The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Normal work resumed the next day.

After the meal time in the afternoon, everyone in the kitchen had some downtime and gathered to have lunch.

Fu Yu finished a bowl of rice and was about to get another when his phone rang.

Liu Yunong had sent him a message:

[Do you have time tonight?]

Fu Yu promptly replied: [Yes.]

Speaking of which, apart from the time when Liu Yunong had just returned from elsewhere and they had a meal together, they hadn’t been in contact since.

Now that Liu Yunong suddenly reached out, it was likely that she had something to discuss.

As he waited for a reply, many thoughts flashed through Fu Yu’s mind.

Liu Yunong quickly sent another message: [6:30 PM, Yunfeng Road Intersection, Shangshi Private Kitchen. (Sharing real-time location)]

Fu Yu read the message carefully, slightly puzzled.

Shangshi Private Kitchen?

Isn’t that the chain managed by Liu Yunong herself?

She had mentioned settling in Bei’an and planning to open a new restaurant. I didn’t expect it to be ready so soon.

The sudden invitation to go over now, is it to participate in the opening ceremony of the new restaurant?

But generally, store openings are in the morning, aren’t they?

Fu Yu wasn’t very knowledgeable about these things.

He quietly sought advice from Zhao Meng: ”Chef Zhao, Liu Yunong’s restaurant seems to be opening tonight. How much should I bring as a gift when I go?”

Thinking about how he and Liu Yunong at least held the mentor-apprentice title, Fu Yu asked, ”Should I order a floral arrangement or something to send over?”

Zhao Meng was taken aback upon hearing this, and asked in surprise, ”You’re talking about Shangshi Private Kitchen, right? The one at the Yunfeng Road Intersection?”

Fu Yu nodded: ”Yes, have you heard about it?”

Zhao Meng frowned: ”It opened last month? When I was on vacation, I specially took Dai Li and Bao’Er to try the signature dishes of the restaurant.”

Fu Yu was surprised: ”It’s already open? During that time, Liu Yunong was still away! And how come there was no news about the new store opening?”

Generally, any significant event in Bei’an would have already mobilized the short video platform streamers.

With Liu Yunong’s fame, people from the circle would surely be there for the opening of a new store.

How come there’s not a single piece of news?

Zhao Meng glanced at Fu Yu, reminding him: ”Liu Yunong runs a private kitchen.”

Fu Yu was first stunned, then came to his senses.

Oh damn, I totally forgot about this!

Private kitchens traditionally have no storefront signs, no fixed menu, and no dedicated servers.

So, opening naturally wouldn’t be done with much fanfare or promotion.

People in the circle have their channels, and news spreads very quickly.

Moreover, private kitchens are not like ordinary restaurants; they don’t cater to the masses, so the target audience isn’t the average Joe.

They usually only set a few tables a day, no waiting for the latecomers.

So, Liu Yunong inviting him to the restaurant isn’t about the new store opening?

Then why did she invite him?

Fu Yu replied to the message: [Alright, I’ll definitely be on time.]

Liu Yunong didn’t send any more messages after that.

Today, Zhao Meng was on the early shift, so after Fu Yu checked out, he directly took a cab to Shangshi Private Kitchen.

In winter, it gets dark early.

By the time Fu Yu arrived, it was already pitch dark.

The Yunfeng Road Intersection was quite a distance from the city center, and the location Liu Yunong sent was in a residential area by the roadside.

Had it not been for the confirmed shared location, Fu Yu almost thought he was at the wrong place.

Following the location marker, Fu Yu found an oddly-shaped, finely crafted restaurant.

The left side of the store was the entrance to the stairwell, and on the right was a garage. Without the location, Fu Yu would have likely ignored the restaurant with an entrance resembling someone’s backdoor.

Before he could make a move, the door in front of him opened from the inside.

The soft white light from inside cast a handsome and rather amusing expression on Fu Yu’s astonished face!

In front of him was a door frame and doorstep carved out of yellow wood.

The restaurant had an ancient charm with its thickly flavored tables and chairs, unlike regular restaurants, with a turning snack bar where guests sat in small groups.

The walls were adorned with woodcut scrolls.

Cupboards around were filled with all sorts of quaint, highly realistic imitation antique decorations.

Even the bowls and cutlery on the tables were custom-made with unique designs.

Worthy of being the descendant of Lady Liu, Liu Yunong had a remarkably thorough grasp of ancient aesthetic design, with impeccable taste and vision.

Emerging through the door was a casually dressed young man.

”Hello!”

The young man looked at Fu Yu and greeted him with a smile.

Fu Yu glanced at his clothes, although they weren’t a uniform, a name badge pinned on his chest had the words Shangshi Private Kitchen.

He had found the right place.

Fu Yu hurriedly said, ”Oh, hello, I’m a guest invited by Teacher Liu.”

Even though there was a mentor-apprentice title, Fu Yu still addressed Liu Yunong as Teacher in front of others.

The young man looked at Fu Yu, slightly surprised, but quickly recovered, smiling as he invited him in: ”Ah, please come in.”

Fu Yu followed the young man inside, getting closer, observing that the guests at the rotating bar were busy eating.

Liu Yunong was not in the front hall, but... At the time of his qualification assessment, the majority of the guests who accompanied the boss were from self-service barbecue restaurants, and Chef Gao Chongbo was sitting right there!

Fu Yu hurried over to greet him softly, ”Chef Gao, hello.”

Gao Chongbo turned his head to look at Fu Yu, clearly stunned.

It had been about three months, and Gao Chongbo had no impression of Fu Yu.

After all, at the time, he had only met Fu Yu once: ”You are?”

Fu Yu smiled slightly at Gao Chongbo, providing a brief introduction: ”Chef Gao, I’m a chef from Qianlima, Zhao Meng is my teacher.”

Gao Chongbo immediately caught on, his expression exaggerated: ”Ah! So it’s you! Aren’t you that who-whom?”

Watching as Gao Chongbo stammered but failed to say his name.

Fu Yu sighed, revealing his identity: ”My name is Fu Yu.”

Gao Chongbo then fully recalled.

During his time in Qianlima’s kitchen, because Fu Yu created an innovative version of the Great Harvest Stew, everyone’s attention was on his culinary skills.

As for Fu Yu himself, apart from the initial impression that he was handsome, during the actual cooking process, due to wearing a mask and bowing his head, he didn’t leave much of a deep impression.

Gao Chongbo had a good impression of Fu Yu, occasionally bringing up the incident with colleagues after returning.

Unexpectedly meeting again here, Gao Chongbo’s previously indifferent attitude turned warm as he cheerfully greeted: ”Xiaofu, are you here for a meal too?”

Fu Yu promptly clarified: ”No, I’m here looking for someone.”

After saying this, Fu Yu turned to the young man asking: ”Is Teacher Liu not here?”

The young man explained: ”Uh-huh, she’s in the back kitchen. Do you want to wait for her, or you can go to the back kitchen to find her, either is fine. The boss instructed that you should feel free upon your arrival.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Yu decided it would be best to wait in the front hall.

After all, the back kitchen isn’t a place just anyone can enter casually, as a rule, outsiders aren’t supposed to step into the back kitchen without an invitation from the owner or chef.