Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Seeing him start tidying up, everyone felt embarrassed just watching, so they got up to help.

"Tomorrow’s a day off, everyone have a good rest. I won’t be setting up shop, I’ve arranged for a manufacturer to upgrade my food truck. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first?"

"Please wait, Lin."

Chef Marchello suddenly stopped him.

"After these past few days’ experiences, I feel the restaurant’s current system isn’t quite suitable and can’t fully utilize your potential."

"Your Great Xia cuisine is diverse, uniquely skilled, and constantly evolving. Since you’re one of the head chefs, the restaurant’s operation model should be set by you."

"How about this, starting next week, which is Tuesday, I will no longer interfere in the restaurant’s operations. You and Jonathan will have full authority, whether it’s a buffet or à la carte, or even an outdoor stall, it’s up to you."

"As long as most diners are satisfied, you are all seasoned chefs, so I definitely don’t need to speak further on this topic."

"?"

Lin Chen was stunned, and Jonathan, who was tidying up tools nearby, blinked in confusion.

Let the two of them take full responsibility?

Last week, although they were nominally in charge of the restaurant, there were actually two major bosses behind them, namely Chef Marchello and Wang Ziqin.

As restaurant managers, they were essentially employees with some authority, having to act according to the attitudes of both bosses.

But what Chef Marchello is saying now is completely different, it means handing over the restaurant to them entirely, as long as they don’t mess things up, they can do whatever they want, while he just collects money and dividends.

"Alright, that’s it, that’s all I want to say for now. You can keep the revenue from this event, don’t worry about my share, I’ve already learned plenty, consider it as tuition money."

After speaking, he patted his pants, stood up, came over to shake hands with everyone one by one, then left the venue, presumably to drive back to Paris.

Seeing him leave, Nagishiro Sho didn’t stay either, also expressed he didn’t want his salary, bowed slightly to everyone, and then turned to leave.

For these two head chefs, the value of newly learned Great Xia culinary skills far exceeded that of a few thousand euros, instead of paying for invaluable tuition fees, it’s better to waive this event’s salary as a goodwill gesture.

With the two head chefs gone, Lin Chen naturally had no reason to stay, hastening back home to sleep.

Luckily, the journey home wasn’t far, driving leisurely only took a little over an hour.

He initially worried whether the upgrading food truck would be operational, but found it was purely needless worry, it didn’t affect regular use at all.

While they were wrapping up, Wang Ziqin and Chu Yueyue were taking a walk by the seaside.

They had eaten some lobster at noon, felt it wasn’t enough, queued again in the afternoon and purchased some right by dusk, and decided to go for a walk after eating to aid digestion before heading home.

The follow-up at the event would be handled by the logistics team, everything was arranged, so it didn’t require him, the big boss, to worry.

"Life abroad is indeed relaxing, like being retired, it’s all about eating."

"...Is there a possibility that’s because you married a good husband? I’m doing all the work, okay?"

"You sure know how to praise yourself, but I haven’t seen you do anything!"

The two strolled along the beach, enjoying the cool evening sea breeze brushing across their faces, feeling utterly carefree.

The beach had many tourists enjoying themselves too, further away on the cliffs were numerous kites of various shapes flying.

These foreigners, after being well-fed, finally remembered about kites.

Although Wang Ziqin was a hotel owner, he couldn’t blatantly cut in line for privileges, so he queued for food like ordinary diners.

Standing in the crowd for so long had left him somewhat mentally and physically fatigued.

After taking several rounds by the shore, the couple decided to go back to rest.

Around eight o’clock.

The sky was gradually darkening.

At a seaside suburb about a five-minute drive from the hotel, in a standalone villa, the couple was comfortably soaking in a hot bath in the outdoor pool.

Outside the villa entrance.

Two small shadows stealthily approached, one of them holding binoculars.

"Rich people’s life is really enjoyable, soaking in the pool for a bath, why do we have to wander outside suffering?"

"Shh! Baka, keep it down, do you want them to hear us?"

The crew-cut man’s eyes were dark and shadowy, pulling his partner swiftly into a nearby dark alley.

"Hold on a bit longer, after the bath is when people are most relaxed, then we’ll act! Did you bring everything?"

"Brought everything. Mr. Nohara and the others are on their way, almost here, with five of us acting together, we’ll definitely succeed!"

"Yoshi!"

Not long after, three Asian-looking men walked down the road in the distance, holding newspapers and plastic bags, appearing like locals.

After the five people regrouped, they quietly waited in the alley for a moment until the couple got up and went inside.

The yard’s wall was almost nonexistent, and with a light leap, they could reach the top. With mutual assistance, the five of them quickly jumped into the yard.

Wang Ziqin and his wife, both wearing bathrobes, were sitting on the living room sofa at that moment, with a bottle of what appeared to be high-end white wine open in front of them.

Their fingers lightly clinked their glasses together, exchanging a smile.

Just as they were about to tilt their heads back to enjoy the sweet wine, a shadow flashed past the corner of their eyes. Wang Ziqin’s heart alarmed, and he hurriedly turned his head to see a gleaming silver dagger pointing at him.

He didn’t make any rash moves, his eyes sweeping across the living room, only to realize that it was because they hadn’t closed the living room door when they came in, resulting in a burglar entering the house.

No, that’s not right.

These burglars must have been premeditated, otherwise, with so many residences in this villa area, it’s impossible they would have targeted just them.

The dagger quickly pressed against his neck, forcing him to sit next to his wife, while another person simultaneously held a dagger to Chu Yueyue’s fair neck.

President Wang very straightforwardly raised both hands.

"Let’s talk this over, please don’t harm us. My wife is pregnant. Do you need cash or valuables?"

"Take whatever you fancy, it’s all yours. Maybe there isn’t much cash, but I can take you to the ATM next door to withdraw. As long as you don’t harm us, anything can be arranged."

"Shut up!"

The masked man glared at him fiercely, then turned to look at the other three people in the room.

"Hurry up, search!"

They searched for a long time, only to speechlessly discover that although the villa looked upscale from the outside, inside it wasn’t even properly furnished. There were hardly any household items, and only a single bedroom seemed livable.

Forget household items, even the double-door refrigerator only had a few bottles of wine, not even food.

No matter how they looked at it, this house didn’t seem like it was regularly inhabited, but rather a temporary resting place for the wealthy for a few days.

Seeing that they hadn’t found anything valuable, Wang Ziqin wasn’t surprised at all and shrugged: "That’s why I suggested we could go withdraw money. I’ll take out as much as you want."

"Baka!!!"

The crew-cut man shouted angrily, apparently not expecting that their hard work had yielded nothing.

Cash was the least useful; it had serial numbers, and spending it would expose their whereabouts.

"Little Japan?!"

Wang Ziqin’s face changed slightly, his expression turning unpleasant, his brows furrowed.

The masked person holding the dagger against Chu Yueyue impatiently said, "Since there’s no money, did we come for nothing? I’m not here to play house with you."

His tone didn’t sound like he was in cahoots with the crew-cut man, rather like two groups cooperating together.

The man’s gaze swept the room, unintentionally catching sight of Chu Yueyue’s long, fair neck extending down into her loose bathrobe, faintly revealing the curves beneath.

His eyes brightened, and he licked his dry lips.

Wang Ziqin’s attention had always been on his wife. Seeing the man’s expression, a nameless anger surged from his heart with a thud.

Although he was related to Jiang Shuqi, Jiang Shuqi’s line mixed with the Zhejiang District, while his line with the Su District, with their base in Jinling.

At this moment, the pure Jinling people’s blood in his veins awakened fiercely.

Sensing something amiss, the crew-cut man urgently shouted, "Baka! Mr. Nohara, what are you trying to do? If we stop now and switch targets, if no damage is done, the police won’t bother with us. But if you..."

"Shut up!"

The man used the dagger to gently pull open the top of Chu Yueyue’s robe, letting it slide naturally down her smooth shoulder.

"I’m sick of living a life on the run. Why should others live in mansions and drive luxury cars while we sleep under bridges? I’ve never played with a rich man’s woman in my life..."

"Are you done?"

Wang Ziqin stood up with the sharp dagger against him, his eyes blazing with infinite fury, his murderous gaze fixed on the man.

In that instant, it was as if countless halos and buffs descended from the sky, layering onto him without cost.

[Temptation of the Family Tree] [Hatred of the Bloodline] [Protecting the Beloved Wife] [A Man’s Dignity] [National Sentiment] [Awakening of the Eastern Dragon] [Guardianship of Ancestral Spirits]...

Earlier, he felt it was bad luck encountering five robbers breaking in at night. Now, his mind was filled with the thought that meeting him was their bad luck!

In a flash, an inexplicable pressure rose from him, his eyes filled with blood, ignoring the faint red mark the blade left on his neck. He took a sudden half-step forward, startling the crew-cut man.

Their goal was to rob; they hadn’t considered hurting anyone, let alone killing—charges vastly different in severity.

For wandering stowaways like them, stealing some money was largely ignored. The streets here lacked surveillance; even investigating them would be difficult.

But if they dared harm someone, the wealthy obviously wouldn’t let it go, ensuring they’d end up locked away for a while.

As panic briefly flashed across his eyes, a sharp pain shot through his wrist, making him instinctively release his fingers. Wang Ziqin snatched the dagger from him, reversed it in his hand, and drove it fiercely into his chest.