Tycoon: I Have an Unlimited Modifier

”Dad, the new head chef Qi Sheng found is amazing! He’s the executive chef from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Guangzhou!”

Tao Siyao’s smug expression made Tao Ronghui and Xu Huifang roar with laughter.

”But it’s true! What’s so funny?”

Tao Siyao muttered under her breath. Seeing that Qi Sheng was also laughing, she shot him a playful glare.

”You... if you were even a tenth as composed as Ah Sheng, your mother and I would be secretly overjoyed.”

Tao Ronghui looked at his daughter, who never seemed to grow up, and shook his head with a helpless sigh.

”Yaoyao has a great personality. I like it a lot.”

Seeing his little princess pouting, Qi Sheng immediately smiled and complimented her.

”Love you~!”

Tao Siyao instantly perked up again and even made a finger heart at Qi Sheng.

”This girl...”

Tao Ronghui couldn’t be bothered to lecture Tao Siyao anymore.

’After all, his daughter is a great catch herself.’

’Even if she broke up with a great catch like Qi Sheng, she’d have no shortage of other suitors.’

Soon, the kitchen began sending out a steady stream of dishes.

”This plating... it’s really something.”

As a local magnate, Tao Ronghui had lost count of his visits to famous, high-end restaurants.

The plating of the dishes before him was, at the very least, at the level of a restaurant costing 500+ per person.

”Dad, hurry up and try it! Is it as good as Jinsha Hall?”

Tao Siyao was even more anxious than Qi Sheng, desperate for her father’s approval.

”Huh?”

Tao Ronghui picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the first dish—a deep-sea scampi tartare—and was instantly blown away.

”This dish... it’s incredible!”

Tao Ronghui savored it, analyzing the dish with his seasoned palate.

”They must have used deep-sea scampi from New Zealand, diced and mixed with lemon and pickled scallion.”

”Spot on!”

Qi Sheng gave Tao Ronghui a thumbs-up.

He had gotten the ingredients almost perfectly right.

’He’s definitely a true connoisseur.’

”Tsk, this chef’s skills are indeed impressive. Among all the Cantonese chefs whose food I’ve tried, he would rank in the top five.”

Having tried only one dish, Tao Ronghui was still being conservative with his praise.

”Only top five?”

Tao Siyao pouted, displeased.

”This girl... I’ve only had one dish. How can I give such high praise so easily?”

Tao Ronghui shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

”Uncle, please try this fish maw soup.”

Qi Sheng deliberately omitted the other ingredients, curious to see how many Tao Ronghui could identify.

”Whoa, this soup is something else!”

Just from smelling the aroma, Tao Ronghui’s anticipation was already building.

”Hmm... is that dried scallop, sea conch, and wild ginger lily in here?”

After a few more careful sips, he couldn’t help but exclaim, ”Clear but not bland, rich but not salty. This chef is a master of soups. The addition of the wild ginger lily is a masterstroke—it adds an instant floral fragrance. Okay, now he’s in my top three.”

”Tch, you’re just being difficult!”

Tao Siyao pursed her lips, unhappy with her old man’s strict standards.

But the next few main courses were where Huang Zhihui truly shined.

Thick-cut geoduck, blanched for a second in a long-simmered chicken broth. Made with top-grade Canadian ’A’ geoduck, the texture was both crisp and exquisitely fresh.

The salt-baked Taishan maiden crab was another highlight of the evening.

The maiden crab’s meat was sweet and tender, smooth as soft jade, while its roe was like molten butter.

The salt-baking method kept the meat firm and dry on the surface, making it exceptionally fragrant.

Tao Siyao eagerly picked up the small wooden mallet to crack open the salt crust, a process full of ceremony.

”You did well finding this chef. The restaurant is guaranteed to be a hit!”

By this point, Tao Ronghui was giving a thumbs-up without a shred of hesitation.

Tao Siyao was finally satisfied, a wide smile on her face as she sat beside Qi Sheng.

’It’s pretty good,’ Qi Sheng thought, ’but there’s still room for improvement.’

Hearing the lively chatter from the other tables, he knew many of the guests must have been pleasantly surprised.

Who would have thought that the unremarkable Baiyun Chinese Restaurant would suddenly have a master Cantonese chef land in its kitchen?

His skills completely blew the previous chef’s out of the water.

Even though the price for this temporary master chef’s private banquet was a bit steep, it still received rave reviews from the guests.

They weren’t afraid of expensive.

What they feared was paying a high price for terrible food—that was the most frustrating thing of all.

After dinner, Qi Sheng and Tao Siyao took Tao Ronghui and Xu Huifang for a stroll around the hotel grounds.

Feeling inspired, the four of them even took a ride on one of the hotel’s sculling boats.

Once they had walked off their meal, they returned to their rooms.

Qi Sheng arranged for the older couple to stay in an Ambassador’s Villa, but he failed to notice the helpless look Tao Ronghui shot him.

Qi Sheng was young, after all. How could he possibly understand the sorrows of a middle-aged man?

...

The next day, to keep up appearances, Qi Sheng and Tao Siyao scurried back to a different Ambassador’s Villa at dawn.

The chances of her parents checking up on them were slim, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Seeing Qi Sheng and Tao Siyao only wake up around noon, Tao Ronghui felt a bit sour, but he understood.

It was just that seeing the daughter he had raised holding so intimately onto another man’s arm...

...well, as a father, it was hard not to feel a pang of jealousy.

”Mom, you’re glowing today!”

Tao Siyao said, looking at her mother in surprise.

Her every gesture seemed to have an added touch of a high-society matron’s elegance.

”Really?”

Xu Huifang glanced at Tao Ronghui with a beaming smile.

”It’s probably just the hotel’s lovely atmosphere. Your dad and I both slept very well.”

”Hehe, well, you and Dad should come more often then. Just remember to pay.”

With a best friend like Du Xinxin, the queen of dirty jokes, and now with her own experience in the romance department, Tao Siyao was naturally no longer a Xiaobai.

”Oh, hush! How dare you tease your own parents.”

Xu Huifang blushed a little at her daughter’s comment, but she had to admit, the idea was tempting.

’Normally, back home, Tao Ronghui was always making excuses.’

’Last night, Old Tao had delivered a whole month’s worth of ’public grain’.’

”Ahem... Uncle, for lunch, should I have the kitchen prepare some extra nourishing ingredients? To, you know, help you replenish your strength?”