The Gourmet Customizer

To think I wouldn’t get the lunch I was paying for, but a free one would just fall into my lap!

How bizarre.

Just as they were about to leave, Jiang Wusheng stopped in his tracks. "It’s not every day we get to meet like this. How about a group photo?"

Liu Ahbao excitedly shuffled over. "Yes, yes! A group photo!"

He wouldn’t even mention his own master—getting a picture with a master of Huaiyang Cuisine was some serious bragging rights in the culinary world!

"Alright, then," Lu Yongliang said, standing magnanimously at the kitchen entrance. "Ah Bao, you take the picture for everyone with your phone!"

Liu Ahbao: ???

’Wait, Master, aren’t we supposed to be taking a picture *together*?’

’What do you mean, *I’m* taking the picture *for* everyone?’

"What are you spacing out for? Get to it!" Lu Yongliang glared, and Liu Ahbao’s knees went weak.

He quickly unlocked his phone. "Everyone, get ready!"

After some polite back-and-forth, Su Chen and Lu Yongliang ended up in the center, flanked by the two brothers, Jiang Wensheng and Jiang Wusheng.

As the photo was being taken, the three master chefs all spontaneously gave a thumbs-up in Boss Su’s direction.

TSK!

After the picture was taken and everyone was heading to the second floor, Su Chen deliberately hung back.

"Ah Bao, send the photo to Shuting later. Have her print out a large copy, get it framed, and hang it up by the entrance next to the others!"

Liu Ahbao was filled with resentment.

’You guys sure had your fun,’ he thought. ’First the group photo, then the thumbs-up, and now you want to hang it on the wall. Am I just invisible to you?’

’Besides, Boss, didn’t you used to look down on this kind of thing? The photo of you and my master is probably still sitting in a trash heap somewhere. How come this time it’s...’

But how could Ah Bao understand Su Chen’s thinking?

He was excited, too!

The photo didn’t serve any other grand purpose, but hanging it by the door would definitely ward off evil—the kind of petty troublemakers who, upon seeing it, would have to think twice before trying to stir up anything.

The food-vlogging uncle was a perfect example!

If Liu Ahbao hadn’t managed to get that photo with Lu Yongliang, he might have caused even more trouble.

The group followed Su Chen to the second floor. Lu Yongliang glanced at the sign by the door, then took a stroll around the inside.

"Not bad at all, Boss Su! How long has it been, and you’ve already opened a new branch? This little cafeteria is great. With you in charge, the parents can rest easy about what their kids are eating!"

Hearing Lu Yongliang’s flattery, Jiang Wusheng thought to himself that he couldn’t fall behind. ’Even if I don’t know Boss Su’s background, anyone Mr. Lu fawns over like this must be the real deal!’

He immediately chimed in, "A child’s palate is the most sensitive. Any food that children love is, without a doubt, a top-tier delicacy! Boss Su, you truly never stop testing your own craft!"

Liu Ahbao: ???

’Everything was normal just a moment ago. Why did everyone change their tune the second they got to the second floor?’

’I’m the head chef on this floor! Are you people serious?’

Walking further in, the group naturally made their way into the kitchen. This area wasn’t usually kept fully stocked.

Especially on weekends, ingredients were almost never prepped in advance. There were just a few large pork knuckles simmering in a pot.

"Nothing’s been prepped, so let’s just have something simple."

Su Chen rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.

He had the ingredients for large meat buns on hand, and a steamer basket full would take less than half an hour.

Stir-fry was out of the question, as most of the ingredients were on the 19th floor and couldn’t be touched.

And since it was Saturday, Fang Chang hadn’t made a fresh meat delivery. It would take too long to order one now.

Tea eggs were an option.

Su Chen thought for a moment. Just buns and tea eggs was too meager a spread.

He could also make...

"Please, have a seat. I’ll have everything ready in an hour, tops!"

"We couldn’t possibly do that! How about we lend you a hand?" Lu Yongliang’s intentions were not on helping; he mainly just wanted to watch Boss Su cook.

"No, no." Su Chen waved his hands dismissively. "I said it’s a simple meal, nothing complicated. Please, just take a seat."

Buns, tea eggs, and a bowl of Qiang Guo noodles. Anything else would be too much trouble. This way, there was meat, noodles, and broth. It wasn’t exactly a feast, but its strength was that...

...it was all freaking S Level!!!

After settling the group of curious onlookers at the dining table outside, Su Chen was left alone in the kitchen.

There wasn’t much to say about the large meat buns.

It was something no one else could help with, even though Su Chen had meticulously explained all the key points to Liu Ahbao on the day the others left for their business trip.

But the ones he made... still couldn’t reach SS Level.

In Ling Shuyu’s words at the time: It felt like there wasn’t a huge difference, yet there was some kind of indescribable difference.

Very strange!

It proved that without the Peak of Flavor, making a dish reach SS Level was impossible.

Of course... Su Chen placed the pork knuckle on the cutting board to debone it, then put it back in the pot over a low flame.

At the same time...

His consciousness sank, and his entire being appeared in the Gourmet Practice Room.

’I haven’t made Qiang Guo noodles in a long time. Can they also break through to SS Level?’

If so, things were about to get interesting.

Su Chen quickly summoned flour, scallions, eggs, and the other necessary ingredients.

To take the next step, he first needed to taste the original S Level version and understand precisely what was holding it back.

...

While Su Chen was studying in the practice room, down below the Meiweilai Company building, Ling Shuyu and the others had taken a cab from the station and were finally back.

"Let’s take our things upstairs first. Anyone who wants to rest can go rest," Ling Shuyu said.

As she spoke, she glanced toward the main entrance of the building.

Two middle-aged men were standing there, both looking to be around fifty. They kept glancing at their phones, then up at the building, as if they were looking for something.

However, Meiweilai had become quite famous in the city recently, so this sort of thing wasn’t uncommon. Ling Shuyu didn’t pay it much mind.

She turned and led the others back into the company.

「By the entrance.」

"Senior Brother, is this really appropriate?"

"What’s not appropriate about it? We’re just the advance party. With so many of our martial brothers coming, it’s not like they could all drive over. We’ll just tell Master we came ahead to book the hotel!"

"Right, right. So, should we go up now?"

The senior brother thought for a moment.

"Let’s go up and see! We have a huge group eating here tomorrow, so they must be prepping today. We’ll go check them out first, see what dishes they’re preparing for us. That way, we’ll know what to expect!"

"HAH! What kind of dishes could they possibly prepare? I looked them up online. The whole company only has a few employees, and it’s run by one guy. There’s no way he can handle it."

The senior brother nodded. "Enough talk. We’ll know once we go inside and see for ourselves!"

The two of them disappeared through the entrance together and, following the address left by the other party’s product manager on WeChat, headed straight for the nineteenth floor!