Chapter 043: The Autumn Chill Brings Ruin

After wreaking havoc in the kitchen at home for several days, Huanfu Shang was finally banished by the cook who could no longer bear it.

Dejected, convinced he had absolutely no talent for cooking, Huanfu Shang was deeply disheartened.

He sat alone on a bench by the pond in the park, staring vacantly into the distance with a bitter expression.

Wang Jingye, who had come out for a jog after work following his doctor’s advice, noticed the young man the first time he ran past him. He sighed inwardly—such a fine-looking student, looking so dispirited, probably failed an exam and got scolded by his parents.

The second time he passed by, he saw the young man had left the bench and was now standing up.

The third time, he noticed the young man crouching by the pond’s edge, looking like he was on the verge of jumping in. Startled, Wang Jingye hurried over.

He wanted to stop the boy but remembered that students these days could be very sensitive—a direct approach might push him further. As he tried to think of an excuse, his foot slipped, and with a heavy thud, his sturdy body crashed to the ground.

Huanfu Shang had been sitting by the lake for quite a while before he noticed there were actually crucian carp in the water.

The sight of the fish immediately brought to mind the recipes he had recently studied: Steamed Crucian Carp, Crucian Carp Tofu Soup, Braised Crucian Carp...

Just as he was considering where to find a fishing rod, he heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground behind him. Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man in sportswear sprawled out on the pavement.

“Young man,” the middle-aged man grinned at him, “would you give me a hand?”

Raised to respect his elders and care for the young, Huanfu Shang went over and helped him up, then thoughtfully guided him to the bench to sit down.

“Thank you, young man,” Wang Jingye said gratefully.

“No need to thank me,” Huanfu Shang replied.

“It’s rare to see such a kind-hearted youngster these days. Society is so flashy now, and with all the scam incidents, few dare to help someone who’s fallen anymore.”

Having grown up overseas and rarely encountering such scams, Huanfu Shang was briefly at a loss.

Wang Jingye studied his expression and, thinking the boy looked even younger than his own daughter, asked kindly, “What grade are you in?”

“I’ve graduated,” Huanfu Shang replied.

Wang Jingye was surprised. “You finished high school?”

“I graduated university, double doctorate from Qiao University.”

“…That’s impressive,” Wang Jingye said awkwardly, having assumed he was talking to an underachiever and never imagining he was speaking to a prodigy.

“I’m not impressive at all,” Huanfu Shang shook his head, his face troubled. Perhaps finding Wang Jingye’s face inviting for confidences, he continued, “I can’t cook at all.”

“What?”

“My fiancée’s family owns a restaurant. According to tradition, she’ll have to learn to cook and take over the business one day. I think kitchen work is dirty and tiring, so I wanted to do it for her,” Huanfu Shang explained, recounting how he longed to master cooking but ended up making dishes so terrible that even his fiancée didn’t dare eat them, and he himself nearly fainted from tasting them.

“You’re a good man,” Wang Jingye praised, patting him approvingly on the shoulder. He had already noticed that the young man’s attire was anything but ordinary—the watch on his wrist alone was worth a fortune.

“With that sort of devotion, your fiancée and future father-in-law will surely be moved.”

“I think my future father-in-law rather dislikes me,” Huanfu Shang admitted. “I’ve heard he dotes on his daughter to the extreme—he probably wants to kill me for taking her away.”

“That’s all because your cooking isn’t good enough,” Wang Jingye said. “Tell you what—my family runs a small restaurant. I’m the head chef there now. Why don’t you come and learn from me?”

“Really?” At the mention of ‘head chef’, Huanfu Shang was delighted but a little hesitant. “But my cooking is terrible.”

“No matter. As long as you’re willing to learn and work hard, I guarantee you’ll become a top chef.”

“Alright, thank you, sir.”

“Don’t call me sir—call me Master.”

“Master!”

—

“Hehe, Xiaoya, today I met a man who owns a restaurant. He said he’d teach me how to cook. Just wait, I’ll study hard.”

When Le Yixian saw Huanfu Shang’s message, she thought her naive sweetheart must have been scammed. That evening at dinner, however, her father excitedly recounted how he’d saved a lost young man while jogging, helped him find a goal in life, and talked him out of despair.

When she learned the would-be despairing young man’s name was Ashang, that he had a fiancée whose family owned a restaurant, and a daunting future father-in-law, she fell silent.

A few days later, her father began to praise a young man named Ashang, saying he peeled potatoes extraordinarily well.

That same day, Le Yixian received a potato, peeled and covered with uneven gouges, from Huanfu Shang. She was speechless.

“Xiaoya, this is the first potato I ever peeled myself. Master said I did a great job,” Huanfu Shang said shyly. “So I kept it and brought it to you.”

“Thank you,” Le Yixian replied, her heart full of mixed feelings—her silly, sweet lover was as innocent as ever.

The next morning, Huanfu Shang received a breakfast of potato salad.

Seeing his astonished face, Le Yixian smiled gently. “I used the potato you gave me yesterday to make this salad. It wouldn’t keep long, so I cooked it.”

“Xiaoya made me breakfast!” Huanfu Shang was deeply moved.

“Yes. I’m off to work. Have your meal and then get to work yourself.” Before leaving, Le Yixian glanced at the small restaurant behind Huanfu Shang and thought to herself, So Dad secretly opened a restaurant and the original host didn’t even know.

As usual, Wang Jingye stopped by the restaurant to check on his apprentice. Seeing him earnestly peeling carrots in the produce section, he nodded with satisfaction, then noticed a familiar lunchbox in the corner of the staff break room.

He didn’t think much of it, just gave it a cursory glance.

After work, Le Yixian was blocked by two burly men.

“Miss Wang, please come with us,” one of them said.

“Your boss?” Le Yixian was extremely wary—she knew from CEO novels that anything could happen in broad daylight.

“Our boss is President Huanfu.” The man spoke with confidence. According to their information, this woman was infatuated with their boss—he was sure she would follow at the mention of his name.

“Oh,” Le Yixian replied blandly, nodded, and turned to leave.

The men were surprised. Seeing her about to walk away, a flash of menace crossed their eyes. “If you won’t come with us, don’t blame us for getting rough.”

Le Yixian looked at them as if they were fools. “What did you say?”

“I said, we’ll get rough—” He hadn’t finished when Le Yixian’s shout cut him off.

“Thief! Help!”

At the doors of the Alice Hotel, a squad of burly security guards stormed out in full uniform.