The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Liu Yuqing ran all the way home, her heart filled with joy.

Liu Yunong was already tidying up and getting ready to go out. Seeing her sister come back, she quickly greeted her with concern: ”Xiaoqing! You’re back? How was work today?”

Liu Yuqing smiled and said, ”Sis, you’re still here! That’s great, I was just thinking of telling you something! You won’t believe it, at our restaurant today......”

Liu Yuqing recounted the events with excitement and praised, ”Sis, you have no idea, Fu Yu’s cooking skills are amazing. At the time, no one else in the kitchen could make that dish, but he pulled it off! He made it taste like crab, and the customers were really satisfied!”

”Sis, when did our restaurant start offering this crab-like dish? Why didn’t I know? Is it good? Let me know when they make it at the restaurant someday; I’d like to try it too!”

Liu Yunong was taken aback.

A crab-like dish?

Their restaurant didn’t have this dish at all.

Liu Yunong asked, ”Did Fu Yu say he learned to make this at our place?”

Liu Yuqing nodded, ”Yeah, otherwise, where else would he learn it? Chef Zhao doesn’t know how to make it, and God Yao wasn’t there!”

Liu Yunong was hesitant to speak...

Could it be that Fu Yu has another mentor besides her?

Thinking about it, Fu Yu’s incredibly talented performances and actions could be reasonably explained...

Liu Yuqing waited for a long time without hearing her sister’s response and curiously asked, ”Sis, what’s wrong?”

Liu Yunong waved her hand: ”Oh, nothing, I’m running late, so I’m heading out now. I’ve already made dinner; just go ahead and eat!”

Liu Yuqing quickly said, ”Sure, sis, you go ahead, and we can chat when you get back.”

Liu Yunong agreed, changed her shoes, and headed out the door.

As she reached downstairs, Liu Yunong suddenly remembered that she knew someone whose brother went to the same culinary school as Fu Yu, and they were even in the same class.

Finding the phone number, Liu Yunong immediately dialed it.

”Hello? Da Lin?”

Li Linlin was having dinner with his family when he received the call.

That year, his brother Li Linfeng returned home with his girlfriend Zhao Bingbing, and the family was joyously gathered, eating and discussing wedding arrangements.

Li Linlin was initially quite impatient when the phone rang, casually grumbling, ”Who calls at such a time?”

When he saw the caller ID, he became excited—it was the goddess calling!

Li Linlin jumped up from his chair, hurriedly heading to the balcony while excitedly answering the call: ”Hello! It’s me! Yunong, do you need something?”

Liu Yunong responded, ”Yes, Da Lin, I need to ask you something.”

Hearing this, Li Linlin’s eyes lit up, wondering if the goddess was about to share her heart with him?

”What is it, Yunong? Just tell me!”

Liu Yunong suddenly asked, ”I wanted to ask, your brother studied at the culinary school before, right? Can you ask him if he knows someone named Fu Yu?”

When Li Linlin heard that the goddess needed a favor, he became instantly eager, nodding without a second thought: ”Sure, we’re having a family gathering right now, and my brother’s here too, hold on, I’ll let him answer!”

Li Linlin, covering the receiver, ran to the dining area and called Li Linfeng out.

Li Linlin quietly asked him, ”Do you know someone named Fu Yu?”

Li Linfeng was curious, seeing his brother’s mysterious demeanor, so he cooperated by whispering, ”Yeah, I know, why?”

Li Linlin signaled him to take the call: It’s from my goddess, speak carefully!

Li Linfeng was surprised, a call from Liu Yunong?

Why would such a big name need him?

Li Linfeng, confused, answered the phone: ”Hello, Sister Liu.”

”Xiaofeng.” Liu Yunong casually greeted and directly asked, ”I need to ask you, do you know Fu Yu? He’s from the same school as you, right, and probably in the same class?”

Upon hearing Liu Yunong inquire about Fu Yu, Li Linfeng became interested.

He knew that Fu Yu once acknowledged Liu Yunong as a mentor during a chef competition.

Liu Yunong wanting to know more about Fu Yu now, was she planning to officially take him as an apprentice?

Wow!

That would be remarkable!

For those in culinary arts, who doesn’t know of the famous Liu Yunong?

She’s the descendant of Lady Liu!

Thanks to his brother, Li Linfeng had a fair understanding of Liu Yunong.

Knowing she was exceptionally talented and capable.

And never shown any intention of taking apprentices before.

If this worked out, Fu Yu would be incredibly lucky!

Li Linfeng was eager to share everything: ”I know him very well! We’re classmates and really close!”

Liu Yunong became interested: ”Oh... then you should know Fu Yu quite well. By the way, who was your practical training teacher back in school?”

Hearing this question, Li Linfeng laughed; he knew about their school days’ situations very well.

Since he and Fu Yu were classmates, being together day and night, there wasn’t anything about Fu Yu he didn’t know.

Li Linfeng nodded at his brother, who kept hinting at him, to assure him he would cooperate.

Then Li Linfeng smiled slightly: ”I know him, very well! Sister Liu, you asked the right person; I was really close with Fu Yu during school.”

”Our practical teacher was Wang Jiping, 48 years old. He used to be the head chef at Yuelai Restaurant in the provincial capital, an amazingly skilled person. It’s said even provincial leaders were his guests, for any personal or family banquets....”

Liu Yunong, of course, knew who Wang Jiping was and quickly interrupted Li Linfeng’s exaggerated introduction: ”Stop! Stop! Was Wang Jiping your only practical teacher? No one else?”

Li Linfeng paused: ”Certainly not, there were two others, but they weren’t as famous as Wang Jiping, they were graduates who stayed to teach at our school. One was named Li Ming and the other Yuan Xu’an.”

They weren’t really well-known, and Liu Yunong had no impression of these two.

Liu Yunong curiously asked, ”I remember Wang Jiping specialized in frying and stir-frying skills, right? Did he teach you guys other techniques too?”

Li Linfeng hurriedly replied, ”He taught all sorts of things!”

”Fu Yu was Wang Jiping’s favorite student! Otherwise, upon graduation, he wouldn’t have directly helped him get a Qianlima internship. In our graduating class of over two hundred, there were only three spots, and Fu Yu got one!”

”Sister Liu, let me tell you, during school, Fu Yu was incredible! He was greatly adored by teachers, at that time...”

Thus, the past events were recounted by Li Linfeng, giving a sense of listening to the autobiography of a renowned person.

About how handsome he was, being the acknowledged school hunk.

About how diligent, praised by teachers as both hardworking and talented.

About being invited back after graduation to participate in a school anniversary, showcasing his superb culinary skills.

...