Imperial Capital Airport, public waiting hall.
An elder in a Tang suit, with hair and beard as white as snow, stood before the glass window. His back was as straight as a ramrod, showing no signs of the decay that typically accompanies old age; instead, he resembled a male lion with its claws sheathed, eyes narrowed in a feigned slumber.
The elder possessed an authoritative quality even more rigid than that of a young man, and his mere presence ensured that the entire vast public waiting hall was devoid of any noise.
"Master." Wang Yao bowed with a cupped-fist salute.
"Dragon Head." The youth and Elder Han also bowed respectfully.
"Mn." The elder in the Tang suit opened his eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through all things, radiating such brilliance that one could not look directly into them. "How is the situation at the Nasu Highlands?"
"Just as Master predicted, the seal is failing rapidly."
The elder in the Tang suit frowned and fell into deep thought for a moment. "You have worked hard, Yao-er."
Wang Yao shook his head, glancing around discreetly. "This disciple is not bitter, merely missing Mother's cooking slightly."
The elder's expression remained unchanged as he chuckled. "Then let us return to White Crane Tower. Elder Han, I will trouble you to recount the specific details of the mission."
The group walked toward the convoy waiting outside the airport.
After inspecting the vehicle, Elder Han opened a DV camcorder he had produced from somewhere and handed it to the elder in the Tang suit.
"The Young Master discovered a good seedling in the Far East. Dragon Head, you might be interested."
The elder in the Tang suit played the video recorded on the DV.
"Yoshino Takashi is an idiot! Bullying my Goddess Takagaki! Get out of Akihabara!" On the screen, accompanied by manic condemnation, a young man in white was letting himself go, beating his chest and stomping his feet in rage.
?!
The elder's brow twitched wildly at the sight, but fortunately, the scene quickly shifted to the red stage. The lens focused on a young man completing a mixed broth, whereupon the pot radiated a rosy light.
"Not bad." Upon seeing the golden light shooting up into the sky when the dish was completed, the elder in the Tang suit nodded slightly. "What is this boy's name?"
Elder Han's lips moved, yet no sound came out, clearly utilizing some method of sound transmission.
"Interesting." The elder in the Tang suit revealed a look of surprise.
That night, an encrypted file was sent to various locations across the Divine Land.
The contents of the file remained unclear, but observant people noticed an endless stream of chefs returning to the airport from the Far East and other regions.
===
Beep beep beep~
Sagisawa Fumika: Good morning.
Sagisawa Fumika: Just finished morning exercises. Let's do our best today, duck.
Mo Bai: Do our best, duck.
Sagisawa Fumika: (^▽^)
"Another peaceful morning." Mo Bai put down his phone, yawned, and drew back the curtains; the familiar golden hue of the shopping street filled his view.
After the celebration banquet ended yesterday, Mo Bai's entire group returned to Chiba City.
That's right, everyone—upon seeing the fleet transfer agreement, Wang Xiang revived on the spot with a full health bar as if he'd taken Holy Light drugs; he was probably already out at sea riding the waves by now.
Looking at the still-closed door opposite him, Mo Bai couldn't help but sigh that men are boys until death; Wang Xiang's energy was truly robust.
Inside the quiet shop, the passage of time seemed exceptionally slow.
After a leisurely wash-up, the sound of a door opening came from downstairs.
Mo Bai poked his head out from the stairs to look down. Gokou Ruri, dressed in a coat and scarf and arriving right on time, formed a sharp contrast with him, who had just changed his clothes.
"Manager, morning." Gokou Ruri immediately spotted the head at the staircase.
"Mn, morning." Mo Bai walked down the stairs, pretending to stretch his body with feigned seriousness, though the slippers on his feet deeply betrayed him.
"..." Gokou Ruri's sharp gaze, which seemed to see through everything, stung Mo Bai.
The dignity of an eighteen-year-old boy was being silently questioned by a thirteen-year-old loli.
"Cough cough, have you eaten breakfast yet?" Embarrassed by the scorn of a girl five years his junior, Mo Bai threw out bait while diverting Gokou Ruri's attention.
Recalling the flavors of Mo Bai's cooking from the celebration banquet, Gokou Ruri felt her mouth water. However, as a disciplined and excellent young girl, Gokou Ruri would absolutely not conspire with the forces of decadence.
Absolutely not!
"No need, I've eaten."
"Do you want to eat a little more?" Mo Bai continued to use his persuasion skill and began turning on the stove.
Before long, a tempting fragrance permeated the room.
"Then just a little bit more." Feeling her small stomach staging a rebellion, Gokou Ruri lowered her small head, her face slightly red. "So delicious!"
Mo Bai chuckled. Just as planned.
Regardless of time or place, a beautiful girl is always a pleasing sight.
Having taken off her coat and scarf, Gokou Ruri looked exceptionally cute as she took small bites of the fried noodles. Her focused expression, resembling a hamster, and the intoxicated look she occasionally revealed added a special buff that skyrocketed her moe power.
It was so moe that Mo Bai got a nosebleed.
"Manager, haven't you finished eating yet?" Gokou Ruri, having finished her portion, looked strangely at Mo Bai's still-full plate.
"I eat rather slowly." Mo Bai quickly averted his gaze and began demolishing the food before him amidst the protests of his growling stomach.
In two shakes of a lamb's tail, he devoured it like a whirlwind scattering clouds.
"Manager, I'll wash them." Gokou Ruri tidied up the plates and chopsticks and placed them in the sink.
Watching the petite back figure at the sink, Mo Bai opened his phone to play a game and started an awkward conversation.
"Ruri, were you serious yesterday about wanting to become a chef?"
Yesterday, at the celebration banquet, the idol producer Takeuchi—he of the 'bewitching dead fish eyes' who accompanied Sagisawa Fumika—had persistently tried to persuade Gokou Ruri's parents, even bringing out the killer move of applying for a special allowance from the company.
But who were Gokou Ruri's parents? How could they be swayed by some special allowance?
Well, actually, it was because Mo Bai had KO'd the flasher, causing intense social discussion. Coincidentally, a developer had set their sights on an old block in Higashi-Amanuma Town, Chiba City, and the Gokou residence was luckily located within that old block.
It was true that Gokou Ruri's home was somewhat dilapidated, but the land area was by no means small, as it was an old-style Japanese house.
As the saying goes: Nine out of ten lolis are rich, and the last one is especially rich.
Overnight, Gokou Ruri joined the ranks of rich lolis.
Seeing Gokou Ruri's efforts, her parents naturally wouldn't interfere with their daughter's decision.
Just when Mo Bai thought Gokou Ruri would choose to become an idol, her reply exceeded everyone's expectations.
"I want to become a chef." Gokou Ruri explained the reason. It turned out that after tasting Mo Bai's cooking for the first time, she was deeply touched: she realized that cuisine could actually bring people a sense of happiness. She also wanted to become someone who could create cuisine that made people feel happy.
Mo Bai immediately felt that this young girl's future was limitless and logically accepted this disciple.
Being a chef burns a lot of money in the early stages, but Mo Bai certainly didn't have to worry about money anymore.
First came the prize money of twenty-five million yen, then 20% equity in the Harano Hotel—Harano Katsuya gifted another 10% equity after the competition—followed by the 49% monthly share and free supply from the Wang Family's Auspicious Fish Shop, and finally half the sale amount from the Yoshino Hotel after it was auctioned according to Gourmet Law.
Mo Bai had leapt to become a running dog of capitalism.
"Yes, I want to become a chef." Gokou Ruri's clear eyes were very determined.
________________________________________
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