Executive Chef?
Ren Jie found it hard to believe. In my mind, executive chefs are typically middle-aged people. How could a young, beautiful woman hold such a position?
But indeed, she was dressed in Lin Ji’s chef uniform, complete with the tall chef’s hat. Perhaps it’s true, he thought.
But why on earth would Lin Ji’s executive chef co to my modest stand to buy pancakes? In Yanjing, isn’t there an unwritten rule that "the cleaner the food stall, the less experienced the vendor’s hands" when it cos to pancake stalls? While others intentionally avoid new, clean stalls, you, of all people, find the one vendor in Beijing who is the worst at making pancakes and directly expose your identity... I guess this is fate.
Ren Jie murmured to himself for a while, then suddenly rembered a rumor he had heard online and asked curiously, "Chef Chen, everyone says the employee als at Lin Ji that aren’t sold to the public are the tastiest. Is that true or false?"
Once the subject was brought up, Chen Yan imdiately opened up, "Of course it’s true. I make quite a few of the employee als myself—sotis to test new dishes, sotis as extra als for the staff. Want to try so? Co to the restaurant on your day off. I’ll cook for you personally so you can experience the craftsmanship of an executive chef!"
Hmm, I’ll have my brother-in-law help make a couple of dishes then, she thought. Since I’ve told a lie, I have no choice but to keep it going. It has to be said, being called Chef Chen feels really good, she mused.
She had intended to give Ren Jie a mbership card. However, she then rembered the only one she had in her bag: the 00001 mbership card, holding almost nine hundred thousand in cash. She decided against it.
Such a high amount could lead to a bribery charge. I’ve already ruined his assessnt; I can’t ruin his career as well, she reasoned.
"Just ntion my na at the front desk when you go, and I’ll treat you to a al to make up for today’s loss," she said.
Ren Jie smiled and replied, "No need for a al. Your mooncakes are so hard to get; can I buy a couple of boxes through you? My team leader is over thirty and still single. He finally got engaged, but his fiancée wants Lin Ji’s mooncakes. He’s tried several tis without success, and it’s threatening to cause trouble. It’d be great if you could help get two boxes."
When I first joined the Haidian squad, it was the squad leader who familiarized with everything, helping quickly adapt to police life. This ti, when the brigade was recruiting across all of Beijing, it was also the squad leader who encouraged to apply. Even though I wasn’t selected, I can’t forget his kindness. Since today is Teachers’ Day, it’s the perfect ti to help this captain, who’s both a ntor and a friend, solve his mooncake predicant.
Buy mooncakes? Chen Yan hadn’t expected this kind of request.
She took out her phone and called Shen Baobao.
"Yueyue, do you have any mooncakes in your car?"
"Yeah, Xu Bao and I planned to visit our old teacher at Finance University after lunch, so the car is loaded with several boxes of mooncakes. What’s up, Yan Bao?"
"I’ll need a few boxes later."
"Okay, I’m just paying now. I’ll be right out."
After hanging up, Chen Yan said, "What a coincidence! My assistant has a few boxes of mooncakes in her car. I can get them for you now. Just wait here; I’ll go get them."
"That would be great. Thanks a lot, Chef Chen."
Ha! He called Chef Chen again! This feels great, Chen Yan thought. I’ll have everyone at the company call that from now on. It’s much more pleasant to the ear than ’Manager Chen’!
When Chen Yan returned to her car, Shen Baobao had also co over, carrying a bag of oranges.
"Yan Bao, what do you need the mooncakes for?" she asked.
"I just ssed up a detective’s undercover assessnt, so I’m compensating him. You wait here; I’ll deliver them and co right back."
"Why don’t I just drive over?"
"No way! I told him I was Lin Ji’s executive chef. What if you carelessly blurt it out and expose ?"
Shen Baobao scoffed internally. Hmph, a counterfeit is always afraid of being exposed by the real thing. Does she know why the new store doesn’t have an executive chef position? It’s because they’re preparing it for !
She opened the trunk and pointed to the mooncakes inside. "Here, six boxes in total. How many do you need?"
Chen Yan looked and simply grabbed all six boxes.
"You can get more when you go back; we’ve prepared a ton for relatives at ho anyway. If that’s not enough, just take my parents’ portion. It’d be better for them to eat fewer sweets, anyway."
After saying that, holding three boxes of mooncakes in each hand, she walked briskly towards the nearby mouth of the alley.
By this ti, Ren Jie had already packed up his pancake stall and was waiting for his colleagues from the assessnt team to pick him up.
Seeing Chen Yan actually return with several boxes of mooncakes, he was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Chef Chen! How much do I owe you? I’ll transfer it to you. What’s your WeChat? I’ll add you."
I didn’t expect to not only get the mooncakes but to get six boxes all at once! A true executive chef indeed, Ren Jie thought.
Chen Yan handed them over to him with a smile and said, "Since you didn’t want to treat you to a al, let these boxes of mooncakes be my compensation. I have other things to do, so I’ll head back now."
It’s almost noon. I need to get these oranges ho quickly to make stead eggs, she thought.
She gave a casual wave and then left the mouth of the alley.
Back at the shopping center entrance, Shen Baobao had already started the car. Chen Yan opened the door, got in, and they drove off towards a nearby villa complex.
Just as their BMW X1 drove off, a pickup truck with temporary plates pulled up to the mouth of the alley.
Two young plainclothes police officers got out of the vehicle and joked with Ren Jie, "Didn’t you practice making pancakes before? How co you choked when you saw a pretty woman? The leadership at the station was quite disappointed. When you return to the Haidian squad, don’t forget to keep practicing. Aim to be our comrade-in-arms again next year."
"Maybe the griddle was too hot..."
Ren Jie glanced in the direction the BMW X1 had disappeared. This Chef Chen, dressed so plainly, must just be an ordinary employee. When I get a day off, I’ll go to Lin Ji’s Food, find her, and pay her for the mooncakes, he thought.
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