Chapter 35

Thinking of the rumors spreading like wildfire outside, Diwu Ling said, "If you don't want to donate your bone marrow, no one can force you."

Turing Group and Su Corporation had no business dealings with each other. Diwu Ling had not had much contact with Su Corporation's chairman either. But he was friends with Huo Jiu. If Huo Jiu needed help, he could try to mediate for him.

Thinking of what he had learned last night about Huo Jiu's background and experiences over the years, Diwu Ling patted Huo Jiu's shoulder with slight sympathy. "Don't worry. Your cooking is so good that even if you can't stay with the Su family, there will surely be a place for you in this city."

If all else failed, Huo Jiu could work part-time as a chef at Turing Group's small cafeteria. Turing Group could sponsor Huo Jiu's schooling. Once Huo Jiu graduated, if he did not want to be a chef, Diwu Ling could provide him with another job.

Diwu Ling calculated silently. He could even have Huo Jiu serve as his assistant while attending school. He would teach Huo Jiu personally.

—He could offset the tuition with the dishes Huo Jiu cooked himself.

"Don't let those disgraceful little tricks scare you," Diwu Ling said. He did not want to comment on some of Su Shiyuan's methods. The dignified chairman of Su Corporation was actually using such despicable tactics to force an underage child.

Diwu Ling had truly had his eyes opened.

Huo Jiu came back to himself, casually brushed Diwu Ling's hand away, and smiled. "Don't worry. No one can bully me anymore."

He set aside the lean pork he had scored in a crosshatch pattern, coated it along with water chestnuts cut to the size of garlic cloves, then fried them in oil. After that, he poured the pre-mixed sauce into the wok and thickened it.

Once the dish was finished, he poured it onto a plate. Huo Jiu casually carved several water chestnuts into lychee shapes for garnish.

Liang Xiaoba was already utterly impressed by Huo Jiu's knife skills. Seeing that Huo Jiu was about to make Sweet-and-Sour Spare Ribs and Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork next, he could not help suggesting, "If every dish is thickened with starch, won't the flavors be too repetitive? Why not change the Sweet-and-Sour Spare Ribs to garlic ribs—"

Before he could finish, Diwu Ling interrupted him.

The domineering CEO was still expressionless as he said in a low voice, "Sweet-and-Sour Spare Ribs are good. Make Sweet-and-Sour Spare Ribs."

Liang Xiaoba: "..." When he cooked, he had never heard that Turing Group's chairman had a sweet tooth.

Diwu Ling himself did not think much of it. Instead, Huo Jiu felt a little guilty. When he had made the menu, he had only thought of buying ingredients based on his own preferences. He had forgotten that Diwu Ling would ultimately be paying for these dishes.

Would Diwu Ling find it cloying if everything was prepared with thickened sauce?

And the dessert after the meal would be sweet too.

"This is fine," Diwu Ling said with a straight face. "The menu has already been made. Let's keep it like this today. If you want different flavors, you can make them tomorrow."

Huo Jiu nodded unconsciously at that. That was true. The ingredients had already been bought, so they could not be wasted.

—Wait a second!

Only then did Huo Jiu look at Diwu Ling. When had he agreed to come again tomorrow?

Diwu Ling looked at Huo Jiu without expression, his dark, clear eyes filled with innocence.

Huo Jiu: "..." Fine! He would come if he had to. Someone else was paying anyway.

Liang Xiaoba stood to the side and watched coldly. Huo Jiu and Diwu Ling silently stared at each other for quite some time, then suddenly seemed to reach an understanding and nodded at one another. Huo Jiu's helplessness carried a trace of compromise, while Diwu Ling's expressionless face somehow revealed a hint of smugness?

Liang Xiaoba rubbed his chin and only then realized: was he a little superfluous here?

Because Mr. Sugar Daddy firmly supported the original menu, Huo Jiu ultimately made Sweet-and-Sour Spare Ribs and Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork. After the final Sour Bamboo Shoot and Chicken-Skin Soup was served, Diwu Ling eagerly picked up his chopsticks and invited Huo Jiu, "Eat with me."

Still thinking about his Suzhou-Style Boat Pastries, Huo Jiu replied absentmindedly, "You eat first."

Diwu Ling frowned. "It won't taste good cold."

Huo Jiu could not be bothered to repeat himself. He stayed in the kitchen, poured water and kneaded dough, steamed vegetable and fruit purées, and shaped little chicks, ducklings, kittens, and puppies from the mixed colorful dough. As for the filling, he used green bean paste.

The translucent, brightly colored dough wrapped around jade-green bean paste, making the pastries look even more delicate and adorable.

Diwu Ling sat properly at the dining table and waited obediently. By the time Huo Jiu finished making the pastries, washed his hands, and came to the table, the dishes had gone cold.

Huo Jiu froze when he saw that. "Didn't I tell you to eat first?"

Diwu Ling looked at Huo Jiu with his pitch-black eyes and said expressionlessly, "I waited to eat with you."

Huo Jiu was his friend, not a chef he had hired. How could he eat first when his friend had not come to the table yet?

Huo Jiu was stunned. He gave Diwu Ling a meaningful look. "The dishes are cold now. They won't taste good."

"They still taste good." Diwu Ling served Huo Jiu a bowl of soup.

It was the height of summer. Even with the air conditioning on in the dining room, it was not too cold. At the very least, the food was still warm.

But it clearly would not taste as good as it had fresh from the wok.

Huo Jiu had timed everything precisely and even shamelessly commandeered Turing Group's small cafeteria kitchen, all so Diwu Ling could eat the freshest food possible.

Yet Diwu Ling had insisted on waiting for him, dragging things out until the food had turned lukewarm.

For a moment, Huo Jiu did not know what to say.

"Since you paid a million to have me cook, theoretically, I'm no different from a chef you hired." In fact, his pay was even a little higher. "There was absolutely no need for you to wait for me."

Diwu Ling shook his head. "A million per dish was because I was afraid you wouldn't be willing to cook for me."

Diwu Ling knew that Huo Jiu had won eighty-eight million in the lottery. Ordinary methods definitely could not move Huo Jiu. The reason he had offered a million per dish was to persuade Huo Jiu to exchange contact information with him. He had not truly regarded Huo Jiu as a chef.

He had been the one to suggest becoming friends with Huo Jiu. Huo Jiu was younger than him, and Diwu Ling felt that he ought to look after him. Rather than use friendship as an excuse to trick Huo Jiu into cooking for him.