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

Nourished by the hot oil, the thin, translucent, pink and white layers of the pastry began to unfold and bloom at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Like delicate lotus flowers, they slowly ushered in their blooming season in the golden pond.

The dark red bean paste filling in the middle is like a budding flower, partially hidden by layers of petals.

At the same time, an extremely elegant lotus fragrance, mixed with the rich milky aroma of heated ghee and the sweet aroma of red bean paste, swept through the entire kitchen like an aroma storm!

"This...this is so beautiful..."

Someone, in a state of extreme shock, murmured a dreamlike gasp of amazement.

Even the executive chef, who had been the most vocal before, couldn't help but widen his eyes and breathe rapidly at this moment.

What did he smell?

Not only is there not a trace of greasy, meaty smell, but it also has a delicate floral fragrance that can cleanse the soul! How is this possible?!

In no time, fifty "peony flowers" bloomed one after another in the oil pan.

Lin Fan used chopsticks to remove them, drained the oil, and arranged them one by one on a black stone plate.

Pink petals, dark red stamens, and a pure black base create a striking color contrast, forming a stunning Chinese painting.

Looking at the exquisite desserts that can be described as works of art in front of me, and the five-star chefs around me who are staring wide-eyed and standing there dumbfounded.

Zhao Tianyi, who had been on tenterhooks, felt as if every pore on his body had finally relaxed at that moment.

He turned his head and looked at Qin Lang, who stood beside him with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face:

"Young Master Qin, I'm impressed! I'm truly, truly impressed this time! Where on earth did you find this god-like figure?!"

Qin Lang raised an eyebrow and hummed with obvious satisfaction, "I told you long ago, Brother Lin can handle anything that dares to challenge me."

Faced with the awe, shock, and even fanaticism in the eyes of those around him, Lin Fan showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

He simply walked slowly to the sink, washed his hands, and then glanced up at the clock on the wall.

The time is just right.

"Serve the food."

……

Inside the magnificent banquet hall.

After several rounds of drinks, the dozen or so expensive dishes, meticulously prepared by a five-star team, were gradually removed from the menu.

At the main table at the very front of the banquet hall, Zhao Hongming, chairman of Junyue Group, one of the organizers and hosts of the evening, was holding a glass of red wine and chatting with several heavyweight figures, including Ye Lao, president of Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce.

"Mr. Ye, colleagues, I am deeply grateful for your presence tonight. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality!"

Zhao Hongming, beaming, raised his glass to toast the bigwigs at the table.

"Mr. Zhao, you're too kind. Who doesn't know that your Grand Hyatt Hotel's banquets have always been the most prestigious in Jiangcheng?"

A real estate executive smiled and raised his glass in praise, saying, "These dozen or so dishes today are all beautifully presented, fragrant, and delicious. You've clearly put a lot of thought into them."

Zhao Hongming waved his hand and laughed heartily, "Not at all, to be honest, I've entrusted the logistics of tonight's banquet entirely to my rascal Tianyi. I just wanted him to get some experience, and I hope nothing goes wrong!"

"Like father, like son; Young Master Zhao is reliable in his work." Everyone echoed.

It was not far from the main table.

Several elegantly dressed socialites were gathered around a round table, chatting quietly as they awaited the evening's most important "charity auction."

"Hey, did you hear that? Chairman Zhao said that tonight's banquet is entirely organized by Young Master Zhao."

A lady in a purple evening gown gently swirled her wine glass, gazing at the luxurious surroundings.

"No wonder I felt that the banquet at the Grand Hyatt Hotel tonight was much more refined in every aspect than in previous years."

"Yes, tonight's charity gala is certainly impressive. I heard that the items up for auction later are all quite remarkable."

Another socialite chimed in, then changed the subject with a smile and started talking about food.

"The main courses we just had were also quite elaborate. I heard that Young Master Zhao not only changed the menu for tonight, but also prepared a little surprise, saying that he had also prepared a special dessert as the grand finale."

This was just normal social chat among upper-class ladies—discussing charity, praising the host, and casually anticipating what would happen next.

But Zhang Cuihua, dragging Su Ming along, was like a proud peacock, forcing her way into this circle of wealthy women, desperately trying to find a sense of belonging.

Upon hearing this, she deliberately raised her voice, showing off her non-existent knowledge:

"Well, I think the food at the Grand Hyatt tonight is just so-so, nothing special!"

Upon hearing this, the smiles on the faces of the several ladies froze slightly, and they felt a strong dislike for this nouveau riche woman.

Zhang Cuihua, oblivious to the situation, curled her lip, her face full of disdain, and casually belittled it:

"It's only good because you guys think it's good. As for any special grand finale dessert, the kitchens at these large banquets are all assembly-line operations. What kind of brilliance can they possibly offer? Probably just another run-of-the-mill French cake with some gold leaf added to fool people. It'll be sickeningly sweet; I won't even want to touch it later!"

After saying that, Zhang Cuihua picked up her wine glass and took a sip of red wine, her face full of indifference. In her mind, she was still planning how to get to the main table later and find an opportunity to talk to the bigwigs of the Chamber of Commerce, so as to pave the way for her daughter's development after returning to China.

Just then.

The classical symphony in the hall suddenly became softer and more soothing, signaling that the dinner was drawing to a close.

The tightly closed, carved wooden doors of the banquet hall were slowly pushed open by two waiters.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of waiters dressed in sharp tailcoats, each carrying a black stone tray covered with a hemispherical silver heater, entered in unison like a ceremonial guard, heading precisely to each table.

"Distinguished guests, this is the grand finale dessert of the evening. Please enjoy."

The lobby manager's booming voice rang out.

This highly ceremonial and imposing way of serving food instantly attracted the attention of hundreds of guests.

Zhang Cuihua sneered, crossed her arms, and muttered, "Playing tricks. It's just a cheap dessert, why make such a big fuss?"

With the waiters' synchronized movements.

"Whoosh—"

With a series of soft, synchronized clicks, fifty silver thermal covers were simultaneously unveiled by the staff.

The entire banquet hall fell into a deathly silence that could be heard as if a pin drop had been dropped.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to the rough, black stone plate in front of them.

In the center of the plate, there were no elaborate chocolate designs, no expensive edible gold leaf, and no mountains of imported fruit.

There is only one flower.

A lifelike peony, pink and white in color, as if it had just been picked from the morning dew.

"What...what is this?!"

Mrs. Li, who was sitting at the same table as Zhang Cuihua, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. She even leaned forward slightly, almost touching the plate.

The petals were layered upon each other, as thin as cicada wings.

The outer layer is a vibrant crimson, gradually transitioning to pure white as it moves inwards. And deep within the layers of petals, a deep, blood-red stamen can be faintly seen.

Under the dazzling crystal lights of the banquet hall, the extremely thin pastry even had a translucent texture like mutton fat jade, and every tiny texture was clearly visible.

It's so realistic!

It's so realistic that it creates the illusion that the peony would sway and shed its petals with the slightest breeze.

"This... why did the Grand Hyatt serve flower arrangement tonight?" A socialite rubbed her eyes in disbelief.