When Mr. Zhong learned that it was Xie Shi's "family" who had come, he had already given up and was about to leave. But when he looked up and saw Xu Zixi, his eyes lit up, and he immediately decided not to go.
"This... isn't this Miss Yuan, the mysterious master chef who served as a judge with Master Xie in the Haicheng Cooking Competition? So the important person you mentioned, Master Xie, is her! It seems I've really struck it lucky today!"
Coincidentally, he had just watched the live broadcast of that competition on Haicheng TV, and he had watched the whole thing.
Xie Shi didn't have time to stop him. By the time she came to her senses, that diner surnamed Zhong had already rushed in front of Xu Zixi and Yan Yincheng, and very skillfully took out his business card:
"Hello, Miss Yuan! I'm Zhong Guobiao, the president of the Huading Chamber of Commerce. This is my business card. I've heard that you're a chef whose cooking skills can rival those of Master Xie. I wonder if I have the honor to make an appointment with you to taste your dishes? Oh! I'm willing to pay any amount!"
Yan Yincheng's face was extremely gloomy.
What kind of trash from the Huading Chamber of Commerce dared to show off in front of him and ask Zixi to cook for him?!
"She doesn't have the time!" Before Xu Zixi could say a word, Yan Yincheng refused on her behalf. "Also, she has changed her surname. Now she's surnamed Xu. Please address her as Miss Xu."
Zhong Guobiao wasn't from Fengcheng and wasn't familiar with the situation of the wealthy families there. He glanced at Yan Yincheng and only recognized him as the man who had appeared with Xu Zixi on Haicheng TV that day. He thought he was just a gigolo living off a woman and said indifferently:
"I'm asking Miss Yuan... Miss Xu. What are you, a gigolo, butting in for?" After scolding Yan Yincheng, he immediately put on a smile and said to Xu Zixi:
"I really admire career - oriented women like Master Xie and Miss Xu. In this day and age, men and women are equal. Women can definitely make a name for themselves with their own abilities. They don't need to be restricted by men and family and can have complete freedom to control their time. Miss Xu, you can completely ignore him. Since we get along so well, how about we get to know each other better?"
Xie Shi had originally decided not to serve Zhong Guobiao, but when she heard him say that Yan Yincheng was a gigolo, she almost laughed and fell under the table. She decided not to care about his being so persistent before and even planned to give him a 10% discount from now on!
Acheng... a gigolo... Hahaha, this is so funny and so appropriate!
Xu Zixi also really wanted to burst out laughing.
If you really thought about it in detail, Brother Cheng did seem like a gigolo. His picky taste buds thought that most of the food in the world was so unpalatable that it was hard to swallow. He could only accept the dishes made by her and Aunt Shi. He was surely doomed to be completely dependent on them. Wasn't he just a gigolo?
Yan Yincheng was furious. How dare this guy say he was a gigolo in front of his woman?!
"I'll pay five million... No, ten million to have her cook three meals a day for me for a month. You say I'm a gigolo? Have you ever seen a gigolo as generous as me?!"
Xu Zixi thought to herself, "Oh, wow." The five million had instantly doubled to ten million!
"Ten million to buy out the culinary career of a top - level chef? You're insulting her cooking skills!" Zhong Guobiao said. "I'll pay fifteen million! Just today, right here, for this dinner!"
Yan Yincheng got even angrier: "No one in this world understands food better than I do! Getting my approval is the greatest respect for her cooking skills! You, this greasy middle - aged man, know nothing! I'll pay twenty million!"
"Hey, you young man may be young, but you sure have a big mouth! Twenty - five million!"
The tone in Zhong Guobiao's words, which looked down on him, really angered Yan Yincheng. So Lord Yan also launched his venomous - tongue attack:
"I don't know if I have a big mouth, but I can tell that you didn't brush your teeth after eating onions at noon. Your mouth stinks. I'll pay fifty million!"
Zhong Guobiao quickly covered his mouth but still refused to give in: "Fifty - five million!"
"Do you think this is an auction? Increasing the price by five million each time. Are you a sore loser? I think you're just a poor guy pretending to be rich here! I'll pay one billion!"
"Do you even have the money to say one billion? Take out your bankbook and let me have a look! You're so young. Why don't you do something good instead of bragging?"
Xu Zixi slowly stepped aside and stood with Xie Shi, watching the two men bicker like two roosters pecking at each other.
"Zixi, your skills are much better than mine. You haven't even shown your cooking skills yet, but someone is already bidding for you. The price has already reached one billion."
Xu Zixi held back her laughter and said, "I'm a person who loves money. The more, the better. Let's just see how high a price they can offer."
The battle didn't last long before it ended. Because Yan Yincheng took out his phone, opened a text message, and let the phone play the voice: "Dear Mr. Yan, as of XX:XX on XX/XX/XXXX, you have successfully completed a cash transaction of 30,000,000,000 yuan in our bank. Your current account balance..."
When Zhong Guobiao heard the transaction amount, his knees went weak, and he almost knelt down in front of this man who was younger, taller, and more handsome than him and called him a big shot. When he heard the account balance and counted all the zeros, he wished he could turn back time and give himself a hard slap.
Why did you have to be so talkative and scold him as a gigolo? Even if you work hard for the rest of your life, your savings won't be a tenth of his!
Trying hard to control his facial expression, Zhong Guobiao's momentum was much weaker than before: "Well, even if you're rich, you can't do things like this, right? Little brother, listen to your big brother's advice. You should give your lover a little freedom. Love can last longer if there's a sense of distance. Sister - in - law is so talented. If she doesn't show her skills to the outside world, won't it be a waste?"
Yan Yincheng put away his phone and snorted: "I'm willing to spend all my fortune to spoil my wife and have her cook only for me. What's it to you?"
Xu Zixi called out with a smile, "Brother Cheng."
Yan Yincheng paused and turned his face in her direction: "What's up?"
"I heard it all." Xu Zixi held back her laughter. "When we get back, we'll re - sign the agreement. Starting next month, remember to pay me one billion for food expenses. It has to arrive on time."
Yan Yincheng: "..." When did he agree to this? Did this ever happen? Well... it seemed so. One billion a month, that's twelve billion a year... His heart was bleeding!
But his face remained unchanged. He said, "I'm yours. What's one billion?"
Xu Zixi then looked at Zhong Guobiao, who was about to slip away: "Mr. Zhong."
Zhong Guobiao turned around with a forced smile. "I just remembered that there's still something to do in our chamber of commerce..."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhong, for appreciating me so much and helping me raise the price. You're right. A chef as excellent as me should really show off my cooking skills. Otherwise, it would be a waste. You're a reserved customer of 'Poetic Sentiment' tonight, right? I'm the specially - invited head chef of 'Poetic Sentiment'. I'll be in charge of serving your dinner tonight."