Chapter 119: Chef Friend

The air atop Xinghui's rooftop was still thick with the sweetness of last night's fondant, yet Yu Ling's fingertips tapped away at the keyboard with a rhythm so brisk it felt like a dance. The precious silver thermos on the corner of the table was empty, a hint of brown sugar still clinging to its rim.

Buzz——

The phone vibrated.

Sender: Clingy.

Content: "Mr. Chairman, would you mind having dinner tonight? I'll be waiting in the garage." Attached is a silly emoji of a Shiba Inu rolling around crazily.

Yu Ling chuckled. The smell of gunpowder from last night's "fondant nuclear explosion" in the kitchen hadn't yet dissipated, and Zhao Chen's face, covered in colorful frosting and looking hopeless, was still lingering before her eyes. This guy, is he getting more courageous with every setback? Her fingertips flew:

"Location? Budget? Which kitchen is Chef Zhao targeting this time?" A smirk curled his lips.

Ding! Reply instantly.

"Keep it a secret! I'll wash the dishes! Wait for me!" The words reveal the heroic spirit of burning the boats.

Yu Ling smiled, tossing her phone aside, her fingertips brushing against the empty glass. Gu Qianqian's stinging "ant" and "unworthy" attitudes were shattered by last night's choking fondant cake and this "dishwashing guarantee."

She was a little curious about which "friend" this stupid fox would pretend to be tonight and where he would take her to "eat and drink for free".

As the exclusive elevator door opened, the cool air from the garage blew in. Yu Ling stepped out, holding her thermos cup, and her gaze was fixed on him.

Zhao Chen leaned against his seemingly modest but in fact extremely expensive car. Wow! He looked like a real man!

He wore a dark grey, dark plaid suit, so well-tailored it looked like it had grown on him. The fabric shone with a subtle, dark glow when the lights were on. He wore a white shirt with one button casually unbuttoned, and gold-rimmed glasses, perfectly capturing the air of an "elite on a date after work" look.

When he saw her, he immediately stood up straight, put on a fake smile of "gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and modest" on his face, walked quickly towards her, and took the thermos cup from her arms very naturally.

"Mr. Yu, you've worked hard!" He spoke briskly, his eyes like a searchlight, scanning her face, accurately catching the trace of fatigue left by work. "I'll take you to... a treasured place to reward your stomach!"

Yu Ling let him take the cup, her eyes glancing over his "ordinary employee's outfit that cost a huge amount of money" and raised an eyebrow: "Reward? Mr. Zhao recently signed a big order in the Milky Way? Is the bonus enough for him to spend?" Her tone was full of sarcasm.

Zhao Chen's ears turned red at a visible speed, and he shook the thermos cup with forced composure:

"Bonus? Ahem...next month! But...my friend is awesome, there's an internal passage!" He said stubbornly while opening the passenger door in a very gentlemanly manner, his movements as skillful as a hotel doorman.

"Friend?" Yu Ling got in, buckled her seatbelt with a click, and turned her head to watch him get in as well, a knowing smile in her eyes, "Which 'powerful' friend is this again? Last time it was a lawyer, and the time before that it was a lottery specialist at a shopping mall... This time, it's a chef?" A precise kill.

Zhao Chen's grip on the steering wheel tightened noticeably as the car slid smoothly out of the garage and merged into the evening traffic. He cleared his throat, his tone a bit hollow and forcedly self-righteous:

"Well... that's about right. The boss... is kind of an acquaintance of mine. We're testing the waters for the new store, so we've asked a few old customers to be guinea pigs." He deliberately emphasized the words "tasting the food" and "guinea pigs," as if he was about to go to the restaurant downstairs.

Yu Ling folded her arms, looking out the window at the dazzling lights. The warm yellow light from the street lamps danced on his angular profile. She suddenly spoke slowly, with a hint of lazy playfulness:

"Mr. Zhao, your 'chef friend'...could his last name be Gu again?" She tapped her cheek with her fingertips. "I don't want to be washed in 1982 Lafite while I'm eating." Accurately sniping Gu Qianqian's dark history.

Snap!

Zhao Chen's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel! A cold, bloody aura of hostility exploded from him, and the temperature in the car plummeted ten degrees!

But the chill left as quickly as it came. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging murderous intent. When he turned his head to look at Yu Ling, his eyes were as gentle as a harmless rabbit, and even had a soothing smile:

"Don't worry," his voice was low and firm, and every word was like hitting an iron plate, "Gu can't even step on the ants in front of that store." It was calm, but it carried the absolute power to crush all threats.

Yu Ling felt a warm warmth in her heart as she watched the flash of coldness and the current of determination in his eyes. She stopped asking questions and looked out the window.

The car twisted and turned until it entered Haicheng's most mysterious, exclusive private district, where trees towered over the buildings. Plane trees blocked out the sun, high walls and courtyards stood silently, and the streetlights exuded a sense of nobility, "No Trespassing for Outsiders."

Finally, the car stopped in front of a black iron gate, so low-key it was almost invisible. There was no sign, no neon lights, only a lone "M" carved into a vine-covered stone.

Zhao Chen lowered the car window and nodded casually at a small, inconspicuous black dot beside the door. The heavy iron door slid silently open, like a monster's mouth. The car drove in, and the door closed behind him, instantly isolating him from the outside world.

Inside the gate, a winding path, paved with black pebbles, leads to a glass box floating on the water, a Zen-like atmosphere. A woman wearing a navy blue embroidered cheongsam, her temperament as calm as water, has been waiting. When she saw Zhao Chen get out of the car, she immediately bowed ninety degrees:

"Mr. Zhao, Miss Yu, welcome to Muhe. The chef has been waiting for you." His attitude was as respectful as if he was welcoming an emperor.

Muhe? Yu Ling's heart skipped a beat. Was it that legendary Taste Temple, where the chef's temper was worse than his skills and only served super VIPs? Was Zhao Chen's "chef friend" the owner of this place?

She glanced at Zhao Chen calmly. He looked familiar, having successfully gotten a free meal. He nodded to the woman in the cheongsam, "Please." He came around to open the door for her, his hand casually supporting her waist, the warmth from his fingertips filtering through her thin shirt.

Passing through a heavy wooden door, Yu Ling almost sprained her waist because of the "Jing" in front of her.

There was no ostentatious gold, no crystal chandeliers. The space was cleverly divided into small "cave-like" spaces, with dark teak floors and stucco walls. Light streamed in from all sides like moonlight, a gentle, almost deafening warmth. The only sound in the air was the faint, almost imperceptible clatter of the shakuhachi, a silence so quiet that one could hear one's own heartbeat.

A middle-aged man in a white cotton and linen chef's uniform, with a calm aura, was standing by the "tea house" at the deepest part of the water. When he saw them, he immediately strode towards them, his waist bent lower than the cheongsam woman:

"Mr. Zhao! Ms. Yu! It's Matsuo's honor to have you here!" His Chinese was tinged with a French accent, and his gaze lingered on Yu Ling, his admiration undisguised. "I've long admired Ms. Yu's elegance, and today I'm delighted to see her truly worthy of her reputation!" Matsuo Kenichiro! The legendary chef who kicked out the Michelin judges!