Chapter 370: Chapter 370: This Person is a Bad Guy

Sang Yue’s eyes widened. "The Eldest Prince? There’s a Royal Family here?"

"Yep. You don’t have one where you’re from?" Shen Lu asked, feigning ignorance.

Sang Yue shook her head. "We don’t."

"Maybe every survival base is different."

Sang Yue didn’t dwell on the issue. She asked Shen Lu a few more things about opening a shop, then went back to work with a lot on her mind.

Shen Lu knew she had likely taken it to heart.

’Although the process is a bit different from the original plot, Sang Yue opening a store and participating in the Kitchen King competition should still happen.’

’After all, Sang Yue was planning to open a cake shop anyway. And just like before, she loves doing charity. Relying on borrowed money to help people is hardly a long-term solution; having a stable income is what really matters.’

’The Kitchen King competition is a great promotional opportunity. If Sang Yue wants to make a name for herself in a very short time, it’s an excellent chance.’

Shen Lu said silently in her heart, ’This is as far as I can help you.’

After breakfast, Shen Lu began another busy day.

At noon, there were again two takeout orders, placed by Li Long and Bai Wanwan respectively.

The dishes were more or less the same as yesterday, so Shen Lu cooked them with ease. For some of the less critical steps, she even let Deng Ying get some hands-on practice.

Shu Meng brought over a plate of Hot and Sour Chicken Gizzards she had stir-fried, asking Shen Lu for some pointers.

"The gizzards still aren’t crisp and tender enough. The flavor hasn’t penetrated; it’s just sitting on the surface. Stir-fry it again. I want to see exactly where the problem is."

Without a word, Shu Meng immediately started over and stir-fried another plate. Shen Lu identified the problem, personally demonstrated the process for her, and the resulting Hot and Sour Chicken Gizzards tasted just right.

Shu Meng’s eyes were filled with adoration. "Boss, when will I ever be as skilled and effortless as you?"

It seemed that when it came to cooking, nothing ever troubled Shen Lu. Any dish was child’s play for her.

"Just practice more."

That’s all Shen Lu could say. She couldn’t very well tell her, ’You might be a little short on talent, you know?’

[DING DONG~ Daily Quest issued: Please sell 3,530 meal sets with a customer satisfaction rating of three stars or higher. Time limit: eight hours.]

The quest was issued just as it was almost time to open for business.

Everyone went to their stations, serving each customer who entered the shop in an orderly fashion.

Today, the first customer for the booth section walked in. Shen Lu took a look. ’Huh, isn’t that the great beauty who came with Mao Guangjian yesterday?’

’I heard them call her ’boss.’ She must be the leader of some Mercenary Corps, right?’

Ding Xue sat down reservedly. Shen Lu came over to greet her as usual. "Welcome. Feel free to order whatever you’d like directly from the menu."

Ding Xue gave a slight nod and ordered her food without taking much time.

She didn’t order extravagantly—just four dishes. Compared to those gluttons from before, it was quite reasonable.

Shen Lu asked her to wait a moment and went to get busy in the back kitchen.

It was clear that Ding Xue had a preference for sweet flavors, as two of the dishes she ordered were sweet.

Before her food was even ready, a new order came in. Deng Ying had taken it, and she came into the kitchen to tell Shen Lu it was people from the Commerce Association.

"People from the Commerce Association? Who?"

"I heard the other two call him Chairman Pan."

"Alright, I’ll serve the dishes when they’re ready."

Shen Lu placed the Candied Sweet Potatoes, Smoked Fish, and Stir-fried Bok Choy on a tray to be served. The Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens still needed to cook a bit longer and would be brought out later.

After serving all of Ding Xue’s dishes, Shen Lu turned and looked at the other table.

’Well, well. It’s three old acquaintances: Chairman Pan of the Commerce Association, Mr. Sun who’s always at odds with him, and General Manager Chen who’s thick as thieves with Mr. Sun.’

’How did the three of them end up together?’

A customer is a customer. Shen Lu still went over to make an appearance.

"Boss Shen, business is booming, I see." Mr. Sun said with a fawning smile, seemingly unbothered by their previous unpleasantries.

"It’s just a small business, enough to make a living. How could I compare to three big bosses like you? What you make in a day is what I make in a year. You’re the ones in the big leagues."

Who doesn’t know how to trade empty compliments? Shen Lu felt no psychological burden spouting them.

President Pan wanted to offer a few pleasantries himself, but Shen Lu didn’t give him the chance, saying she had to get back to the kitchen to cook, or she’d be neglecting her customers.

"Boss Shen, you work so hard, even cooking yourself?" President Pan was quite surprised. After all, Shen Lu looked like the type of delicate girl who had never done any manual labor.

Shen Lu just smiled without a word and turned to leave.

Mr. Sun’s expression immediately soured. "It’s been so many days, and she’s still as arrogant as ever."

General Manager Chen chimed in, "Well, she’s got connections, doesn’t she? Being tied to the military is no small feat."

"True. If I’d known her cripple fiancé was so powerful, I would’ve picked him up and raised him myself."

"Ahem." President Pan cut them off. "You two, watch what you’re saying. This is Shen Lu’s restaurant."

’Can’t you at least wait until you’re not in her shop to talk trash?’

Mr. Sun was unfazed. "She can’t hear us anyway."

But she could. Shen Lu heard them, and she heard them very clearly.

Who could she thank but the system for the surveillance cameras in her shop? The video was sharp, and the audio was crystal clear.

’Looks like these three didn’t come here just to eat.’

’Then what are they here for?’

Shen Lu finished cooking the dishes and called for Deng Ying to serve them. She then sent a message to Wang Daguo, telling him to hang a sign outside that said, "All booths are full for today," before going to cook the large-batch dishes.

Gao Jie and his group drove up, full of swagger, and immediately spotted the sign Wang Daguo had just put up.

"A small-time restaurant is just a small-time restaurant. What time is it even? And they’re already closed for the day." The flamboyantly dressed Liao Bin, a scornful look on his face, patted Gao Jie’s shoulder. "Cousin, it’s not that I don’t want to believe you, it’s that this shop isn’t giving you the chance."

Gao Jie impatiently shook off Liao Bin’s hand. "What’s there to be afraid of? We’re going straight in."

"To eat fast food? Spare me." Liao Bin leaned back against his seat. "You said you’d had the best crayfish of your life here, and I actually believed you. I even came with you to this godforsaken Lower City District, and now you expect me to eat fast food?"

"I’m a permanent member of this restaurant, and I brought my own crayfish. I’m just asking her to help prepare it. There’s no way she’ll refuse."

As he spoke, Gao Jie got out of the car, carrying a food container, and entered the restaurant.

Seeing this, the others exchanged a look, and the two who were on better terms with Gao Jie got out and followed him.

That left Liao Bin and Cheng Wu still in the car.

"Brother Bin, what’s the plan?"

"We follow, of course. We’ll see how he fakes his way through this, and then we’ll really ridicule him for it." Liao Bin said nonchalantly, "Does he really take me for a fool? So what if I haven’t been in the Imperial City for half a year? As if I don’t know which restaurants are good and which are bad. But no, he just had to argue with me."

"True. The Lower City District is full of lower-class citizens. What could they possibly know about fine dining?"

Gao Jie went straight to Wang Daguo, who was stamping cards at the front counter, and told him to get Shen Lu.

Xiao Lang stood with his hands on his hips, his little face scrunched up as he asked, "Who are you? Why are you looking for Sister Shen?"

It wasn’t that people didn’t come looking for Shen Lu, but few were as rude and aggressive as Gao Jie.

Xiao Lang’s intuition told him this person was a bad guy.

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