The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Returning to his own cooking station, Zhao Meng was both anxious and helpless.

With customers about to arrive, six large banquet tables, unless he grows two more hands, there’s no way to manage it all.

If worse comes to worst, should he ask Yao Shi to help find someone to assist in the kitchen?

No!

The thought had barely emerged before Zhao Meng dismissed it.

If he really brought someone in, things would only get more complicated.

After all, the loyal customers coming here to dine are specifically here for his cooking, wanting the flavor he creates.

No matter how skilled the chef, each one has their own cooking habits, and the flavor will definitely vary.

Should he ask the front desk to contact the customers with reservations to see if they could come at a different time to dine?

Even canceling one of the six orders would be good!

As for whether customers would be upset and create a fuss?!

That’s something he can’t worry about right now.

If necessary, he’d even accept having to go apologize and offer a free home service afterward.

Before the customers are seated, everything is negotiable. Once they’re in the restaurant, it involves the entire kitchen staff.

With this in mind, Zhao Meng turned and instructed Fu Yu, ”Fu Yu, go inform the front desk, have them contact the customers with tonight’s reservations, see if they can… change their reservation date or accept home service instead, I’m willing to waive the service fee on my end.”

Fu Yu was startled: ”Chef Zhao, it’s almost four-thirty now, the customers are likely already on their way! Trying to cancel the order now is definitely too late, and haven’t we already prepared everything? Once they arrive, we just start cooking! We’ve accepted the orders, how can we now cancel them, the customers definitely won’t agree...”

Zhao Meng’s eyes widened: ”What else can we do? Gu’s Yao Yihang took sudden leave, he has no time to help us. In a while, six large banquet tables will be needed, who can manage them all at once? Can you?”

”And right now, we can’t worry about these things, the customers haven’t arrived yet, everything is still negotiable. Wait until they arrive and then say the dishes can’t be prepared, that would surely cause conflict.”

Zhao Meng made up his mind, if the dishes couldn’t be served on time, he’d rather cancel the orders than let the customers wait anxiously.

As for reputation or anything else?

Does that have any significance compared to the restaurant’s reputation?

Fu Yu nodded, seriously saying: ”I can do it. Chef Zhao, we can work together, rush as much as we can. As long as we move faster and arrange the cooking order of the dishes properly, there shouldn’t be any problem!”

Zhao Meng almost laughed in exasperation!

”Do you think now is the time to show off? Customers are coming here to eat because they’re hungry. If the kitchen here delays serving the dishes, and a dispute arises, do you think just an apology can settle it? That would mean losing customers!”

”These loyal customers of mine, cultivated with difficulty, if ruined because of such a thing, spread the word and I won’t be able to stand my ground anymore.”

”Gu Yunwu just wants to see me make a fool of myself. I was wondering before, why he suddenly became so understanding, turns out he’s been waiting for me here all along!”

The more Zhao Meng spoke, the angrier he got, previously anxious and his mind was filled with how to solve this issue.

Now, calming down and thinking it over, he realized he was being played!

Yao Yihang hadn’t been busy before but chose this critical time to take leave and go home?

Who’s he fooling?

Zhao Meng urged, ”Alright, hurry to the front desk, have them contact the customers, if they can delay, then do it, otherwise, we’ll see.”

Just then, the order clerk came to inform: ”Chef Zhao, the customers with the order have arrived, private room 215, the table with 16 dishes.”

Zhao Meng quickly asked: ”Hey, can you tell the front desk to help contact the other customers with orders to see if they can delay their time to tomorrow?”

The order clerk was stunned: ”Definitely not! It’s already mealtime, if we had tried when the order was first received, maybe we could delay it, but now the customers are already arriving, this won’t work.”

Zhao Meng knew there wasn’t much hope, as the head chef, he had to be decisive.

With things as they were, he could only take one step at a time.

Zhao Meng turned to instruct Fu Yu: ”Hurry up and start cooking, the customers have arrived!”

Fu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, nodding quickly.

The customers who reserved private room 215 ordered a total of 16 dishes, all specialties of the restaurant, mainly featuring stir-fried, spicy dishes.

The ingredients were all prepared in advance, and cooking could begin immediately.

Zhao Meng specifically picked the stir-fried dishes he was good at and tore off those order tickets.

Besides, there was a mixed dish and a stew, both troublesome and time-consuming, he left those as well.

He only handed over to Fu Yu the remaining cold dishes and sautéed dishes.

Time was tight, the task was heavy.

Fu Yu simply delegated the task involving the oil to Sun Qingning, having him directly start cooking to assist him.

Sun Qingning was thrilled.

He had always been doing the rough first-stage oil tasks.

Opportunities such as directly cooking for the second-stage oil, he never had before.

In his excitement, he unknowingly began to talk a bit more.

Taking advantage of the moment of frying meat segments, Sun Qingning whispered to Fu Yu: ”Chef Fu, I find that Chef Gu is actually quite crafty!”

Since they talked heart-to-heart over a meal last time, Sun Qingning has fully settled his 마음 and focused on being a good kitchen assistant next to Fu Yu.

Over time, he also found that Fu Yu was actually a genuinely nice guy, easy to talk to, not ill-tempered, and very reliable.

So he gradually became more warm and casual in their daily interactions.

Fu Yu smiled, saying nothing.

Sun Qingning continued: ”During the meal just now, I was thinking, why did he suddenly open up to you. Now I understand! Turns out he was trying to incite you, it wasn’t praise, he was trying to set you up!”

”He agreed to help Chef Zhao, then sent Yao Yihang away, later if Chef Zhao wants to find fault, he’ll have no way.”

”Then he encouraged you to take the lead on the banquet dishes, if something went wrong, it would be us who suffer, while he could enjoy watching the drama!”

”He’s clearly trying to provoke you, knowing you’re young and hot-tempered.”

The more Sun Qingning spoke, the angrier he got, and any remaining goodwill for Gu Yunwu completely vanished.

Previously, not knowing him well, Gu Yunwu made a great impression on outsiders.

Unassuming, easy to talk to, and very polite to the junior employees.

Unlike Zhao Meng, who always seemed to have a stern face and would snap and shout for little to no reason.

But now, knowing him better, it was clear to anyone who wasn’t a fool.

Gu Yunwu was actually two-faced, saying one thing to your face, and another behind your back.

Conversely, Zhao Meng, with his harsh words, had a kind heart.

These two never got along well.

Now with Zhao Meng in trouble, what good intentions could Gu Yunwu have?

Sun Qingning, indignant, said these things with Fu Yu’s best interests in mind, fearing he’d really be misled by Gu Yunwu.

Fu Yu appreciated Sun Qingning’s good intentions but didn’t echo aloud.

Criticizing colleagues is taboo in the workplace.

Even though Sun Qingning brought up the topic with clear good intentions.

But understanding and acknowledging the goodwill was enough, there was no need to engage in the discussion.

After all, people are hard to predict, and walls have ears.