Maverick Chef - Chapter 46：Asking Timidly

“With such a loud and heroic voice, how could you be a celebrity?” Bai Lu said.

Ding Ding ran as fast as flying, and she sprinted into the kitchen. With lightning speed, she extended her hands and grabbed the cleaver. She said, “If you dare to be impudent towards me again, do you believe me that I will chop you up?”

Bai Lu retreated backward with a single step, and he said, “You have gotten into character. Have you received a new script? Or is it because you have not been acting for a while, so your brain has been stifled and damaged?”

He San Qing saw the scene, and he thought, “This is getting interesting.” He poured himself some plain boiled water, and he sipped on it like he was savoring a nice cup of tea. His legs were crossed one over the other, and he sat back to watch the show; He felt leisurely and carefree.

Zhang Sha Sha saw the gorgeous and sexy Liu Wen Qing, and she asked Bai Lu, “Brother, is she the new service personnel? Then what would I do in the future?”

“You are exploiting child labor. I want to sue you,” Liu Wen Qing said, with a serious voice.

“What the hell. Could this scene get any more ridiculous?” Bai Lu thought, and he said angrily, “Those that want to eat, you better get outside and sit down properly. Those that do not want to eat can continue to mess around.”

This was indeed the coup de grâce. Ding Ding and Sha Sha instantly left the kitchen, and they sat down at the table. Liu Wen Qing did not lag behind, as she sat beside Sha Sha and whispered to her. “Is he your brother?”

After a while, the food was served on the table, and the five of them started eating their meal.

Having tasted one of the best food in the world, Liu Wen Qing sighed in admiration, and she said, “No wonder the customers were acting so outrageously just now. Now I understand why the girl was willing to drink the bowl of soup.”

It was the first time that she has tasted Bai Lu’s cooking, and she was easily shaken by the impact of the food.

However, she had an elegant demeanor while she was eating. It was completely different from the mad rush to snatch the food when the others ate for the first time. She gently picked up the food with the chopsticks and lightly chewed her food, which made her look exceptionally attractive.

“I really envy you guys, as you could enjoy such delicious food every single day.” After she took a few more bites, she was deeply touched again.

Bai Lu felt very awkward, and he said, “You better speak like you normally do.”

“Brother, you haven’t answered me yet. If she becomes the new waitress, what would I do?” Zhang Sha Sha asked.

“You? Just eat the food then,” he said, and he thought, “How could it be so depressing? Why is there so much trouble even when we are eating?”

The phone in the restaurant suddenly started ringing, and Sha Sha went over to pick up the call. After listening for a while, she said to Bai Lu in a loud voice, “Global Investment, they want to discuss business with you.”

“The employees in this company are really persistent,” he thought, and then he said, “Tell him, I do not need any investment.”

Sha Sha conveyed his message. After she hung up the call, she walked back to the table and said, “What is the investment for? To open a new restaurant?”

With a hint of disdain, He San Qing said, “What rubbish company is that? If you want to open another restaurant or if you need any investment, you can just let me know. I do not have too much, but a couple of hundred millions should still be easily affordable.”

“Several hundred millions of rough straw paper?” Bai Lu said.

Liu Wen Qing could not understand him, and she said, “Everyone wants to make money and expand their business, but why is it that you are not even interested? Ah, I know now. You must be a rich second generation, so you have no regard for money.”

“Do not smear the reputation of the rich second generations. Since when have you seen a rich second generation that is as idiotic as this man?” He San Qing protested.

Bai Lu giggled and responded to his rhetorical question. “You.”

“If you are not the rich second generation, then how could you obtain more than $10 million?” Liu Wen Qing asked again.

Bai Lu said, “It was excavated from a coffin. Have you finished eating? If so, then clean up the tables.” Then he went back to play Battle City.

During this period of time, Liu Wen Qing told Ding Ding and Sha Sha about the story of Bai Lu treating the patient. After Sha Sha heard the story, she blinked her eyes repeatedly but did not say a word. On the other hand, Ding Ding hummed coldly and commended him sarcastically. “Dressing up as God, but playing the Devil.”

They sat around for a little while longer, until people were queueing outside of the restaurant. Ding Ding went back home, but Sha Sha insisted on staying behind. She said that she wanted to help with work. He San Qing received a call, and he drove off in his car.

Everybody went away to do their own things, but Liu Wen Qing stayed behind instead.

Bai Lu was a little curious. However, since they were not very close, he could not ask questions that were too inappropriate. He adopted a laissez-faire attitude and continued to play his games.

Unfortunately, he always could not clear the ninth level. Right when he was getting into the flow, Le Miao Miao led her whole bunch of classmates into the restaurant. As soon as they entered, they started thanking Bai Lu immediately. Especially Meng Bing and the others who were implicated, they thanked him even more profusely. No matter how cool Bai Lu was, he still had to abandon his gameplay and organized the girls to sit down.

Le Miao Miao said, “Brother Bai, tonight we will treat you to a drink.”

“You girls? Treat me?”

“Yes, there is a Xinjiang restaurant near our school, which makes exceptional Laghman pulled noodles,” Feng Bao Bei said.

“You girls came all the way from your school, just to invite me to have a meal nearby your school?” Bai Lu felt that it was a little bit superfluous.

“Otherwise, what should we do? How about we buy you some new clothes? Aren’t you tired of wearing the same old white shirt and jeans every day?” Le Miao Miao said.

After the girls heard her suggestion, they agreed unanimously, and they were prepared to drag Bai Lu out onto the streets.

Bai Lu took a look, and he thought, “This bunch of female elites are truly impressive. They were drugged a few days ago and almost lost their virginity. It was such a serious incident, and yet they are recovered in such a short amount of time? Their level of mental resilience is definitely stronger than mine.”

Strictly speaking, except for Le Miao Miao and Liu Chen, the other girls had not much of a clue as to what had actually happened. Even though they might have been taken advantage of by the guys, but the truth was that it did not occur. After resting for two days, they seemed to not care about it at all.

Bai Lu rejected, and he said, “I am not going.”

A few days ago, he tried to coax Sha Sha to buy some clothes. His excuse was that he was buying those clothes for himself. Therefore, he bought a bunch of new clothes, but he never wore them even once.

“What should we do then? How about going for a drink? There is a pub near our school, which is opened by a Westerner, so it has a certain feel to it.” Le Miao Miao offered another suggestion.

“Pubs are boring. How about dancing at a disco?” another girl said.

It seemed like this bunch of girls have not really decided beforehand.

There were a total of nine girls, which included Sha Sha and Liu Wen Qing. The entire room was filled with vibrant laughter and youthful conversations. It made the tiny restaurant look particularly bright and lively; It was a beautiful sight.

While the girls were focused on chattering, Bai Lu took the opportunity to scamper off. He grabbed his phone and entered the kitchen. If he did not challenge the 10th level, he would never be satisfied.

As soon as he booted up the game, the phone rang. It was Tong An Quan.

A few days ago, there was someone that proposed to his girlfriend in the Great 5-Star Restaurant, and Bai Lu demonstrated his exceptional culinary talent. When the video footage of his cooking skills was uploaded on the internet, the marriage proposal also appeared on the internet.

Tong An Quan saw the video, and he was inspired, so he wanted to propose to Wang Yi Yi. Even if he were rejected, it would be much less of a plight than to wait endlessly without any confirmation of their relationship.

After he understood Tong An Quan’s intention, Bai Lu said, “Don’t waste your time.” Bai Lu was not optimistic about his future with her.

Wang Yi Yi was a brilliant white-collared worker, with a clear understanding of what she had and also a clear intention of what she wanted. Her goals were laser-focused. And Tong An Quan was not able to provide what she desired.

“You cannot discourage me like this,” Tong An Quan said, with a low and dispirited voice, “I plan to propose to her on the perfect occasion, which is on the 10th of October.”

“Are you mad? The perfect occasion? And even on the Double Tenth Day,” Bai Lu calmly said. As he spoke, he recalled that there was a new company that was opening on the 10th. It was the company that 7th Brother Chai started for He Xiao Huan: Huan Entertainment.

As he recalled about this issue, he remembered Gao Yuan as well. He thought, “Will that guy be going to the event? It seems like he had some unexplained history with He Xiao Huan that I am not aware of. And also, Wang Yi Yi, who Tong An Quan was trying so hard to woo, was more infatuated with Gao Yuan instead.”

He sighed uncontrollably, and he said, “The social circle of the rich is mindboggling to me.”

“What and what? I want to propose to her. I am not asking you to propose an idea to me.” Men were usually one-track minded.

“This guy is nuts,” Bai Lu thought. He could not be bothered to advise him any longer, so he gave a random excuse. He said, “Huan Entertainment, which is the company that manages Celebrity He Xiao Huan, will be opening on the 10th. Gao Yuan and I have both received the invitation so I might not be free on that day.”

The person on the other side of the phone fell into a deep silence. After a while, Tong An Quan said, “I understand.” Then he hung up the call.

“You know He Xiao Huan?” Liu Wen Qing suddenly appeared beside him.

“Are you a ghost?” Bai Lu was surprised. He looked down at her feet, and he said, “You are wearing high heels, but yet, you are able to walk without making any sound at all? How professional indeed.”

“What professional? I am already old.” Liu Wen Qing felt a little bitter in her heart, as she looked at the bunch of youthful girls through the glass window.

“Why are you comparing yourself to them? I have eaten to the point of bursting… How old are you by the way?” Bai Lu did not abstain from asking her this sensitive question about her age.

Liu Wen Qing flipped her eyes at him, and she turned to look at the counter. With a deep voice, she muttered, “Tell me, was it a bad idea to partner with me in running this restaurant? I have the talent for management, and I can handle the PR and Marketing component. With your culinary talent, if we partner up, we would definitely be the best restaurant in the Northern City in less than a year.”

“Best restaurant? My goal is to have the best canteen,” Bai Lu said, and he asked her, “What were you thinking? Why must you insist on partnering up with me? Why can’t you just do it by yourself? Or you could have found someone else as a partner.”

“Why do you think that I have not done that before?” Liu Wen Qing went to the kitchen to retrieve the kitchen knife. She fiddled around with the knife for a while, and then she said, “How about you teach me to cook so that I could open my own restaurant in the future.”

“You? Do you know how to skin a fish? Can you slay a chicken or a pigeon?”

“Nope.” Liu Wen Qing looked at the time, and with a soft voice, she said, “It’s time for me to go. I will not be bothering you anymore.”

“Where are you going?” Bai Lu asked casually. After all, she was a gorgeous woman, so he had to show some concern for her out of courtesy.

“Going home,” she said and left the restaurant.

As he watched her leave, he scratched his head. He could not seem to understand this woman completely. But then again, if he could not understand, then he would not care about it as well. He discarded the thought to the back of his head, and he continued to play the game on his mobile phone.

“May I know if the boss is here?” The restaurant door opened, and a young and shy girl walked into the room. She was about the same height as Sha Sha, and they seemed to be around the same age too.

The whole room of girls was still discussing where to go out to have fun tonight. Suddenly, there was a disharmonious sound that interrupted their conversation. They all stopped speaking and turned towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Bai Lu walked over, and he said, “I am the boss.”

“May I ask if you are hiring any service personnel? I can take the hardships. You could let me try it out for a week, as long as I have a place to stay and some food to eat. If you think that I am worth hiring, then you can hire me afterward.” The little girl was wearing a yellow T-shirt, black pants, and a pair of cloth shoes.

Bai Lu was a little bit conflicted. From the perspective of the restaurant, there would be no need to hire any more service personnel. However, looking at her pitiful state —there were two enormous and dirty travel bags at her feet— he could not bear to chase her away.

“How old are you?”

Hearing his inquisition, the young girl stood up straight and said, “18, but I look quite young.”

“You look quite young?” Bai Lu thought, and he heaved a sigh. He said, “Do you have your ID?”

“I lost it.” It seemed like the young girl was unwilling to speak the truth.

Bai Lu contemplated for a while, and he said, “Then I am sorry—”

He was about to reject her, so he was speaking with a slower speed. However, before he could finish his sentence, the young girl timidly bowed once and said, “Then I am sorry for the intrusion, Boss.” She gently closed the door. With great effort, she hoisted her two large travel bags and moved on to the next store.

Bai Lu was dazed for a while. He pushed the door open and went outside. Right then, he saw Li Huang standing outside the dumpling store. When he saw Bai Lu coming out, he nodded towards him and said, “Her life is not easy, sigh.”

In front of the Great 5-Star Restaurant was the authentic Lanzhou Ramen store; Two large travel bags were placed at the door. The young girl was in the store, and she came out after a while because the service personnel of the ramen store said that the boss was not around.

Zhang Sha Sha opened the door and came out of the restaurant. She looked at the staunch silhouette of the young girl, and she asked Bai Lu, “Could we do anything to help her?”

“Help? How do we help?” Bai Lu thought, but he did not say anything.

Zhang Sha Sha said again, “If Sister Liu helped you with the operations, then we could expand the business. Does this mean that we would be able to keep her around?”

Bai Lu still did not say anything.

Sha Sha said, “Why were you willing to help me?”

Bai Lu sighed. He went back into the restaurant and retrieved more than a thousand dollars. Then he passed it to Sha Sha and said, “Let her go back home first. Once we expand our business, then we would invite her back.”