Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

The girl's smile was exceptionally bright, making one slightly mesmerized.

"We can go on a date first, and then test our combat capabilities later."

Bai Yuan turned his face away from her, touched his nose, and spoke.

“Let’s go to the mall together and buy the ingredients we need for dinner tonight. That’s the best date for me, isn’t it, Boss Bai?”

Hearing Bai Yuan's words and seeing his gaze shift away, Liya leaned closer, her eyes flashing with a strange emotion.

As a homebody chef, going to the supermarket with her beloved man to buy ingredients and cook a meal was one of her childhood dreams.

Now that she has the opportunity to do so, this is the best date for her.

"Right.

As chefs, dating at the market might seem a bit rustic, but it's also the perfect place for us to meet; our relationship can blossom over cooking.

Upon hearing Liya's words, Bai Yuan suddenly realized what she meant and nodded repeatedly, understanding her feelings and having similar experiences himself.

Just as going to the beach to relax might involve diving and gathering seafood for a feast, going to the mall to buy ingredients for dinner when on a date in the city seems perfectly normal.

This kind of date doesn't feel like that of a young couple in the throes of new love; it's more like that of an old married couple who have been in love for many years. Does that count?

But this is also good.

Bai Yuan thought to himself, a pleasant smile appearing on his face. He then reached out and grabbed Lia's soft hand, pulling her toward the largest shopping mall in the area.

"Slow down, you used too much force just now."

Leah took two quick steps forward, then winced in pain. She had overexerted herself that morning, and now her legs would go weak and she could hardly move if she made any large movements.

Now, suddenly being pulled away by Bai Yuan, he couldn't help but shout, his words tinged with reproach.

"I almost forgot about this. It's quite a long way there, and it's not easy to get a taxi in this area. I might as well just ride a bicycle there."

Thinking about the distance from here to the mall, and the sun high in the sky, Bai Yuan glanced at a shared bicycle in the shade, and then beckoned Liya to come and sit down.

"Hold on tight, don't fall."

Bai Yuan pushed the shared bicycle to a place where it could be used on the road, and sat on it first. He then spoke softly to Liya, who got on behind him.

"it is good."

Although she can ride a bike, at this moment, for some reason, Lia just wanted to rely on Bai Yuan.

At this moment, she pressed her head against his back, wrapped her arms around his waist and abdomen, felt the warmth within him, and a faint sense of happiness welled up in her heart.

"let's go."

Feeling the small hand exerting force on his waist and abdomen, Bai Yuan felt a little more at ease. After giving a reminder, he rode the shared bicycle out.

The two headed towards the mall along the road.

Lia clung to Bai Yuan's waist the whole time, pressing her face against his back, her gaze fixed on the rapidly receding scenery around her, her happiness growing ever stronger.

Perhaps this peaceful life is what she wants.

It feels so wonderful to have someone you love by your side, and for that person to love you back and spend time with you!

Ten minutes later.

The two arrived at the Gesai Shopping Mall.

Because it was almost lunchtime, the place was crowded with people. Lia held tightly to Bai Yuan's arm, afraid that they might lose their way if they weren't careful.

"so big."

Looking at the shopping mall in front of her, and at the bustling scene before her, she exclaimed in genuine admiration.

"After all, it's a shopping mall in Tokyo's commercial district, with a high volume of people, so it's normal for it to be lively."

Hearing Liya's sentiments, Bai Yuan couldn't help but laugh and then led her upstairs.

As a diversified and complex shopping mall.

Gesai Shopping Mall covers a huge area and has a large number of individual merchants.

It mainly includes four aspects: clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

"The supermarket is on the eighth floor, but let's have breakfast first, I'm a little hungry."

Looking at the notice board next to the elevator, Bai Yuan stopped and spoke to Liya beside him.

"It's almost 11 o'clock and you're only having breakfast now?"

Looking at the time and noticing Bai Yuan's words, Lia's voice carried a hint of teasing.

"It's all your fault. You dragged me out for morning exercise so early in the morning, wasting a lot of my time."

Bai Yuan was speechless at this.

If it weren't for Leah's bobbing in his bed that morning, which aroused his interest and made him realize that she was interested, he wouldn't have gotten up until 10 a.m.

"What?! That's clearly Boss Bai..."

Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Lia puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, put her hands on her hips and was about to say something when he reached out and covered her mouth.

"Don't tell everyone everything. Instead of worrying about this, let's think about what to eat later!"

Knowing what Lia was about to say, Bai Yuan quickly covered her mouth, his voice carrying a warning, and then told him to decide what to eat for lunch.

"I heard that Kobe beef from Japan is of very high quality when I came here, and I want to try it!"

Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Liya swallowed back the words she was about to utter, and then looked on expectantly.

When she first arrived in Japan, she wanted to eat Kobe beef, which is considered to be the world's best, because she thought it would be incredibly delicious!

"Kobe beef? We'll have to check if this store carries it. If not, I'll have Meat Delivery bring some over in a couple of days, and I'll cook it for you myself."

As he spoke, the image of Mito Ikumi appeared in Bai Yuan's mind.

The other party's family is a leader in the Japanese beef industry, controlling half of Japan's beef farming, slaughtering, and sales. They have a complete supply chain, so giving them a few pieces of Kobe beef would be a simple matter.

"Great!"

Hearing Bai Yuan's assurance, Liya said excitedly, but then she looked at the sign in front of her and became conflicted, having some difficulty deciding what to have for lunch.

"What should we eat for lunch if we don't have Kobe beef...?"

"Let's go upstairs and take a look first."

Bai Yuan didn't dwell on it too much, and instead took Liya's hand and headed upstairs.

"How about the crab hot pot?"

After searching around without finding a Kobe beef restaurant, Bai Yuan noticed a tempting aroma from a crab hot pot place and suggested it to Liya as they passed by.

"it is good."

Seeing that Bai Yuan was interested in the shop in front of her, Liya did not hesitate at all. She nodded slightly, took his arm, and walked in with him.

"This way, please."

The waiter's warm welcome led the two to a spot against the wall, and Leah naturally chose the wall where she felt safer.

"Six crabs, four pairs of shrimp, one pound of spare ribs..."

Looking at the crab hot pot on the menu, which included the basic version and the option to add more ingredients, Bai Yuan decisively waved his hand and started ordering the specialties from the menu.

"Um... are there only two of you guests?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Looking at the long menu, the waiter in charge of taking orders was silent for a moment, then asked when the other person stopped talking.

Bai Yuan was puzzled by the waiter's silence.

"Our crab hot pot here includes many side dishes in addition to the main dish; normally, it's enough for two adult men to enjoy..."

The waiter didn't say anything more, but the implication was clear: they had ordered too much and it would be wasteful if they couldn't finish it.

"It's okay, I have a big appetite, you can serve as usual."

Bai Yuan wasn't stupid; he immediately understood what the waitress meant and developed a liking for her. He then patiently explained it to her.

"Okay, I'll place the order right away."

Since the customer had already said so, it would be difficult for her to persuade them further, so the waitress nodded slightly, took the order, and scurried away.

"She's quite a clever girl."

Seeing this, Lia couldn't help but sigh. She then leaned closer to Bai Yuan, feeling his warmth, and a contented expression appeared on her face.

"Since we've decided to hold a cooking assessment tonight, let's set the subject as crab meat stew."

As for the level of quality... it's a dish that tastes three levels better than the dishes we're about to eat.

"Then I'd better hope that the crab casserole at this restaurant is not so bad."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words and the content of tonight's assessment, Liya said half-jokingly.

"With such a good business, the taste can't be too bad."

When he entered, Bai Yuan had already made a simple judgment about the quality of the dish by the smell wafting in the air; it was at least a first-class dish.

To advance three levels, Lia needs to reach the Special Grade Two Star level.

Given Lia's current strength, preparing a special-grade two-star dish is relatively simple.

However, she rarely works with dishes like crab stew, so making a top-quality one on the first try would really test her improvisation skills.

Bai Yuan didn't want to test what she already knew.

He wanted to test her understanding of cooking.

Only when one's understanding of cooking reaches a certain level can one maintain a stable level of culinary skill.

Bai Yuan excels at all kinds of cooking, not because he is good at every kind of dish, but because his understanding of cooking is amazing, and he can easily master it by drawing inferences from one type to another.

Things that ordinary people spend a lifetime learning.

You only need to cook a few dishes to master the skills from him.

Of course, this is on the premise that you have tasted the right flavor before.

Without professional management, cooking can result in a thousand different flavors depending on how many people prepare it; it's very difficult to achieve complete uniformity.

Therefore, Bai Yuan's cooking often depends more on his culinary experience. He determines the taste of the dish based on how he feels about the ingredients.