Huayu Chef

101 Flying Dragons Rush In

Zhang Jinxuan walked into the private room of the hot pot restaurant. All three of the future "two giants of Jiaxing" were there. There was no one else besides them.

Zeng Jia and Yao Yao, both with delicate features, wore women's suits, exuding the air of professional elites. Yang Mi's attire was not as formal as theirs; rather, how should I put it, it had a slightly worldly feel to it.

She wore heavy makeup, long, straight black hair, and a red sleeveless dress. Her posture wasn't great, perhaps because her large breasts were a burden. She was slightly hunched over and stretched her neck. Just sitting there, she exuded the aura of a hostess.

Those fox-like eyes were lively and charming, and her face was quite pretty, but she was still one or two versions away from evolving to her full potential.

Zhang Jinxuan couldn't figure out if she had gotten used to creating a persona, or if she was just naturally gifted and had completely lost the few remaining signs of stardom she possessed.

Okay, these days, the makeup and styling of celebrities, both domestic and international, are outdated. They rely solely on their charisma to become famous, but their star power is dim. They really can't compare to what they will be like in a decade or two.

There were three women and only Zhang Jinxuan as a man. It felt like entering a spider's web, a feast with no enjoyment whatsoever.

Zhang Jinxuan was the first to greet them: "Sister Mi, Sister Jia, Sister Yao Yao."

"Jinxuan is here, please have a seat."

"Jinxuan, come sit here."

Yang Mi raised her hand, which had been painted with nail polish, and beckoned to Zhang Jinxuan: "Little Xuanxuan, come and sit down to eat hot pot. We've been waiting for you for ages."

Zhang Jinxuan went over and sat next to her. Looking at the large table of side dishes and the bubbling hot pot, he was flattered and said, "Sister Mi, you guys arrived first, so please eat first. You don't need to wait for me."

"We called you after we got off the plane. We haven't been here long, we were just joking with you. Everyone, eat up, order whatever you like, it's on me today."

Zhang Jinxuan flattered, "Sister Mi is so generous."

Yang Mi pouted: "Silly girl, what's so special about a hot pot meal? I heard your Wild Kitchen moved to a new location, and I was planning to eat there and patronize your business, but Yao Yao said it's still under renovation. When will it be finished?"

Zhang Jinxuan asked the waiter for a dipping sauce and replied, "I just finished the design of the new store a couple of days ago, and the renovation started yesterday afternoon. It should be completed by the end of this month or the beginning of May, and it will open at the end of May if things go smoothly."

The design company strictly followed Zhang Jinxuan's requirements for the store's interior design, racking their brains to optimize it. The overall effect was acceptable, not too cramped. Zhang Jinxuan didn't want to cause them any trouble; he sent it back for revisions once and then adopted it.

The store's interior and exterior decoration doesn't follow a luxurious route, the project is relatively small, environmentally friendly materials are used, it can be completed in half a month or so, and then left vacant for a month or so to ventilate and dissipate toxic gases, so as to open for business and make money as soon as possible.

"Want to be a gigolo?" Yang Mi asked directly, pressing her face against his.

She's quite sharp-tongued and likes to roast people and make jokes on the spot. In her past life, she complained that Chen Sicheng was too greasy. Although it was true, Chen was a very narcissistic person, and saying it to his face was still a bit offensive.

She also criticized Huang Xiaoming.

Zhang Jinxuan was speechless: "Does Sister Honey really like eating duck?"

Yang Mi smiled and nodded: "I really like Peking duck. The Peking duck you made in the first episode of 'Wild Kitchen' looked delicious. I really want to try it."

"The new store can order Peking duck in advance. I'll make two especially for Sister Mi on opening day. Please do me the honor of coming."

Yang Mi readily agreed: "Let me know when the opening date is set, and I'll send you a big flower basket and personally come to support you."

"Thank you, Sister Honey."

Zeng Jia interjected, "You two, stop talking! There's a table full of food, hurry up and eat hot pot."

"Little Xuanxuan, eat some meat."

Yang Mi picked up a piece of beef for Zhang Jinxuan, then picked one for herself, and asked as she ate, "Do you serve hot pot at your new restaurant?"

"We don't make hot pot; we only make braised dishes, Chinese food, pastries, and drinks."

"What kind of drink would you like, milk tea?"

"The selection is limited. Usually, it's just plum juice, milk tea, and fruit juice. In the summer, we might serve a few refreshing drinks, and in the winter, we'll serve hot drinks."

"Is the new store on Jian'an West Road?"

"right."

Yang Mi praised, "You have such a good eye for location. There are so many universities around. With your popularity and skills, your business is sure to be booming. I envy the current junior students. They have handsome chefs to watch and delicious food made by handsome chefs to eat. Unlike when I was in school, I ate in the cafeteria every day. It was the same few dishes over and over again, and I got tired of them."

Zhang Jinxuan seized the opportunity and retaliated with a flying dragon strike: "Sister Mi, with so many acting gigs, it seems you rarely attend classes at school, right?"

Yang Mi rolled her eyes at Zhang Jinxuan and laughed, "You little brat, are you trying to expose my weaknesses? Don't you even respect me as your senior sister?"

Zhang Jinxuan quickly tried to make amends: "I'm tongue-tied and said the wrong thing. I'll treat the three sisters to karaoke tonight to make up for it, and I'll request 'The Power of Love' for Sister Mi."

"Ha ha."

Zeng Jia and Yao Yao couldn't help but laugh. They snatched bamboo shoots from Jin Xuan's basket, bringing up the very thing they didn't want to talk about.

Yang Mi wasn't angry at all, and said frankly, "You want to hear me sing 'The Power of Love,' right? Actually, I'm not a good singer."

In an interview, Zhang Bingbin, one of the "Four Silly Guys of Jiaxing" in his previous life, said that during team building activities for the company's artists, they often encouraged Yang Mi to sing "The Power of Love". He also said that Yang Mi is a very down-to-earth person and likes to make fun of herself.

Zhang Jinxuan inquired with a gossipy look, "Rumor has it that Sister Mi spent over a million yuan on audio editing for this song, is that true?"

Yang Mi immediately lost her temper and shouted, "Xiao Xuanxuan eats and drinks my food, and he's deliberately trying to annoy me. It's outrageous! Sister Jia, quickly blacklist him and stop him from getting in my way."

Zeng Jiayi said pointedly, "Mimi, I'm just an ordinary agent. How could I possibly blacklist a talented and promising talent like Jinxuan? He can easily become famous all over the country with a simple film like 'Wild Kitchen,' and if he does something else, he might become more famous than you, Mimi. I can't afford to offend him."

"Sister Jia, don't flatter me. I'm not that amazing."

"You're really amazing." Yang Mi was both impressed and regretful: "I really didn't expect 'Wild Kitchen' to become such a terrible hit. I misjudged it."

Zhang Jinxuan sighed, "I never expected it. I just liked cooking at first, and I was filming for fun, and I also wanted to ride the wave of popularity from 'A Bite of China,' but it became a hit."

"Wild Kitchen has a novel concept and is filmed in a fun way. Jinxuan, you're witty and always have something to talk about, so it's normal that it became popular. Otherwise, it wouldn't have attracted the interest of Youku and Hunan TV." Then, Zeng Jia changed the subject and asked, "Zhu Xiangyang from Youku called you, right?"

Zhang Jinxuan thought to himself that the meat and vegetables had arrived, but replied without changing his expression, "They've been prepared."

"What did he say to you on the phone?"

"They informed me that we would be having dinner tomorrow afternoon, and that people from Hunan TV would also be there, led by a deputy director. Wei Ming, the general manager of Youku, and Zhu Xiangyang, the general manager, would also be present."