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

The rebuke came unexpectedly, and the previously warm and harmonious atmosphere in the private room instantly froze.

Su Wanqing remained calm and smiled as she looked at everyone.

"Excuse me, everyone, I'll have to go for a moment."

Everyone laughed and agreed.

Mainly, they also wanted to see who dared to say the food here wasn't good.

…………

back kitchen.

Gao Yang also received the message.

The young apprentice who delivered the message was panting heavily, his face was pale, and his voice was trembling.

"Chef Gao, something terrible has happened! A customer in the private room is causing trouble, saying that Chef Wu's rose soufflé is awful, and he's even swearing in front of us, banging on the table!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the kitchen.

Old Zhou slammed the spoon in his hand into the basin with a loud bang, his temper flaring up instantly, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to storm out.

"Who's the fool who dares to cause trouble here? Even the old gentleman raves about Master Wu's desserts, how dare this guy say they're bad? I'll go and have a go at him!"

The apprentices were all indignant, their faces full of anger.

Wu Zhou was already holding back his anger when he returned from the private room. Upon hearing this, his body felt even colder. His clenched fists turned white at the knuckles, and his eyes were filled with humiliation and rage. He turned around and was about to follow them out.

"Stop right there!"

Gao Yang's cold voice suddenly rang out, instantly silencing the commotion in the kitchen.

He leaned against the countertop, still holding the rag he had just used to wipe the stove in his hand. His expression was calm and composed, without the slightest hint of panic, but his eyes revealed an undeniable certainty.

"What's the panic? It's just someone deliberately causing trouble."

The young apprentice was almost in tears: "But Chef Gao, that man spoke very rudely, and even said that the dishes on our island are all just pretty faces that don't taste good."

Gao Yang's eyes darkened slightly. He casually tossed the rag aside, raised his hand to untie the apron around his waist, which still smelled slightly of cooking oil, and moved with unhurried ease.

"Does President Su know?"

The young apprentice was extremely anxious.

"They were in the private room right next to President Su's. They were making such a loud noise, President Su must have heard them."

Upon hearing the young apprentice's voice, Gao Yang nodded calmly.

"That's alright, I'll take care of it."

"We can't let Ms. Su, a young woman, be wronged while she's handling things on the front lines."

He looked up at Wu Zhou, his tone calm yet firm.

"Come with me. He insulted your skills; it's your turn to seek justice."

Wu Zhou was taken aback, then nodded firmly, the panic in his eyes fading away, leaving only determination.

A strange feeling spread through his heart.

He knew that Gao Yang wanted to lead him to fight back squarely and honestly, rather than arguing with people like a clown.

Gao Yang took the lead and walked out, his posture upright and his steps steady, exuding a reassuring aura.

Wu Zhou followed closely behind, and Lao Zhou, suppressing his anger, also followed behind. The group headed straight for the private room.

At this moment, several waiters had gathered at the entrance of the private room, quietly observing, and the sounds of arguing could be faintly heard from inside.

Gao Yang raised his hand and gently pushed open the door to the private room.

"Hello, I'm Gao Yang, the head chef here. Is there anything I can help you with?"

He saw that the person sitting in the private room was Su Wanqing's rival, and he immediately realized what was going on.

"It's Zhang Kui."

Zhang Kui was accompanied by two burly-looking henchmen, who were clearly there to cause trouble.

At this moment, Zhang Kui slammed his hand on the table. He had only taken a small bite of the soufflé in front of him, leaving the rest intact. His face was full of disdain and arrogance.

"What question? I'd like to ask you the same thing!"

Zhang Kui chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Gao Yang before landing on Wu Zhou, deliberately raising his voice.

"Is this the kind of thing your Su family island uses to fool people? It's neither sweet nor salty, just a soft, mushy lump. You call that dessert? I think it's just something to fool laymen!"

The others present remained silent, simply observing coldly.

They had long since realized that Zhang Kui wasn't complaining about the food being bad.

This is clearly using the dishes as a pretext to suppress Su Wanqing and smear the Su family's island.

The old man in the main seat frowned, his face clearly displeased, but he didn't rush to speak, obviously wanting to see how Gao Yang would handle the situation.

Su Wanqing stood to the side, her expression calm, and gently shook her head at Gao Yang, signaling him not to act impulsively.

Gao Yang remained calm, unaffected by Zhang Kui's arrogance. His gaze fell on the plate of soufflés, and he spoke softly.

"Mr. Zhang, you need to provide evidence for your words. This Damask Rose Lychee Soufflé is made with precise control over every step, from the tart base, the meringue, the lychee sauce to the rose flavoring. All the bosses here have tasted it, and its reputation speaks for itself."

He paused, his voice calm yet incredibly penetrating.

"You only took one bite and said it was extremely bad. I'd like to ask, how was it so bad?"

"Is it too sweet, too bland, too fishy, ​​or is it cooked too slowly?"

"Point it out, and I'll explain it to you on the spot."

Zhang Kui was taken aback, clearly not expecting Gao Yang to be so composed, throwing the question back at him with a single sentence.

He didn't examine it carefully at all, so he couldn't pinpoint the specific problem; he could only resort to sophistry and unreasonable arguments.

"It tastes awful to me! It's definitely not to my liking! It's all show and no substance, just a pretty facade!"

"I understand if it's not to your liking. I can make you a new one according to your taste."

Gao Yang nodded, his tone remaining calm.

"But in front of so many bosses, you slammed your fist on the table and cursed, saying that all the dishes in our restaurant were just for show. That's not evaluating the taste; it's deliberately smearing Su Family Island."

"Now, I demand that you apologize for your language!"

Wu Zhou could no longer hold back and stepped forward, staring coldly at Zhang Kui.

"You weren't even eating properly; you're just deliberately trying to cause trouble. The old gentleman knows best what level of quality my desserts are at; there's no need for you to pretend to be an expert."

"Oh, you dare to talk back?"

Zhang Kui's face darkened. "You, a young master who gave up inheriting the family business to become a cook, dare to speak to me like that?"

These words were tantamount to trampling on the dignity of the Wu family and Wu Zhou as well.

Wu Zhou's face instantly turned ashen, his fists clenched tightly, and he trembled with anger.

If he hadn't had the last shred of reason left, he would have rushed up and punched the man in the nose.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Gao Yang took a small half step forward, silently shielding Wu Zhou behind him. He looked directly at Zhang Kui, his tone becoming indifferent and carrying a hint of coldness.

"Boss Zhang, let's keep things separate."

"You may not like this dessert, but you cannot insult the artisan."

"Wu Zhou gave up his family's wealth and focused on making desserts, earning a living with his own skills, and he is no less than anyone else."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, and everyone in the private room could hear it perfectly.

"Besides, did you really come here today because the food was bad?"

Gao Yang's lips curled slightly, carrying a hint of indifferent detachment that seemed to see through everything.

"Today, all the important people in Yuncheng are here. You just happened to choose today to cause trouble. You just want to use your picky eating habits to embarrass President Su and ruin the reputation of Xiaodao."

"Should I praise you for being so clever? Trying to ruin all our efforts with just one sentence?"

One sentence directly exposed Zhang Kui's true intentions.

The crowd smiled, but their gazes toward Zhang Kui instantly turned contemptuous.

They're all old foxes; everyone can see through their intentions at a glance. But this excuse is too clumsy, and it would be too embarrassing if they were exposed.

Zhang Kui's expression changed drastically; he was somewhat embarrassed and angry after being exposed.

He scanned the crowd.

He understood that if he didn't bite hard enough today, he would have to live a life of humiliation in Yuncheng from now on.

"You're talking nonsense! I just think it tastes awful!"

"Whether it's nonsense or not is very simple."

Gao Yang looked calmly at the old man in the main seat and bowed slightly.

"Sir, you are an expert and an elder. Please give me your fair opinion on this soufflé."

All eyes immediately turned to the old man.