Gong to when Li Xin Gong cooked the dish, the scenes quickly flashed through Guo Kejun's mind. He suddenly felt like a clown!

"Honey, honey, what are you thinking! The young lady is waiting for you! Let's go quickly!" Teng Tang Yue's words seemed deliberately aimed at Li Xin Gong, as if to show how much better her man was than him.

Guo Kejun looked at the chefs in the kitchen, feeling the weight of many eyes on him. This dish of garlic sautéed mustard greens wasn't cooked by him. He could publicly pick on Li Xin Gong, and no one would say anything.

But if he went out with Teng Tang Yue alone today, even if the truth couldn't be hidden, as soon as he stepped out of the door, if someone spread the word, his position as head chef would be over. After all, the kitchen wasn't his personal domain.

"This dish... this dish wasn't cooked by me," Guo Kejun mumbled.

Li Xin Gong stood to the side, his heart churning. Although he saw Guo Kejun admit in front of Teng Tang Yue that the dish wasn't cooked by him, he felt a sense of vindication, but he was more puzzled about how he had cooked such a divine dish of garlic sautéed mustard greens in a daze.

Teng Tang Yue, confused, looked at Guo Kejun and asked, "Honey, what did you say just now?"

Guo Kejun, with a fierce and accusatory look, said to Teng Tang Yue, "I said: the dish! It wasn't cooked by me!"

"Ah? Not honey... honey, you cooked it?" Teng Tang Yue looked at Guo Kejun in surprise and asked, "If not you, who cooked it..."

As she spoke, Teng Tang Yue saw Guo Kejun's complex gaze fixed on Li Xin Gong. Suddenly, she felt as if her face had been slapped hard!

"You said... you said he cooked it?" Teng Tang Yue glanced at Li Xin Gong.

Although Teng Tang Yue hadn't been with Li Xin Gong for long, she knew him well. He could cook a simple meal at home, but she couldn't believe that the dish that made the young lady cry could have come from Li Xin Gong's hands!

But looking at Guo Kejun's gaze and the expressions of everyone in the kitchen, Teng Tang Yue's face turned even paler. She shook her head subconsciously, thinking: It must be a fluke! He can only cut vegetables, how could he possibly cook better than Guo Kejun?

Guo Kejun, standing opposite Li Xin Gong, looked at him quietly, feeling a sense of unease. But he had to grit his teeth and say to Li Xin Gong, "Brother, you've really been hiding your skills! Come on, you've made a name for yourself today, haven't you met the young lady yet..."

Li Xin Gong, not knowing what was happening, subconsciously trembled when he heard the words "young lady."

"What are you spacing out for!" Master Zhao, who had walked up to Li Xin Gong, placed his hand on Li Xin Gong's shoulder, conveying excitement and support.

"Ah? Ah!" Li Xin Gong turned and nodded subconsciously. No one knew who he was nodding to.

Teng Tang Yue looked at Li Xin Gong with cold eyes. If looks could freeze someone, Li Xin Gong would have turned into a popsicle by now.

Teng Tang Yue, with heavy steps, led the way, while Guo Kejun, with a hesitant gait and a flickering gaze, followed, lost in thought.

Looking at the man and woman in front of him, Li Xin Gong's mind was blank, with no thoughts of resentment or triumph.

It wasn't until they had walked far from the kitchen that he began to wonder about the mysterious young lady's age and appearance.

On his first day at Dejuquan, Li Xin Gong had heard about the young lady who ran the place. As a small fry, he had no chance to meet her, let alone speak to her. He subconsciously thought that the young lady must be in her thirties or even middle-aged. He also wondered how he would explain the dish to her if she asked.

Li Xin Gong followed the two in front of him, lost in thought. The layout and decoration of Dejuquan were in a traditional Chinese style. The three of them turned through the red pavilion and the corridor, and soon arrived at the door of a private room. Teng Tang Yue stopped at the door, which was decorated in a traditional style, and gently knocked.

Knock, knock. A slightly husky and sensual voice from inside responded, "Come in!"

Li Xin Gong, hearing the voice, pursed his lips. He thought he had guessed right; the young lady must be quite old.

Teng Tang Yue gently pushed the door open, nodded to the private room, and then turned to look at Li Xin Gong with a strange expression.

Guo Kejun, as if his feet were made of lead, walked in heavily. Li Xin Gong glanced at Teng Tang Yue and followed into the private room.

"Whoa..." Li Xin Gong softly drew in a breath. On the large table, there was only the garlic sautéed mustard greens he had cooked and a bowl of rice that was mostly eaten. Nothing else!

The woman sitting by the table was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed very simply, with no brand name visible. Li Xin Gong didn't know that this was called "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," made in Italy by hand. He thought the young lady was dressed plainly.

The young lady's long, black hair reached her waist, casually draped behind her. This image was far from the one Li Xin Gong had imagined, where the young lady would be dressed in designer clothes.

The simplicity of her attire made her graceful and attractive figure clearly visible. Her plain, unadorned beauty, like a masterpiece crafted by a master, was a kind of simplicity that was almost unseen today. Li Xin Gong was instantly captivated.

In front of the young lady, Teng Tang Yue instantly became a standard庸脂俗粉 (ordinary and vulgar woman).

The young lady looked up at Li Xin Gong with a slightly surprised expression and asked Teng Tang Yue, "Xiao Yue, why did you bring your boyfriend here?"

Teng Tang Yue's face turned pale, her eyes filled with complex emotions, making the young lady look at her in confusion.

"Xiao Yue... Are you okay?" the young lady asked subconsciously.

"Um! Li Xin Gong isn't my boyfriend. It's Shifu Guo who..."

As Teng Tang Yue spoke, her eyes darted between Li Xin Gong and Guo Kejun. For some reason, her body began to tremble slightly.

The young lady nodded in confusion and muttered, "Then I must have made a mistake."

Teng Tang Yue felt as if she had swallowed a fly, looking at Guo Kejun, who was standing beside her with a sullen face...

The young lady didn't speak, looking at Guo Kejun with a puzzled expression. She saw that his face wasn't good either, and Li Xin Gong, standing to the side, had a slightly unfocused look, as if deep in thought.

The young lady, puzzled, paused for a moment and then got straight to the point. She pointed at the garlic sautéed mustard greens on the table and said with a strange expression, "In our restaurant, no! I've never eaten such delicious garlic sautéed mustard greens. The crisp and fragrant vegetables made me feel as if I was standing in an endless field, and tears involuntarily streamed down my face. That fragrance... Shifu Guo, how did your skills suddenly improve so much?"

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