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

"Boss Li, why did Mr. Sun look like he'd eaten shit just now? I greeted him but he ignored me and walked away with a sullen face." Yang Chongwu asked, puzzled, after leaving the restaurant.

He thought he had done a great job as the straight man today. Mr. Sun had clearly enjoyed himself all night, but in the blink of an eye, Mr. Sun was like a completely different person, his face as long as a donkey's.

Li Zhibai: "Maybe he was so pretentious that his face cramped up."

"You probably don't know that if you pretend too much, it can get intoxicating, just like if you drink too much alcohol, you'll throw up. He's been pretending all night, and he overdid it, so it's normal that his face cramped up."

Yang Chongwu: "..."

This is the first time I've ever heard of someone trying to be pretentious and ending up with a facial spasm.

What he didn't know was that some people had developed facial paralysis from laughing for too long.

Yang Chongwu didn't think much of it, glanced at his watch, and said, "Boss Li, I have to go back to the company. I have to work overtime tonight to finish a PPT. Did you find any inspiration today?"

Li Zhibai shook his head upon hearing this.

Today, I came out with Yang Chongwu and didn't find any feeling at all. How can I describe this feeling? It's like you've been squatting on the toilet for almost half an hour, your legs are numb, and when you stand up, all you've done is fart.

I feel extremely empty and lost.

He sighed and said, "I'll go to the company with you for a while. I won't be able to sleep anyway, so I might as well think about new dishes while I'm at your place."

"OK!"

……

Meanwhile, inside the Maybach.

Mr. Sun sat in the back leather seat, closing his eyes to rest, his mind replaying the scene in the restaurant.

"That Shaxian restaurant owner claims he can replicate that dessert? How is that possible! He's definitely just showing off!"

"I don't believe it! I absolutely refuse to believe it!"

"..."

He really felt terrible during today's meal.

As someone who prides myself on being able to rival top gourmets, I was actually proven wrong by someone who runs a Shaxian snack shop.

Could it be that Shaxian Snacks is now even venturing into molecular gastronomy?

That would be outrageous!

And that guy said he could replicate that dessert, is that true or not? He asked the waiter earlier, and they just said it was the chef's secret recipe and couldn't be disclosed. Can that guy really replicate it after eating it once? Wouldn't that make him a god?!

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

If the owner of Shaxian Restaurant really had that kind of skill, why would he need to open a Shaxian restaurant? He could just work as a chef at any big restaurant.

Mr. Sun subconsciously wanted to call Yang Chongwu to confirm whether Li Zhibai was truly skilled or just guessing by luck.

After hesitating for a moment, I still didn't call it, mainly because I felt I couldn't bear the embarrassment.

"That guy was definitely messing with me on purpose. He doesn't know anything about molecular gastronomy. He must have asked the waiter first."

"Yes! That must be it! We can't let him affect our mindset. Just because he says he can replicate it doesn't mean he can. I could say I can build a rocket."

Mr. Sun comforted himself for a while before he felt a little better.

…… ...

It was 11 p.m. when Li Zhibai, Yang Chongwu, and others returned to Yung Valley Science and Technology Park.

When they returned to the company, there were still several employees working overtime, gathered around a computer screen discussing some technical issue.

Yang Chongwu seemed used to this kind of scene. He didn't say anything polite like "everyone should get some rest." He just took off his coat, draped it over the back of his chair, rolled up his sleeves, and joined them.

Li Zhibai found a chair nearby and sat down, watching the group discuss.

He couldn't understand any of it—distributed architecture, high concurrency, database optimization, microservice decomposition…

It took Yang Chongwu and his team more than half an hour to finally fix the bug.

"Everyone has worked hard. Go back and rest now. Come back tomorrow after you've had a good night's sleep. No need to clock in."

"Okay, Brother Yang!"

Several programmers began packing up, some shutting down their computers, others grabbing their bags, and soon only Yang Chongwu and Li Zhibai remained in the office.

Yang Chongwu dragged his tired body back to his small office, slumped into the boss's chair, and closed his eyes.

He was really exhausted today, feeling much more tired than when he worked at his previous company.

After a moment, he suddenly asked.

"Mr. Li, do you think I'm not suited for starting a business?"

"When I worked at a big company, I was a subservient person for many years. I finally mustered up the courage not to be a subservient person anymore, but I ended up being a subservient person again. It feels like I'm going back to my old ways as I get older."

Li Zhibai heard his words but did not answer him directly. Instead, he picked up the photo that was placed on the corner of his desk.

Inside is a photo of Yang Chongwu with a woman and a little girl.

Yang Chongwu in the photo is smiling brightly and looks at least five years younger than he does now.

"Brother Yang, is this your daughter?"

Yang Chongwu opened his eyes and glanced at her, his gaze softening. "Hmm, five years old. Isn't she cute?"

"Cute, just like you, definitely your biological child."

"roll!"

"Hahaha!"

Li Zhibai put the photo frame back and said something inexplicably: "We just need to work hard to make our initial choice the right one."

Yang Chongwu was stunned by what he heard. He never expected Li Zhibai to say something so profound.

But he rallied his spirits: "You're right, I can't stop. If I stop, what will happen to my family behind me?"

"I will succeed! I must succeed!!!"

Li Zhibai laughed and said, "Brother Yang, don't worry. Once I finish making that egg, I'll definitely be able to help you win over the investor and make that guy beg you to invest his money."

"Okay, if it really works out, I'll drag you along when our company goes public and rings the bell."

"Whether you ring the bell or not doesn't matter. If you really become successful, your company must choose my restaurant for all your company dinners from now on. We'll have team building activities every week, an all-staff meeting every month, and special occasions like holidays..."

"..."

As Yang Chongwu listened, he suddenly became worried. Would their company go bankrupt because of eating Shaxian snacks?

After their conversation, Yang Chongwu returned to his computer and continued working.

Li Zhibai lay on the folding bed in the office, his head resting on his arm, his eyes closed, repeatedly pondering in his mind how to make the egg. As he thought about it, he drifted off to sleep.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but he was woken up by the urge to urinate, so he quickly got up and went to the toilet.

When I got back, I found that it was still pitch black outside the window, and only Yang Chongwu's small cubicle had a light on in the entire office area.

"What time is it?" Li Zhibai asked, yawning.

It's almost five o'clock.

"Boss Li, I just boiled some eggs, would you like some?"

Li Zhibai then noticed a small electric cooker on Yang Chongwu's desk, containing several freshly boiled eggs.

Without being polite, he went over, took one, peeled off the shell, and took a bite while standing by the window.

The egg whites were very tender, and the yolks were runny, but there was no fishy smell.

Just as he was eating the egg, a golden light was slowly rising on the edge of the city in the distance.

The night is receding, and dawn is approaching.

Gradually, the gold grew brighter and brighter, quickly painting the entire eastern sky with a golden-red hue. The sun, like a giant soft-boiled egg, lay on the city skyline.

Li Zhibai stood by the window, biting into an egg, gradually becoming lost in thought. It seemed to be the first time he had ever seen the sunrise over Jiangcheng.

Then he held up the half-eaten egg in his hand, and gradually the egg and the dawn sky overlapped in his vision.

Suddenly, a bold idea entered his mind.

Black...gold...it seems like I've got it!

Before he could even celebrate finding inspiration, Yang Chongwu's excited voice came from behind him.

"Boss Li! General Manager Sun asked me to come to the company today!"