From Chapter 184 onwards, you will be the head chef of the cafeteria.

Zhang rubbed his hands together, circled the tray twice, his eyes showing both admiration for the food and nervous excitement at the prospect of meeting an important person.

He carefully examined Su Xiaonuan's clothes—they were still the same old, faded clothes, but they were still clean—and nodded.

"Remember, Xiao Su, stay close to me, don't look around, and don't talk!" Zhang gave his final instructions, his tone serious.

Su Xiaonuan nodded vigorously, holding the tray steadily with both hands, her face showing just the right amount of tension and a hint of bewilderment.

Lu Zheng watched silently from a corner not far away. Only after the two of them walked out of the kitchen did he put down the dishcloth in his hand. His figure blended into the shadows like a cheetah, and he followed silently, using the corner of the corridor and the sparse flow of people as cover to maintain a safe tracking distance.

Zhang Tou'er led Su Xiaonuan through the corridor connecting the cafeteria and the office area, toward the most impressive-looking office building.

The security here was noticeably tighter, but Zhang seemed to have some kind of access privilege. When he announced that he was "delivering food to the chairman," the guards sized them up, especially after looking at the tray in Su Xiaonuan's hand that was emitting a faint fragrance, before waving them through.

I walked up the stairs covered with a dark red carpet to the third floor.

This floor was unusually quiet, a stark contrast to the noise downstairs.

At the end of the corridor was a heavy, expensive-looking solid wood door.

Just as they were about to reach the door, Su Xiaonuan's enhanced hearing faintly caught a few hushed, yet anxious, conversations coming from inside:

"...We must keep the lawyer calm! We absolutely cannot let him say a word!"

"If things get out of hand over there, we're all doomed!"

"I know! I'm trying to figure something out..."

The sound stopped abruptly, as if the person inside had noticed the footsteps outside.

Su Xiaonuan's heart skipped a beat! Lawyer? Unable to cover it up? These words pierced her mind like ice picks.

Is there indeed a problem within the Sacred Heart Society, and it seems to be facing some kind of legal crisis?

Zhang, the head of the household, obviously didn't hear any of this. He took a deep breath, put on the most respectful smile, and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in." A slightly deep, authoritative middle-aged male voice rang out.

Zhang Tou'er pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped aside to let Su Xiaonuan go in first.

The office was brightly lit and luxuriously decorated, a stark contrast to the dilapidated dormitory building outside.

Behind the huge mahogany desk sat a middle-aged man in his fifties, with a stout build, slicked-back hair, and wearing a silk shirt. He was none other than Ma Guofu, the chairman of the Sacred Heart Society, as seen in the file photo.

His brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of lingering gloom remained on his face.

On the leather sofa opposite him sat another man.

The man looked to be in his thirties, with brown hair and a healthy wheat-brown complexion. He had deep-set features with a touch of exoticism and wore a well-tailored pure white suit, which contrasted sharply with Ma Guofu's gaudy and extravagant style.

But when he spoke, it was pure, unadulterated Chinese, with a touch of nonchalant magnetism:

"Chairman Ma, what is this...?"

Both of them were surprised by the sudden arrival of Zhang Tou'er and Su Xiaonuan. Their eyes fell on them, especially on the incongruous tray in Su Xiaonuan's hand, and they couldn't help but frown.

Ma Guofu leaned back in his large executive chair, tapping his fingers on the table, his tone tinged with annoyance at being disturbed: "Master Zhang? What is it?"

Zhang bowed even lower, his smile almost overflowing with flattery: "Chairman, Mr. Bai, excuse me. It's like this, we have a new young lady in our cafeteria, and her cooking skills are exceptional! Today, I specially prepared a dish from her hometown, a delicious roast duck, thinking of letting the Chairman and Mr. Bai try it out and have a change of pace!" As he spoke, he stepped aside, gesturing for Su Xiaonuan to come forward.

Su Xiaonuan lowered her head, took two steps forward cautiously, and handed the tray forward slightly with both hands.

At the opportune moment, Zhang reached out and gently lifted the insulated silver lid covering the tray.

In an instant, a roast duck aroma, even more concentrated and enticing than in the kitchen, filled the entire spacious office like a released sprite!

The aroma, a blend of fruity wood fragrance, rich duck meat, and secret spices, powerfully dispelled the lingering dullness and oppression!

Ma Guofu and the man in the white suit's eyes were almost instantly fixed on the plate of tempting, fragrant roast duck!

Ma Guofu's displeased expression froze on his face, his nose involuntarily sniffed, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Mr. Bai, though still maintaining his languid sitting posture, had a clear hint of surprise and...interest flash across his deep eyes.

"Oh?" Ma Guofu's brows relaxed, and he leaned forward unconsciously, his eyes fixed intently on the plate of roast duck. "Exquisite roast duck? It smells good! Come on, let me take a closer look!"

Zhang the Boss quickly gestured for Su Xiaonuan to take a few more steps forward.

Ma Guofu picked up the chopsticks prepared beside him, took a slice of duck meat with skin and meat, evenly sliced, dipped it in sweet bean sauce, added some scallions and cucumber, wrapped it in a thin pancake, and put it in his mouth.

He chewed slowly, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he were savoring the taste.

A few seconds later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his face instantly beaming with undisguised surprise and satisfaction. He even slapped the table: "Great! Great! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, rich but not greasy, this taste... amazing! It's no worse than what I ate at those old-established restaurants in Beijing before!"

He looked at Su Xiaonuan, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration: "Little girl, did you really make this?"

Su Xiaonuan lowered her head, her voice soft and timid: "Yes...yes, Chairman."

"Great! Really great!" Ma Guofu was in high spirits, and the gloom of the past few days seemed to have been dispelled by this roast duck.

He waved his hand generously and said, "Talent! Our company needs talent like you! Chef Zhang, this young lady will be the head chef of the cafeteria from now on! Her salary will be doubled! No, tripled!"

Head chef?! Salary tripled?!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tou'er was not displeased at all. On the contrary, he seemed to have heard great news, and a relieved smile appeared on his face, even more so than Su Xiaonuan's!

God knows how long he's been suffering in this head chef position, having to cater to the discerning tastes of those above, manage people with differing opinions below, and constantly worry about being replaced or offending someone like he did a couple of days ago.

Now we're finally free!

He can now use his savings from all these years to focus on taking care of his son!

"Thank you, Chairman! Thank you, Chairman!" Zhang bowed repeatedly, his voice trembling with excitement.