Culinary Expert

Chapter 30: Testing the Waters

[Congratulations, Host. You have completed the “First Taste of Success” quest. ] Just as the system’s electronic voice finished speaking, it suddenly went silent. Bai Xiaobai waited anxiously for a while; he remembered that completing “A Trial Run” would earn him a mysterious reward. What the hell is the system playing at? No sound for ages. Playing coy again? Damn it, System, you can’t play people like this. Bai Xiaobai tapped his head lightly, trying to rouse the system. But the system still didn’t respond. Holy crap! Could this cutting-edge gourmet system developed on Planet X be a defective unit that’s now broken? Just as Bai Xiaobai was fretting in the kitchen, he suddenly saw a huge face pressed against the glass outside the kitchen. Holy crap! A pair of eerie, shifty eyes were staring right at him. When Bai Xiaobai suddenly saw that distorted, massive face, he got a massive fright. Amid his surprise, he took a closer look and realized the person outside was Wang Tuzi from next door. Since his face was pressed right against the glass kitchen door, his entire face looked a bit distorted. Wang Tuzi was standing outside the glass kitchen, standing slightly on tiptoes, craning his neck, and staring intently into the kitchen. His neck was already longer than most people’s, and with it stretched out like that, it looked even more like a goose’s neck—or perhaps a turtle’s head—which was incredibly comical. But no matter how hard Wang Tuzi tried to look, all he could see inside the glass kitchen was a blurry mess; he couldn’t make out Bai Xiaobai at all, let alone any of the other equipment. It clearly looked like an ordinary pane of glass, yet for some reason, he couldn’t see a thing. Wang Tuzi was thoroughly puzzled. In fact, the glass on the System’s glass kitchen wasn’t ordinary anti-glare coated glass; it was the latest high-tech frosted glass. We know that ordinary frosted glass is opaque from both sides, but the frosted glass in Bai Xiaobai’s kitchen is different—it hides an additional layer of frosting invisible to the naked eye. As a result, from the outside, the interior appears as a blurry shadow, while from the inside, one can see the outside very clearly. Protected by this glass, the situation now felt as though the enemy was in the open while he was in the shadows. For example, Bai Xiaobai could see every move Wang Tuzi was making outside right now, while outside, although Wang Tuzi’s gaze seemed to be fixed on Bai Xiaobai, he actually couldn’t see a thing. Ever since acquiring the Gourmet System, Bai Xiaobai had been so busy and fulfilled that he hadn’t had a moment to spare for Wang Tuzi next door. He never expected Wang Tuzi to show up right now. And he’d been staring intently into the kitchen the whole time—that shifty gaze was practically as if he were trying to see right through the glass. Something was definitely up. That was Bai Xiaobai’s gut feeling. Anyway, the system wasn’t responding or making a sound for the moment—it must have just frozen up. Bai Xiaobai took advantage of this lull to step out of the kitchen, determined to confront this Wang Tuzi. “Hey, Boss Wang, what wind blew you into my shop?” Bai Xiaobai quipped as he emerged from the kitchen. Bai Xiaobai always spoke one way to people and another to ghosts. He used one tone when talking to customers, and naturally, a different one for his old nemesis next door. When Wang Tuzi saw Bai Xiaobai emerge from the glass-walled kitchen completely off guard, he was startled and quickly ducked his head. He’d assumed Bai Xiaobai had gone upstairs or to the restroom, so he’d taken the opportunity to sneak a peek inside the kitchen—only to be caught red-handed by Bai Xiaobai after just a few glances. Wang Tuzi felt a bit awkward, but he was no fool. He quickly improvised, saying, “Mr. Bai, I noticed the glass in your kitchen looks pretty good—it’s quite sturdy. Where did you get it? I’d like to get a piece for myself, too.” As soon as Bai Xiaobai heard this, he knew Wang Tuzi was trying to beat around the bush, but he didn’t call him out on it. Instead, he just smiled slightly and said, “It’s just a piece of frosted glass—nothing special. You can buy it anywhere.” Hearing this, Wang Tuzi’s shifty eyes darted about, and he continued in a calm tone, “Bai Xiaobai, I’m planning to give my shop a makeover too. I saw how quickly you renovated your place last time—I’m not sure which interior design firm did it, but I’d like to take some cues from them.” Wang Tuzi’s tone was very sincere, as if he were genuinely seeking advice. He definitely couldn’t tell anyone about the system. Bai Xiaobai’s eyes darted around, and he laughed, “My uncle came by last time and saw how shabby my shop was, so he had one of his guys help me with the renovation.” “Which company was it? Could you tell me the name? I’d like to have them spruce up my shop, too.” Wang Tuzi looked quite interested. “It wasn’t a big company—just a few guys who teamed up to do it. But they’ve stopped now; the partnership fell apart.” Bai Xiaobai continued spinning his web of lies. Seeing Bai Xiaobai answer so smoothly and without hesitation, Wang Tuzi was instantly left speechless. Whether Bai Xiaobai was lying or not, now that he’d taken the conversation this far, Wang Tuzi had absolutely no way to verify his story. “Mr. Bai, could you show me your kitchen? Let me take a photo so I can share it with my master contractor for reference.” Wang Tuzi really had some nerve. “Mr. Wang, you’re in the restaurant business too. You should know that the kitchen is a restricted area—no unauthorized personnel allowed,” Bai Xiaobai replied with a smile, flatly refusing. Wang Tuzi knew Bai Xiaobai wouldn’t agree, but he hadn’t expected the refusal to be so decisive, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. “Mr. Bai, I just want to take a quick look—just a peek.” Bai Xiaobai never expected Wang Tuzi to be so persistent, and was just about to refuse again. Unexpectedly, Xiao Hei, who had been lying low, suddenly ran over to provide some divine assistance. When he saw Wang Tuzi, it was as if he’d spotted a giant, walking human sausage—he lunged forward, ready to bite. Xiao Hei had always been well-behaved—never barking or biting people—but Wang Tuzi was an exception. Every time Xiao Hei saw him, it would let out a couple of growls. Xiao Hei probably still held a grudge from back when it was beaten with a stick for gnawing on bones at Wang Tuzi’s shop. When Wang Tuzi was a child in the countryside, he was bitten once by a rabid stray dog and nearly died of rabies, so he has a particular phobia of dogs. Although Xiao Hei wasn’t actually biting him now, he kept rubbing his teeth and snout against Wang Tuzi’s pant leg, making Wang Tuzi’s hair stand on end and leaving him feeling extremely uncomfortable. With Bai Xiaobai right there, Wang Tuzi couldn’t very well kick the dog away. All he could do was force a wry smile and quickly leave Xiaobai Restaurant. Given the scene Wang Tuzi had put on in the shop today, coupled with his strange behavior, Bai Xiaobai already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Wang Tuzi had already begun to harbor some suspicions. And no wonder. Earlier, the store renovation was completed in the blink of an eye. Add to that the “Supreme Tea Eggs” at fifty-one each, along with sales restrictions. Bai Xiaobai’s transformation was too sudden. Business hadn’t been great before, so naturally no one paid much attention to the dramatic changes—or the other subtle shifts—that had taken place in his shop almost overnight. But once business started picking up, Wang Tuzi, with his ulterior motives, naturally began digging into these changes. Wang Tuzi’s suspicions had simply been building up, bit by bit. There must be something wrong with Xiaobai Restaurant! He just didn’t expect Bai Xiaobai to be so tight-lipped and so adept at handling the situation—he ended up being outmaneuvered by his own dog, and in the end, he didn’t uncover a single thing. Wang Tuzi lit a cigarette in the restaurant, took a puff, and sank into deep thought. Those years when he was humiliated by Bai Dabai were still vivid in his mind. He was determined to bring down Xiaobai Restaurant—it was the sole goal in Wang Tuzi’s life, aside from making money. But first, he had to uncover the hidden shenanigans inside Xiaobai Restaurant and then address the root of the problem; only then could he uproot them completely. Of course, he didn’t rule out using some underhanded, violent methods in the process.