The head chef’s facial expression turned sour once he heard what Shen Lingqing said. He had never been insulted like this before, and he wasn’t planning to let her get away with it easily. The mere fact that she truly didn’t even bother to try the dishes he had prepared for her group was already an insult to him as a chef.
“Little girl. You have no idea what you’re talking about, do you? I suggest you keep your words to yourself and let the a.d.u.l.ts talk about their issues.” Zhang Yong was the manager’s older brother, and they were both working for the previous family that owned the restaurant before the Shen family acquired it.
“Not unless you want the Shen family to become your enemy. If you still haven’t known, they are quite fierce in getting even to those who have offended them,” he added with sarcasm.
Because they’ve been working here for such a long time, neither of them was willing to resign from their post. They both knew that being connected to the Shen family would not only uplift their status but also their names to be known far and wide.
Qiao Lian gritted her teeth and was about to stand up from her seat, but Fu Shuren stopped her. He held her wrist and shook his head. It would be better to allow their miss to deal with the man herself.
This man was underestimating their Miss Qing if he thought that a person like her couldn’t distinguish good food from bad. Even though she didn’t pursue the path of cooking, it didn’t mean Shen Lingqing didn’t have enough experience when it came to the kitchen.
With her superb palate trained by three professional chefs since she was young, how could Shen Lingqing not know the basics of cooking and its different methods? Even if she wasn’t a chef like Liu Jinfei and Zhang Yong who was currently looking down on her, there was no doubt that her experience wouldn’t fall behind these two.
Meanwhile, Liu Jinfei looked at the young woman who tried to back up his claim. The woman looked like she was in her early twenties, but she had this presence that was unmistakably prominent and too obvious for everyone not to notice.
There was something about her that made him think he had seen her somewhere else, but he couldn’t quite remember when. Something about her seemed to be familiar, but he couldn’t quite point it out.
“Heh, I think you are underestimating me, old man.” The demon princess scoffed before her gaze s.h.i.+fted to Liu Jinfei, their eyes meeting at the same time. Liu Jinfei’s eyes widened and immediately turned his eyes away, ashamed that he was caught staring by the young woman.
“Are you saying that you are qualified to a.s.sess my dishes?” Zhang Yong questioned her, but instead of answering him, Shen Lingqing regarded Liu Jinfei instead.
“Mister, could you tell us how you could say that the dishes here couldn’t be compared with what Oriental Bliss have?” she asked him.
With her question, the awkward atmosphere around Liu Jinfei dissipated immediately as his face turned serious. How could he not know the quality of the dishes Tian Lingyu would serve to their customers? To think someone had the audacity to claim such outrageous claims?
Liu Jinfei had already lost count of how many times he had eaten at Oriental Bliss. Sometimes, if he was lucky, Madam Shen would be there at the restaurant to help her brother prepare a new menu for their patrons.
Eight years ago, Liu Jinfei wanted to become the Food G.o.ddess’s disciple and apprentice, but his request was immediately rejected by Lu Xinyi. She claimed that she wasn’t the right person to teach him and cultivate his skills in culinary arts. However, the boy didn’t know that the real reason was that she didn’t want to sacrifice her free time which she spent napping at home.
Alas, he could only accept He Haotian’s recommendation letter to attend Silver Leaf Academy instead. He would have preferred to work along with these great chefs than to attend lessons at the academy.
“Though I must admit that the ingredients you used in this restaurant are fresh and quite expensive, I have to say that you have failed to execute the perfect cooking method for this braised beef. The flavors aren’t balanced, and they are trying to overcome each other. Your grasp to control the fire has ruined the freshness and natural taste of the vegetables dishes,” he said with a matter-of-fact tone. “It is an insult to compare this to what Oriental Bliss has.”
“Indeed. It’s an insult. I’m pretty sure this kind of dish wouldn’t be served by my Uncle Lingyu at his restaurant,” Shen Lingqing said coolly, effectively shutting Zhang Yong’s mouth from opposing Liu Jinfei’s claim.
Zhang Yan wanted to say something as well, but as soon as he heard what Shen Lingqing said, he was instantly frozen on the spot. He had a bad feeling about this.
Wait. Did they hear her right? Did this young woman claim that Chef Tian was her uncle?
Zhang Yan’s face blanched once he realized that he and his brother were in an unfavorable situation right now. If she was truly related to Tian Lingyu, would this mean she came from the Shen family?
However, his older brother thought otherwise. He didn’t believe that Shen Lingqing was related to Oriental Bliss’s executive chef, Tian Lingyu, at all. She must be using his name to humiliate him and this restaurant.
“Do you think that you could easily threaten us by claiming that you are related to Chef Tian? Even if you are, I don’t think he would allow his niece to tarnish someone’s reputation like this.” He sneered at Shen Lingqing’s way, thinking that this brat had dared to use Tian Lingyu to intimidate him.
“Well, I don’t think he would mind,” the demon princess said nonchalantly, “because I, Shen Lingqing, only yield to my father, Shen Yi.”