My sister, whom I raised, has turned evil after faking her death for three years.

Although it was a bit embarrassing to be kissed until I couldn't breathe every time, I have to admit that Jiang Ran's surprises were far more than just this one store.

While Su Qing was still basking in the joy of returning to her old profession, Xiao Ran had already arranged everything: the shop assistants, the shift schedule, the supply channels, and even the baker in the shop had been found for her.

"This is Teacher Feng Tang," Jiang Ran stepped aside to let the woman behind her, dressed in a white chef's uniform with her hair neatly tied back, pass by. "She will be helping my sister from now on."

Su Qing was stunned for a moment, her mouth opened slightly, then closed, then opened again.

The woman in front of me, who was in her forties, was tall and slender with a thin face and deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She stood there with a calm and confident demeanor, as if the entire kitchen was her domain.

Su Qing certainly knew her—Feng Tang, who entered the industry at the age of sixteen, won two gold medals at the International Baking Master Competition, served as the pastry chef of three top restaurants, and published a professional book two years ago that was regarded as the "bible of baking" in the industry.

This is a legend in the baking world that money can't buy.

"You...you're Feng Tang?" Su Qing's voice unconsciously rose a half-tone. She glanced at Jiang Ran, then turned back to look at the master she had only seen in magazine interviews. For a moment, she didn't know whether to bow or shake hands. "I've watched all your competition videos! Especially the one in Paris the year before last, I watched your fondant work 'Late Summer' at least ten times. It's really amazing—how come you've come to our little shop..."

Feng Tang looked at the young girl in front of her, whose face showed no feigned admiration. Her clear eyes were filled with undisguised surprise and excitement, and the corners of her mouth turned up in an innocent smile like a child who had just received a new toy. This was completely different from the "rich heiress playing around" she had imagined before coming here.

She glanced at Jiang Ran beside her and thought to herself: "President Jiang didn't just open a shop for my sister, he brought over all the top-notch baking supplies to make her happy."

However, to be fair, President Jiang did give her too much, enough to make her willingly fly back from Country F to become a "resident baker" in this small corner dessert shop.

"Teacher Feng, it's so great that you could come to our shop! I've admired you for a long time. I've read your book 'The Temperature of Desserts' several times, and I even took notes on the chapter about the temperature curve for whipping egg whites..." Su Qing was already somewhat incoherent.

Looking at the girl in front of him, who was more than twenty years younger than him, and seeing the undisguised admiration and expectation in her bright eyes, Feng Tang's prejudice against her as a "rich girl dabbling in this" had faded away considerably.

She smiled slightly, a rare occurrence, and nodded gently: "Miss Su, you're too kind. Let's learn from each other in the future."

These people were brought by Lin Zhi.

She stood in the front hall, holding a roster in her hands. After checking the information of the last person one by one, she walked to Jiang Ran's side and reported in a low voice: "Miss, everyone has arrived. There are nine people in total, including Teacher Feng Tang. They have all been arranged as you instructed."

Her voice was still professional and capable, but the bluish-gray tinge that the foundation couldn't completely cover betrayed that she hadn't been getting enough rest lately.

Jiang Ran's gaze was still fixed on the half-open door to the kitchen. Feng Tang was standing in front of the workbench, demonstrating a new kneading technique to Su Qing. Her sister stood beside her, holding a notebook, her expression focused and serious. She would nod occasionally and then quickly jot down a few notes in the notebook.

After watching for a while and confirming that her sister was completely absorbed in it, she turned her gaze back to Lin Zhi beside her.

"Are you really well-rested? You still seem a bit tired. Should I have Wenliang take another look at you?"

  

When Lin Zhi heard the words "gentle and kind," she stiffened slightly.

The movement was so fast that it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but her fingers, gripping the roster, tightened even more, leaving a faint white mark on the paper from her knuckles.

However, she quickly composed herself, raised her head, and replied in a calm and natural tone, "Thank you for your concern, Miss. I'm fine. I just stayed up a little late last night revising some documents. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Jiang Ran looked at her, a barely perceptible hint of doubt flashing in her beautiful eyes.

But she didn't say much, just nodded slightly and told her to take a rest.

Lin Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left the front hall under the pretext of going to the restroom.

She pushed open the bathroom door, locked it behind her, and leaned against the cold door panel.

No one saw her expression at that moment. Her usually shrewd and capable eyes were now tightly closed, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her lower lip was bitten until it turned slightly white.

Damn Wen Liang... bastard... just hearing that name makes her body react in ways she shouldn't.

She was merely mentioned casually by the young lady, but it was as if someone had installed a switch inside her body that belonged only to that woman. As soon as those two words were pressed, all her defenses would crumble instantly.

In the kitchen, Feng Tang's opinion of Su Qing was completely changed.

She originally just came here with the mindset of accompanying her child to study, just to get by... After all, a rich girl like her has had everything at her fingertips since she was a child, and she can do whatever she wants. Maybe after a few weeks, when the novelty wears off, this shop will become just another idle toy.

But at this moment, she stood behind Su Qing, watching those slender yet powerful hands skillfully knead the dough, watching the dough being spread out and folded at her fingertips, the force even and restrained, every technique exactly the same as the movements of those five-star chefs in the competition videos back then.

This is not something someone who just "plays around" can do.

The oven dinged, and Su Qing took out a batch of freshly baked bread. The golden crust gleamed under the light. She picked out the best-looking one, placed it on a small plate, and handed it to Feng Tang.

Feng Tang took the bread, broke off a small piece, and put it in his mouth. The bread was soft yet chewy, with even and delicate air pockets, and the crust was crispy but not dry.

She slowly chewed and swallowed, then looked up at Su Qing, who was nervously waiting for her evaluation. She remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Aside from the fact that the amount of salt was a bit too high and the temperature of the butter could have been controlled better, there are no major problems."

She paused, finished the rest of her bread, and then wiped her hands with a napkin. "Overall, it's better than many veteran chefs who have been making it for decades."

Su Qing was so impressed by this affirmation that she immediately thanked him.

Looking at her undisguised happiness, her ears slightly reddened with excitement, and her pure, unadulterated smile, Feng Tang finally ripped away the label of "rich family's young lady" in his mind.

She picked up the clean apron beside her, neatly tied it around her waist, walked to the work surface, and pointed to the small bowl where Su Qing had just put in salt: "Come on, let me explain the problem with salt. Salt isn't just for seasoning; its most important role in bread making is actually controlling the speed of yeast fermentation. You put in a bit too much just now, so the dough didn't develop enough gluten. You need to adjust the salt ratio according to the room temperature and humidity..."

Su Qing quickly took out her notebook and wrote it down, while Feng Tang finally stopped being a "tutor" and started teaching her his best experience.

The kitchen was bustling with activity, but one person was missing from the front of the house.

Lin Zhi was still in the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror by the sink, turned on the tap, and washed her face with cold water.

Water droplets slid down her chin and dripped onto the white tiles of the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror; her cheeks were red, her eyes were red, and there were faint teeth marks on her lower lip.

She just wanted to calm herself down.

But just hearing those two words made her body betray her.

The woman spent several whole days etching a mark on her body that was deeper than any other mark... a conditioned reflex she couldn't control, a shame so intense that it made her want to hide herself.

She wiped her mouth hard with the back of her hand, mentally lining up all the curses she could think of after Wen Liang's name, then took a deep breath and readjusted her expression in front of the mirror.

After confirming that she looked no different from the professional and composed Lin Zhi she always was, she pushed open the bathroom door and went out.