I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

"Boss, you just said that only one type of egg is enough?"

"My investor wants a hundred kinds of eggs. Can you really make only one?" Yang Chongwu said.

Li Zhibai countered, "Brother Yang, do you know what the biggest difference between people is?"

Yang Chongwu was taken aback: "What is it?"

"It's thought," Li Zhibai said, pointing to his head.

"Your investor has given you a problem involving a hundred different kinds of eggs, but do you really need to make that many eggs? Perhaps you could think about it the other way around: does he really want a hundred different kinds of eggs, or just one result?"

Yang Chongwu pondered deeply upon hearing this. He had to admit that Li Zhibai's words made a lot of sense, but he still had reservations.

"What if the investors aren't satisfied?"

"Whatever he's unhappy about, I've already thought it through. I'll sell him one egg for the price of a hundred different kinds of eggs combined, which is equivalent to making a hundred different kinds of eggs."

Yang Chongwu: "..."

He almost had a brain freeze when he heard Li Zhibai's words.

No, what do you mean by selling one egg for the price of a hundred different eggs is equivalent to making a hundred different eggs?

Is this logic correct?

"Brother, you need to make him understand one thing: you're not passively fulfilling his request; you're giving him something he can't refuse in your own way," Li Zhibai added.

He was now almost certain that the investor didn't genuinely want to invest in Yang Chongwu's project. The whole "make a hundred kinds of eggs" thing was just an excuse to reject Yang Chongwu. But Yang Chongwu was so eager to get the investment that he was blinded by his own involvement, or rather, his obsession was too deep. He actually thought it was a test from the other party.

If you try to reason with someone who's stuck in a rut, they might not listen. It's better to just use magic to defeat magic. Since they're obsessed with eggs, make them an awesome egg. Whether they succeed or not is up to fate.

"Just do as I say, and I'll take care of this dish for you."

"But let me make this clear first, these eggs definitely won't be cheap, so you'd better be prepared."

Yang Chongwu nodded heavily. He was willing to spend any amount of money as long as he could win over the investors and secure their funding.

"By the way, Brother Yang, what are your plans for the next few days? I'd like to follow you around for a few days when I'm free, and see what you usually do. Maybe I can find some inspiration for making eggs," Li Zhibai suddenly said.

Yang Chongwu was flattered to hear that Li Zhibai wanted to be his follower: "Boss Li, is this...is this appropriate?"

Li Zhibai: "It's okay, I'll just treat it as an experience, a good chance to see what the daily life of an entrepreneur is like."

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Boss Li."

Yang Chongwu and Li Zhibai agreed on a meeting place and time, and then Yang Chongwu left with high hopes.

Li Zhibai watched Yang Chongwu leave. He really didn't expect that when they met again, Yang Chongwu would immediately give him a mission. This meant that he was very likely to obtain two Gourmet Hearts in a short period of time.

Delicious.

…………

Li Zhibai checked the time; only three hours had passed since he opened his business that morning.

On the first day of the new store's opening, all 60 available spots—or rather, 59—were sold out, and we could already close.

Li Zhibai turned around and went back to the kitchen to start making lunch for himself and Su Su.

Braised pork belly, Bodhi Jade Noodles, Fragrant Mixed Noodles, Crystal Steamed Dumplings, Chicken Leg Rice, Flat Meat Wontons... He made a serving of all the restaurant's signature dishes and filled the table.

After all, it's the first day of business, so we should celebrate properly.

When Su Su was no longer busy at the shop, she went out for a while, saying she had some things to take care of. When she returned after receiving a message from her master, she was stunned to see a large table of delicious food on the table.

"Master, wasn't the quota full for today?"

She knew very well the rules of her master's shop: once the daily meal quota was used up, it was considered closed, and no matter who you were, even if you were his own apprentice, you wouldn't get a meal.

In the past, after she finished helping out, she would either go home to eat by herself, or her master would invite her to eat at other restaurants, such as He Feng Xi Yu.

Unexpectedly, Master made an exception this time.

Li Zhibai: "Am I the kind of person who doesn't know how to be flexible? The number of dining slots in the restaurant is indeed fixed, but I've reserved one for myself."

Su Su: "???"

"I'll reserve a meal spot for you every day from now on, so you won't miss out on food when you're busy." Li Zhibai opened WeChat and transferred some money to Su Su.

"Here, same old rule, you take it and then turn it back to me."

Su Su took out her phone, tapped "receive payment," and then transferred the money back without any change.

"Ding~ A red envelope containing 3000 yuan has been transferred to your account."

system:【……】

Li Zhibai nodded in satisfaction when he saw the payment notification: "Alright, we can eat now."

Although Su Su was already used to this inexplicable mealtime ritual, she still couldn't help but ask, "Master, don't you really think this is troublesome?"

"It's not troublesome at all."

"Besides, don't you think eating like this is a special kind of ritual?" Li Zhibai said.

Su Su: "..."

She didn't feel any sense of ritual, but she was definitely overwhelmed by her neuroticism.

She stopped worrying about it and let her master do whatever he wanted.

Then she picked up her chopsticks and eagerly began to eat, as she was starving.

After eating for a while.

Li Zhibai suddenly asked, "Sister Su Su, who do you think will get the customization rights this time?"

Su Su shook her head: "I don't know. Brother Yu, Brother Lu, Brother Pang, and Brother Cha all seem to really want to win. I feel like the competition will be quite fierce this time."

She could tell from watching these guys chat in the group that while they all talked about unity on the surface, they were probably all secretly competing with each other.

Li Zhibai nodded, then suddenly changed the subject: "Would you like to order a custom-made dish?"

Su Su, with a piece of braised pork still in her mouth, froze upon hearing this, staring at him with wide eyes: "Master, can I really do it?"

She'd always had this idea; who wouldn't want a unique, custom-made dish that's one of a kind in the entire universe?

She just hadn't had the nerve to say it.

After all, her relationship with Li Zhibai made her too embarrassed to compete with those customers. In addition, the customization rights were a public event, and she didn't think she could compete with Yu Shen and his guys.

However, she did not expect her master to suddenly bring up the customization rights today, especially considering that special day next month... Could it be that her master had already made preparations?

"Master, did you know my birthday is next month, which is why you wanted to give me this expensive gift?"

Li Zhibai: "......???"

Wait, this girl's birthday is next month? He had no idea!

However, he controlled his facial expressions very well and reacted very quickly, calmly saying, "I didn't expect you to guess it. I originally wanted to give you a surprise."

"Sister Su Su, you are my only apprentice and the first Diamond VIP member of our store. I definitely want to give you a very valuable gift for your birthday. I hope you like this customized gift."

Su Su's eyes reddened slightly upon hearing this, and her big eyes sparkled with joy and emotion.

"Thank you, Master! I love it!"

The group members were fighting tooth and nail for the customization rights, but Master gave them to her as a gift without hesitation. Master is so kind.

Seeing how happy she was, Li Zhibai couldn't help but think to himself: It's just a customization right, not a free order, is it really that big of a deal?

The pursuits of the wealthy are really unrealistic.

Ding!

Just then, a notification popped up in the system.

[Obtain 1 fragment of "Su Su's" culinary memory!]

Li Zhibai: "???"

Does this work too?

Did this just reveal a fragment of his culinary memory?

Li Zhibai used his mind to open the fragment, wanting to see what would emerge from Su Su's culinary memories.

A girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old was squatting in the corner of the kitchen, clutching a plate she had retrieved from the trash can tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Standing in front of her at the kitchen doorway was a tall man in a suit with his back to her. Although she couldn't see his face, she could feel his cold and powerful aura just from his back.

The scene in the fragment ends abruptly here.

Li Zhibai frowned slightly.

Who is this guy? He's getting a bit arrogant!