The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 50

Lu Baiyu didn’t go downstairs on time the next day.

He always kept a stable routine. No matter the situation, he got up at 5:30, especially on a day like that—when Lu Zhenting was still at home.

By 6 a.m., Lu Jiahe’s situation was still trending on social media, and Suda showed no signs of trying to cool it down.

Qin Rushuang, feeling sorry for him, sent him to the hospital after he fainted so he wouldn’t truly damage his knees. After seeing him off, she still had to face Lu Zhenting. Work, after all, still needed to be done.

“Baiyu told me he would handle this matter,” Lu Zhenting said. “Where is he?”

The housekeeper went to call him. Before he could knock, Lu Baiyu stepped out. His face looked even paler than it did the day before.

The housekeeper called out to him, but Lu Baiyu didn’t respond—he just walked forward silently.

He spent the night with a splitting headache, and the wound on his back burned. At last, the fragmented memories pieced themselves together.

It wasn’t an illusion—he and Tingzhou had a past life.

Tingzhou must have remembered it too. That would explain why he suddenly proposed a breakup back then.

But thinking about it, it wasn’t really that sudden. He was too busy, too used to ignoring Tingzhou’s feelings. It went on like that for a long time. One day, something was bound to give.

And after everything, he spent time and effort making it up to Tingzhou. He thought he’d been forgiven, and that they’d grown even closer.

Jiang Tingzhou was someone with fierce determination. Once he set a goal—whether it was defeating Jiang You or openly being with Lu Baiyu—he gave it his all, no matter how impossible it seemed to others.

He was indeed brilliant, and quick to understand everything in the business world. Even when reading The Lu Group documents, he always came up with something insightful.

Even someone as strict as Lu Zhenting eventually softened toward him.

Everything should have gone smoothly after that.

But what happened afterward?

Lu Baiyu couldn’t figure it out. All he remembered was Jiang Tingzhou’s right hand, covered in blood. He didn’t look at anyone, just stared blankly into the void and said, “I can’t be a chef anymore. What else do I have left?”

The next thing Lu Baiyu felt was searing pain and a blinding headache.

Now, he wasn’t really hearing the housekeeper’s voice at all. He just moved forward out of habit, guided by his body clock, like a machine. His mind and body felt completely detached.

But before he could take a few more steps, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed.

Lu Zhenting, who showed no reaction when Lu Jiahe fainted earlier, was clearly shaken this time. He rushed over and caught Lu Baiyu just in time, hearing him murmur a name.

Lu Zhenting didn’t catch it. “What did you say?” he asked, bending down.

Qin Rushuang heard it clearly. It was “Jiang Tingzhou.” But she didn’t repeat it. She clenched her teeth and said instead, “Call the doctor!”

Jiang Tingzhou woke up a little later than usual that morning, but he was in a good mood.

For once, he didn’t get up at 5:10 a.m. He slept until 5:50. It still wasn’t quite the restful sleep schedule he hoped for, but it was an improvement.

Progress!

He washed up as usual, humming to himself. Then he checked his phone.

Yesterday afternoon, Manager Peng from the sugar factory came to discuss production of the improved red date and walnut soft candy. The requirements Jiang Tingzhou proposed in the morning matched what was needed, so they quickly reached an agreement.

He even watered the vegetable garden in the yard while finalizing the deal.

Last night, Manager Peng sent him a video, almost like reporting to a superior.

The sugar factory and bakery didn’t do well in the past. Few employees, few orders, and only basic wages. They took days off often. But now? The factory was full, and buzzing with activity.

“Boss Jiang!” Manager Peng said in the video, showing off the bustling factory. “Orders are pouring in! We’re working overtime today!” He then shouted to the workers, “I’ll pay everyone double for overtime! And there’s a bonus at the end of the month. Don’t worry—we’ve got money now!”

The workers laughed and chatted in the background.

An Xiaoping also messaged him. He and his four roommates, who were starting a business, were busy every day after class. They each had their own tasks and waved at him through the camera: “Don’t worry, big brother. We’ll work hard. Once we’re through this busy season, we’ll come see you during summer break with Xiaoping.”

Jiang Tingzhou’s livestream screen recording went up quickly, and several highlight clips followed. One of them showed An Xiaoping working seriously.

His online store now had a link labeled “Buns Pre-order.” The pricing matched what was agreed on, with postage calculated by location. As soon as it went live, thousands of orders poured in.

They were earning far more than before. Coming from ordinary families, of course they worked hard.

Everyone felt hopeful about the future.

Seeing all this, Jiang Tingzhou walked with a spring in his step.

He headed to the morning market for breakfast. He hadn’t been in a few days. Lately, neighbors brought him fresh ingredients, and he felt obligated to cook them himself rather than let them go to waste.

But that day, something felt different. It was still early, yet there were noticeably more people.

Zhou Lifen’s shop just opened, and it was already full. Jiang Tingzhou knew her business was good, but what surprised him were two familiar faces inside.

“Aunt Tian? Uncle Tian? What are you doing here?”

It was Tian Hui’s parents. The two of them were working at the stove and greeted him warmly.

The Tian family used to run a small department store, which didn’t earn much. But Uncle Tian had solid cooking skills—Jiang Tingzhou tasted his dumplings and noodles before.

Now, Zhou Lifen’s shop had just launched new menu items: ham sauced noodles and vegetarian dumplings. As Jiang Tingzhou watched, he realized those were the most popular dishes with customers.

The handmade noodles paired with the flavorful sauce were a perfect combination.

He didn’t expect the two families to become partners.

He once suggested to Zhou Lifen that just selling ham sauce wasn’t enough—she needed to diversify the menu. She later said she found a good partner, but he didn’t guess it was the Tian family. No wonder Tian Hui hinted at a “surprise” recently.

“Xiao Jiang, sit down! I’ll get you a bowl of noodles,” Aunt Tian said cheerfully. “I meant to tell you once we were settled in.” She chatted as she rolled noodles.

The families partnered up and even planned to rent the neighboring unit. Each contributed in their own way, and the snack bar now had a broader menu and stronger business.

She was quick, and soon brought out a steaming bowl of ham sauce noodles.

“Lifen’s ham sauce is the shop’s signature, so she gets 50%. Lao Tian and I came in later and chipped in money, so we get 40%.”

Jiang Tingzhou took a bite and asked, “What about the remaining 10%?”

“That’s yours,” Aunt Tian replied. “We’re still drafting the contract and were going to discuss it with you in a couple of days. Lifen said the ham might lose flavor over time, and she was afraid the taste would change. Didn’t you say you’d help her adjust the formula? And if it weren’t for the 100,000 yuan you gave her from selling the watch—and everything else you did—she wouldn’t be living the good life she has now.”

She was talking about the 100,000 yuan Jiang Tingzhou gave Zhou Lifen from selling his watch.

Zhou Lifen promised Jiang Tingzhou she would pay him back, but he never took it seriously. After all, the money originally came from the watch she exchanged with Vice President Chen.

But she always remembered the debt—and everything Jiang Tingzhou did for her. After thinking it over, she felt this was the best way: since she had to pay the money back anyway, it would be more meaningful to give him a share in the business directly.

Jiang Tingzhou: “…”

He shook his head, wanting to refuse. He still felt he didn’t do anything worthy of a stake. Even though the shop was small, if business went well, it was normal to earn a million yuan a year. The future income would far surpass the 100,000 yuan he gave. He didn’t need to take that share.

But both the Tian family and Zhou Lifen insisted.

“Why do you think this has nothing to do with you?” Zhou Lifen said. “You’ve always been a part of this. Without you, none of this would exist.” As she spoke, she kept cooking. Seeing customers come in, she smiled and greeted them naturally, “Come on in, grab a seat.”

Steam billowed from the pot, and the aroma of noodles and ham sauce filled the air. The shop was lively and bustling.

Jiang Tingzhou sat there in a daze, eating another mouthful of noodles, not knowing what to say.

All the shop owners on the street knew him—not just Zhou Lifen and the Tian family, but also the dessert shop and the tofu shop next door. Especially the dessert shop; as soon as they saw Jiang Tingzhou arrive, someone came running over with a bowl of taro and peanut sweet soup.

When Zhou Lifen’s business first took off, she frequently consulted Jiang Tingzhou for advice. When she wanted to expand the menu, she asked whether to add desserts to increase profit margins.

“There’s no need to compete with your neighbors over a few menu items,” Jiang Tingzhou told her. “Your shop is small, space is limited. The morning market street is narrow, and the stores don’t overlap in offerings. You can even talk to the others—let your customers sit in their stores too. That way, everyone benefits.”

Now, the whole street was thriving. The shop owners got along well, and the customers had a pleasant experience.

The morning market street stayed lively until evening.

When Jiang Tingzhou first moved there, it wasn’t like that. But bit by bit, it changed.

To them, Jiang Tingzhou was someone who showed up at the right moment—someone who changed their lives for the better.

After he appeared, things began to look up.

Jiang Tingzhou watched them work as he ate noodles and drank sweet soup, still in a daze, when his phone rang.

He looked down—it was a call from Jiang Moli. He still answered calls from his mother, though he usually couldn’t say more than a few words.

But when he picked up, it was Jiang You’s voice he heard.

It was sharp, no longer pretending, very much like the crazed version of Jiang You in the final years of their last life. He was in trouble now, so it wasn’t surprising he went off the rails early.

“You’re really proud of yourself now, aren’t you, Jiang Tingzhou?” Jiang You’s voice was full of suppressed rage. “Now you finally get to trample me. You think I’m out of options?”

“You’re quite capable,” Jiang Tingzhou replied calmly, sipping the sweet soup, savoring the sticky texture of the taro. “You’ve completely destroyed yourself.”

“I’ll never give up,” Jiang You snarled. “I’ll never admit defeat to you. Just wait—I’ll be on ‘A Bite of China’.”

“You can hang yourself at the production office, you still won’t get in.”

“Jiang! Ting! Zhou!”

Then came Jiang Moli’s panicked voice. She probably saw Jiang You spiraling and rushed over to take the phone. “Tingzhou, don’t listen to him. Your brother is just too worked up right now—”

“He’s not my brother. Jiang You has always treated me this way. There’s no possibility of peace between us. Mom, you’ve known that for a long time, but you never wanted to admit it.”

Jiang Moli fell silent.

“It’s not just you,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “I used to lie to myself too, pretending you actually loved me. But the truth is—you didn’t.”

He never said these words before.

Back then, he didn’t have anything to compare to. That little bit of love felt precious. But many things are like food—you don’t realize how poor the taste is until you’ve had something better.

Then he blocked her number.

Just from the sound of Jiang You’s voice, it was obvious how desperate he was. The entire Jiang family must’ve been dragged into chaos by the Lu family.

Things would only get worse from there.

iang Tingzhou knew exactly what kind of mess Jiang You and the Jiang family were facing.

The Jiang family originally reached an agreement with the Lu family: if the A Bite of China project went well, there would be more funding in the second half of the year. Lu Jiahe even wanted to expand the chain stores. But now that investment was in danger. Meanwhile, the expansion of Gongyan and Xiangyun Peninsula was already underway. They were at the point where they needed money—this wasn’t the time for funding to get cut.

Even though Jiang Tingzhou left the Jiang family, he understood the situation better than anyone.

It would be easy to destroy Jiang You completely now—just a little push—but Jiang Tingzhou found he didn’t even want to.

Lu Jiahe’s downfall came unexpectedly. Jiang You’s collapse was entirely predictable.

Looking back, Jiang Tingzhou realized that for a long time in his previous life, his entire purpose was to defeat Jiang You. Even when the VP’s corruption scandal broke, gaining the upper hand felt exhilarating.

He once thought that kind of victory was what life was all about—but now, it felt trivial.

The sugar factory, the bakery, An Xiaoping’s dorm room, and the Tian and Zhou families all working hard—this hopeful joy, this sense of a better life ahead, was something Jiang Tingzhou almost never experienced.

Almost.

Because the time he was with Lu Baiyu was exciting.

But that kind of passion couldn’t last.

Afterward, the relationship became draining. Even the joy came with fear and uncertainty. To hold on to Lu Baiyu, he gave more and more of himself. Even giving everything wasn’t enough.

This new kind of fulfillment, however, lasted longer. It came with warm expectations and even rubbed off on him.

Now, even the so-called satisfaction of defeating Jiang You couldn’t compare to the contentment he absorbed from these people.

And this was exactly what Jiang Tingzhou didn’t yet fully understand.

Aunt Deng once said, people pursue what truly excites them—and that becomes their lifelong career. But Jiang Tingzhou didn’t know what excited him anymore.

People worked overtime to make money—but he already made a lot.

Now, he felt he might never find a true career, or even something he was truly passionate about.

At first, his goal was to beat Jiang You. Later, it was to prove he deserved Lu Baiyu. But in the four years after their breakup, all his success at the Jiang Corporation didn’t bring him any real joy. He numbed himself with work—avoiding thoughts of the past, of his ruined right hand.

After being reborn, he vowed not to repeat the same life. Even the peace he had now was hard-won.

Love exhausted him. Work depressed him. In the end, nothing stayed.

And yet now, these people looked at him and sincerely said: “Boss Jiang, it’s all thanks to you.”

Not because he beat Jiang You.

Not because he was worthy of Lu Baiyu.

But because of himself.

He planned to do nothing. But now, it seemed the seeds he sowed were quietly sprouting.

And for the first time, he was receiving something he never had before.