The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

First it was Christmas, then it was New Year’s.

The dessert shop’s business has been booming.

The pre-orders for various cakes could be compiled into a book.

And that’s not even counting the various desserts delivered daily to a few regular restaurants.

With business doing well, Boss Pang Bowen couldn’t stop smiling and told everyone that since the order volume is high these days, they should eat at the shop, and he would order takeout.

Everyone was naturally delighted, because when the boss orders food, it means free meals, not only do they eat well, but they also save on two meals’ worth of money.

But due to a lavish lunch, two dessert chefs and a helper ended up in the emergency room.

The doctor checked and said it was food poisoning, determined through analysis that the lunch’s stir-fried green beans weren’t cooked through.

Pang Bowen was almost in tears.

The original intention of ordering employee meals was out of kindness, to allow employees to eat better, improve the food, and also save them time for work.

But who would have thought it would backfire.

Now there was only an apprentice and a helper left in the shop.

The apprentice could handle simple dessert-making.

But with such a large order volume, it was getting a bit overwhelming.

Pang Bowen watched as one order after another was printed out.

He was frantic and at his wit’s end.

At other times, with his network, finding two dessert chefs to come over for an emergency wouldn’t be a problem.

But the issue now is that it’s the peak season; all the shops are busy, and people can’t even manage their own shops, so how could they spare people to come and help?

It was like a flash of inspiration that suddenly brought Fu Yu to Pang Bowen’s mind.

Previously, when a dessert chef at the shop had an emergency, it was Fu Yu who rushed over to help.

And back then, Fu Yu showcased his spectacular dough-handling skills, leaving a deep impression on Pang Bowen.

Pang Bowen had Fu Yu’s contact information, but after a little thought, he decided to call Zhao Meng directly.

They had known each other for many years, and with Pang Bowen’s understanding of Zhao Meng, Zhao Meng would likely help with this matter.

From a business perspective, he is a long-term dessert supplier for Qianlima Restaurant; there’s a cooperation relationship, even if he were to approach Dong Jun Tian, he would still have some face.

On a personal level, over the years, Pang Bowen had been very nice to Zhao Meng, regularly sending cakes on birthdays and desserts during the holidays.

And just last month, Zhao Meng’s new girlfriend’s child was having a birthday party at the kindergarten, and he even gifted a five-layered giant cartoon birthday cake for free.

For this reason alone, Pang Bowen was certain Zhao Meng would definitely lend a strong helping hand.

Interpersonal relationships are like this; it’s about mutual help and exchange.

Only in this way can relationships last long.

And Zhao Meng, having heard Pang Bowen’s appeal, immediately relayed the situation to Fu Yu.

”The dessert shop over there can’t keep up; all the orders are from loyal customers, and if they refuse orders this time, there will definitely be a loss in the customer base.”

This was also Pang Bowen’s original words.

The dessert shop’s operation relies entirely on return customers.

If it’s just buying simple desserts, missing one or two orders is no big deal, but if it’s for a birthday or anniversary, and an ordered cake can’t be delivered on time, the loss isn’t just a few orders’ money.

Once the customer base is lost, it’s extremely difficult to restore it.

Zhao Meng thought about his friendship with Pang Bowen and added, ”If you can go, try to drop by. Boss Pang is a good man, worth associating with.”

Fu Yu also had a good impression of Pang Bowen.

This person is quite generous and knows how to handle things well.

The last time Fu Yu went to help, Pang Bowen gave him a very generous reward.

Moreover, on Fu Yu’s birthday this year, Pang Bowen also sent him a small cake and some desserts.

Although the items weren’t expensive, they were a token of goodwill after all.

Especially at that time when Fu Yu hadn’t even been confirmed in his position yet, but simply out of politeness, whenever he saw Pang Wenbo, he would greet him, and he received Pang Bowen’s attention in return.

This kindness Fu Yu always remembered fondly.

After some consideration, Fu Yu agreed to take on this matter.

After all, it was just going over to help, and with his advanced baking skills and moderate dough-handling skills, making desserts shouldn’t be too difficult.

Moreover, offering help in times of need is much more appreciated than adding to what’s already plentiful.

As Zhao Meng said, Pang Bowen is indeed worth associating with.

Fu Yu nodded readily: ”No problem, I’ll head over to help right after work.”

Zhao Meng made the decision: ”Don’t wait until after work; pack up and go now.”

It’s urgent to help; time is money now, and getting there a minute earlier can help alleviate the urgent needs of the dessert shop.

Upon receiving the message, Zhao Meng hurriedly called Pang Bowen to give him feedback.

Fu Yu called Liu Yunong to ask for leave.

Now, Liu Yunong’s attitude toward Fu Yu is becoming friendlier, more like an older sister guiding her younger brother in learning to cook, rather than a mentor and apprentice.

This earnest effort frequently led Liu Zhangpeng to gossip with his mentor Wang Yulong, wondering if their boss had taken a liking to Fu Yu.

This wasn’t mentoring an apprentice but rather cultivating a second boss.

When Liu Yunong heard Fu Yu had something last-minute that night and couldn’t come to the shop, she granted him leave without hesitation.

The dishes updated at the shop today aren’t particularly special, just a mixed dish where the main secret lies in the sauce used.

And this ancestral secret sauce formula is never disclosed, so even if Fu Yu came, he would just be there to help with cooking, without much chance to practice his skills.

After the call, Liu Yunong pondered and decided to change tomorrow’s updated dishes.

There’s one cooking method that Fu Yu probably hasn’t encountered yet.

Once Fu Yu learns it, he can further extrapolate and continue learning other dishes with similar cooking methods.

Having asked for leave, Fu Yu hurriedly took a taxi to the dessert shop.

Pang Bowen was packing while keeping an eye on the street outside through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Seeing a taxi pull up, his hands paused involuntarily.

When he saw it was indeed Fu Yu getting out, he quickly put down the packing boxes and jogged out to meet him.

”Fu Yu!”

Seeing Fu Yu, Pang Bowen felt as if he had seen his savior!

God knows what he had been through that afternoon!

With only one apprentice left to work in the shop, in just a short afternoon, seven cake orders had piled up.

The available desserts were almost completely cleared out, and there were more than ten orders placed in the morning, scheduled for pickup in the evening.

The apprentice was on the verge of tears, and Pang Bowen was turning in circles frantically, with no solution.

But finally, Fu Yu was here!

Fu Yu was warmly welcomed by everyone at the dessert shop.

Besides Pang Bowen, there were two other people in the shop.

Xue Yuli was the apprentice, while Zou Anna was the helper.

Fu Yu had met these two the last time he came; at that time, Xue Yuli was just a helper, but now she had been promoted to apprentice.