Chapter 377: Meatless Meat Flavor Dish

Watching Fengqi believed that, as a senior executive of the company, she had already sampled plenty of high-end cuisine, including dishes prepared by graduates of the Enjutsu Academy, which she had once been lucky enough to enjoy with her superiors.

In her view, true culinary excellence came only from upscale restaurants—only there could one find the genuine delicacies enjoyed by the elite.

As for these small alleyway eateries, they were merely tricks to fool the unworldly peasants; there was no way they could satisfy her refined palate.

Moreover, while the profession of chef isn't directly tied to age, it is undeniably linked to experience.

Wen Shengzai and Xingping Chuenzhen both looked no older than fifteen—even if they had begun learning the culinary arts since childhood, how many years could they possibly have accumulated?

Of course, the most important reason Watching Fengqi had so brazenly provoked Wen Shengzai and Xingping Chuenzhen was that she had already made her preparations.

"Since you've both accepted my wager, the challenge I've set for you is simple: I want a delicious, juicy meat dish.

No restrictions on the type of meat—so long as you can create a flavor that meets my standard, you pass."

Meat is among the most commonly used ingredients in cooking, and since she imposed no limits on cooking method or meat type, the challenge was remarkably broad and open-ended.

Even Xingping Chuenzhen, who had initially feared she would deliberately set a trap, froze in surprise upon hearing her demand—he hadn't expected her to be so accommodating.

Yet as Watching Fengqi announced her challenge and Wen Shengzai and Xingping Chuenzhen each opened their respective restaurant doors to begin preparing the required dish, the chaotic mess inside left them stunned.

"So that's why you agreed so readily—you had this all planned from the start."

"No wonder the wholesale market told us there was no fresh meat available today."

In both Wen Shengzai's restaurant and Chuenzhen's eatery, all meat ingredients had been ruined—either deliberately spoiled into foul-smelling waste or outright thrown into the trash.

Wen Shengzai and Xingping Chuenzhen had gone about their usual morning shopping but found no fresh meat; they hadn't given it much thought.

After all, suppliers occasionally had such lapses.

Since meat was a staple ingredient, both restaurants kept backups on hand, so they weren't worried about today's operations.

But now, seeing the destruction in their kitchens, Wen Shengzai and Xingping Chuenzhen instantly understood why she had so generously issued what seemed like an easy challenge.

It wasn't that she hadn't intended to trap them—she had already laid the trap.

She demanded a meat dish, yet had bought up all the fresh meat from their suppliers and then destroyed every last piece of meat in their stores—how were they supposed to serve her what she asked for?

"I don't understand what you're talking about. In any case, I'm a customer who has already placed an order. If you can't deliver a dish that meets my requirements, then this restaurant has no reason to stay open, does it?"

Watching Fengqi sat down in the restaurant, crossed her thick, fleshy legs, and removed her sunglasses, revealing a smug smile.

She would never admit to what she had done.

A shabby little shop, young chefs, no meat—but still a flavorful, juicy meat dish—these three factors were precisely why she had so confidently accepted Wen Shengzai's wager.

There's a saying in China: even the cleverest housewife cannot cook a meal without rice. No matter how skilled you are, you can't make a meat dish without meat, can you?

Watching Wen Shengzai and Xingping Chuenzhen with grim, troubled expressions, Watching Fengqi glanced at Aunt Wenren Restaurant and felt a quiet surge of relief.

As she had said, she had previously believed Aunt Wenren Restaurant was on the verge of collapse, so her main target had always been the still-thriving Xingping Restaurant.

After eliminating all meat from Xingping Restaurant, she feared Chuenzhen might borrow meat from the neighboring eatery, so she ordered her subordinates to destroy the meat in both restaurants.

Now it seemed her decision had been correct—if neither Aunt Wenren Restaurant nor Xingping Restaurant could serve her the dish she demanded, both would have to shut down.

After glancing at today's purchased ingredients and then at the bacon originally meant for breakfast, a thought suddenly struck Xingping Chuenzhen; he immediately strode into the kitchen with confident determination.

Seeing Chuenzhen's confident expression, Watching Fengqi—who had been lounging with her legs crossed—suddenly grew uneasy and turned to her bodyguards behind her: "You're certain you destroyed every last bit of meat in their stores, right?"

"Yes, sir. Beef, pork, chicken—even fish—we're certain we removed every trace."

Hearing their confirmation, Watching Fengqi's expression eased, yet Chuenzhen's earlier confidence still left her with a nagging unease.

To dispel this unease, she crossed her arms again, pressing her already ample bust into an even deeper cleavage, and feigned casualness as she turned to Wen Shengzai: "Keeping a customer waiting isn't the way a proper restaurant treats its guests, is it?

That red-haired brat has already started cooking—what are you waiting for?"

Honestly, even if Chuenzhen somehow produced a dish that met her requirements, Watching Fengqi wouldn't be overly concerned.

Whether it was good or not didn't matter—if she failed, she'd merely have failed to complete her company's assigned task.

But unlike that reckless brat Chuenzhen, she had placed a bet on Wen Shengzai!

If Wen Shengzai won, she'd have to pay him an amount equal to the land purchase price of Aunt Wenren Restaurant.

The company wouldn't cover that sum—she'd have to pay it out of her own pocket.

She dared make such a high-stakes wager because she was certain that under these extreme conditions, Wen Shengzai could not cook a dish meeting her requirements.

But when she saw Chuenzhen stride into the kitchen with such confidence, she finally panicked—she now feared Wen Shengzai, too, had found a way to overcome this challenge!

Wen Shengzai had accepted Watching Fengqi's wager because, since his cheap mother returned to her hometown, the funds she left behind had been depleted by days of losses.

And if he wanted to reopen, he'd need money—for ingredients, for everything…

(End of Chapter)