CHAPTER 782: CHAPTER 781: STARE—

"How ridiculous!"

Returning to the kitchen, where he seemed to be preparing dishes with his back to the bar, in reality, Xia Yu struggled to hold back his laughter, almost letting it slip out.

A decree?

Perhaps it was an alternate dimension or perhaps he hadn’t personally seen the flavor of the Chinese Realm in this dimension but anyway, Xia Yu was really not impressed with this so-called "Dragon Head’s Decree."

As he had said before, aircraft carriers and big guns were much more useful than any decree.

Wait!

But then Xia Yu’s expression grew slightly serious—if one considered the mysterious "qi" of this world and the existing and expanding group of Food Tyrant Chefs, known as the possessors of the gourmet cells...

The one sitting atop the Forbidden City in the Chinese Realm absolutely possessed the "power" to rule over a domain. Was this power actually culinary skill or something else unknown?

Xia Yu was incredibly curious.

"Forget it!"

But it was just a thought. Xia Yu shrugged his shoulders, threw away unnecessary distractions, and focused solely on preparing the fourth dish for tonight’s banquet.

After all, he was going back to his country, and the last dinner had to not only go smoothly but also be a smash hit and sensational.

Elsewhere.

At the entrance of the restaurant, Wei Qinglian was quite surprised to see Xia Yu turn his back and head straight to the kitchen.

This young man, disregarding her and even the Dragon Head’s Decree.

The Dragon Head’s Decree was rather abstract—a mere order—and as a vivid living person, Wei Qinglian truly felt Xia Yu’s cold and indifferent attitude towards her.

In the Chinese Realm, being a senior figure, accustomed to young prodigies following her and addressing her as a senior, Wei Qinglian stayed stunned for a while before her eyes betrayed her annoyance.

"What an unruly wild child!"

She couldn’t help but mutter.

"Okay, enough!" Zhu Qing was even more blunt, waving someone off, "Go back and tell him we don’t need his decree, we can return to our country just fine on our own!"

"Get moving!"

With that said, Zhu Qing also walked back and sat down at the bar, only showing the back of his head to Wei Qinglian.

Being dismissed repeatedly, Wei Qinglian stood at the doorway, contemplating the task from the Dragon Head, and annoyed by Zhu Qing and Xia Yu’s attitudes, now in a very awkward situation whether to stay or go.

The Chinese Realm chefs exchanged words in Mandarin, with only a few in the restaurant understanding the situation.

At the Polar Star Dormitory’s table.

"Who is this woman?" Yoshino Yuji indignantly said, "She seems like she’s here to cause trouble!"

Hearing her raise her voice intentionally, Tanaka Hikari quickly covered her friend’s mouth, her face turning pale, "Yuji-chan, you can’t say that; she might understand us, let’s not add fuel to the fire!"

"Speaking of which, what’s with the bandages on her hands?" Shen Liangzi wondered.

The most scholarly, Marui Shanji, pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, a detective-like glint in his eye, "Her hands, obviously well-practiced and robust, not like a woman’s hands. It’s a pity, if it weren’t for these bandages, a lot could be told from the calluses on her palms..."

"Does that mean she’s been practicing knife skills for years?"

The group pondered.

Discussing Wei Qinglian, the top ten chefs also started a discussion.

"Is there such a renowned female chef in the Chinese Realm?"

"Can’t find any information!" Rui Shan Zhi Jin Ye put down his phone, "Can’t find any trace of her biography online."

"Is it definitely Wei Qinglian’s name? Could it be, she appears publicly under another identity or name?" Nikunokuni Ningning, who could understand and speak Mandarin, frowned and said so.

Meanwhile.

The female lead, Dojima Yin, and Saito Chiyokuro also started a discussion.

"Chiyokuro, you’ve been wandering around various places in recent years, do you remember this Chinese female chef?" Dojima Yin asked.

Saito Chiyokuro propped his chin and thought for a long time, meeting his son’s similarly concerned eyes, he shook his head, "No memory whatsoever!"

Sitting at the bar, Wise Man Karl and Tiqie Xianzuowen exchanged looks.

"It seems..."

Tiqie Xianzuowen wasn’t completely sure; he had a good memory, and probably a few years ago at a grand national banquet in the Chinese Realm, he had heard a tycoon at the same table mention this name, seemingly a banquet chef, "An Imperial Chef perhaps?"

Karl nodded, "That must be it."

Both men fell silent.

The dinner party continued.

Xia Yu was preparing the fourth dish, while inside the restaurant, people were enjoying the piping hot roasted seafood rice.

Each foil bag was untied, and the mouths of the bags were opened.

At the Polar Star Dormitory table, the aroma of spices, carrying the heat, made Xia Yu’s friends feel blissfully lightheaded, with Yoshino Yuuki unable to contain her drool as she eagerly picked up a bowl and spoon, standing up to scoop a full bowl of the seafood rice.

Just as she was about to eat, a gaze from behind caused her movements to freeze.

"Stare—"

Yoshino Yuuki twisted her body slightly and muttered in her mind, "Is that weird woman still here?"

The thought was fleeting as she held the spoon and was about to swallow the spoonful of hot rice, "Stare—"

She felt another gaze.

The look, filled with resentment or something else, made Yoshino Yuuki extremely uncomfortable.

Snap!

The sound of the chopsticks being thrown on the table.

Affected by the strange gaze, Zhu Qing couldn’t stand it any longer.

"Are you still not leaving?" Twisting from her stool and flinging her hand disdainfully towards the woman standing motionless near the door, Zhu Qing shouted, "Go, go, stop standing there watching people eat!"

Putting oneself in the same situation, having a strange woman with a blank expression at the dinner table, who could eat comfortably?

"Stare—"

The cold, emotionless gaze responded to Zhu Qing.

"..."

A vein popped on Zhu Qing’s forehead, and she nearly exploded inside, "I’m staring at you for what!? What are you looking at?!"

The peculiar dining situation inside the restaurant caught the attention of Xia Yu as well.

No one started eating heartily.

The foil bags had been opened and some guests had already scooped the roasted seafood rice into bowls, but no one was moving chopsticks or spoons to eat even a single grain of rice.

"This woman..."

Xia Yu couldn’t continue with the fourth dish, his corners of the mouth twitching hard, "She truly is a human stink bomb! A banquet destroyer!"

Thump, thump.

At this moment, under Xia Yu’s amazed gaze, Wise Man Karl and Tiqie Xianzuowen exchanged a look, and Tiqie Xianzuowen knocked on the glass in front of the bar and Xia Yu could only open a window.

"Let her in," commanded Tiqie Xianzuowen with an authoritative tone, "After all, she is an Imperial Chef and should be treated with due respect."

Imperial Chef?

Xia Yu was quite surprised.

"Is there still such a position as Imperial Chef in this era?" He was very perplexed.

"Always living in the palace, the main chef of state banquets, what else could she be if not an Imperial Chef?" Tiqie Xianzuowen strangely looked at him.

Wise Man Karl also nodded at him, "Respecting her is respecting her culinary skills. No matter why she came, from the perspective of culinary skills, she deserves a seat from you."

Xia Yu shrugged, and since both authorities had spoken, he felt no resistance in his heart.

It was like giving him a convenient excuse.

Just right, this woman, standing at the door like a stink bomb, seriously disrupted the atmosphere of the banquet. Keeping her out was already the limit; physically removing her could transform the scene into a real-life street fighter scenario reminiscent of Tokyo.

Moreover,

Physical force would mean completely burning bridges, gaining a deadly foe.

Before even returning to his home country, to have gained a deadly enemy, could it be that Xia Yu really had a face prone to provoking universal enmity?

Zhu Qing had calmed down somewhat and said softly near the bar window, "Yu, did you remember the old man’s advice?"

"Cherish your body! Be cautious!"

Alright.

Recognizing the rational path, Xia Yu decided to go with the flow.

"You, come in—"

Thus, at the door, Wei Qinglian saw the young man inside the bar window beckoning her with a finger.