Australian Wagyu beef, French foie gras, caviar, black truffles.
And a dessert and drink.
Though the food didn't seem like much, the per-person cost had already exceeded ten thousand.
The dishes quickly arrived at the table of Zhang Jingshan and his two companions.
Originally, Zhang Jingshan wanted to introduce the dishes to Ye Chen.
However, as soon as the food arrived, Ye Chen wasted no time and immediately began eating.
The way he skillfully used the knife and fork, along with the refined manner in which he ate, instantly left Zhang Jingshan feeling self-conscious and dumbfounded.
Was this someone who was a lazy, gambling addict only thinking about making a quick fortune?
"Mr. Ye, how do you find the food here?" Zhang Jingshan asked, unable to stop himself.
"The steak is alright, but it was thawed for too long. As for the foie gras, there wasn't enough brandy used during the marinating process. The caviar is fine, quite fresh. The black truffle's taste is decent, but the slices were cut too thick," Ye Chen replied calmly after tasting each dish.
As soon as he spoke, Zhang Jingshan was stunned.
Although he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, his character was that of a rough person.
When it came to food, he only understood the basic concepts of whether it tasted good or bad. If asked to describe the finer points, he wouldn't be able to say much.
His intention in asking Ye Chen about the taste was simply to see if he could get used to such high-end cuisine.
Who could have expected that Ye Chen would respond with such a detailed analysis?
Was this just someone pretending to understand?
Zhang Jingshan instinctively looked toward Li Changfeng.
He might not understand these things, but Li Changfeng, who was passionate about fine dining, surely did!
However, when he looked over, Li Changfeng's expression was one of surprise and shock.
This wasn't his first time at the Champs-Élysées.
Yet every time, he felt something was off about the taste, but couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong.
Now, after hearing Ye Chen's explanation, it felt as if a light bulb had gone off in his head!
The steak was thawed for too long, and there wasn't enough brandy in the foie gras marinade...
The reason he always felt something was wrong must have been because of these issues. It was definitely because of these!
"Mr. Ye, do you have in-depth knowledge of fine dining?" Li Changfeng asked eagerly. "I've been to the Champs-Élysées many times, but every time, I felt there was something off with the food, though I couldn't figure out what. After hearing your explanation, I now realize the issue must be what you mentioned!"
"It's not that I'm an expert, just that I have a picky palate," Ye Chen replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jingshan was completely stunned.
Was Ye Chen really that accurate?
A penniless, gambling addict could actually detect flaws in such high-end dishes?
Impossible. It seems the information I gathered about him was wrong!
On the other hand, Li Changfeng didn't quite buy Ye Chen's modesty.
Could it really be that he just had a sensitive palate?
He instinctively thought Ye Chen was just being humble.
"I'm curious, Mr. Ye, what do you do for a living?" Li Changfeng asked.
"What do I do? At the moment, I'm a freelancer, just living off odd jobs," Ye Chen replied with a laugh.
"A freelancer?" Li Changfeng was puzzled, looking toward Zhang Jingshan.
Zhang Jingshan awkwardly cleared his throat. "I just met Mr. Ye yesterday. We got acquainted because of the Buddhist beads I mentioned to you!"
"Oh!" Li Changfeng nodded.
Somehow, the more he learned, the more mysterious Ye Chen seemed.
Because to be able to discern the problems with the steak and foie gras just from tasting them, he was certain there were few people in Jiangzhou's elite circles who could do that.
Such a person, to be honest, Li Changfeng didn't believe could be simple.
However, he decided not to continue probing into Ye Chen's background for now.
At least for this first meeting, he had come to respect Ye Chen.
The luxurious meal ended with friendly conversation.
The three of them left the Champs-Élysées.
"Mr. Ye, are you heading home directly, or is there somewhere else you need to go? Let me give you a ride!" Zhang Jingshan offered.
"No need, I'll just take a cab back. Don't bother!" Ye Chen smiled and declined.
He then thought of the car accident in Li Changfeng's past life.
He glanced at Li Changfeng and asked, "Mr. Li, did you drive here yourself?"
"Yes, why?" Li Changfeng was confused.
Zhang Jingshan was also puzzled.
"Just that I noticed something about your forehead, Mr. Zhang. It's better if you don't drive today. Also, if you have time, you should have your car checked out, just to be safe!" Ye Chen said.
The reason for mentioning this was a bit far-fetched, making it seem like he was playing the role of a fortune teller.
But Ye Chen had no choice. If Li Changfeng were an ordinary person, he probably wouldn't have bothered to say anything.
But considering that Li Changfeng, in his past life, was a philanthropist he admired, and that he was now the CEO of Yi Nuo Company, Ye Chen felt it was necessary to warn him about the danger, hoping that it would make things go more smoothly for Chen Yinuo at the company.
"Mr. Ye, are you serious? Are you saying you've calculated this?" Zhang Jingshan asked in a daze.
"I'm not joking. Mr. Li should trust me. My instincts are usually quite accurate!" Ye Chen said with a smile.
After that, he cupped his hands in thanks to Zhang Jingshan and said, "Mr. Zhang, thank you for the hospitality today. I'll be on my way now."
Ye Chen walked away.
As Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng watched in surprise, he got into a taxi.
"Changfeng..."
Zhang Jingshan swallowed and said.
"Old Zhang, do you expect me to believe what he said?" Li Changfeng asked, still furrowing his brows.
"I think it's better to believe there's some truth to it. It's better to be cautious," Zhang Jingshan replied.
"You've never been this superstitious before. That's not like you! And my car is practically brand new, it hasn't even run 5,000 kilometers yet!" Li Changfeng still couldn't believe it.
"It's not about superstition, it's about precaution. If Ye Chen didn't bring it up, it wouldn't matter. But he did, and now you've got a nagging feeling, right? If everything's fine, that's great, but what if something happens? It won't hurt to get it checked out. Just a little peace of mind. Come on, I'll give you a ride. Let's get someone to check your car out!" Zhang Jingshan said, not giving Li Changfeng a chance to refuse.
Li Changfeng smiled wryly but eventually gave in.
...
An hour later, two men drove the brand-new Ferrari 911 out of the Champs-Élysées parking lot.
"Hey, slow down, Zhang told us to go slow, we really need to take it easy!" one of the men in the passenger seat shouted.
"Come on, why are you panicking? Zhang's being overly cautious. The car's new, only 5,000 kilometers, and the maintenance was just done, what's there to check?" the driver replied nonchalantly.
"I just follow Zhang's instructions. Two choices: either slow down, or I drive!" the passenger said firmly.
"Alright, alright, I'll slow down, is that good enough?" the driver relented, not wanting to give up the steering wheel.
As the speed dropped to 60 km/h, a taxi suddenly changed lanes without signaling.
"Son of a b****! Does this taxi think it can just cut in like that?!" the driver cursed.
In a panic, the driver slammed the brakes.
But there was no response.
"Shit!"
He stomped on the brakes again, but the car still didn't slow down.
Bang!!!
The Ferrari 911 crashed into the taxi in front.
Bang, bang, bang—!
Unable to stop, the Ferrari continued to rear-end three more cars before finally coming to a halt.
The scene was chaotic.