Chapter 187: A5 Wagyu Beef
At 5:59, Cheng Yuan and Cheng Qianqian stepped out of the VIP elevator and headed straight for the Duke’s Mansion.
Chef Klaus, leading a few assistant chefs, hurried over and ran into Cheng Yuan and Cheng Qianqian.
Cheng Yuan didn’t know Chef Klaus’s identity. He just gave him a slight nod, and Chef Klaus returned a friendly smile.
Both parties walked toward the Duke’s Mansion at the same time.
It wasn’t until they reached the entrance of the Duke’s Mansion that both parties realized they were all headed to the same destination.
Cheng Yuan then realized that this must be the chef who would be serving them tonight.
Cheng Yuan gave Ji Yanjun a mental thumbs-up. ’He must have spent a fortune to hire a foreign chef.’
Cheng Yuan smiled politely at Klaus. "Chef, after you."
Klaus smiled back. "Sir, you must be a friend of Director Tan, right? Director Tan once did me a huge favor, so I will definitely pull out all the stops to give you an exceptional dining experience."
Faced with Klaus’s goodwill, Cheng Yuan didn’t explain, simply saying warmly, "Thank you, Chef."
Klaus nodded to Cheng Yuan and entered the Duke’s Mansion first.
The people inside the Duke’s Mansion quickly came forward to greet them. Ji Yanjun, beaming, extended a hand to Klaus. "Chef Klaus, hello. I’m Ji Yanjun. Old Tan speaks very highly of your culinary skills. It’s an honor to finally meet you today."
Klaus froze. ’So this is Director Tan’s friend? Then who was that very polite young man outside?’
"Director Tan is too kind. I’m just a cook."
Klaus briefly shook Ji Yanjun’s hand.
As they spoke, Cheng Yuan and Cheng Qianqian walked into the Duke’s Mansion.
Ji Yanjun’s expression darkened, and he scolded unhappily, "Mr. Cheng, I reminded you repeatedly that Chef Klaus hates it when people are late! How could you be late?"
Cheng Yuan’s expression darkened. ’Making such a big deal out of a simple meal?’
’Fine, I just won’t eat then, how about that?’
Just as Cheng Yuan was about to turn and leave, Klaus quickly smoothed things over. "Mr. Ji, you’ve misunderstood Mr. Cheng. He politely let us enter the private room first. Besides, it’s still thirteen seconds until six p.m. Even if Mr. Cheng hadn’t been courteous, he wouldn’t have been late."
Hearing this, Ji Yanjun’s expression softened slightly. He apologized insincerely, "Oh, is that so? Mr. Cheng, why didn’t you say so earlier? It was my mistake for not understanding the situation. Don’t be angry."
’Did you even give me a chance to speak?’
Cheng Yuan just let out a soft, cold snort, not bothering to acknowledge Ji Yanjun at all.
Seeing the minor conflict resolved, Klaus clapped his hands lightly. The assistant chefs hurried forward, removed the cloches from the trays, and displayed the ingredients to the group.
Klaus introduced them. "Honored guests, these are the ingredients I have prepared for you. Please, inspect them."
In high-end Western cuisine, foie gras, truffles, and caviar are essential.
The guests recognized the foie gras, truffles, and caviar, and praised the ingredients generously.
Only Cheng Yuan’s attention was on the plate of beef. The texture of the meat was exceptionally uniform; even when Cheng Yuan activated his Double Pupil to look, he couldn’t see the slightest impurity.
Although Cheng Yuan didn’t know much about ingredients, he could tell this plate of beef was extremely valuable.
Seeing Cheng Yuan staring intently at the beef, Klaus’s eyes lit up. ’It seems this gentleman knows his stuff.’
With a hint of pride, Klaus announced, "Next, I would like to formally introduce this ingredient. This is the purest A5-grade Wagyu from East Japan!"
A5-grade Wagyu?
The children and the two teachers had calm expressions, not realizing just how incredible A5-grade Wagyu was.
Ji Yanjun’s face was flushed with excitement. Old Tan had really given him face today, actually having Chef Klaus bring out A5-grade Wagyu!
Li Bo was a foodie, and the name A5-grade Wagyu was legendary to him. He couldn’t help but gasp. "Oh my god, I actually get to eat A5-grade Wagyu! What incredible luck!"
The two teachers were taken aback. "Chief Li, is A5-grade Wagyu that amazing?"
Li Bo explained with a serious expression, "Of course it is! Most of the beef on the market labeled as Wagyu is actually lower-quality Australian beef. The truly pure Wagyu is Matsusaka beef from Mie Prefecture. Among Matsusaka beef, A5 is the highest quality, with an annual production of no more than 2,000 kilograms. There are thousands of Michelin-starred restaurants and thousands of Three Star chefs worldwide. Based on the production of Matsusaka A5, that averages out to only 2 kilograms per chef. So you tell me, is A5-grade Wagyu amazing or not?"
Klaus gave Li Bo a look of newfound respect. "I didn’t expect this gentleman to be such an expert. That’s right, this is pure Matsusaka beef. I personally went to Matsusaka to procure it. Currently, the entire Sofitel Hotel has less than five kilograms left."
The two teachers were dumbfounded. They had thought the white truffles and caviar were the most expensive ingredients, but it turned out this plate of beef was the real showstopper!
Even Cheng Yuan couldn’t help but be impressed. ’I have to say, Ji Yanjun really went all out just to show off. This plate of A5-grade beef must cost at least several hundred thousand, right?’
Li Yankui began to praise him from the heart, "President Ji is so well-respected! We’re really basking in your glory today, getting to eat such precious Wagyu!"
Even the usually composed Zhang Jing gave a thumbs-up. "President Ji, you really went to great lengths to get such an incredible ingredient!"
Ji Yanjun felt a thrill of satisfaction from all the flattery, feeling he had completely recovered the face and dignity his daughter had lost for him. He waved his hand grandly and said in a deep voice, "Chef Klaus, we are very satisfied with the ingredients. You may begin."
Klaus gave a slight nod and glanced at his subordinates. The assistant chefs quickly covered the plates with the cloches and walked briskly toward the semi-open kitchen inside the Duke’s Mansion.
This was the live service experience reserved for only the most elite VIPs, where they could clearly see the ingredients and the entire cooking process, leaving no room for any trickery.
...
「In the Vice President’s office.」
Zhu Chao, the Vice President of the Sofitel Hotel, was dozing off.
Zhu Chao was a night owl who slept during the day and was active at night. His Vice President title was just in name only.
His father, Chu Jian Country, was the second-largest shareholder of the Sofitel Hotel.
BRRING...
Zhu Chao’s phone rang, waking him up. He cursed, annoyed, "Which inconsiderate bastard is calling me at this hour? Are they looking to die?"
Zhu Chao impatiently snatched his phone. But after seeing the name on the screen, his impatience vanished instantly. He shot to his feet, his face plastered with a fawning expression.
It was as if the person on the other end of the line was standing right in front of him.
"Brother Tian, what can this little brother do for you?"
"Brother Hu has been promoted to Captain of the Xing Arrest Team at the Patrol Headquarters. He’s coming to the Sofitel Hotel tonight to celebrate. You make the arrangements."
Zhu Yunhu?
’That’s the top young master in the entire Provincial City!’
There were at least two tiers of status between him and Zhu Yunhu. He couldn’t even afford to offend Duan Tian, who just ran with Zhu Yunhu’s crew!
’If I can use this opportunity to get connected with Zhu Yunhu, won’t my career take off?’
Zhu Chao’s expression grew even more sycophantic. "Brother Yunhu got promoted? That definitely calls for a big celebration! How about this: I’ll have Chef Klaus get ready right away and bring out all the remaining A5-grade Wagyu in the hotel! Let the brothers eat their fill!"