The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 77

After hearing that, Lu Baiyu finally looked at him and asked, “Where did you hear about that?”

“Of course, I have my ways,” Wen Qi replied. “Although I haven’t known Tingzhou for long, I can tell he’s the kind of person who never looks back once he’s made a decision.”

Wen Qi had naturally heard about their relationship from Li Shuyan. Though Li Shuyan wouldn’t bring it up to others on her own, based on Wen Qi’s instincts and previous observations, it wasn’t hard for him to piece it together.

Ever since he realized this, Wen Qi figured he might as well give it a shot. He had been polite before, but now, faced with a love rival—especially a persistent one like Lu Baiyu—who could hold back?

After those words, Lu Baiyu’s expression didn’t change much, but his tone did: “You’re calling him Tingzhou too? In this situation, you should be calling him Boss Jiang.”

Wen Qi replied, “That’s none of Young Master Lu’s business.”

The two of them had once been on friendly terms at work, but now that was no longer the case. They stood outside the shop, each with a competitive air.

“Wen Qi, you’ve certainly grown bold,” Lu Baiyu said. “Tingzhou and I were together for a long time. How long have you even known him? You only know the surface of our relationship. No matter how things turned out between us, people like you don’t stand a chance. Do you know how many people have sent him flowers and said the same kind of things?”

Wen Qi, who had encountered all kinds of people through his work in investment and had a wide social circle, knew Lu Baiyu was trying to hit where it hurt.

“This time is different,” Wen Qi said firmly. “I’m serious. I’ve never said these things to anyone else. And I wasn’t as bad as you claim.”

He had always taken care with gifts and thought things through before speaking. But when Lu Baiyu brought it up, he did feel a flicker of guilt—worried Lu Baiyu might say something to Jiang Tingzhou. And if he did, Wen Qi might not be able to stop it.

Lu Baiyu didn’t say anything more. There were other people nearby. Causing a scene would only upset Tingzhou. He didn’t intend to argue further with Wen Qi and instead walked past him.

But Wen Qi, still unconvinced, stepped forward and blocked him, saying sharply, “I’m not promiscuous, Mr. Lu. There’s no need to throw mud at me over this. On the contrary—shouldn’t we be asking what you did to make him break up with you? Jiang Tingzhou has a great temperament. In all the time I’ve worked with him, I’ve never seen him lose his temper or even raise his voice.”

Lately, the sugar factory had been dealing with many issues, and Jiang Tingzhou was the one making final decisions. Even a seasoned boss would be under pressure in that situation, but he remained calm and composed. Just being around him had a calming effect—Wen Qi felt it himself.

Since Lu Baiyu had said so much, Wen Qi didn’t hold back either: “You two broke up. You know very well what you did, Mr. Lu.”

Naturally, Lu Baiyu was angry hearing that, but he managed to suppress it. He didn’t want to get drawn into a pointless argument with Wen Qi—he was here to see Tingzhou, not to quarrel. He repeated that to himself several times to stay calm.

Even if he regretted contacting Wen Qi to get a better understanding of the sugar factory, it was too late now. Besides, even if he hadn’t made that call, Wen Qi would still be around. Jiang Tingzhou had his own ways of making things happen.

And even if Wen Qi weren’t here, there would be someone else. Lu Baiyu had expected this. But actually seeing it still made him feel uneasy.

At that moment, Jiang Tingzhou was speaking with the pastry chef, too busy to notice what was happening nearby. He was surrounded by people—the invited coffee master, a young tea artist—everyone hanging onto his every word. When someone heard Jiang Tingzhou mention he was thirsty, they immediately poured tea and handed it to him with a smile.

Who wouldn’t like him?

It wasn’t just now. Lu Baiyu remembered seeing similar scenes in his past life.

After that last conversation with Jiang Tingzhou, Lu Baiyu had recalled many fragmented memories. 

They only confirmed what Jiang Tingzhou had said, though what Lu Baiyu remembered was slightly different.

That short conversation hadn’t covered everything. They had been together for years.

Back then, Jiang Tingzhou was already very popular, though he didn’t realize it. Lu Baiyu thought people who approached him were just trying to poach him for other companies. Even though Jiang Tingzhou rejected them all, there were always people like Wen Qi who kept appearing.

How could Lu Baiyu not be jealous?

He could still remember that bitter jealousy now, just thinking about it. He’d wanted to drive everyone else away.

But Jiang Tingzhou hadn’t understood his feelings. He thought Lu Baiyu’s temper was unpredictable. Their relationship had always been hidden, and Jiang Tingzhou was careful to keep his distance from Lu Baiyu in front of others. Even when Lu Baiyu wanted to make it public, Jiang Tingzhou would just shake his head and say, “Let’s not cause unnecessary trouble for either of us,” or “It’s always been this way, don’t stir things up.”

In hindsight, the relationship had already deteriorated by then. But to the jealous, possessive Lu Baiyu, Jiang Tingzhou’s apparent indifference felt like a deep wound.

After meetings, Lu Baiyu would cling to him in the office, wanting to mark his territory—this happened more than once. Jiang Tingzhou, caught in the middle and unable to see clearly, had eventually grown disillusioned. He once said, “You don’t love me. This is just possessiveness and need for control.”

Lu Baiyu had always been able to drive people like Wen Qi away—just like he did in their previous life—until no one dared say a word. He’d made sure they didn’t even dare try. Back then, Jiang Tingzhou had belonged solely to him.

And aside from those outsiders, he had no intention of letting Jiang Tingzhou go either.

But even in the midst of his obsession, he had felt that something was off. He just didn’t know where the real problem lay. He thought it all changed because someone else came and tried to take Jiang Tingzhou away. So he tried even harder to hold on. Jiang Tingzhou tried to compromise and accommodate him to appease him and back off, but that only made Lu Baiyu escalate further.

Eventually, Jiang Tingzhou couldn’t even go on a work trip without Lu Baiyu’s permission. Lu Baiyu had already gained significant control over Lu Group’s business, so he could easily make that happen.

—Jiang Tingzhou had risen up from within Lu Group. Naturally, he had to be under Lu Baiyu’s thumb.

Now, the situation was reversed, and Lu Baiyu was the one who no longer dared act rashly.

Remembering all that, and now facing Wen Qi’s provocation, Lu Baiyu tried his best to suppress his temper. 

He pushed Wen Qi aside and moved forward, but he used a bit too much force, and in the next second, Wen Qi, who was tall, staggered backward.

Behind him was a small coffee table used for documents. Wen Qi hit it as he fell, knocking over a stack of papers. A glass rolled off the table and hit the ground with a loud crash, shattering into pieces.

The noise immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Jiang Tingzhou, just finishing up in the operations room, saw what had happened and walked over, taking in the scene before asking, “What happened?”

Before Lu Baiyu could speak, Wen Qi clutched his elbow and said, “Ouch.” Then added, “Boss Jiang, it’s nothing. I saw Young Master Lu coming to find you, but since you were still busy, I thought I’d stop him to avoid disturbing you. But I didn’t expect…”

He trailed off, glancing at the mess on the floor—implying the rest was self-evident.

Lu Baiyu hadn’t expected Wen Qi to resort to such underhanded tricks. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Tingzhou stepped in front of him and said, “Tingzhou, watch your step. There’s glass everywhere.”

He was worried Jiang Tingzhou might get hurt.

Jiang Tingzhou looked at him but said nothing. Instead, he turned to Wen Qi and asked, “Are you alright?”

Wen Qi nodded, apologizing for causing trouble. 

Jiang Tingzhou called for someone to clean up and collect the scattered documents. The employees nearby didn’t dare say anything and quickly moved away.

Lu Baiyu bent down to help pick up the documents too. He was anxious to explain that he hadn’t really hurt Wen Qi—he’d used a bit of force, but not that much. Yet there was no chance to speak.

Earlier, he had reminded Jiang Tingzhou about the glass shards, but now, ironically, he was the one who got cut. Blood began to seep from his hand.

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t notice. Wen Qi, meanwhile, was doing everything he could to steal his attention. After selling out Lu Baiyu, he finally brought up the gift he had been planning to give all day.

He pointed at the sunflowers by the door and asked Jiang Tingzhou to take a look. He mentioned that he had also bought limited-edition truffle chocolates filled with rare red wine and hoped he would like them. The sunflowers had been potted, and under the sunlight, the petals looked radiant and full of life.

Jiang Tingzhou nodded, meaning he liked them.

Lu Baiyu’s wound wasn’t deep and stopped bleeding quickly. He wiped away the blood with a tissue. 

When Jiang Tingzhou and Wen Qi finished talking and finally turned to him, he had a chance to speak: “Tingzhou, I…”

He wanted to explain he wasn’t trying to pick a fight with Wen Qi. He had come to speak with Jiang Tingzhou about something else—he had been keeping an eye on the Jiang family. He didn’t trust Jiang Yisheng, who was both incompetent and vicious. 

But before he could say anything more, Jiang Tingzhou shook his head and signaled for him to stop.

“I already know about the Jiang family,” he said. “No need for Young Master Lu to worry. I’ll handle it myself.”

Lu Baiyu tried to speak again, but Jiang Tingzhou’s tone was resolute: “Mr. Wen is right. This place isn’t open to the public yet and doesn’t receive visitors. Young Master Lu, please don’t come again.”