With Hao Xue no longer interfering, Qin Fen happily got to work. He set the soup base simmering, carved the winter melon, and prepared all the ingredients before quietly settling down to wait. With so many people around, the villa was no longer as peaceful as usual.
Once Big Chef had everything ready, he checked his phone. It was still early, barely ten, with roughly two hours left until noon. He washed his hands and left the kitchen. Meanwhile, Hao Xue slowly woke after his short nap. Taking stock of his condition, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"That liquor really packs a delayed punch!" A fresh set of clothes lay beside him, brought back from the hotel by his assistant.
After changing, Hao Xue walked out of the room with a complete blank in his memory. In the living room, he spotted Secretary Zhang, Captain Lu, and Chef Qin chatting merrily, laughing and joking.
The instant he appeared, however, everything went quiet. Secretary Zhang's eyelid twitched as he looked at him. Captain Lu looked deeply uncomfortable, while Qin Fen pursed his lips, wanting to laugh but unable to. Ever since the assistant had left, word of what had happened between the two men had spread through the group.
"Heh, what are you all talking about?" Hao Xue felt a little awkward as he looked at Qin Fen. He was the consultant, after all, yet he'd fallen asleep instead of doing his job. That was dereliction of duty. Now he didn't say a word about inspecting the ingredients, quietly swallowing his loss.
"Nothing much. Just talking about things we've seen lately. Anyway, are you fully awake now?" Captain Lu's gaze kept wandering. He still couldn't forget that line, "I want more." Even the team members passing nearby gave