Chen Jing now felt that it would be more constructive to discuss with Luo Yifan, who couldn't even fry a poached egg, rather than with these two who couldn't find fault with her cooking.

"The boss went to the capital and will probably stay there for a while. Actually, our boss likes to stay in the old shop in the capital the most because that is the first branch of Fanxin Pavilion."

Hearing this, Chen Jing had nothing more to say.

"Then please tell the boss your thoughts for today. But I'm still not satisfied. Or how about this, I'll try it myself again, and once I find a satisfactory method, I'll let you know so we can discuss it together, okay?"

The two chefs agreed with her, since they had come specifically for this dish, and now that all four were satisfactory, their goal had been achieved, so there was no point in staying any longer.

After seeing the two chefs off, Chen Jing closed the door, took a shower, pulled out the sofa bed in her office, and lay down to rest.

Lately, she felt that too many things had happened, leaving her helpless and overwhelmed.

At first, it seemed to be about her eldest daughter's affairs, and she mostly just watched and offered advice as an outsider, but she was already feeling exhausted.

But recently, everything from Bai Xiangdong to the competition and her older brother's affairs has been her own personal matter. These things have become tangled together, causing her great annoyance.

If it were in the past, she would probably have chosen to run away, to pretend not to see, and to stay in her snail shell and not come out to see anyone.

But what's the point of that?

They had nothing—no dignity, no self-confidence, not even the most basic self-protection abilities as human beings. In that kind of large family, they were constantly used as targets and at the mercy of others.

If she had been stronger, or had realized Zhu Zhizhou's despicable nature sooner, her parents and older brother wouldn't have been forced into that situation, and Ying'er wouldn't have had to treat marriage as a transaction to gain freedom for her mother and the three of them.

Although Ying'er is happy now, it cannot cover up the sins she committed as a mother.

She had been lying in bed intending to rest, but she couldn't stay still any longer. She threw off the covers and sat up, planning to have the driver take her to her older brother's place again.

In short, they were her relatives, and no matter how many times she went or what method she used, she had to ask for their forgiveness because she was the one who was in the wrong first.

Chen Jing quickly changed her clothes, grabbed her bag, and prepared to leave when her phone suddenly rang.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Luo Yifan.

"Hey, Brother Luo!"

At this moment, Chen Jing's voice was clear and bright because she had just figured out so many things, and she no longer had the heavy sense of powerlessness that she had felt a couple of days ago.

There seemed to be a pause on the other end, followed by a silence of two or three seconds, before the other person finally asked, "I heard from them that you've decided to choose one of those four dishes?"

Clearly, the two chefs had relayed their midday conversation to their boss.

"I haven't decided yet. They both said all four styles are okay, and I can choose any one to match. But I'm not satisfied. I'm still trying different combinations. But if you think it's fine to choose any one of the four, I have no objection!"

Chen Jing calmly stated her point of view and quietly awaited Luo Yifan's answer.

Unexpectedly, what she received was not an answer, but a heart-wrenching scolding from Luo Yifan.

"I never expected you to be such a casual person! Now I really regret choosing to partner with you!"

After Luo Yifan finished speaking, he hung up the phone without giving Chen Jing a chance to explain.

Chen Jing was bewildered and felt wronged after being suddenly scolded by him!

What is all this nonsense?

What do you mean by "whatever" or "casual"?

How did these two terms get forced onto her?

From the moment he said he wanted to collaborate with her, she has been working tirelessly to research new dishes in order to better highlight the flavor and style of the main course.

She doesn't mind if others say she's casual, since those people don't know the truth.

But Luo Yifan had spent so much time discussing things with her, and no one knew her efforts and persistence better than him.

But because of just one sentence, he casually rejected all her efforts and arbitrarily labeled her with two serious accusations.

What gives him the right?

It was clearly his chef who said everything was OK, so why is it her fault?

Chen Jing grew angrier the more she thought about it. She had been preparing to go out, but now she had lost all interest.

After all, it takes a lot of courage to go see her older brother; otherwise, she was afraid that if she was scolded again, she would burst into tears on the spot.

Chen Jing, who was in a bad mood because of Luo Yifan's phone call, went into the kitchen and busied herself making some soup and easy-to-digest food for Bai Xiangdong. Then, she asked the driver to take her to the hospital.

Bai Xiangdong's mental state deteriorated further. His once thick hair had mostly fallen out, a heartbreaking sight.

Chen Jing served him soup, and the male caregiver came over and said that he should feed him. Chen Jing wanted to do it herself, but the phone rang again. She had no choice but to hand the bowl to the caregiver. Afraid that the noise would disturb Bai Xiangdong, she didn't even look at the caller ID and just pressed the answer button.

Hello!

"It's me, where are you?" It was actually Luo Yifan, the one who had just hung up on her.

Without a second thought, Chen Jing replied, "At the hospital!"

There was another moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then Luo Yifan spoke.

"You don't need to try any new methods. I will choose one from those four. The exhibition will last for a few days. I will let you know the specific time once it is set. I hope we can cooperate successfully!"

This time, after Luo Yifan finished speaking, he didn't hang up immediately. Chen Jing heard deep and shallow breathing coming from the receiver, as if he was waiting for her reply, so she spoke as well.

"Okay, I understand. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration!"

Before the other party could react, Chen Jing hung up the phone.

After putting the phone away, Chen Jing let out a long sigh of relief, turned around, and walked back to the ward.

"I'll do it!"

Chen Jing took the bowl, scooped a spoonful of soup, and brought it to Bai Xiangdong's lips.

Bai Xiangdong opened his mouth and drank the soup, then asked, "I heard from Yingzi that your brother has been found?"

Normally, one shouldn't ask about such a sad topic, but Bai Xiangdong felt that with his health, he might faint and never wake up again, so he should try to show concern for him as much as possible.

"Yeah, they ignored me, didn't even glance at me, and just slammed the door shut!"

Chen Jing spoke calmly this time, but on that day, as she watched the door slam shut, her world seemed to collapse in that instant!

"Your brother just hasn't figured it out yet. Go check on him again in a few days, and things will be fine again!"