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"Ugh, so it seems we arrived at a bad time!"
Mu Xiaoyue cheerfully remarked, glancing at the angelic-looking blonde girl in the corner and winking at Xia Yu behind the counter.
Outside of regular business hours, with such a beautiful girl quietly sitting in the shop, she could only be one of two things: either a friend or a girlfriend.
Xia Yu's mouth twitched, too lazy to explain.
Whether calling her a friend or a girlfriend, Tiqie Helinai would definitely explode. Xia Yu didn't want to be harshly ridiculed in front of two fellow countrymen, so he decided to elegantly ignore the Divine Tongue for now.
"Did you save some room?"
Glancing at the time on the old clock hanging in the shop, Xia Yu turned and headed back to the kitchen. "It's time to make lunch. Just wait a moment; half an hour will do."
Mu Xiaoyue and An Ya sat together, whispering in conversation.
"Xiao Ya, you have no idea how I lost sleep last night!" Mu Xiaoyue said with an excited face. "The couple's sliced beef and ox tongue in chili sauce was so delicious it's hard to believe it's a mortal dish. I hope we can eat something that good again today."
An Ya was speechless.
She wasn't as cheerful as Mu Xiaoyue, showing all her emotions on her face, but her anticipation for the food was no less than her friend's.
The two spoke Mandarin, not a word of which Tiqie Helinai could understand.
While they waited, the Tokyo skies outside the shop suddenly erupted in torrential rain, dark clouds covering the sun and dimming the sky.
Tiqie Helinai received a call from her private secretary, Niho Fuyuka, who continuously apologized to her over the phone.
Due to the heavy rain and the massive traffic jam caused by a sudden car accident, Secretary would take at least an hour to get to Ameyoko.
Click.
She put away her phone, a trace of irritation flashing in Tiqie Helinai's eyes. She crossed her arms and walked to the shop door, gazing at the old shopping street in the rain. Her thoughts drifted back to the morning when the Far Moon Commander, Tiqie Xianzuowen, had encountered her at breakfast in the Tiqie Main Residence, and said:
"Eriina, you are the same age as Mr. Xia Qing's grandson. If you can, please help your grandfather take care of the young chef—even if he doesn't end up entering Far Moon."
The Far Moon Commander had also smiled.
"I think you two could become friends. Eriina, you should also communicate more with chefs your age. I believe Mr. Xia Qing's grandson is fully qualified to be your friend."
So Tiqie Helinai had come, only to be left here.
Thinking of her grandfather's insistence, Tiqie Helinai felt both helpless and slightly resentful.
She, the top of Far Moon Middle School, the youngest Elite Ten in history, with a talent of a divine-level chef known as the "Divine Tongue"—why should she stoop to make friends with a commoner boy?
Her messy thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Tiqie Helinai relaxed her crossed arms and quickly turned around, her violet eyes showing a hint of incredulity.
"What a rich aroma..."
Amidst the heavy rain, the thick air seemed to clear up suddenly as the fragrance of cooking filled the air, dominating not just the entirety of the small eatery but even rolling outside to mingle in the rainy street.
Tiqie Helinai wanted to go in but bit her lip, suppressing the urge. Inside her, a voice warned her, "No! Don't lower yourself to that damned commoner!"
In the mind of the Divine Tongue, to actively ask to taste someone's cooking was clearly lowering her own status.
After all, countless high-end restaurants dreamed of getting her "Divine Tongue" to taste and evaluate their food, managers waving bills and making connections to reach her, but as someone born into a prestigious family, Tiqie Helinai cared little for money.
"Alright, today there's only one dish, but the rice is unlimited, please enjoy!"
Even standing at the shop door, she could hear that annoying voice she hated.
The aroma became even more intense, and in the rain-soaked air, it seemed as if the spiciness and numbness made it all the more heated.
Today's dish was specially served in a large covered stainless steel pot, and Tiqie Helinai watched in amazement as he directly placed the pot on the table.
Yet, when the lid was lifted, the pupils of the Divine Tongue contracted sharply.
Due to the gloomy rain-soaked shop, the moment it was lifted, everything was illuminated by a miraculous glow from the dish.
It was like magic, unbelievable and bewildering.
At that moment, Tiqie Helinai had abandoned all her prideful thoughts, her vision filled only with the glowing dish on the table, and the calm young chef slowly lifting the lid.
The light didn't last long, retracting completely in two or three seconds.
The two female tourists at the table were also in a state of petrification.
"Please enjoy—"
Xia Yu brought three bowls of steaming hot rice.
Gulp~
Swallowing the excess saliva in her mouth, Mu Xiaoyue pointed at the tofu dish in the pot, her tone inadvertently cute and silly, said, "Is this Sichuan cuisine, mapo tofu?"
"Magical Mapo Tofu, that's the name of the dish." Xia Yu stated, glancing towards Tiqie Helinai, who was suddenly standing at the counter, "Eriina, don't you think so?"
He intentionally asked in English so the tourists could understand.
"No!"
Tiqie Helinai, biting her thumb, firmly stared at the pot of mapo tofu with its perfect color, aroma, and taste, shaking her head. She said with definite tone, "This is absolutely not the Magical Mapo Tofu I had before."
"How to say, the glowing Magical Mapo Tofu is the true essence of this dish. What you and the Commander tasted before was just my failed experiment," Xia Yu shrugged.
"What...?" Tiqie Helinai thought she misheard, almost shouting in shamed anger, her clear eyes filled with fury. "Are you telling me that you served the Divine Tongue a failed dish? Who gave you the courage to dare present a failed dish for me and the Commander to taste!"
Xia Yu was immune to Tiqie Helinai's murderous gaze.
"In fact, didn't that failed dish make the Commander's 'lapel burst'?" Xia Yu's lips curled into a smile. "This completed dish is my apology to you."
Tiqie Helinai was immediately at a loss.
Her grandfather's bursting lapel couldn't be faked.
"I must thank you, Eriina. If it hadn't been for your Divine Tongue, I might have needed more time to single out the flaws in the failed dish. It's your tongue that allowed me to create a highly completed culinary work that very night. Now, this dish is almost perfect!"
"I finally understand why those high-end restaurants clutch their money to have you taste their dishes."
All his words of praise were grating to Tiqie Helinai's ears.
Bastard!
Who asked you to help complete the dish!!
With veins popping on her forehead, Tiqie Helinai barely held back the urge to transform into a raging dragon.
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