Chapter 138 Competition Invitation
Regarding the renovation of the branch store, it was completely handled by the system.
On the way there, Xu Le looked out of the window and saw the traffic. He felt uneasy and held his gabella.
Xu Tian was playing a dress-up game on a tablet in her hands. She leaned into Xu Le’s arms and asked, “Brother, do you think pink or green looks better?”
Lu Yuxi, who was sitting beside her, could not help but turn her head. After taking a look, she could not help but laugh.
The corners of Xu Le’s mouth twitched as he looked at the tiny character wearing a big red bow on her head and green leather boots. The visual clash was especially strong. He thought helplessly, I wonder whose sense of aesthetics Tiantian had inherited. Isn’t it too… unrestrained?
Xu Tian urged him, “Brother, say something!”
“Pink, the pink one.”
Xu Le immediately responded. After Xu Tian did as she was told, the character was still dressed so ugly that he could not bear to look. In the end, her rating was very low. She snorted out of spite and changed to another game.
This time, it was a cooking game.
Xu Le and Lu Yuxi leaned their heads close to the tablet to watch Xu Tian “cook”. They watched as she started making hamburgers. First, she put the slices of bread into the toaster to warm them. Then, she laid out the meat patty, tomato slices, vegetables, salad dressing, and two slices of cheese…
In the process, Xu Le reminded her, “Should the bread be on both sides?”
“Brother!” Xu Tian said unhappily. “Shh! This is a competitive game. You can’t help me cheat!”
“Alright alright.”
Xu Le immediately agreed. Half a minute later, an explosive effect of a mushroom cloud appeared on the screen. “Bam!” The little character wearing the chef’s hat was charred by the explosion.
Xu Le and Lu Yuxi looked at each other speechlessly.
Xu Le said, “Tiantian, you don’t have to be too innovative when it comes to cooking.”
“Brother, stop talking!” Xu Tian acted coquettishly and changed to another game. She did not want to listen to Xu Le’s suggestions at all.
Lu Yuxi teased, “Looks like your sister didn’t inherit your cooking talent.”
“Haha, perhaps.”
Xu Le smiled and pointed outside. “We’re here.”
The plaque outside the new store was designed to be witty and eye-catching. When they pushed the door open and entered, the bar-shaped lightless lamps lit up one after another, illuminating the bright beige floor and the peach wood-colored dining table. The round glass window at the side had a tulip pattern. The design had pink, purple, green, and yellow colors on it. It could serve as a screen to protect privacy, and it was beautiful and artistic.
“Wow…” Lu Yuxi widened her eyes and looked around.” How come I didn’t know you were so rich? This place is at least 300 square meters. It’s twice the size of the previous shop, right?
“Yes, let’s go to the kitchen.”
Xu Le planned to hire someone else. Otherwise, he would definitely not be able to handle the work alone. Although Li Qing had learned all his dishes, he still had other ambitions. He would not stay in the restaurant forever.
The kitchen was made of stainless steel. There were large-scale ovens, kitchenware, a row of frying pans and fumehoods. There was a dazzling array of kitchen utensils and they were all of perfect quality.
Xu Le thought to himself, “As expected of the system, everything has been handled thoroughly.”
Li Qing was dumbfounded. After wandering around for a while, he asked, “When did the renovation start? It’s so fast. When do you plan on opening the shop?”
“Tomorrow.”
Lu Yuxi said excitedly, “Alright, I’ll upgrade the ordering system for you. Then, I’ll give the supplier a call. They’ll definitely be delighted to know that you have opened another branch.”
“Isn’t that too hasty?” Li Qing said hesitantly, “We haven’t started advertising
yet…”
“Do you know?” Lu Yuxi turned on her phone. On the eight-year-old cafeteria webpage, there was a long list of fans. “The official account has more than a million online followers. In addition, he has a variety show being broadcasted next week. When that time comes, there will definitely be another wave of popularity. It’s just a matter of time before the stores becomes a trending spot!”
“Oh.”
Li Qing nodded with a complex expression. After a long while, he asked, “Are you really not going to consider participating in the Master Chef competition?”
Xu Le turned around. “Hmm?”
“…I want to try.”
Li Qing mustered up the courage to speak his mind.
“Sure.”
Xu Le agreed without hesitation and said, “We’ll cheer you on when the time comes and take a look at how great that mysterious chef is.”
Li Qing was stunned by Xu Le’s attitude.
Xu Le saw through his doubts and casually explained, “I always feel that the participating in a competition is more of a publicity stunt, so there’s no need to take part. Besides, right now, I want to place my focus on Tiantian. There’s still another branch store opening. There’s no rush to take part in a competition. There will be plenty in the future.”
“However, it’s a good thing that you’re willing to go. You should train more. There’s still a long road ahead.”
Li Qing revealed a grateful expression and nodded. “Alright.”
After the inspection of the new restaurant, they took a taxi home. By this time, the sky had completely darkened. When Xu Tian passed by the fried chicken shop, she whined, “Brother, I want to eat that!”
Lu Yuxi said, “We’ll make it for you when we get back. The chicken drumsticks have all been marinated.”
“No!”
Xu Tian blinked her grape-like eyes at Xu Le and said, “Brother, I’m starving! Look, my stomach has become flat.”
“Okay, okay, okay. Don’t eat too much. Otherwise, you won’t be able to eat my food again.”
As he spoke, he got out of the car to buy it.
Li Qing sat in the front passenger seat and sent an application to the Master Chef Competition while Lu Yuxi answered a call. Not long after, she opened the car door and got out.
When Xu Le came back with the scalding fried chicken, he bumped into Lu Yuxi, whose eyes were red.
“Why are you crying? What’s wrong?”
Lu Yuxi hurriedly put away her phone and wiped her tears. “It’s nothing serious. Let’s
go.”
“Is it because of your sister again…”
“No.” Lu Yuxi said with a sad expression, “I have to apply for leave. You probably need to recruit a new person for now.”
Seeing that she wasn’t willing to talk about it, Xu Le didn’t continue asking. He handed her a cup of lemon water and said, “Drink some water first and let’s go back.”
Lu Yuxi took a sip. Half of the lemon was floating in the carbonated water. The light sourness of lemon and honey filled her taste buds. It was cold and refreshing. She leaned back and suddenly frowned.
Xu Le thought that she was going to cry again, so he handed her a tissue silently. Lu Yuxi said, “I bit a lemon seed. It’s so bitter.”
As she spoke, she spat out the seed.
Xu Le heaved a sigh of relief. He handed his sister a hamburger and Li Qing one.
“I’m not eating. How is this as delicious as my cooking?”
Lu Yuxi glared at him. “You’re so troublesome.”
Just as they reached the entrance of the house, Xu Le bumped into a deliveryman in the elevator. He glanced at Xu Le and noticed that he was the recipient. Hence, Xu Le received his parcel in the elevator and carried it home, while asking, “I didn’t buy anything. Who sent this over?”
He opened it and saw an exquisite letter inside. It was sealed with red paint, and the words “Master Chef Competition” particularly eye-catching.