Chapter 42: Cao Dongdong's Advance

Pang Long came to an abrupt halt.

Nursing a belly full of pent-up rage, he quickly whipped his head around to glare at the classroom entrance.

There stood a guy with a face that managed to look both handsome and obnoxious, arms crossed, marching into the classroom with an aggressive and overbearing swagger. He clearly meant trouble.

"It's you..." Pang Long's brows furrowed as he quickly recognized the intruder.

In his training academy, this fellow had been the most eager to fork over the "advanced tuition fees," which was why Pang Long had actually bothered to give him serious instruction.

Unfortunately, the guy's talent was utterly hopeless—he simply couldn't learn a thing no matter how he was taught.

Pang Long had even planned to pocket a few more rounds of advanced fees before just going through the motions and granting him the Food Recommender badge.

Never did he expect this guy to show up and cause a scene at a time like this.

"Cao Dongdong, what did you just call me?"

Hearing the anger in Pang Long's voice, Cao Dongdong instinctively shrank his head back, but remembering that he no longer needed to fear this man, he quickly straightened his back once more.

"I said, you old fossil Pang Long, refund my money!"

Cao Dongdong repeated his declaration. "Your training academy doesn't teach anything worthwhile. The regular tuition only gets you some superficial knowledge, and even if you pay the 'advanced tuition,' mastering anything is out of the question."

"I've paid you close to a million in tuition fees altogether, yet the food I cook is still completely inedible!"

The training classroom erupted into an uproar at these words.

Pang Long's academy divided its students into several large classrooms based on their progress. This particular one was for new enrollees, many of whom had just paid their fees and started learning, completely unaware of the existence of "advanced tuition."

Hearing Cao Dongdong's accusations, their gazes toward Pang Long instantly shifted.

Noticing this, Pang Long's expression grew even gloomier. "Cao Dongdong, stop spouting malicious slander!"

"Over eighty percent of the chefs who have trained under me successfully pass the Food Recommender evaluation and become respected Spirit-Appointed Chefs."

"The fact that you couldn't do it is simply due to your own lack of talent." He let out a cold snort. "With your aptitude, it's impossible for you to ever become a Spirit-Appointed Chef!"

"Old fossil, I knew you'd say that!" Cao Dongdong pointed at Pang Long, a smug grin plastered across his face. "Watch and learn!"

With that, he lightly stroked the top of his forehead, and the Tianshu star meridian instantly flashed into view.

"You..." Pang Long's pupils contracted sharply.

Before he could utter another word, a food spirit emerged from Cao Dongdong's star meridian.

"Lafei~"

Seeing Cao Dongdong summon a food spirit, the students in the training classroom burst into exclamations of surprise, their eyes filled with envy mixed with doubt toward Pang Long.

Didn't he just say it was utterly impossible for Cao Dongdong to become a Spirit-Appointed Chef?

Yet in the blink of an eye, the guy had summoned a food spirit?

"How is this possible?" Pang Long asked in utter astonishment, speaking before he could stop himself, though he quickly caught on and recovered. "Hmph, since you've already become a Spirit-Appointed Chef, doesn't that just prove that my training academy works?"

"Ha! Predicted it again!" Cao Dongdong's expression grew even more triumphant. "I knew you'd pull that excuse, old fossil!"

"Everyone, look closely!"

He pulled a Food Recommender badge from his coat and displayed it before the crowd. "The badge I earned is Ms. Song Hui's Daisy Badge!"

"And Ms. Song Hui's evaluation subject is desserts!"

"Old fossil, can you even make desserts?"

"Stop trying to bask in my glory; my becoming a Spirit-Appointed Chef has nothing to do with you!" Cao Dongdong gave a light snort, looking at Pang Long, whose face had turned completely green. "I studied under you for two and a half years and learned absolutely nothing."

"Qin Lang taught me a single pastry in just a few hours, and it directly earned me a Tier 1 Food Recommender badge, making me a Spirit-Appointed Chef without a hitch."

"Pang Long, you old fossil, do you still dare claim there's nothing wrong with your academy?"

"No point in talking further. Refund the money!"

Pang Long remained tight-lipped, his expression as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Qin Lang!

It was Qin Lang again!

Within a single day, this was the second time he had heard this name, and the second time this fellow had completely derailed his plans.

"There is no way I am refunding the money." Dropping those rigid words, Pang Long turned on his heel, walked into his office, and slammed the door shut behind him.

Facing a closed door, Cao Dongdong shrugged, completely unfazed.

He knew he wouldn't be getting his previous tuition back anyway. Coming here was purely to stick it to Pang Long and help vent a little frustration for Qin Lang.

Just as he turned to leave, a voice suddenly called out to him.

"Um, Senior Cao..."

Cao Dongdong stopped and looked at the students who had gathered around him at some point, their faces filled with eager anticipation.

"Could you share that teacher Qin Lang's contact information with us?"

Unaware that his students were on the verge of being poached, Pang Long sat in his office long after slamming the door shut, utterly failing to calm the raging fire in his chest.

Until a teasing voice drifted over from the corner of the office. "Someone's got quite a temper. Who managed to tick you off?"

Pang Long snapped his head up, fixing a fierce glare on the figure that had suddenly appeared in the corner. "Didn't I tell you?"

"Don't look for me unless it's necessary, and never barge into my office!"

"I naturally came because there is a matter to discuss." The man standing in the corner's shadow chuckled softly. "I heard the association held an emergency meeting today?"

"If I'm not mistaken, this has something to do with us, right?"

"Isn't it all because of that useless subordinate of yours?" Pang Long's face darkened further, a trace of resentment in his tone. "He couldn't even steal a flower without getting caught."

"Liu Chang is the most outstanding among the new members of this batch; a minor slip-up is nothing," the man replied, entirely unperturbed. "Besides, even if he hadn't been discovered, the Spirit-Appointed Chefs Association has the means to find out eventually."

"Hmph." Pang Long let out a low snort. "Handle it however you see fit. The association has already made its move, and your time is running out."

"Rest assured, we already have a lead on that rare spirit," the man said slowly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "In just a few days, that rare spirit will be firmly in the hands of our Rare Spirit Hunting Team!"

"If there's nothing else, get lost." A flicker of wariness crossed the depths of Pang Long's eyes as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Naturally, there is one more thing." The man looked at Pang Long, pausing briefly. "That proposal we mentioned last time..."

"It was voted down!"

Unable to help recalling how Zhou Qing and Song Hui had successively slapped him across the face during the meeting, only to be subsequently put in his place by Association President Li Yuantu, Pang Long's expression darkened even more.

"Well, I suppose things were never going to be that simple." The man shrugged, turned, and melted back into the shadows, vanishing in an instant.

Only a lingering voice echoed softly through the office.

"Pang Long, don't forget who helped you become a Food Recommender in the first place."

Pang Long sat rigidly in his chair, his breathing turning ragged. A moment later, he snatched an ornament from his desk and hurled it fiercely toward the dark corner.

"Bang—!"