Aphrodite.
It reaped lives as though not by relying on its sharpness, but by captivating all beneath its beauty. Just like its namesake, Aphrodite, the legendary goddess of beauty, who was said to have been born bathed in another's blood.
Zhao Bai knew none of that. He only used it when fleecing suckers.
Frowning, he used a few strokes of ketchup to capture the essence of the rose at the point where Aphrodite's handle met its blade.
"Sorry for the poor hospitality!"
Holding the omurice adorned with a rose, Zhao Bai walked over to Rita and solemnly invited her to sit down.
With an indulgent smile, Rita pulled out a pair of chopsticks and asked, "So you changed your mind after just one day? Is this what they call an employee meal? No wonder Lord Fu Hua wanted so badly to work at your restaurant. I completely understand now."
"That was just her obsessive-compulsive disorder acting up."
Zhao Bai said helplessly, "Go ahead and try it. This is the crowning masterpiece of both my cooking and artistic skills. Lots of people have tried to uncover my secrets, but after eating my food, they all became my friends with tears in their eyes."
"Is that so?"
Rita's smile remained indulgent. "Then I really must give it a proper taste."
Setting down her chopsticks, Rita picked up the restaurant's specialized tool for eating omurice. To preserve the food's original flavor as much as possible, all the spoons in the restaurant were ground from pearl shells, the raw material coming from some unfortunate shellfish Honkai Beast.
In an instant, Rita felt the smooth warmth unique to shellfish.
It was strange. This restaurant looked like the sort one could find anywhere in a bustling city, and its owner was not some highly skilled Michelin chef, yet everything about it was perfectly balanced.
The spoon cut through the egg wrapping and sliced open the rose formed from ketchup and mayonnaise. Scalding grains of rice flowed across the plate as chicken, onion, and potato released all their sealed aromas in an instant, like a magnificent fireworks display.
Besides the egg, was there also a crispy layer made with breadcrumbs?
Rita herself was an excellent cook, and she immediately understood Zhao Bai's intention. A single layer of egg would not have been enough to seal in all the aromas; he must have used other methods. To put such care into a small serving of omurice, he truly was a chef with a spirit of exploration.
"White onion, carrot..."
"The rice was stir-fried and carried a faint toasted aroma that complemented the sweetness of the curry. The texture is delicate, and the mayonnaise is exceptionally fresh as well. Your cooking is truly beyond reproach."
Stop reviewing it and cry already!
Zhao Bai was destined to be disappointed this time. Rita did not tear up as he had expected. She merely offered sincere praise for his cooking as a fellow food enthusiast.
Delicate texture, perfectly complementary, beyond reproach.
That was it?
Though it was still praise, it was not what Zhao Bai had been waiting for.
It was clear that Rita genuinely liked the omurice Zhao Bai had made. Combined with Zhao Bai's emphasis on flavor over portion size, Rita held the pearl-shell soup spoon between two fingers and soon finished the entire plate.
"Thank you, Boss."
She completely regarded herself as an employee of this restaurant. "Thank you for your hospitality and for allowing Rita to experience the employee meal in advance. If I could eat dishes like this while working here, it would truly be a beautiful pleasure."
"So, when can I start work?"
"..."
This was completely different from what he had imagined, and Zhao Bai panicked a little. He noticed a small box by the door filled with all kinds of household cleaning supplies. With both hands tucked beneath her cheeks, Rita looked up at him, a faint inscrutable smile hanging on her lips.
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