The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 9

Jiang Tingzhou quickly reached out, rubbed his face, wiped away his tears, and said in a low voice, “They… they all like Jiang You more. No one believes what I say.”

It was the first time he was able to complain to someone about these things.

Lu Baiyu handed him a tissue and comforted him, “I heard about your situation from the tutor. Tingzhou, you’re working hard. It doesn’t matter if you can’t do well for a while. You just came home not long ago—it’s not your fault. I believe you, Tingzhou. You have to believe in yourself. You’re no worse than anyone else. The Lu family has a responsibility to help you return to your original life. Don’t feel embarrassed. Things will get better. If there’s anything you can’t get over, just come to me.”

After this incident, secretly loving Lu Baiyu became as natural to Jiang Tingzhou as breathing.

But because of the conversation in the car, he also felt confused—why did Lu Baiyu say the Lu family owed him?

Jiang Tingzhou secretly investigated for a long time before finally learning the truth: why Lu Baiyu paid special attention to him, why the Lu family, so far above the Jiang family, had been backing them for over ten years.

Not just him—even the entire Jiang family, a prominent name in the domestic fine dining industry, didn’t quite have the qualifications to be the Lu family’s lackey in terms of asset scale. Without the Lu family’s support, the Jiang family might have already gone bankrupt and never achieved its current success.

The Lu family owned 40% of Jiang Food and helped elevate their connections in high-end dining. For the Jiang family, it was like a dream come true.

This kind of support and connection largely stemmed from Jiang Tingzhou’s kidnapping—because when he went missing at age five, it wasn’t an accident. He took a disaster in someone else’s place.

Years ago, five-year-old Jiang Tingzhou attended a Lu family banquet with his parents.

The Jiang family were just ordinary guests at the event—if not for Mother Jiang being old classmates with Madam Lu, they wouldn’t even have been there.

But that day, the Lu family’s rivals planned to take advantage of the crowd and chaos to kidnap the Lu family’s youngest son, Lu Jiahe.

However, the hired kidnappers weren’t professionals—they were bold but unskilled. They had never seen Lu Jiahe in person and only had a few blurry photos. That day, Lu Jiahe had a cold and never left his room.

By a twist of fate, the kidnappers ended up taking Jiang Tingzhou, who got separated from his family and happened to resemble Lu Jiahe.

When the ransom message was sent to the Lu family, they quickly discovered the mistaken identity.

They pieced things together, reported to the police, and tried to stall the kidnappers. The kidnappers resisted, but when they realized something was wrong, they scattered. In the end, only one was caught.

But he didn’t know where the others had left the child. He only said the boy had a fever and was too much trouble, so they got rid of him.

At the time, criminal investigation techniques were limited, surveillance was scarce, and information spread slowly. Jiang Tingzhou disappeared without a trace.

No one knew he suffered a high fever, lost his memory, and was taken in by a butcher who, by coincidence, brought him back to Yongqing—barely an hour’s drive from the Jiang family’s villa. But the gap between their social circles was so vast, they never met.

The case was eventually declared a missing person report. A five-year-old surviving alone seemed unlikely. Everyone assumed he was dead.

With that conclusion, the Lu family felt deeply guilty toward the Jiangs—especially since Mother Jiang was in poor health and could no longer have children. Jiang Tingzhou was their only child, and now he was gone.

To repay this debt, the Lu family’s immense wealth only needed to spare a fraction to completely transform the Jiang family.

At the time, Jiang Foods was at its lowest. Father Jiang had little culinary skill and couldn’t compare to the previous generation. Only one store remained—all the others had closed or failed. It was only the heritage title of “Imperial Chef” that kept them afloat.

With Lu Corp’s investment and support, it was like ascending to heaven.

Beyond the funding, the Lu family’s import/export and logistics operations were among the best in the country. With their help, the Jiang family gained access to top-quality ingredients from around the world.

Live Australian lobsters, king crabs, deep-sea sweet shrimp, premium mushrooms and vegetables… with such a supply chain, even the simplest cooking yielded world-class flavors. Not to mention the influx of high-end clientele and prestige the Lu family brought—the Jiang family soared.

Jiang Tingzhou’s disappearance, in some sense, became a blessing for the Jiang family. As long as a child “died” taking a disaster for someone else, the bond between the Lu and Jiang families held.

In that light, Jiang Tingzhou’s return might not actually have been a good thing for the Jiang family.

They didn’t take the initiative to find him, but the Lu family never gave up. In recent years, with improved criminal investigation methods and the spread of the Sky Eye system, the two kidnappers who escaped were caught. With their confessions, Jiang Tingzhou’s whereabouts were traced.

Jiang Tingzhou forgot everything due to the fever.

It wasn’t until he returned home that he slowly uncovered the truth—and realized why, as the biological son, he was so unwelcome.

The only warmth in the Jiang family was his mother’s concern; the rest was pure calculation.

Father Jiang, Jiang Yisheng, valued interests over emotions. Maybe he felt a little sad when the child first disappeared, but compared to the compensation and benefits afterward, it meant nothing.

What was parental love compared to the Lu family’s power?

As Jiang Tingzhou looked deeper, he realized even Jiang You’s adoption wasn’t simple.

Jiang You wasn’t randomly picked from an orphanage—his origins were also tied to the Lu family.

About six months after Jiang Tingzhou disappeared, Madam Lu, Qin Rushuang, was approached by a distant relative—barely family by blood, just from the same village—who once indirectly saved her life. Now down on his luck, he asked for help and brought with him a five-and-a-half-year-old boy—the same age Jiang Tingzhou had been.

The child said his father was in prison for killing someone in a fight, his mother died of drug abuse, and his grandfather was terminally ill. He asked the Qin family to adopt the boy—this boy became Jiang You.

He was like a hot potato. With such a background, no one expected him to turn out normal. He was dirty, slow to react, barely spoke, cried silently, and panicked easily—clearly traumatized.

The Qin family was willing to repay the favor, but wealthy families didn’t lack children. Families who did might not want a child with such visible issues.

Only Jiang Yisheng, who had been reaping Lu family benefits, took the initiative to bring the child in.

Three years later, Jiang You was completely transformed—showing how much care the Jiang family gave him.

Because of this connection, Qin Rushuang also looked after him. Jiang You naturally became playmates with Lu Jiahe, who was the same age.

These two children made the Lu family the Jiang family’s greatest supporters.

Bringing Jiang You in didn’t cancel the debt of losing Jiang Tingzhou—it doubled it. The Lu family now owed two favors, tying them even closer.

Father Jiang knew perfectly well Jiang You harmed Tingzhou many times, but he allowed it. The Lu family had given so much, and now that Tingzhou was back, he feared the connection would break. He needed a new reason to maintain ties.

If Jiang Tingzhou appeared stubborn and unteachable, it emphasized the Jiang family’s loss—showing that he’d lost his way and failed to develop into a talent. A few crocodile tears could secure more compensation.

Raising Jiang You well became a symbol of repayment—and a tool to continue demanding compensation.

It was better if the contrast between the two boys was sharp—it showed the Jiang family’s sacrifices more clearly.

As long as the Lu family had even a little compassion, or wanted to protect their reputation, they’d keep giving. That was enough to keep the Jiang family going for years.

It took Jiang Tingzhou a long time to figure this out.

Before, he genuinely suspected Jiang You had some kind of “irresistible charm” that made everyone love him.

But Lu Baiyu’s presence completely shattered that idea—and gave Jiang Tingzhou hope and motivation.

Lu Baiyu always firmly stood by his side. He clearly favored Jiang Tingzhou and helped him a lot—even connecting him with Chef Wang after he was expelled from school for beating Jiang You.

Jiang Tingzhou remembered that after becoming Chef Wang’s disciple, he once asked what makes a truly great dish. He was determined to succeed on his own merit—not be a leech like Jiang Yisheng.

He wanted to earn everyone’s respect.

Back then, Lu Baiyu waited at the door. When Jiang Tingzhou walked out, Lu Baiyu waved and sighed, “Tingzhou, I saw that you couldn’t stay at home any longer, so I found a new place to help you clear your mind. But if you ever want to return to school, you can go back anytime. I’ll get you into a better high school.”

Lu Baiyu was a head taller. Jiang Tingzhou had to look up. He said firmly, “I won’t go back. When you come see me again, I’ll be a different person.”

He didn’t say everything on his mind.

The person in front of him was his most ambitious goal. But the distance between them was too great.

Jiang Tingzhou thought if he became a leader in an industry and followed Lu Baiyu’s footsteps, maybe he could match him a little.

His life began to change from that moment.

He had no regrets. Not then. Not now—even as he ended the relationship early.

But for now, he just wanted to rest and recover.

Fortunately, he went to the hospital early this time. He didn’t have to lie there for a week like in his previous life. He was almost cured in two days. Now he only had a low fever, had strength, and his throat didn’t hurt.

The doctor checked him and said there was no major problem. He could be discharged that afternoon.

When he was strong enough to walk, Jiang Tingzhou completed all the physical exams before discharge. Even though the doctor said, “It’s just a fever, no need for so many tests,” he insisted—and made An Xiaoping do it too. They chose the VIP package, and many results came out within a few hours.

His sudden thoroughness revealed something.

Jiang Tingzhou’s stomach wasn’t in great shape—a leftover issue from childhood. Because he stayed up late often, his liver showed mild stress, and he had slight hypoglycemia. But the doctor said it was no big deal. Many people had such issues.

He was young and strong. No medication needed. No impact on daily life.

An Xiaoping also had minor issues. The doctor said he was slightly malnourished but not ill.

“I’ve been dieting, so I’m used to eating less now. Plus, I have to take photos and be on camera. And besides, the food at our school cafeteria is terrible,” An Xiaoping said casually. “I’ll just go buy some nutritional supplements.”

“Supplements are fine, but you young people really need to pay more attention to your health and eat regularly,” the doctor advised. “Exercise when you’re not working, drink more water. Sometimes little problems can turn into big ones if you ignore them. If you feel unwell, rest and get medical attention—don’t try to tough it out, understand?”

It was standard advice. Most young people with stressful jobs had the same issues. These two were actually in relatively good shape. The doctor’s words were routine—but Jiang Tingzhou took them seriously.

He nodded repeatedly like a primary school student and said, “I see. You’re absolutely right. Health is the foundation of everything. I didn’t pay enough attention before. I’ll focus on it from now on, balancing work and rest.”

He was always healthy and had a habit of exercising. He rarely got sick. When the flu swept through the kitchen, many fell ill and took leave—but not Jiang Tingzhou. He stayed immune.

But people like him tended to get seriously ill when they did fall sick.

For example, when he was five, he almost died of a fever and forgot everything. This time, it nearly hit 40°C. If he hadn’t gone to the hospital in time, it would’ve been serious. Another example: he died suddenly at thirty-two, just as success was in sight. Everything vanished in an instant.

Because of that experience, Jiang Tingzhou now realized his body wasn’t as strong as he thought.

After dying once, he now truly understood: health was everything.

The good news? He could finally rest.

Due to the dual blow of public outrage and backlash from VIP customers, Gongyan’s flagship restaurant became too much for Manager Yang to handle—and was finally forced to shut down.