After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

"You've completely whetted my appetite; I'm definitely going to eat my fill today!"

Mr. Wang, the building materials manager at the next table, stood up abruptly, pointing at the bubbling golden broth in the pot with his chopsticks in hand and laughing loudly:

"Old Zhao, you've really whetted everyone's appetite! Stop dawdling, a good soup needs good meat, hurry up and bring out the main course!"

In the hall, the other business tycoons were also tantalized by the irresistible aroma and joined in the discussion.

In an instant, the entire banquet hall was filled with a lively clamor urging for the meat to be served, the atmosphere even more enthusiastic than during the Chinese New Year.

Hearing these usually aloof bosses now acting like starving ghosts, impatiently urging for the food to be served, Zhao Chengming's vanity swelled to its peak!

He was beaming, threw his head back and laughed a few times, then pressed his hands down to signal everyone to calm down.

"Hahaha! General Manager Huang, General Manager Liu, and all the other executives! Haste makes waste!"

Zhao Chengming's eyes were arrogant, and he raised his voice with confidence, his tone exuding absolute assurance:

"As the saying goes, a good horse needs a good saddle! Since we've brought out this 'premium golden broth' today, the side dishes must also be the best of the best! Don't worry, everyone, the meat has already been prepared!"

At this point, Zhao Chengming suddenly turned around, waved his hand triumphantly towards the preparation room, and shouted:

"Serve the meat!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the double doors of the food preparation room creaked open again.

This time, all the waiters who came out were male.

Each person held a long, rectangular blue-and-white porcelain plate steadily in their hands. A thick layer of dry ice was laid on the bottom of the plate, and wisps of white mist were cascading down the edge of the plate like a waterfall, creating a scene like a fairyland.

On the icy, ethereal ice, neatly arranged were rolls of mutton slices, their red and white colors and textures as beautiful as top-grade marble!

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"Gentlemen, please take a look!"

The waiters placed the ice platters steadily on each round table, and Zhao Chengming pointed to the exquisite plating, shrouded in mist and clouds, his tone full of pride:

"These are top-quality Tan sheep that were just airlifted from Yanchi in Northwest China this morning! Each one has grown up eating licorice and drinking mountain spring water."

"To ensure the best texture, I didn't use a meat slicer. All the slices are hand-cut by our kitchen's top knife-wielders, the finest tenderloin, as thin as cicada wings, cooking in just seven seconds!"

"Everyone, please add the meat while the soup is boiling!"

Looking at the visually stunning and top-notch plating, paired with the bubbling, fragrant amber-colored broth in the pot, how could the restaurant owners in the hall resist?

"Good heavens! Old Zhao, you really went all out today!"

Mr. Huang laughed loudly, picked up a large clump of mutton with his chopsticks, and impatiently pressed it into the boiling copper pot.

The moment the mutton hits the pot, it changes color and soaks up the rich, flavorful golden broth.

Seven seconds later, Mr. Huang didn't even bother to dip the food in the sauce; he scooped it out with his chopsticks and stuffed it directly into his mouth.

"Hiss—it's so hot... Holy crap! That's amazing!" Mr. Huang gasped for breath from the heat, but couldn't bear to spit it out, and shouted indistinctly.

"The meat was so tender I almost wanted to swallow my tongue! The broth coating the meat was amazing!"

In an instant, the entire hall was filled with steam and the mahogany round tables were filled with the lively sounds of people picking up meat and dipping it in hot pot, and words of praise were constantly heard.

"It smells so good! This meat and this soup are a match made in heaven!"

"Amazing! Old Zhao's cooking skills are really good!!"

Looking at the enthusiastic scene in the hall, where everyone was completely captivated, Zhao Chengming adjusted his Tang suit with satisfaction, a smug smile playing on his lips.

The outcome is decided!

He took a deep breath, turned his gaze to the main table where no one had touched their chopsticks, and slowly walked over to Li Dayong and Chairman Chen.

"President Li, Chairman Chen, all the other executives have started eating, so please don't just sit there."

Zhao Chengming placed his hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward slightly, and his eyes held seven parts smugness and three parts provocation:

"You two have gotten used to the 'good stuff' on the next street these past few days, so you've become quite discerning. Come on, cook some meat and taste my golden broth, which I've simmered for three days and three nights. How does it compare to those other people's clear broth hot pots?"

Li Dayong glanced at the steaming, fragrant copper hot pot in front of him, then looked up at Zhao Chengming, whose face was full of arrogance and who was waiting to be worshipped.

He didn't say anything, but simply picked up the bowl of soup that had been served earlier, brought it to his lips, and took a small sip.

Mr. Chen, who was standing next to him, also picked up his bowl and took a small sip politely.

Zhao Chengming stared intently at the Adam's apples of the two men, his breathing unconsciously slowing down.

He was waiting. Waiting for these two top business tycoons of Jiangcheng to show the same shocked, fervent, and utterly conquered expressions as everyone else!

Wait until they applaud and feel remorse for their "betrayal" of eating at roadside stalls these past few days!

Swallow it in one gulp.

Two seconds passed.

Three seconds passed.

There was no overwhelming sense of amazement as I had anticipated, nor any gasp of disbelief.

"Clatter."

A soft sound.

Li Dayong placed the white porcelain bowl back on the table.

He smacked his lips, and instead of relaxing his thick eyebrows, they furrowed slightly into a "川" shape.

He didn't reach for the premium lamb in the pot, nor did he drink a second sip of soup. Instead, he picked up the purple clay teacup next to him and gulped down a large mouthful of hot tea, making a "glug-glug" sound as if he were rinsing his mouth.

Immediately afterwards, there was a "thud".

Chairman Chen put down his bowl, grabbed a tissue from the tissue box on the table, and gently wiped the corner of his mouth.

He glanced at the remaining golden soup in the bowl, and a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in his normally gentle and reserved eyes.

The main table, which had been bustling and lively just moments before, suddenly fell into an extremely eerie silence.

This silence created a stark contrast with the lively atmosphere at the other tables in the hall!

This time, not only Zhao Chengming was stunned, but even General Manager Huang and General Manager Liu, who were about to continue adding meat, stopped eating and looked at the three of them in astonishment.

"This...Mr. Li, Chairman Chen?"

Zhao Chengming's smile froze instantly, and his heart skipped a beat. An ominous premonition poured like a bucket of ice water directly from the top of his head to his heels.

He forced a dry smile, his voice strained: "What's wrong... what's going on?"

"The taste is indeed excellent. The ingredients and the cooking time are clearly well done, and the flavor is extremely fresh."

"But……"