Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

"Go in, Mr. Su is waiting for you inside."

Brother Qian led Gao Yang to the inner gate.

Gao Yang nodded his thanks, pushed open the inner door, and stepped back into the luxurious private room.

Inside the private room, the three foreigners had already left, and their tableware had been removed. Only Su Wanqing sat in the main seat, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

Upon hearing the voice, Su Wanqing looked up and, upon seeing who it was, a smile appeared on her lips.

"Gao Yang, right? You did a great job."

Su Wanqing raised an eyebrow slightly, casually sticking her knife and fork into the center of the steak.

Blood was everywhere on the plate, mixed with sauce, basil leaves, and puff pastry, creating a chaotic mess.

"Tell me, what reward do you want?"

The light shone down, falling on Su Wanqing's face and revealing her swan-like white neck.

She was only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a few strands of hair falling softly from her temples. Her eyebrows and eyes were as delicate as a finely sculpted porcelain doll, and she possessed an innate nobility. She was as beautiful as a princess in the clouds, dazzling yet unattainable.

"very beautiful."

Gao Yang couldn't help but admire her in his heart. Even with his experience from two lifetimes, Su Wanqing would still be in the top three among all the women he had ever met.

"President Su."

Gao Yang's voice was calm and steady, neither humble nor arrogant, without the slightest hesitation or flattery.

"I don't want a bonus or any extra reward."

Su Wanqing stopped what she was doing and stared intently into Gao Yang's eyes.

Gao Yang took a deep breath and continued, "The Grand Court needs a head chef, and I will prove my worth to you."

Su Wanqing chuckled. It's so easy to talk to smart people.

Immediately, her smile faded, and her tone became serious.

"You need to think this through. With your skills, you can find a job anywhere. Are you sure you want to give up the bonus?"

Do you realize that what you're giving up is something others would give anything for?

Su Wanqing's fingertips tapped rhythmically on the Hainan rosewood tabletop.

From beginning to end, Gao Yang's reactions were exactly as she expected. Good, he was quite well-behaved.

Perhaps because she had just won the bet, she felt pretty good and didn't mind talking more.

This young man is quite good-looking, but he's a bit thin and needs to take care of himself.

Su Wanqing had already made up her mind.

She got up, picked up her small bag, and with Qian Ge's help, slowly walked out of the private room.

The exquisite high heels made no sound on the wool carpet, and the perfume on his body naturally clung to him as he passed by Gao Yang.

She took the fur coat that Brother Qian handed her and casually uttered a sentence.

"Don't forget you have to go to work tomorrow, and don't go home either. I have a place to stay here."

After saying that, Su Wanqing walked out the door and got into the Mercedes-Benz W140 that was already parked at the door.

Brother Qian closed the door for her, sat in the driver's seat, and the car slowly started moving.

Only after the car drove away from the Grand Hotel did Su Wanqing remove her disguise, take off her heavy fur coat, kick off her crystal high heels, and lie down on the leather seat.

"Qian Liu, I'm exhausted, but this time, I made a net profit of thirty million!"

Su Wanqing's eyes crinkled as she looked out the car window at the dazzling lights and bustling city life, feeling quite pleased with herself.

This was a bet that put her at risk; she wouldn't have done it if that old Jack hadn't been holding her back.

"That Gao Yang is truly a lucky star!"

She said happily.

Qian Liu sat in front, and even his usually serious face showed a rare hint of joy.

Su Wanqing pondered for a moment, then murmured, "It seems they couldn't resist coming after knowing that person was coming."

"Qian Liu, keep an eye on Gao Yang's matter. Gather intelligence first, and don't take any action for now."

She stretched, adjusted the seat to be flat, and lay down comfortably.

Let's go there again tonight.

The car slowly drove into the night, where under the neon lights, undercurrents surged.

However, none of this has anything to do with Gao Yang for the time being.

At this moment, Gao Yang is standing in his assigned one-bedroom apartment, quietly enjoying the night view.

The location is excellent, with a wide view. Although the room is not super large, it is clean and tidy, and fully equipped with appliances. In this day and age, it is a rare find.

In his hand was a pure black chef's uniform, and on the table beside him was a watch, a prize given to him by Su Wanqing.

He felt that everything was great now; there were no endless dishes to wash and no endless scolding.

"How about we go for a walk?"

An idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Immediately afterwards, he grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, dried the water stains from his hair, and gently closed the door.

…………

The nights in Yicheng in 1993 were a blend of top-tier luxury like the Grand Mansion and the lively atmosphere of everyday life.

The evening breeze, carrying the warmth of neon lights, swept over us. Yellowed little "GG" stickers were pasted on the roadside utility poles. The video arcade around the corner was lit with dim yellow lights, and a few broken sofas were placed at the entrance. A group of young people, smoking cigarettes, were huddled together discussing the latest Hong Kong movies.

The night market not far away had just set up its stalls, with sizzling skewers of grilled meat, steaming wontons, and vendors hawking their wares. The place was bustling with activity and full of lively, smoky charm.

Gao Yang slowed his pace and followed his memory into a small alley.

"Boss, a Cuba Libre, please."

He shouted at the bartender and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket.

Since he started helping his ex-girlfriend pay off her debts, he has never been to a bar. Every day, he works hard at one place and then rushes to the next.

Now that his ex-girlfriend has run off with a rich man, he can finally relax a bit.

The bartender deftly took out a glass, added ice, poured in rum, and mixed in cola. A layer of water droplets instantly condensed on the glass wall before pushing it in front of him.

He sipped his wine slowly, when an untimely voice came from beside him.

"Hey little girl, all alone? Want the older brothers to play with you?"

Gao Yang turned his head and looked over, his pupils suddenly dilating.

This is……

A beautiful woman was sitting in a booth by the window, with a glass of wine in front of her.

The two thugs pushed the glass of wine aside, plopped down on the table, whistled, and grinned lewdly.

The girl, dressed in a long white dress, was like a lotus flower emerging from the mud—pure and exquisite.

She frowned, but didn't move or say anything.

"What's up, little girl? If you're my girl tonight and give me a good time, I'll protect you, how about that?"

The blond-haired man stubbed out his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and reached out to pinch the girl's face.

The girl frowned even more deeply and slapped the blond-haired man's hand away.

The blond-haired man was caught off guard and somewhat bewildered.

"Hey, little girl, you're lucky to have me as your girlfriend. Don't push your luck."

The blond-haired man, somewhat enraged, threatened the girl.

Just kidding, that blond guy is the boss around here. No woman he sets his sights on can resist him. This woman is clearly not giving him any face.

"Hey beautiful, you're with me, I'll protect you."

His face drew ever closer to the girl's.

Black Hair, standing nearby, loudly echoed his sentiment.

"This is Brother Yellow Hair. You're lucky to be following him. Don't be ungrateful."

The loud noise instantly attracted the attention of those around.

Everyone turned to look, and when they saw it was these two people, they all turned away and dared not utter a sound.

The bartender whispered, "Brother, don't look. This kind of thing happens all the time, and nobody dares to say anything."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Yang picked up the glass of wine and walked over.

"Hey bro, isn't it a bit much to bully a woman like that?"

Gao Yang, facing everyone's gaze, raised his wine glass high and poured a full glass of wine over Huang Mao's head.

The blond-haired man was stunned, the girl was stunned, everyone was stunned.

"What are you doing?"

The blond-haired man practically spat out those words through gritted teeth.

His hair was soaked, and alcohol dripped down his cheeks, with strands of wet hair sticking to his face. The brown liquid completely stained his white T-shirt.

The blond-haired man clenched his fist, jumped off the table, and wore a cruel smile.

"Kid, I don't object to your act of bravery, but you'd better understand in your next life that there are some people you can't afford to mess with."

He threw a straight punch, aiming directly at Gao Yang's face.

Gao Yang watched as the fist came hurtling towards him, appearing before his eyes and growing larger and larger.

Without the slightest hesitation, he dodged to the side and, in a swift motion, smashed the glass over the blond-haired man's head.

"Snap!"

Broken glass splattered everywhere.

The girl's eyes only moved slightly at this moment, and a strange emotion surged within them.

Everyone was stunned and didn't react in time.

Gao Yang grabbed the girl's hand, a smile playing on his lips.

"Run, Mr. Su!"