Chapter 124: Chinese Cuisine

“Ma… Master… is it really you?” Cheng Qiankun dropped the large spoon in his hand and pushed aside the Fuhan coins, his eyes shining with excitement as he looked at Xue Tian’ai, his words almost stumbling out in disbelief.

Xue Tian’ai was taken aback on the spot—and not just him. Everyone present was stunned. How could the formidable boss of Lishui Longxuan, who dominated both the black and white markets, call someone “Master”? Yet among them, Qin Mengxue was the least shocked, merely watching Xue Tian’ai and Cheng Qiankun with thoughtful eyes.

“Ah, brother, you’re…” Xue Tian’ai hesitated, racking his brain for any memory of the man before him.

Cheng Qiankun said nothing, simply nodding firmly, his gaze filled with admiration, as if desperate for Xue Tian’ai to call out his name.

“Brother, who exactly are you?” Xue Tian’ai asked awkwardly after a futile mental search.

“Oh, Master, how could you have forgotten me?” Cheng Qiankun’s face fell briefly with disappointment, but it vanished almost instantly, replaced by overwhelming gratitude. “I’m little Chengzi! Didn’t you remember? After the culinary competition in country F, it was you who encouraged me to keep pursuing Chinese cuisine. You taught me the essence of it! I never expected to meet you again here in China!”

Upon hearing this, Qin Mengxue and Gan Bingning instantly became alert—this was a rare chance to uncover Xue Tian’ai’s past. Meanwhile, Su Jiaqi’s mind was a jumble. So this man named Xue had been abroad? And a chef? It seemed hard to believe!

Fearing Xue Tian’ai hadn’t remembered, Cheng Qiankun removed his glasses and the hair tie, tidying his hair gently as he looked at Xue Tian’ai expectantly. “Master, do you recognize me now?”

Seeing Cheng Qiankun’s new appearance, a tearful image flickered in Xue Tian’ai’s mind, but it was far removed from the confident smile before him. “It really is little Chengzi! So much time has passed, and you’ve changed a lot—I didn’t recognize you at first.”

“Yes, Master, it’s me, no doubt about it!” Cheng Qiankun said excitedly.

“Ah, hahaha, don’t call me Master. I didn’t teach you much. Just call me Xue Tian’ai,” Xue Tian’ai smiled lightly, then asked with curiosity, “By the way, how’s life treating you now?”

“Hehe, very well, thanks to you, Master! If it weren’t for you, I might have given up on Chinese cuisine. After seriously studying for a while, I entered another competition, won first place, and then came back to China to manage this hotel. Now, I even cook for the guests myself!” Cheng Qiankun’s face was filled with nostalgia. What Xue Tian’ai said that night, the dish he made for him—they truly changed his life.

Watching the two converse, Fuhan Bi’s expression darkened; a burning sensation flared across his face. He hadn’t expected that this casually dressed man, who seemed quite capable, would be so familiar with Cheng Qiankun, the boss of Lishui Longxuan! The situation was unfavorable for him now. At least while Cheng Qiankun was here, Fuhan Bi dared not act recklessly.

“So you’re a guest of Brother Cheng! I suppose I was a bit rude just now,” Fuhan Bi suppressed his anger, stepped forward, and clasped his fists in greeting to Cheng Qiankun, but his eyes never once looked at Xue Tian’ai.

“Fuhan Bi, how dare you provoke my Master! You are not welcome here! Get lost!” Cheng Qiankun’s attitude abruptly shifted, his tone instantly turning ice-cold.

Though alone, Cheng Qiankun’s presence was commanding, leaving no room for Fuhan Bi to save face. It was clear that if Fuhan Bi didn’t leave, he wouldn’t escape unscathed.

Fuhan Bi’s fury boiled inside, but he swallowed it down and bowed politely. “Please don’t be too angry, Brother Cheng. I will leave immediately.” Yet when he looked up, his eyes glinted fiercely like a cobra’s, shooting a venomous glare at Xue Tian’ai.

He then beckoned his burly bodyguard, and they quickly exited.

“Master, I’m terribly sorry that this scoundrel disturbed your meal!” Cheng Qiankun apologized profusely.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I didn’t mind at all,” Xue Tian’ai waved off the apology. “Why don’t we finish up and settle the bill? I’ll come back another time to have a proper chat with you.”

“All right, I won’t keep you today. You probably have more important matters to attend to.” Cheng Qiankun glanced at the three stunning women behind Xue Tian’ai with a mischievous smile. Secretly, he admired his Master—no matter where he went, extraordinary women always accompanied him.

He remembered that back in country F, Xue Tian’ai had two little girls with him—one with twin ponytails, the other with short white hair. Now, meeting again in China, though no longer little girls, the women behind him were still top-tier beauties.

Seeing Cheng Qiankun’s sly expression, the three women sighed quietly. This guy was undoubtedly Xue Tian’ai’s apprentice—though certainly in the more unsavory sense!

…………… Ten minutes later ………………

After leaving Lishui Longxuan, Xue Tian’ai stretched luxuriously, patting the black-gold membership card of Lishui Longxuan in his pocket, a broad smile on his lips. “Damn, free meals really are something else!”

Cheng Qiankun had adamantly refused to accept payment, turning a nearly six-figure dinner into a free one. Before parting, he even handed Xue Tian’ai the highest-level card from his hotel, urging him to come back so he could personally cook a dish for Xue Tian’ai’s critique.

[It’s said that tonight’s table was served by one of Cheng Qiankun’s apprentices, which left Cheng Qiankun wringing his hands in regret.]

“Yeah, except for that annoying person we ran into, this meal would have been perfect!” Gan Bingning smiled warmly at Xue Tian’ai. The more she spent time with him, the more she felt he was a mystery—and she wanted to be the one to unravel it.

“Hey, Xue, why don’t you treat us next time? Seems like you don’t need to pay here anyway!” Su Jiaqi looked at Xue Tian’ai’s smug smile and pursed her lips. She had planned to extort a meal from him. She knew he wasn’t short of money, but the thrill of getting something for free was a different story. Yet fate had other plans—he never paid, and instead, others paid him! Is this what they mean by the rich getting richer?

“Come on, don’t be so heartless! You guys ate nearly six figures tonight, and you want me to foot the bill? If it weren’t for running into someone I know, I’d be broke for months!” Xue Tian’ai feigned pleading.

The three women clicked their tongues, unconvinced that Xue Tian’ai truly cared about money.

“But Xue, how do you know Cheng Qiankun? And why does he call you Master?” Qin Mengxue’s curiosity was reignited by the earlier scene and Cheng Qiankun’s reverent demeanor.

“Yeah, yeah, Xue, were you a chef before?” Su Jiaqi, bursting with questions since before, finally blurted out.

Gan Bingning remained silent, quietly watching Xue Tian’ai, clearly eager to hear the answer.

Seeing their intense curiosity, Xue Tian’ai sighed softly. It seemed he had no choice but to explain.

“Well, back when I was abroad, I once watched a preliminary cooking competition. The chefs all presented their signature dishes for the judges to taste and vote on. Among them was little Chengzi, or Cheng Qiankun as you know him. Unfortunately, his Chinese dish received very few votes and he was eliminated.”

“On my way out, I accidentally bumped into him. He was crying pitifully, doubting whether Chinese cuisine really wasn’t good enough. So I encouraged him, took him to the kitchen, and made the simplest Chinese dish—scrambled eggs with tomatoes—for him. We talked a bit more after that, and that was it.”

Xue Tian’ai’s words were brief and simple, but the memory was anything but easy.

[“No way, I can’t compete! Chinese cuisine can’t beat theirs!” Cheng Qiankun wailed, banging his head against the corridor wall.]

[“Slap!” Hearing this, I snapped, grabbed him by the collar, and slapped him.]

[Startled, Cheng Qiankun stammered, “Who… who are you? Why did you hit me?”]

[“What did you say? Chinese cuisine can’t make it?” I narrowed my eyes coldly.]

[“Yeah! No matter how hard I try, it can’t beat their steak, their French foie gras!” Cheng Qiankun shouted hysterically, his face twisted.]

[“Fine! Come with me. I want to show you who really can’t make it!” I took the tearful, snotty little Chengzi to a free kitchen and tossed him into a corner.]

Without another word, I put on my glasses, tied my hair, heated oil in the pan, cracked eggs, sliced tomatoes, and made the simplest scrambled eggs with tomatoes. I placed the dish before him. “Eat.”

Cheng Qiankun took a bite, then his hand trembled, tears streaming down again. He looked up at me through blurred eyes. “How… how did you do it? Why does it taste so good?”

I smiled gently, knowing my purpose was achieved. Then I said something that changed his life forever.]

“Chinese cuisine isn’t meant for competitions; it exists to bring happiness to those who eat it. And you’re a chef—your service is to the customers, not to judges in a contest.”

Standing before the window, Cheng Qiankun murmured those words Xue Tian’ai once told him. [Master, have I achieved this now?]