Chapter 167: Meeting An Old Friend

Xu Le guessed that the truth he had always wanted might be behind the door. He casually said, “I didn’t stay in the same room as my parents. After I came out, I couldn’t find my way… so I reached here.”

He feigned confusion.

Chen Zui smiled. If an adult stood in front of him and said such words, he would definitely not believe it. However, Xu Le was only an eight-year-old child.

Even if his culinary skills were outstanding, it was only because he had inherited his talents. How could he lie?

Chen Zui didn’t think too much about it. He stretched out his arms as if he wanted to hug the “confused” Xu Le.

Xu Le took a step back and rejected this overly intimate action.

Chen Zui pinched his cheek and said, “It’s fine. Uncle will bring you there.”

Xu Le could only follow behind him. After taking two steps, the door behind him was pulled open. Chen Yeqi said with a dark expression, “What time is it? Hurry up and sleep after the meeting. Why did you take so long to drink coffee…”

Halfway through his sentence, he looked down and saw Xu Le. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Why are you here?”

Chen Zui said, “After I send him over, I’ll come over immediately. You’d better be quiet at night.”

The two brothers had never been on good terms. Chen Yeqi slammed the door and could not be bothered to ask further.

Inside the house, a researcher in a white coat took off his goggles and said, “There’s a small problem. Fortunately, it was discovered after the competition ended. If it was revealed after it was placed into the market, it would be troublesome.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Chen Yeqi nodded. His gaze landed on the copied dishes on the table and he smiled.

The steaming duck blood vermicelli warmed his stomach and heart. After eating half a bowl, his exhaustion in the middle of the night decreased significantly. Chen Yeqi said in surprise, “That kid is quite awesome. I remember that he had copied the method of braised onions earlier. At that time, even Mr. Cai Lan was moved… But no matter how talented he is, he will eventually be eliminated by the waves of the times.”

Halfway through his supper, Chen Zui slowly walked over. He looked at the soup on the table in disdain and said, “It’s something that was secretly copied. When it really gets exposed, it won’t look good on anyone.”

“Hmph, Brother cares about his reputation but not about money. You can just give me your shares then.”

Chen Yeqi opposed him, not backing down at all.

The assistant hurried up to ease the tension between the two of them and handed over the schedule.

“President Chen, the dishes for the finals have been chosen. Please take a look. Also, the previous round of the competition was already very risky. Should we place the audience we had arranged previously?”

“You don’t have to.”

“No way!”

Chen Yeqi and Chen Zui spoke at the same time. One of them was extremely trusting of their “Master Chef”, while the other was very disgusted by the cheating. The assistant sighed. It was rare for the two of them to speak in unison.

Xu Le returned to his room and fell asleep. When he opened his eyes the next day, it was already three in the afternoon. Light seeped in through the curtains and he was in a daze.

His consciousness entered the system and he studied the recipe.

There were many different types of dishes. Xu Le had gradually mastered the foundational skills. He could make exquisite innovations in his original cooking. His excellent culinary skills had long been deeply imprinted in his body habits after countless practice.

Someone knocked on the door, and Shen Hui’s voice sounded.

“Lele, are you up?”

“Coming.”

Xu Le opened his eyes and got out of bed.

Ever since the family was reunited, they had been busy and had yet to sit down for a meal. Hence, Shen Hui rejected the food sent by the production team and brought Xu Le, Xu Tian, and her husband out for lunch.

Before setting off, Xu Le looked around and said, “Why don’t I see Lu Yuxi?”

“Oh, she stays beside me to me. Perhaps she went out because she had something on in the morning.” After Shen Hui explained, she added, “I invited a friend from the industry to meet at 4pm. It’s getting late. Let’s go.”

Xu Le sat in the car with Xu Zhexian beside him. He sized up his father from the corner of his eye and felt a little awkward.

Fortunately, Xu Tian was sitting beside him. She said softly, “Brother, when is your match?”

“Two days later.”

“Oh, then what delicious food are you going to cook?”

“I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll see when the time comes.”

Xu Tian tilted her head and asked in confusion, “Then will Brother win after the competition?”

Xu Le smiled and said, “I’m not sure.”

The two of them were chatting when Shen Hui, who was driving in the front seat, heard them. She immediately said unhappily, “Tiantian, don’t talk nonsense. Your brother is so great at such a young age. He will definitely win!”

She took winning and losing very seriously. This made Xu Zhexian push up his glasses. Half of his face was hidden in the dark, and his expression could not be seen clearly.

“By the way, I bumped into the producer’s brother this morning. The two of them look like twins. They really look alike!”

Along the way, Shen Hui rambled on about many things. When she mentioned the dishes that Xu Tian usually liked, she said three or four of them in a row, “I remember the blanched broccoli, stewed beef brisket with tomatoes, brown rice, and kiwi mixed with yogurt…”

“Mom,” Xu Tian said softly, “I’m allergic to these.”

Xu Tian was allergic to kiwis and had even been hospitalized. Shen Hui had actually forgotten about that.

She choked and sighed. “Then what do you like to eat? Mummy will get someone to prepare it in advance.”

Xu Tian smiled happily at Xu Le and said, “I want to eat Brother’s food. Everything he makes is delicious.”

Shen Hui and Xu Zhexian looked at each other in the rearview mirror. They knew that they had neglected their daughter when they went to a foreign country to pursue their dreams and work. However, they did not expect that… they had missed so much.

There was silence in the car for a moment. Half an hour later, it stopped in front of a Western restaurant.

It was not the most famous shop, but it was definitely the most difficult to book. It could only be booked through a friend’s recommendation and could not be booked directly. It immediately raised the customers’ expectations to the maximum.

At the same time, the price was astonishing.

The head chef was a green-eyed foreigner. When he saw Shen Hui, he happily came up to hug her and said a lot of welcoming words.

Xu Tian asked curiously, “Brother, why did they call each other ‘stupid pig’ when they meet? Why are they scolding each other?”

“Oh.” Xu Le held back his laughter and lowered his head to explain. “Bonjour means ‘hello’. It’s just a greeting.”

After taking a seat, the waiter served a golden soup with a white thing that absorbed the soup.

Xu Le poked it with his fork and realized that it was a radish.

After taking a bite, although the soup was fresh, it was sticky and indescribable. He could not help but frown and feel a little uncomfortable.

He looked up and said, “Is it Turtle Soup?”

“Yes.” The head chef’s eyes lit up. He looked at him lovingly, raised his thumb, and said in Chinese with an accent, “Impressive!”

After the next dish was served, Xu Le had a complicated expression.