Lin Xu watched his Master's retreating figure heading to the storage room, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He's dodging so deftly. He must have done this many times before, right?

He moved the stool his Master had been sitting on to the side and then picked up his own bowl of rice. The show's over, the Skill's upgraded; time to fill my stomach and earn some money.

Shen Jiayue asked in a low voice, "When that leopard-print auntie comes in later, should we call her 'Auntie' or 'Master's wife'?"

"Just call her 'Auntie,'" Lin Xu replied. "Who knows how far these two nemeses will actually go."

Lin Xu took a bite of the Pickled Pork. The flavor was indeed good. But compared to the pork belly slices, he preferred the Dried Vegetable tucked underneath the meat. He spooned some of the oily Dried Vegetable over his rice, stirred it in, shoveled a mouthful, and savored the delicious bite. It was so comforting! The rich, savory, and flavorful Dried Vegetable, along with the rice grains coated in fat, were a perfect match. It was appetizing, went incredibly well with rice, and the more he ate, the more he craved. Soon, his bowl of rice was empty.

As Lin Xu got up to get more rice, he realized, Why hasn't Leopard-Print Auntie come in yet? He turned to look out the window. The BMW 760 was gone. Has she... given up?

"Master, you can come out now! Leopard-Print Auntie is gone."

Hearing this, Old Gao immediately came out of the storage room with his bowl, a joyful smile on his face. "Luckily, I'm clever!"

He finished the rice in his bowl and added, "I need to stop by the bank first to schedule a large transfer and pay her back. When I get back, I'll teach you how to adjust the braising liquid. The one for the duck items could taste even better with some tweaks."

With that, he grabbed his briefcase and hurriedly left.

Not long after, Shen Jiayue, having eaten her fill, loaded the boxed lunches for the audit firm into her trunk and drove back. As her car turned off Yingchun Street, she saw a BMW 760 blocking an elderly man. That man was Old Gao.

TSK... He's been cornered again! Shen Jiayue found it hilarious. That Leopard-Print Auntie is pestering Master like a thug, while Master is hiding like a wronged little wife. HA! Lin Xu was right. Those two really are nemeses!

But Old Gao looks a bit pitiful. Should I get out of the car and intervene?

After pondering for a moment, she called her cousin, Chen Yan, via Bluetooth and explained Old Gao's situation in detail.

When she finished, she asked, "Old Gao looks a bit pitiful. Do you think I should get out and try to talk to them?"

On the other end of the line, Manager Chen said, "You think Old Gao is pitiful, but maybe he's enjoying it. Don't get involved. Just go about your business."

Hm? What does that mean?

Chen "Emotion Expert" Yan said insightfully, "Haven't you heard the saying? A high-level Hunter often appears in the form of its prey."

Shen Jiayue: "!!!!!!!!"

Good thing my cousin gave me a heads-up. Otherwise, I might have actually disturbed those two.

She patted her chest and said, "Thanks, Cousin. You single people really understand so much more. I don't get these emotional issues at all..."

The voice on the other end of the phone immediately shot up eight octaves, "SHEN! JIAYUE! I'M GOING TO END OUR FRIENDSHIP!!!!"

「In the store.」

The employees had just finished their lunch when Yue Liyue and his roommates walked in. The group first ordered two servings of the Pickled Pork they had missed out on yesterday. Then, they started ordering other dishes. Just as they were debating whether to have spicy boiled beef slices or dry-fried chicken, Panda came into the store to pick up his boxed lunches.

"WOW! Is that you, Panda bro? You look so much thinner! We ordered Pickled Pork; want some to build yourself back up?"

Panda: "..."

My so-called 'friends' truly are the biggest obstacle on the road to weight loss. I've worked so hard, dieting and exercising to get this far, and you're actually tempting me with Pickled Pork? But wait... the restaurant is serving Pickled Pork now? I've been so busy lately, working day and night, that I haven't even had time to eat at the restaurant, let alone keep up with Lin Ji's Food topics. I had no idea they were serving Pickled Pork today.

Since they have a new dish, I should get a portion for Xinxin later. Besides being busy with company matters, she also has to stream regularly. She needs some nourishment even more than I do.

Thinking of this, Panda said to Song Tiantian, "Tiantian, I'd like to order a portion of Pickled Pork and a side of rice, to go."

While scanning the payment QR code, he glanced at the menu and saw braised duck heads. He immediately recalled Wu Kexin gnawing on duck heads on the high-speed train and quickly added, "And two duck heads... two duck necks... Do you have duck wings and duck feet? If so, give me two of each of those too. And five slices of spiced tofu... How much is that altogether, Tiantian?"

Yue Liyue, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. Bro, aren't you supposed to be dieting? If you keep eating like this, you'll end up as round as a ball lightning, won't you? People online say those on diets tend to binge eat, and it seems they're right. TSK TSK TSK... Luckily, I, whose looks are on par with Boss Lin, don't need to diet. I don't have such worries.

After Panda paid, he said to Yue Liyue, "Wu Kexin and I started a company. We're preparing to do live-stream sales. Let's collaborate when there's an opportunity. I've already spoken with Manager Chen; our two companies can aim for a win-win partnership later."

"NO PROBLEM!" Yue Liyue replied.

By now, the kitchen had prepared the boxed lunches Panda had come for, and Yue Liyue helped him carry them to his car. Back in the restaurant, the duck items and Pickled Pork were also packed. Panda took them, said goodbye to everyone, and drove away from Yingchun Street towards the nearby Huixuan Building, where the company he and Wu Kexin had started was located.

"WOW! This meat is so tender; it's delicious!"

"It really is. It melts in your mouth, and the best part is, it doesn't feel greasy."

"When I used to go back to my hometown, I loved eating it stuffed in steamed buns. Fluffy, warm steamed buns with a few slices of this pork, eaten hot—that's what I call truly delicious!"

"With steamed buns? Is it good?"

"Good? You can't just call it 'good.' It's one of mankind's supreme culinary pleasures!"

"..."

Yue Liyue's roommates were from the Northeast, Shandong, and Hubei; people from different regions have different eating habits. Take the Pickled Pork they were eating today, for example—the way it's enjoyed varies from place to place.

Yue Liyue had never tried eating it with steamed buns. Hearing his roommates discuss it so enthusiastically, he couldn't help but want to try.

He asked Lin Xu, "Boss Lin, do you have steamed buns? My roommates say Pickled Pork is especially delicious with them, and I'd like to experience it..."

Steamed buns? Yue Liyue, you're acting less and less like a Southerner. Although the restaurant often made breakfast items in the morning, they hadn't actually steamed plain buns before. Still, he wants to try eating it stuffed in something...

Lin Xu thought another way of eating it was even more refined. He asked a waiter to buy some Lotus Leaf Cakes from the nearby supermarket. After heating them in the steamer, he served them to Yue Liyue and his friends.

"We don't have steamed buns, but you can try it with these Lotus Leaf Cakes."

Steamed buns were too large; two or three could easily fill an adult. In contrast, the small, delicate Lotus Leaf Cakes were much more suitable for eating with the Pickled Pork. One cake per slice of meat. This way, it wouldn't prevent them from enjoying other dishes while still allowing them to experience eating the pork tucked into a bun. Plus, the remaining Dried Vegetable at the bottom of the plate could still be eaten with rice. It was a solution that satisfied all needs!

"These are great! I love eating meat with Lotus Leaf Cakes like this."

"Mmm! Eating it this way is definitely different from having it with rice."

As Yue Liyue and his friends ate, other customers wanted to try it too. So, when Lin Xu served the Pickled Pork, he simply arranged a circle of Lotus Leaf Cakes around the dish.

Just as a waiter served one such platter to a table, a system prompt sounded in Lin Xu's mind:

"Host has added a new profit growth point, completing the Hidden Task [Increase Profit]. Received one Excellent Level Basic Cooking Techniques lucky draw. Draw now?"

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