"A head chef can actually turn such a classic Western dish into this mess. I seriously doubt any of your assistants couldn't do better than you."
Upon hearing Yu Wanwan's words, the head chef felt his culinary skills had been insulted and provoked like never before. He said directly, "Fine, since you're so dissatisfied, why don't you make one for me? Teach me what authentic Wellington should be like."
Seeing the intense hostility between them, a nearby assistant quickly grabbed the aggressive head chef and whispered, "She's here to eat, not to apply for a chef position. Asking her to cook isn't appropriate, is it?"
Unexpectedly, instead of defending herself, Yu Wanwan accepted the challenge. "I'll do it."
With that, she turned around and waved at the silent man behind her. "You, show him."
"Huh?" Zhang Jingxu, still not understanding what was happening, looked startled. Yu Wanwan stepped forward and pushed him over, whispering, "If you don't want me to get angry, hurry up and do it."
Having no choice, Zhang Jingxu placed two pieces of butter on a frying pan, picked up a piece of filet mignon with tongs, and began searing it...
While the group of chefs gathered around Zhang Jingxu to watch his cooking, Yu Wanwan took the opportunity to inspect the kitchen's hygiene.
One of the chefs, who had observed all of Yu Wanwan's reactions since she entered, began to mutter inwardly.
Who exactly is this girl? Could she be from the food safety bureau here for a secret inspection?
Fortunately, after checking around, Yu Wanwan found no hygiene issues. All surfaces were spotless, and the raw and cooked areas were impeccably separated.
From this perspective, the hotel's problems weren't too severe. If there were no other major issues, retraining the staff might be enough to recover performance... maybe?
Originally, they had come to the restaurant for dinner, but Zhang Jingxu spent an hour in the kitchen making steak for the head chef. What a situation.
The restaurant manager hurried into the kitchen from outside and saw the couple, who should have been eating in the dining area, suddenly cooking in the kitchen. Her heart skipped a beat.
She had only stepped into the restroom to chat with a friend on the phone for about ten minutes. What happened?
Zhang Jingxu took the steak out of the oven, sliced it, and began the final plating.
After he arranged an exquisite presentation, Yu Wanwan picked up a knife and fork, cut into the steak, and juices flowed instantly, revealing a beautiful pink center.
She didn't eat it but pushed it toward the arrogant head chef. "See this? This is authentic medium-rare Wellington. As for what you made earlier—tough and chewy enough that an old lady might glue her dentures to it after one bite—and you still dared to serve it."
Hearing this, the nearby chefs couldn't help but laugh, but upon seeing the head chef's fierce glare, they reluctantly suppressed their smiles.
Before the head chef could react, Yu Wanwan continued, "I'll come back tonight. If you serve me another dish I'm not satisfied with, you can take off that chef's hat with the Star River Hotel logo and find another job."
After dropping that remark, she didn't bother looking at the head chef's alternating red and green face. She grabbed Zhang Jingxu's sleeve and turned to leave.
Once Yu Wanwan was far away, an eerie silence fell over the kitchen.
The head chef stared at the perfectly juicy, flawlessly cut Wellington on the table, saying nothing.
He had worked at this hotel for five years, from bustling crowds to near emptiness. It felt like his touch had rusted along with the dwindling customer flow. He couldn't remember how long it had been since someone had challenged and questioned him so directly.
Silently, he picked up a clean fork, cut a small piece of Zhang Jingxu's steak, and put it in his mouth. The abundant juices, the perfect doneness, the mushroom sauce perfectly blending with the buttery aroma of the pastry... As the flavors exploded on his tongue, his eyelids twitched.
The surrounding chefs held their breath. A recently arrived apprentice couldn't help asking quietly, "How does it taste?"
The head chef didn't answer. He cut another piece, this time chewing slowly, as if savoring it thoroughly.
After a long moment, he put down his fork and murmured with confusion, "Why did this girl bring a chef along to eat? What's the deal?"
And the chef she brought was younger than him, with skills no less impressive.
"Isn't it obvious?" A chef began to analyze "cleverly." "The hotel's performance has been bad lately. That girl is probably a high-level executive here for an inspection. If you don't satisfy her with the dishes, they might just fire you tomorrow and hire someone more cost-effective."
The manager, who had been standing nearby ignored like air, coughed a couple of times. Then, with a serious expression, she walked up to the group of chefs. "Do you know who that girl was? She's our boss's daughter. You've been a chef for over 20 years. Even if your skills have declined, you shouldn't turn Wellington into chicken breast, right?"
The head chef was stunned. "What? The young lady came to eat without any notice?"
Usually, when important guests visited the hotel, management would inform them.
Besides, he had seen the hotel's young lady many times. He remembered her temper wasn't that bad, and she didn't look like that.
Could she have changed after a divorce? Had plastic surgery?
The manager rolled her eyes in exasperation. "If we'd notified you in advance to prepare, how would we find loopholes in the hotel's operations and service attitudes?"
She "threatened" him, "Our boss has two daughters. The one who visits often is the gentle eldest. You're lucky today—you got the second daughter, who has the worst temper, for inspection. So you'd better shape up these next two days, or else you might really get fired by her tomorrow."
Hearing this, the head chef's body trembled, and a strong sense of career crisis welled up inside him. He knew this hotel offered the best benefits he'd ever had, and he didn't want to lose this job.
Without another word, he walked to his station, heated the pan, added butter, and began searing steak. In his mind, he quickly reviewed the oven temperature he had set when roasting the steak earlier, preparing for the evening inspection...
In the afternoon, the originally scorching sun was suddenly obscured by clouds. Luckily, it didn't rain; instead, the weather became cooler.
Yu Wanwan wasn't affected by the little restaurant incident. The two strolled along the valley. Nearby, there was an exciting rafting activity, but Yu Wanwan didn't dare try it. She chose to rent fishing gear with Zhang Jingxu and enjoy a leisurely time by the pebble-lined stream, brewing tea over a stove and fishing contentedly.
Yu Wanwan piloted a drone to capture mountain scenery. Since she hadn't used it in a while, her control was a bit unsteady.
Zhang Jingxu slowly walked over to her. "Want me to take over?"
Yu Wanwan handed him the controller. Zhang Jingxu focused on the screen, his fingers gliding smoothly over the controls.
Instantly, the drone's footage became stable and graceful, like a tamed bird skimming over treetops and chasing the stream, capturing the magnificent mountain views in full.
Watching the high-definition footage on her phone, Yu Wanwan sat back contentedly on the lounge chair, took a sip of tea, put on her sunglasses, and began enjoying the leisurely afternoon.
"Fishy fishy, hurry up and bite the hook so I can eat you," she hummed, swinging her legs, her mood completely relaxed.
Zhang Jingxu stared ahead at the fishing rod, but his peripheral vision kept uncontrollably drifting toward Yu Wanwan beside him.
She lay comfortably on the lounge chair, wearing white denim shorts, revealing large expanses of fair leg skin.
The two guarded their own rods in silence, with only the camera set aside quietly recording this warm and peaceful scene.