Lin Xu took the appointment letter Xie Baomin handed him and looked it over.

This appointment letter was somewhat similar to a typical honorary certificate, but it was of higher quality. The velvet cover was embossed with the golden words "Letter of Appointment," and below that, in a handwritten script, were the small, gilded characters for "Fishing Platform State Guesthouse."

He opened the letter.

Inside, it read, "We hereby appoint Mr. Lin Xu as the culinary consultant for Building 2 of the Fishing Platform State Guesthouse..." and similar, rather straightforward content. After all, it was honorary and didn't list any detailed rights or obligations.

But having this letter of appointment meant he had a certain status. Whether inside or outside their circle, it was impressive enough.

Just as Lin Xu closed the letter after reading it, the system's notification sounded in his mind:

"The host has become a culinary consultant at the Fishing Platform, triggering the side mission [Gaining Fame at the State Guesthouse]: Please gain a certain degree of renown at the Fishing Platform State Guesthouse within two weeks. Upon completion, you will be awarded one lucky draw for a Perfect Level braised dish recipe."

Gain a certain degree of renown at the Fishing Platform State Guesthouse?

Lin Xu frowned, not particularly pleased with such cryptic missions. The mission content wasn't clear, and there were no hints.

Just "gaining fame"... theoretically, if I run around bare-chested inside, would that achieve the purpose of gaining fame and completing this mission?

However, if I really did that, I guess the system wouldn't award me a single penny.

The Riddler should get out of Gotham... no, wait, the Riddle System should get off Earth!

While Lin Xu was examining the letter of appointment, Shen Guofu and Xie Baomin had already introduced themselves to each other.

Learning that Xie Baomin was the head chef of Building 2 at the Fishing Platform, Shen Guofu said with some regret, "I've eaten at the Building 2 restaurant a few times, but unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet Chef Xie. Next time I go, I'll be sure to mention your name."

"No problem at all, Mr. Shen! We'll line up to welcome you then!"

As they were exchanging pleasantries, Shen Guofu saw Lin Xu close the letter and immediately reached out his hand. "Xu, let me see your letter of appointment."

After Lin Xu handed it over, Shen Guofu first inspected the cover, then the content inside. Then, he took out his phone and, KACHA! KACHA! KACHA! snapped several photos of both the cover and the content.

He then posted them on his Moments: "My daughter Yueyue's boyfriend was officially appointed as a culinary consultant by the Fishing Platform today! Wonder if we'll get discounts when we eat there in the future? [image][image][image]"

His WeChat friends were almost all real-life acquaintances. No sooner had he posted it than likes and comments poured in.

"Your daughter has a boyfriend now?"

"When did this happen? Weren't you trying to set her up on blind dates just the other day?"

"Whose son is he? Do you know his family background?"

"My nephew just returned from abroad specifically to meet Yueyue; he's in quarantine right now. Old Shen, pick a time to arrange for them to meet. It wasn't easy for the boy to make the trip back..."

"To be appointed by the Fishing Platform, his skills must be incredible, right?"

"Old Shen, can we get a taste of your son-in-law's cooking?"

"..."

Ever since his daughter had graduated from university, people had been continuously approaching Shen Guofu with marriage proposals, involving all sorts of unsuitable nephews and incredibly distant relatives, which annoyed him immensely.

He posted this update precisely to tell everyone: My daughter has a boyfriend now, so everyone can stop pestering us.

「Soon.」

The news spread through Shen Guofu's circles, and several of his WeChat groups were abuzz with discussion. Everyone wanted to know just what kind of young man could win Old Shen's approval and, at the same time, be accepted by his daughter.

"I really want to see what the Shen Family's chosen one looks like."

"I don't care about his looks; I just want to know how good his cooking is!"

"Being appointed as a consultant by the Fishing Platform? His skills must be something most people don't get to taste, right?"

「Just then.」

Tan Yajun, who had always been lurking in the group, was suddenly active.

"What? Little Lin was appointed as a consultant for the Fishing Platform? That young man's skills truly deserve such recognition!"

His words immediately piqued the curiosity of the group members.

"Old Tan, you know Shen Guofu's son-in-law?"

Know him? More than just know him; he almost became a key player under my command... Tan Yajun sat in his office, holding his phone and typing rapidly, TAP-TAP-TAP, as he sent a message, "Of course, it's true. Shen Guofu's son-in-law is a collaborator with our audit firm. All our lunch orders come from his place now, and I'm totally addicted."

"Wow!" the group chat exclaimed.

Even Old Tan, who's always so picky, is saying that. Just how good must it be?

Everyone eagerly chimed in:

"Old Tan, give us the address! No matter the cost, I have to try it."

"Yeah, let's go try it too! And we can see Shen Guofu's son-in-law while we're at it."

"Quick, quick, quick! I haven't had dinner yet. It's the perfect time to go try it out. As the young people say, let's go 'explore the shop'!"

Tan Yajun did not reply immediately. Instead, he first @mentioned Shen Guofu in the group chat: "Can Little Lin's shop location be publicly shared?"

Shen Guofu replied, "Certainly. More customers are always welcome."

Seeing that Shen Guofu agreed, Tan Yajun then posted the location of Lin Ji's Food.

Then he asked, "Old Shen, it seems you're quite satisfied with Little Lin?"

Shen Guofu sent a laughing emoji and replied, "After observing him for so many days, the more I see him, the more I like him. I never expected Yueyue to find such an excellent son-in-law. My wife and I are both very satisfied."

As soon as he sent this message, the system's notification tone sounded in Lin Xu's mind:

"The host has gained the approval of Shen Jiayue's parents, completed the hidden task [In-laws' Approval], and won a Perfect Level Chinese dessert lucky draw. Do you want to draw now?"

Huh? What a stroke of luck! Too bad I can't hug Dundun and do the lucky draw now. I'll have to wait, at least until my future parents-in-law leave. Otherwise, hugging a cat while I'm supposed to be working would just make me look like I'm slacking off.

「Meanwhile.」

Han Shuzhen pulled her daughter back to their seats and asked quietly, "Have you already met Lin Xu's mother?"

Shen Jiayue picked up her chopsticks, unceremoniously speared a piece of Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce with crispy cartilage, and said while crunching, "Yes, I have. Lin Xu's mom really likes me. On my first day at the audit firm, she even specifically hired a delivery person to bring me Pork Grease Buns. It made all my colleagues at the firm drool."

What? Not only had her daughter met her future mother-in-law, but she'd also eaten buns she made? No wonder she's already taking his family's side. She was bribed in advance! But Pork Grease Buns...

"Are they tasty? They sound like they might be a bit greasy."

"They're super tasty, Mom! I'll bring some for you to try from the shop when they make them next. The shop often makes all sorts of amazing breakfast items, really substantial stuff, but they're not for sale to outside customers."

Really? Hearing her daughter say this, Han Shuzhen felt a little tempted to try them. But she couldn't focus on that now. She needed to gather as much information as possible about Lin Xu's mother—her personality and preferences—to prevent her own daughter from unwittingly offending her.

She continued to ask, "What do you think of Lin Xu's mom?"

"She's super nice! She dotes on me. And Lin Xu's mom is an amazing cook. Before I left their place once, she packed over twenty kinds of dumplings for me, all boxed up and frozen in their fridge, ready to cook whenever I want."

Listening to her daughter's excited words, Han Shuzhen said with a hint of apology, "I'm sorry, my dear. I'm not a great cook, and I was always too busy with work in the past. I never managed to cook you any decent meals. Things like 'Mom's Special Dumplings' or 'Mom's Handmade Noodles'—I don't know how to make any of them. I feel like I've wronged you!"

In the past, Han Shuzhen and Shen Guofu had both been consumed by their careers, one busy with professional work and the other with earning money. Shen Jiayue was mostly raised by her grandmother. Thinking about her own absence during her daughter's childhood made Han Shuzhen feel a pang of guilt. She always felt she had let her daughter down.

Shen Jiayue waved her hand magnanimously. "It's okay, it's okay, I've already forgiven you both... You have no idea how happy I was as a child without you two hovering over me. I could go days without doing homework, and it was totally fine..."

Han Shuzhen: ????? You little rascal! Are you deliberately trying to make your mom and dad punish you?

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