Chapter 112: President Chu, You’re Truly Remarkable!

Lin Quan quickly explained the stakes involved.

He had some familiarity with these high-end restaurants and knew something about Yunhe’s situation.

When it came to culinary skill and gourmet food, no high-end restaurant in Min City could rival Yunhe, which had long held the top position among the city’s elite establishments.

“That’s even better,” Chu Lin’s eyes gleamed with calculation. “The stronger they are, the better—we can climb over them and replace them. This is a golden opportunity for a direct ascent to the top.”

No matter the industry, the best way for a newcomer to rise rapidly is always to take down the current leader.

But usually, the top player never gives novices the chance to even challenge them.

Now, since Yunhe was practically handing them this opportunity on a silver platter, why not seize it?

With this special cooking wine’s magical properties, if they could find a few skilled chefs, they could certainly create dishes even more impressive than those of Yunhe’s master chefs.

After all, even when he deliberately made burnt dishes, once cooked with this wine, the taste and aroma reached the level of a top chef.

“Are you serious, Mr. Chu?” Lin Quan was stunned by Chu Lin’s words.

Was this man really so bold as to want to directly replace Yunhe’s standing?

“Just have Lin follow my plan and let them hold the event,” Chu Lin smiled confidently.

“Alright, then we’ll do as Mr. Chu says,” Lin Quan nodded reluctantly.

After all, the restaurant was operated by the other side, and they even knew the big boss personally. Even if he refused, the other party could easily make a call to the boss, so it was better to just comply.

Lin Quan didn’t linger any longer and left Linyiao Restaurant.

Soon after, Cai Yao finished a meeting with the restaurant’s management. When Chu Lin saw her again, he told her about the Yunhe gourmet event.

“What?” Cai Yao’s expression darkened instantly. “Mr. Chu, how could you let Lin agree to this? You’re not in the catering business, you don’t understand how formidable Yunhe’s dishes are.”

“Our restaurant does have premium oysters and prawns, but those are just two specialty dishes. A high-end restaurant must have a complete menu. Our chefs simply can’t compete with theirs on other dishes.”

“If their other dishes outshine ours and they promote that widely, everyone will think our restaurant can only rely on two seafood dishes, and the rest are subpar.”

“At that point, we’d easily be seen as a specialty seafood restaurant, not a true high-end establishment. Our prestige would drop, and despite having the advantage of premium oysters and prawns, it would be very detrimental to our future operations.”

“Ms. Cai, don’t worry,” Chu Lin said, calming her as she grew agitated.

But Cai Yao remained frustrated. “Why didn’t you discuss this with me? What do you take me for?”

The moment she spoke, she paused, realizing the words sounded a bit ambiguous—if she’d added “Mr. Chu” at the start, it wouldn’t have seemed so harsh. But she was too upset to bother.

Seeing her so flustered, Chu Lin said no more and simply took her hand, leading her outside. “I told you not to worry. I’m going to give you a surprise.”

Cai Yao was completely thrown off by this. This was the second time he had suddenly grabbed her hand without warning. How could he not consider how this affected her? In public, no less. She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

And what kind of surprise was this Mr. Chu talking about?

Chu Lin once again led Cai Yao away from Tianhui Plaza, driving to a breeding farm.

After parking, he took her to the kitchen in a steel-structured building.

Cai Yao grew even more puzzled. What was this surprise?

She watched as Mr. Chu pulled some vegetables from nearby and placed them by the stove, as if about to cook.

Only then did he smile and say, “Ms. Cai, the ingredients are ready. You try making a few dishes using this bottle of cooking wine.”

“What?” Cai Yao stared at him in disbelief.

So the surprise was to bring her here just to cook? This was more of a shock!

Her specialty was instant noodles and salad—cooking was a joke to her.

And what did this have to do with Yunhe?

Seeing her expression, Chu Lin chuckled. “Ms. Cai, I’m not joking. Try stir-frying a few dishes with this wine and you’ll see.”

This time, Cai Yao seized the point: “What’s so special about this cooking wine?”

“Exactly,” Chu Lin nodded.

Now Cai Yao’s curiosity was truly piqued.

Could it be that Mr. Chu wasn’t worried about Yunhe’s dishes because of this wine?

Could a single bottle of cooking wine really have that kind of effect?

Without wasting time, she awkwardly started a fire and clumsily began cooking. She felt a bit embarrassed—after all, as the heiress of Zhizhen Restaurant, she barely knew the basics of cooking.

But just as she thought she was done and poured in the wine, an indescribably enticing aroma immediately filled the air.

At that moment, surprise lit her face.

This aroma made her mouth water uncontrollably.

Though not skilled in cooking, as the heiress of Zhizhen, she was an expert on fine food.

She had never smelled anything so tempting—and this was definitely not something ordinary cooking wine could produce.

Lost in thought, she suddenly realized something embarrassing: the food in the pan was burnt. Hastily, she scooped it out into a bowl—it was pitch black.

“Mr. Chu, this pan is no good!” Cai Yao said, cheeks burning with shame.

“Exactly! It must be the pan,” Chu Lin nodded with mock seriousness. “Ms. Cai is the heiress of Zhizhen and now general manager of Linyiao Restaurant. There’s no way she could burn the food. It’s definitely the pan’s fault.”

Cai Yao grew even more embarrassed and pinched him lightly.

Chu Lin just smiled and handed her a pair of chopsticks. “Come on, Ms. Cai, try the dishes you made.”

“...” Cai Yao was certain he was mocking her. After all that burning, why would she taste it?

But before she could react, Mr. Chu was already picking up some of the burnt food with chopsticks and eating it.

“Hmm, not bad,” he said after a bite, discerning that while the heiress’s cooking skills were lacking, the Mesopotamian cooking wine made it delicious—though still not as good as the burnt dishes he had cooked on purpose before.

“???!” Cai Yao was stunned. How could burnt food taste good?

Seeing that Mr. Chu was serious, she tried a bite herself, and her eyes widened in disbelief.

Impossible.

The food was burnt, yet it tasted so good.

Moreover, the aroma was preserved, making the burnt food strangely appetizing.

This...

Even Cai Yao could see something was off. She immediately asked, “Mr. Chu, is it because of this cooking wine?”

Chu Lin nodded. “This is my special secret recipe wine. The better the chef, the better the effect. If someone with your skill level can make food taste like this, imagine what a top chef can do with it. Are you feeling anxious now?”

Cai Yao quickly recovered, flattering him, “Mr. Chu, you truly are wise and mighty.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment!” Chu Lin beamed.

“Mr. Chu, creating something like this is really impressive,” Cai Yao praised, then hurriedly asked, “How much of this wine do you have? Can it be supplied long-term?”

“Follow me,” Chu Lin said, leading her into the steel building where the wine was stored. “There’s over 100 pounds here. When it’s gone, I can make more anytime. There’s no need to worry.”

Cai Yao’s eyes sparkled. She knew well how powerful such an ingredient could be in the culinary world.

Suddenly, she had an idea. “Mr. Chu, with this wine, Yunhe is practically handing us the chance to use them as a stepping stone. Why not double down? We could also hold a gourmet event right outside their doors, striking a double blow.”

Chu Lin paused, then gave her a thumbs-up.

That way, not only would Yunhe be the stepping stone, but customers would flock to them. Soon everyone would know that the best restaurant for Min City cuisine wasn’t Yunhe but Linyiao.

The heiress was just as ruthless as he was.

…

At Tianhui Plaza, Lin Quan handed the food event approval documents to a supervisor. “Send this consent form to them. As for the private money, just consider it a meal allowance for everyone.”

“Yes, Mr. Lin,” the supervisor nodded and returned to the office to forward the documents to Yunhe.

Cheng Jian, the young master of Yunhe, received the news immediately and excitedly called Ma Zhen. “Young Master Ma, good news! Tianhui Plaza has approved our gourmet tasting event.”

Ma Zhen grinned proudly. “Good, just as I said, bribery works. Now let’s see how well Yunhe performs.”

“Young Master Ma, I’m looking forward to their opening,” Cheng Jian said with a bright smile.

(End of chapter)