The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 118

To some extent, Lu Baiyu was already a very lucky person.

At the very least, he could still remember everything that had happened, and more importantly, he could now sit beside Jiang Tingzhou and talk things through clearly. Their current relationship was much better than before. It was no longer the hopeless, deadlocked situation where every path led to a dead end.

Now, Jiang Tingzhou was sitting quietly beside him. After saying these words, he had calmed down completely. His gaze was always gentle—even now, like flowing water, reflecting the same sincerity as his true heart.

No matter how sad Lu Baiyu felt, the moment he looked at Jiang Tingzhou, warmth would well up in his chest.

He knew better than anyone that Jiang Tingzhou had always been softhearted toward the people around him. Despite all the boundaries he had crossed in the past, now, when he brought them up again, it was as if those events had happened in a previous life—distant and unimportant.

The two of them had once experienced the stirrings of first love, then chaos, then the slow wearing down of feelings, even anger and sharp confrontation. But now—it was entirely different.

“Tingzhou,” Lu Baiyu called his name softly. “I want to hug you. Can I?”

Jiang Tingzhou was taken aback for a moment. He didn’t immediately say no, and Lu Baiyu took the chance to gently pull him into a light embrace.

Compared to the stubbornness and passion of their previous life, and the intense physical closeness they had once shared, this hug was light—restrained.

He merely placed his hand softly on Jiang Tingzhou’s shoulder. The faint scent of grapefruit leaf shower gel lingered on Jiang Tingzhou’s body.

“I’m really sorry about our past,” he murmured. “But Tingzhou… what you just said—does it mean you don’t hate me anymore?”

His heart pounded anxiously as he waited for an answer, desperate to know whether he had done something wrong again.

Jiang Tingzhou was silent for a while.

He felt that the questions Lu Baiyu asked tonight were harder to answer than usual.

Reflecting on their relationship in recent times, he realized that maybe it was because Lu Baiyu carried memories of their past life that his actions had changed so drastically.

Jiang Tingzhou couldn’t deny that Lu Baiyu was indeed very different now—much better than before. He had helped him many times, especially during the recent competition.

Jiang Tingzhou was not one to beat around the bush. After thinking carefully, he finally responded, “Yes.” But after a moment, he added, “But it might not mean what you think it does…”

He felt it was necessary to clarify things now. The relationship between them, after everything, had already withered. It was hard to revive.

“It’s okay,” Lu Baiyu said quietly. “Tingzhou, this is enough.”

At least his efforts hadn’t been in vain.

This answer—wasn’t it already an opportunity?

He had asked about the past, and now he understood the present clearly. He wasn’t thinking about proving how much he had always loved Jiang Tingzhou. Instead, he wanted to fight for a new chance.

The best way to make amends was to do everything he could to push the person he loved to the highest, brightest place—where no one could overshadow his light. Not even Lu Baiyu himself.

With that in mind, he no longer even hoped to be together again.

When he had first approached Jiang Tingzhou for a business collaboration, he had mentioned that he hoped Jiang could climb higher within the association—possibly even replace Liu Ping, who was nearing retirement. Back then, it had just been an optimistic proposal, as if they still had a long way to go.

But now, Jiang Tingzhou had already stood before Liu Ping—and he had done it all through his own hard work and dedication.

Lu Baiyu had witnessed his strategy behind the scenes, the moment when the contestants surrounded him with admiration, and his calm confidence in front of Liu Ping.

At that moment, Jiang Tingzhou had shone—brilliantly, dazzlingly—just as Lu Baiyu had hoped.

Lu Baiyu had taken over Lu Group and handled many major projects, but Lu Group was already a massive corporation before his involvement. The Lu family’s main goal had always been to maintain the status quo. 

Jiang Tingzhou, however, was different.

Though he had grown under Lu Group’s system, he did not completely inherit its style. Instead, he integrated its strengths and gradually carved out his own path.

The sugar factory that Jiang Tingzhou had taken over was practically built from nothing. Many of the decisions he made were pioneering—laying territory step by step, a true “founding” approach.

And for Lu Baiyu, the most important thing now was to witness and support that journey with his own eyes.

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t know what was going through Lu Baiyu’s mind. He only felt the hug had lasted a bit too long. He gently pushed him away and said, “Alright, I need to go.”

Lu Baiyu didn’t resist. He allowed himself to be pushed back, though the hug still felt far too short.

“It’s late,” he said softly. “Tingzhou, go rest early.”

After Jiang Tingzhou left, Lu Baiyu could still smell the faint scent of grapefruit lingering in the air.

Lu Baiyu couldn’t sleep tonight. His mind was full of thoughts.

But Jiang Tingzhou slept well.

It hadn’t been the most pleasant experience to discuss these matters on New Year’s Eve, but after returning to his room, he quickly fell asleep.

He even had a short dream—of the day he first met Lu Baiyu—but when he woke up and washed his face, the memory had already faded.

Still, he had slept soundly. The mountain air was fresh, and the socks on his feet kept him warm all night.

His biological clock was no longer the same as before—no longer waking up at a little after five. Today, when he opened his eyes, it was already past eight. He lingered lazily under the warm blankets, not getting up until nine to go for breakfast.

The food at the hot spring villa wasn’t bad—stir-fried vegetables were crisp and fragrant, and the grilled pineapple buns were good too. 

Li Shuyan also got up around that time and shared a table with him, while An Xiaoping was still asleep. 

Besides hot springs, the villa also had a massage room, a game room, a chess and cards room—plenty of places to relax.

Jiang Tingzhou nodded as he ate the last bite of his stir-fried vegetables and asked, “Do you have your own vegetable garden here?”

Li Shuyan blinked in surprise. “How did you know?”

“These vegetables are very fresh, like they were just picked. The taste is similar to what I grow myself—pesticide-free and crisp,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “The ones grown here are even better than mine.”

They were sweeter and crunchier—even a simple stir-fry was delicious.

“You come all the way here and still only think about that?” Li Shuyan sighed, hand on her forehead. “Alright, you’re right—they do have a garden. I’ll tell the owner, if you’re interested you can go have a look.”

Jiang Tingzhou happily went to look. Behind the villa was a small garden.

After breakfast, he wandered around the garden and picked some vegetables and tomatoes with the owner’s permission.

He washed one tomato and bit into it fresh. 

With ingredients this good, he had to cook something. So for lunch, he made beef tongue fried rice with hot spring eggs.

He borrowed the villa kitchen. There happened to be fresh beef tongue today, so he stir-fried it with scallions.

He steamed rice, topped it with blanched greens and molten hot spring-boiled eggs, then added the scallion beef tongue over the top. A drizzle of soy sauce brought all the flavors together—meat, egg, green, and soy sauce in harmony.

It was a simple dish, but incredibly fragrant.

As for the fresh tomatoes, they needed no extra treatment. He simply made them into sweet sugared tomatoes, which paired nicely with the meal.

Eating like this—that was true relaxation for him.

Jiang Tingzhou’s cooking skills were excellent. Even An Xiaoping, who had just woken up, was completely revived after eating. He thought it tasted like home.

Even Mr. Xu, the villa’s owner and an old acquaintance of Li Shuyan’s, was tempted by the aroma and tried half a bowl.

He was a true gourmet—at his age, his only hobby was food. After a few bites, he praised Jiang Tingzhou’s skills without hesitation. 

Jiang Tingzhou, in turn, felt the villa’s food quality was top-tier—even better than some well-known restaurants.

Over the next few days, they chatted often. Jiang Tingzhou, ever active, liked going to the kitchen. The two hit it off.

Mr. Xu wasn’t just the villa owner—he also ran a chain of high-end hotels that served gourmet meals. While they were in the same industry, they weren’t competitors, and could freely share ideas.

“Mr. Jiang, I’m actually a loyal fan of the cooking competition,” Mr. Xu said. “I heard you’ve signed several contestants to open stores. After tasting your rice today, I know your skills are the real deal. I’m really looking forward to your restaurant opening. Let me know when—it’ll be my treat at Yongqing.”

Jiang Tingzhou smiled. “Almost ready. Two restaurants finished renovation before the New Year. We expect to open by the end of February.”

The first to open near the food street would be Jinyuhui and the Xingyun Feast. Preparations began even before the competition ended, and staffing was complete. They could open within a month after New Year.

“Within a month?” Mr. Xu thought for a moment. “Mr. Jiang, sooner is better. The chef competition brought popularity, but we can’t let others take advantage of the buzz.”

“The food street is a first for the sugar factory, so I need to make thorough preparations,” Jiang Tingzhou replied. “I can’t disappoint everyone’s expectations. Also… are you suggesting…?”

“In Yongqing, the food industry is very competitive—it’s a developed city after all,” Mr. Xu explained. “Especially with your chosen location. It won’t be easy.”

Jiang Tingzhou paused, then nodded. “I know. The toughest part is settling some of the deals—especially sourcing ingredients. I can’t cut corners.”

Mr. Xu looked at him with a smile. “The supplier I use here is pretty solid. You’ve probably figured out who, right?”

Given the wide selection of premium ingredients, Jiang Tingzhou had a good guess. “Lu Group?”

After Lu Group Fresh was launched, partnering with restaurants like this became one of its core businesses. 

Clearly, Mr. Xu and Lu Baiyu were acquainted—or Lu Baiyu wouldn’t have been able to book the room next to Jiang Tingzhou last night.

Now that it was mentioned, Jiang Tingzhou understood.

“Did Young Master Lu ask you to bring this up?” he asked.

“He did mention it before leaving,” Mr. Xu admitted. “You’ve used their products in the competition, and you’ve stayed here these days, you should’ve experienced the quality yourself. But honestly, I would’ve brought it up regardless. It’s just good advice.”

This wasn’t Jiang Tingzhou’s first time working with Lu Group. Previously, Jiang Tingzhou had worked with Lu Group on the sugar factory’s raw material supply. Whether to expand that partnership was still under consideration.

“Thank you, Mr. Xu. I’ll give it serious thought,” said Jiang Tingzhou.

Mr. Xu smiled.  “Good. No need to rush your decision. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. But just let me know when you’re cooking again—that’s enough for me. I’ll be going to Yongqing often for business anyway.”

Jiang Tingzhou nodded. “Alright.”

His holiday was nearing its end. 

During his vacation here, Jiang Tingzhou had already made up his mind about the important matters. 

Once the New Year break was over, everyone would gradually return to work, and many new stores were set to open right around that time.