“Delivery is here? Xue, what did you order?” Shen Huang asked excitedly. Just like his sons, he waited and placed an order as soon as the countdown was done.
“I ordered the pork ribs. What’s yours, dad?”
“I ordered the crispy one. Same with your brother.”
“No fair! Why didn’t you tell me?” Shen Xue glared at his brother who was still working on his laptop.
“Part of your punishment,” Shen Yi replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Shen Xue felt betrayed. Of course, his brother would know which one was made by his sister-in-law. It was scary at times when the couple knew how each other’s brain works just like today.
“I also made sure to reserve one for Grammie since I know you’ll pick the wrong one,” Shen Yi further added salt on his brother’s fresh wounds.
“Dad! Please tell me you ordered an extra for me!” When their father shook his head, Shen Xue knew that he wouldn’t have a chance to eat his Big Sis’ meal today. He glared back at his older brother.
Such a meany evil older brother he got.
—
Shen Xue watched his father took a bite from his crispy sweet and sour pork. It looked so delicious, and he was like a dog watching his owner eats and waiting to offer him some. He stared down at his pork ribs; while it was also tasty, he was hoping he could get his Big Sis’ meal this time.
The loud crunch coming from his father’s direction made his stomach grumble for more. At least his brother wasn’t there to torture him any further because he was stuck with another meeting somewhere.
Too bad that he couldn’t get his brother’s lunch from his office, the demon king had reminded Qiao He to lock it up and make sure his younger brother’s hand wouldn’t be able to touch it.
Somewhere at the Capital City…
Shen Yi was seated at the table with a cold and stern expression on his face. He had a face that makes people unable to look away from him. His features seemed like they were carved with perfection with utmost delicacy.
“President Shen… thank you for giving us an opportunity to serve you with our signature dishes.”
President Shen turned his head slightly to consider the owner of the restaurant. When the news that the SY Holding was venturing and taking over Grace Palace and Blue Haven’s owners.h.i.+p, some restaurateurs sent proposals his way. If only they knew that it wasn’t him, but his wife was the real owner of those restaurants.
His eyes swept around the restaurant. The decor was decent but not to his liking; he was also sure that this wouldn’t suit his wife’s taste. The traditional style was a good attempt though and would need some renovations to improve. The floors were neat and sparkling from the wax that had been used, and their servers were decent-looking and properly trained.
Would Lu Xinyi be interested in taking over this restaurant? Shen Yi somehow had a doubt. There was a reason why she took over both Grace Palace and Blue Haven.
A server poured him a cup of tea. He watched closely if the server was well-practiced in this area. The corner of his eye twitched when the tea poured on his cup almost overflowed.
Shen Yi took a sip while more servers came forward as dish after dish was presented on his table. As he watched his table being turned into a feast, he was disappointed that he didn’t have his wife’s meal for today.
What he would give to get back at the Shen Group and have that Sweet and Sour Pork served to him. He was also starting to miss his wife again. His heart was at once filled with helplessness.
He kept his silence as the restaurant owner explained each dish in great detail, bragging about only using the finest and the best ingredients on the market. As for each dish, Shen Yi only took a single bite from each one, reserving his opinions later.
He chewed slowly while the restaurant owner sweated profusely as he stood next to President Shen. The demon king took a spoonful of mapo tofu and spat it out instantly. He glared down at the plate as if it attempted to murder him.
There was something off about this dish. His tongue may not as good as his wife’s absolute tongue, but with months of being fed with the best dishes, Shen Yi acquired a skill to distinguish the quality of the meal presented to him.
When the restaurant owner saw what Shen Yi did, his face lost all of its colors. Shen Yi wiped his mouth clean and drank the whole cup of water to wash away the taste from his tongue.
“Are you trying to give me stomach flu?” Shen Yi’s voice rang and made the man standing beside him tremble in fear.
“No! No! No!” The man waved his hand. “Why would we try to harm President Shen?”
“Just now, you just served me a dish half-cooked. I didn’t mind the excessive saltiness of the first dishes you’ve served, but this… serving a half-cooked dish is the worst you could offer to your diner. I don’t need to be a gourmet or food enthusiast to know this is a bad dish.”
The owner was stunned into silence. He couldn’t find any words to refute what President Shen said. His restaurant had such long outstanding reputation within the city, but he couldn’t branch out.
“Your restaurant didn’t pa.s.s our quality test. I’m afraid to say that we cannot support your restaurant with your current management. We were looking for restaurants that could fit our criteria. It’s too bad your restaurant fell out.”
When the news came that Shen Yi was willing to invest in certain restaurants, the owner thought he just found his lucky ticket for success. He didn’t think that President She was so hard to please and was able to shoot down each signature dish they presented.
He looked towards Qiao He with a helpless expression, but Shen Yi’s a.s.sistant didn’t dare to contradict his Boss Yi. Because Boss Yi’s tongue had acquired this skill from eating Young Madam’s meals, anything that wasn’t cooked by her would surely be subpar with her cooking.
Finished with his words, Shen Yi stood up and wiped away the invisible lint from his coat. He left the restaurant at once with Qiao He hurriedly catching up behind him. The owner could only watch in disbelief as the demon king walk away from his establishment.
Qiao He drove his Boss Yi back at the Shen Group, intending to finish the workload that was left on his office. It was already past lunchtime, and Shen Yi just lost his appet.i.te. Once he remembered that he had the Sweet and Sour Pork waiting for him, his mood improved.
“Boss! Your meal is still intact. Second Master didn’t touch it. Do you want me to reheat it?” Qiao He asked once they were back safely at Shen Yi’s office.
“No need, just bring it here.” Shen Yi replied after signing one of the contracts on his stock of files.
A minute later, Qiao He left his lunch at the side table while Shen Yi decided to lessen the paperwork on his table. Once he had enough, Shen Yi took his meal and put one pork slice on his mouth. He was deeply impressed that the pork had been able to stay crispy after hours of being away.
The sauce was evenly distributed to the pork slices and coated everything. The taste itself was mind-blowing. The vinegar sugar coating was actually very thin that one wouldn’t notice it if he didn’t check up close. One could barely see the sauce in this dish, but the flavor was just so perfect. It was like Shen Yi was snacking on some crispy sweet and sour pork crackers that were cooked in perfection.
With hunger finally satiated, Shen Yi took his phone and messaged his wife. He knew she wouldn’t be able to read it soon, but he felt like giving her a compliment to this dish.
[Today’s Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork had saved me from hunger and possible stomach flu. Your sponsor is very pleased with your performance.]
He was surprised when his phone beeped a minute later with her response.
[My husband would be very jealous with your praise, Mr. Sponsor. I advise you not to take his meal next time because my husband only deserved the best above the rest.]