The Gourmet Customizer

"Huh? Then what are you going to do?" Zhan Yang was also confused.

Brother Fang Chang pounded the table. "What else can I do?! We’ll just have to make do!"

With that, he immediately got up and started pulling Zhan Yang toward the door. "I have to talk to Boss Su. No matter what, this has to be settled tonight. Bro, I need you to do me a favor!"

Zhan Yang didn’t mince words. "Just say the word."

"Boss Su definitely won’t have all the ingredients," Fang Chang said as they walked. "Whatever he needs, you take my car and go buy it."

Zhan Yang nodded. "No problem!"

"Also, swing by my place and grab me a change of clothes. I can’t meet anyone looking like this." Brother Fang Chang methodically thought about what else he needed to prepare.

"Can do!"

He wracked his brain. Besides all that, he just needed to inform his parents.

Most importantly, according to Brother Fang Chang’s original plan, the overall atmosphere on the 19th floor was still a bit lackluster. He had planned to bring his staff over tomorrow to do some simple decorating.

Well, so much for that. Now everything had to be done ahead of schedule!

Zhan Yang agreed. He grabbed the car keys and hurried off. "I’ll head to your place to get the clothes first. Just call and tell me what ingredients to buy!"

Brother Fang Chang grunted in agreement, ducked into the elevator, and immediately started making a call.

"That screen I bought a couple of days ago, bring it over right away. Yes, the solid wood one!"

"Get a few more people to help. And bring that round table and chairs I bought online, along with that set of Jingdezhen ceramic dinnerware!"

"There are two potted plants at the shop—bring those over too! Take the shop’s delivery truck. And be quick! You have to be quick!"

Brother Fang Chang had already prepared all these things in advance, but his future father-in-law’s surprise attack had thrown everything into chaos.

Arriving at the 19th floor, Brother Fang Chang made a beeline for the boss’s office and knocked before entering.

"What’s wrong?" Su Chen looked a little tired.

Damn it!

’I’ve made this Dark Meat Casserole nearly a thousand times. Why is it still only B Level?!’

"Boss Su, we’ve got a huge problem!" Brother Fang Chang gasped for breath. "That dinner service we talked about... it has to be moved up!"

"Moved up?" Su Chen frowned. "How much earlier?"

"Today! Tonight!"

"What?!" Su Chen shot to his feet.

’Are you fucking kidding me?’

’We clearly agreed on the day after tomorrow. Even if you have to move it up, you don’t just suddenly change it to *tonight*!’

"No, I can’t. There’s not enough time," Su Chen refused flatly.

Brother Fang Chang pressed his palms together, pleading. "Boss Su, please, I’m begging you! This is an emergency. I never expected my future father-in-law to ambush me like this!"

"That’s still a long shot. Some of those dishes aren’t that easy to make." Some of them weren’t too difficult, but a few required a lot of advance preparation.

Especially the stock—that needed to simmer for six or seven hours in advance. It was definitely too late to start one now.

"Boss Su! Boss Su! I’m about to get on my knees here! You have to help me. If it’s a problem, I can pay more! Seriously, you have to help me get through this. My future happiness is on the line!"

Su Chen paused. "What did you just say?"

"I said my future happiness is on the line!" Brother Fang Chang was confused.

Su Chen: "No, there was another part I didn’t quite catch."

Su Chen’s question left Brother Fang Chang completely baffled. "Boss Su, you’re not actually going to make me get on my knees, are you?"

Su Chen shook his head. "How much more are you paying?"

Oh!

’So that’s all it was?’

Brother Fang Chang thought for a moment. "Five thousand! How about it, Boss Su? As long as you agree to handle tonight, I’ll give you five thousand!"

Five thousand... for Fang Chang, that wasn’t a huge amount of money.

Sometimes, taking officials out to eat cost him even more than that, though that was including alcohol, of course.

And it wasn’t even a guarantee those officials could get anything done for him. This was different. If Boss Su handled this reception well, it would absolutely have a direct impact on whether his marriage plans went smoothly!

At least, that’s what Brother Fang Chang thought.

’It’s my future father-in-law’s first time in Jingzhou, and the man runs a restaurant himself. If I’m not even willing to spend this bit of money, what will he think of me?’

Su Chen did the math.

It was currently ten in the morning. If dinner was set for six in the evening...

He would have eight hours to prepare!

With Liu Ahbao helping, most of the prep work wouldn’t be a major issue. And if he really pushed himself...

’Sixteen hours is my current limit. After a full sixteen hours in the training room, I have to rest for two hours!’

’I have sixty-four hours of training time available...’

In that case.

"Alright!" Su Chen agreed on the spot.

Brother Fang Chang’s shock turned to delight. "That’s great! Boss Su, just tell me what ingredients you need. I’ll have my buddy go buy them—he’s very efficient."

Su Chen was about to say he was worried his buddy wouldn’t know how to pick ingredients, but then he remembered that Fang Chang himself was in this line of work.

He’d be hard to rip off when it came to buying things.

"Alright, I’ll write a list."

No sooner said than done!

While Su Chen wrote the list, Brother Fang Chang went to the canteen, where he happened to run into Ling Shuyu coming out of the kitchen.

"President Ling."

Ling Shuyu, her cheeks still puffed out, stopped and swallowed the food in her mouth. "Hmm?"

"You’re in design. I’m hosting my future father-in-law here tonight. Do you have any ideas on how we could set things up?"

When it came to design, President Ling was suddenly wide awake!

She immediately started pointing things out around the canteen, beginning to coordinate with Fang Chang.

Back in his office, while writing the ingredient list, Su Chen suddenly remembered something and looked at the panel in his mind.

[Main Quest: All-Encompassing]

[Quest Progress: 99/100]

[Quest Reward: Active Skill, White Jade Hand]

’If that’s the case...’ Su Chen fell into deep thought as an idea surfaced in his mind.

’Whether it’ll work or not, I have to at least give it a try!’

When he got to the kitchen, he saw Ling Shuyu and Fang Chang discussing how to set up a private dining room.

Su Chen glanced at the two of them. "Were you sneaking food?"

Ling Shuyu: ???

’Was it that obvious?’

’I’m sure I wiped my mouth!’

"No!"

Su Chen stared at her mouth. "You definitely ate something. A tea egg, wasn’t it? Didn’t you already have breakfast this morning?"

Ling Shuyu: "I did not!"

’Damn it!’

’He could tell even from that?’

’So what if he found out? Why did you have to call me out on it?! Now you’re just making me look like a glutton!’

Just then, Zhang Li walked through the canteen, humming a little tune as she entered the kitchen.

Su Chen just said, "Oh," and didn’t press the issue of the pilfered snack. Instead, he turned to Fang Chang. "You’re hungry."

Fang Chang: ???

"I’m not hungry! I had five steamed buns and five eggs for breakfast."

Su Chen shook his head. "No, you’re hungry. You need to eat a plate of stir-fried chicken right now."

"Boss Su, I’m definitely having the stir-fried chicken for lunch, but not right now. Let me figure out this private room first."

Su Chen shook his head again. "No. You’re hungry. Go to the second floor now and eat a plate of stir-fried chicken."

Brother Fang Chang was completely baffled. ’Don’t I know whether I’m hungry or not?’

"Go on now. Ah Bao is quick with the stir-fried chicken, and it’s no worse than mine. Just leave the private room arrangements to Shuyu."

Brother Fang Chang scratched the back of his head. "Alright then, but I’m really..."

"You’re hungry. I know. Go on."

Ling Shuyu was also bewildered by Su Chen. ’How can you just declare someone else is hungry?’

"Well, I’ll get back to planning the private room then."

Su Chen nodded and returned to his office, quietly waiting for Brother Fang Chang to scan the QR code to pay for the stir-fried chicken.

Just then...

Zhang Li came out of the kitchen.

A very puzzled look appeared on her face. "I’m positive I hid my eggs... Where’d they go?"

When she arrived this morning, she had first gone to the 2nd floor to buy three tea eggs. But when she got to the 19th floor, He Shuting asked her to help draw something to welcome the elementary school students.

The clever Zhang Li, remembering her previous misfortunes, had specifically hidden the eggs in the kitchen.

But why...

"Sister Ling, have you seen my eggs?"

With her back to Zhang Li, Ling Shuyu replied, "No idea. I’ve been here the whole time, designing the private room."

"Oh!"

Zhang Li clenched her fists.

Why!