Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

"Uncle Xun, these are all our own people. Can you tell me why you betrayed the Nangong family?"

The group went into a small room, drew the curtains, and turned on the light.

Nangong Xun sat in the chair, with his familiar teapot beside him.

There was not a trace of regret on his face; a faint smile graced his kind and gentle countenance.

"Uncle Xun, you haven't participated in clan decisions for so many years, but our Nangong family has never mistreated you."

Nangong Ming's face was contorted with pain.

Yesterday, after Gao Yang obtained information from all the senior executives, he pointed out that it was Nangong Xun, and at that time, no one could believe it at all.

You should know that Nangong Xun was the first teacher of the Nangong family. Over the decades, he has taught at least seventy or eighty students. Who in the family does not respect him?

But... but why?

Nangong Qinglang clenched his fists tightly.

His teeth were clenched, his emotions churning, and his voice was hoarse, barely able to speak.

"Uncle Xun, I want to know why. You watched us grow up, taught us how to cook, and you always said that the Nangong family is our root and we must protect this tradition. But why did you do this?"

"Xiao Jianyuan is no good person. He only came here to annex our Nangong family. What benefits did he offer you that made you betray the family you love so much?"

Nangong Qinglang's eyes were red, and he was extremely conflicted.

He was a conservative, and grew up under the tutelage of Nangong Xun.

Nangong Xun taught him how to be a person, instilled principles in him, and accompanied him as he grew up. It can be said that in his heart, Nangong Xun's existence was completely comparable to that of his own father.

Gao Yang stood in the corner, silently watching all of this.

He hasn't said a word since he walked in.

He kept staring at Nangong Xun's face.

He could see that Nangong Xun's face was calm, without any greed or madness, which proved that he was fully aware of what he was doing.

Su Wanqing stepped forward and placed her slender hand on Nangong Qinglang's shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

There must be some inside story behind this that others don't know.

"Sir, we all respect you greatly, and we know that everything you've done is for the Nangong family. Now, please tell us about it, okay?"

Nangong Xun slowly picked up his teapot and took two big gulps.

He looked at Nangong Ming.

"Ming, do you remember when your father suddenly fell seriously ill?"

Nangong Ming nodded with a serious expression.

"Your father was the head of the family at the time. I remember that I lived a very comfortable life under his protection. Although I was not a direct descendant, I still managed to make a name for myself through my own abilities."

"However, on the very day your father passed away, you were still very young, and in order to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the family, the title of acting head of the family fell to me."

"During that time, I stopped the fire on the stove and turned to reports and documents. I thought that with my talent, I could also achieve good results in government affairs."

As if telling a story, Nangong Xun's gaze swept over everyone as he recounted that unbearable period of time.

However, I was wrong.

"The Nangong family has a huge population base, and the resources they consume every year are countless. Before, when they were in the palace, they could live off the emperor's rewards."

"But what about now?"

"The entire family lives in seclusion, with only a few people going out to gain experience each year. All resources are only going out and not coming in, just like a group of people digging a mine, which will eventually run out."

"I watched as the deficit in the Nangong family's accounts grew larger and larger, and I watched as more and more antiques were sold, starting with your father. Do you know how heartbroken I was?"

"Originally, only the heads of the family knew about this situation. They were very capable, keeping the news a secret from other family members and taking all the pressure upon themselves."

"But from that moment on, after I learned of this news, I understood that there were some things I had to do."

He let out a long sigh.

"Qinglang, do you know roughly what the ratio is between the conservatives and the reformers within the family?"

Nangong Qinglang shook his head.

"It's six to four, six layers of conservatives and four layers of reformers."

Nangong Ming spoke calmly.

Upon hearing this, Nangong Xun's eyes revealed admiration.

"As expected of Ming, you've done a very good job as the head of the family."

"However, back then, the proportion of conservatives was much higher than it is now. A large portion of the family members only knew how to study recipes and could not contribute anything to the family."

"That's why I chose to step down from managing the family business and focus on educating the little ones."

"A few days ago, Xiao Jianyuan contacted me. Of course I know he's not a good person, but what can I do?"

"He promised that with his power, he could completely swallow up the entire family, and the whole family would have a way to survive."

"The Nangong family has a history spanning hundreds of years; we absolutely cannot allow it to end with our lineage!"

Nangong Xun's voice suddenly rose, and the veins on his hand holding the teapot bulged, his fingertips turning white.

Those usually kind eyes were now furrowed, filled with anxiety and helplessness.

"Cough cough, I'm old and useless now. Let me bear the infamy of being a traitor and let the Nangong family live on."

Nangong Qun's body slumped down, and he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. Sitting in the chair, he was listless and looked completely different from when he was sunbathing.

"Sir, are you aware that Xiao Jianyuan's restaurant has been experiencing a series of accidents lately? There have been at least ten cases reported in the media of food poisoning caused by the use of substandard ingredients."

"We're all chefs, we all understand that skill should be built on conscience, but the problem is, they have no conscience."

"Every year, Xiao Jianyuan would select a group of outstanding chefs from all over the country, force them to join the Xiao family's restaurants, learn their skills, and squeeze the last bit of value out of them."

"By doing this, you're essentially pushing the Nangong family into another fire pit!"

Gao Yang, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and stared intently into Nangong Xun's eyes.

Nangong Xun was taken aback.

"What, kid, are you serious?"

Gao Yang nodded and handed over a few pages of paper.

"Sir, take a look. These are all reports about Xiao Jianyuan. What's recorded here is just the tip of the iceberg."

Nangong Xun examined it closely.

His hands began to tremble, and tears streamed down his face.

"Utterly depraved, absolutely utterly depraved! How dare they!"

Nangong Xun slammed the newspaper on the table, stood up trembling, his aged face filled with the flames of anger.

But then he slumped back into his chair, consumed by deep self-reproach.

"It's all my fault. I was blind and misjudged people, which led my family into a fire."

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault!"

Upon seeing this, Nangong Ming and Nangong Qinglang felt as if a piece of their hearts had been torn apart.

Do you think Nangong Xun is wrong?

Of course there are.

But can we really hold them accountable?

Nangong Xun simply wanted the Nangong family to continue.

"Uncle Xun, this is not your fault. It's all Xiao Jianyuan's fault for having no moral bottom line and using despicable methods."

"That's right, Uncle Xun. We know you've contributed a lot to the family. We just wanted to tell you that we can cooperate with Boss Su."

Nangong Qinglang pointed to Su Wanqing not far away.

"The Su family is good; they have a large and prosperous business, and they are honest in their business dealings. They even gave us a price higher than the market price."

"Really?"

Nangong Xun burst into tears.

I never expected these two lads to actually find such a great employer.

"Oh, of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you?"

Nangong Qinglang patted his chest and laughed heartily, which amused Nangong Xun as well.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the cabin became harmonious, making Nangong Xun sigh with emotion, as if he had returned to twenty years ago.

However, just then, news of Nangong Lian's situation came from outside the door.

"Dad, Gao Yang, something terrible has happened! Xiao Jianyuan is here again, and this time he's brought even more people!"