"Foo–Food Critique Magazines Chief Editor?" Qin Yue was taken aback, staring in surprise at the handsome middle-aged man before her.
Mu Liufeng managed a thin smile, "Could you tell me what happened after Cao Pingzhi came to your restaurant?"
"Of course." Qin Yue nodded and hurriedly recounted the events of the previous night.
As Qin Yue spoke, Mu Liufeng's jaw tightened in anger.
Cao! Ping! Zhi!
"Let's eat first!" Mu Liufeng suppressed his rage and began shoveling large mouthfuls of the Egg Fried Rice into his mouth.
Though he wasn't a professional food critic, as the Chief Editor of the Food Critique Magazine, his ability to judge food was not lacking.
This simple plate of Egg Fried Rice surpassed countless delicacies he had tasted before. The other dishes were equally astonishing in their deliciousness.
Each dish he tasted was more than worthy of appearing in the Food Critique Magazine, yet that idiot Cao Pingzhi hadn't given a high score to any of them.
Not a single one!
Even if just 1 dish had made the list, he wouldn't be this furious. He had heard rumors of Cao Pingzhi and others using their positions to gain personal benefits, but he had turned a blind eye, assuming it wouldn't severely impact the overall integrity.
Food critics have always had a reputation for milking their positions, making a year's worth of profit in one go.
But such blatant negligence was unacceptable, as it threatened the credibility of the Food Critique Magazine.
That bastard Cao Pingzhi!
Because of his selfishness and bias, he didn't even bother to taste the food before leaving.
At that moment, Mu Liufeng began to question his leniency towards the food critics.
After finishing their meal, Mu Liufeng and Lin Lang set down their chopsticks simultaneously and exchanged a glance. Then Mu Liufeng called Qin Yue over again. "Young lady, what time does your restaurant close for lunch?"
"At 1 o'clock," Qin Yue answered honestly, not understanding why Mu Liufeng asked.
"There's still time," Mu Liufeng murmured to himself as he glanced at his exquisite pocket watch.
"I heard from Lin Lang that your restaurant has something called 'hotpot'?" Mu Liufeng pondered for a moment before asking.
"Yes, it's on the second floor." Qin Yue nodded, pointing towards the stairs leading up.
Mu Liufeng smiled, "May I go up and have a look?"
"It's possible. My sister is serving on the second floor. If you need anything, you can ask her," Qin Yue replied with a smile.
Although she wasn't entirely sure why, the Chief Editor of Food Critique Magazine personally visiting Small Shop gave Qin Yue a glimmer of hope.
Could it be that there's still a chance for their restaurant to be mentioned in the next Food Critique Magazine issue?
"Lin Lang, wait here for a bit. I'll go check upstairs."
With that, Mu Liufeng went up to the second floor. After a while, he came back down, his face thoughtful.
Standing before Lin Lang, Mu Liufeng suddenly looked up, "Call all the food critics except Cao Pingzhi. The reviews here must be completed in one afternoon!"
"Understood, Chief Editor." Lin Lang nodded and left the restaurant promptly.
There was still plenty of time before the Small Shop closed for lunch, enough for him to make a trip to the office and return.
Seeing Lin Lang leave quickly, Mu Liufeng took a deep breath and then smiled at Qin Yue, "If it's convenient, could I speak with your boss?"
These words sounded familiar, but coming from Mu Liufeng, they were clearly more courteous than when Cao Pingzhi said them. Qin Yue felt a surge of excitement, "Of course."
...
The situation was beyond Qi Han's expectations. The Chief Editor of Food Critique Magazine had personally come and, with a humble attitude, not only apologized on behalf of the magazine but also promised to complete the review of all Small Shop's dishes by noon.
This gesture helped Qi Han's impression of the Food Critique Magazine improve significantly, despite the damage caused by Cao Pingzhi.
Maybe Cao Pingzhi was just a bad apple spoiling the bunch?
Meanwhile, all the food critics were called away by Lin Lang under the Chief Editor's orders, leaving only Cao Pingzhi sitting alone in the conference room. He was starting to get restless.
What's going on?
Calling everyone except me?
This is too obvious!
Cao Pingzhi's expression darkened, and he slowly crumpled the list in his hand.
What went wrong?
...
"5 people will take turns reviewing the dishes on the first floor. The rest will review the 18 types of hotpot bases and various ingredients and dipping sauces on the second floor. Any questions?"
Mu Liufeng's eyes flashed as he looked at the critics.
The bewildered food critics quickly nodded in agreement, which made Mu Liufeng's demeanor soften a bit.
"And don't forget, don't waste any food."
...
The release of the new issue of Food Critique Magazine was a major event for countless food lovers.
On this day, the largest bookstore on Morning Star Street, Wanshi Bookstore, hung up a conspicuous banner early in the morning announcing the sale of the new issue of Food Critique Magazine. Numerous gourmets entered the bookstore, each holding a brand-new copy of the magazine, eager to take it home and read.
Many impatient food enthusiasts started reading right there in the bookstore.
Opening the first page of Food Critique Magazine, they saw a food item called hotpot, accompanied by a rating of...
10 points.
A perfect score?
Food Critique Magazine had never given a score higher than 9.5 before, and now there was a perfect score?
Countless readers were astonished.
The food enthusiasts quickly turned to the second and third pages...
Then they discovered an even more startling fact.
The top 16 dishes in the Food Critique Magazine rankings were all from the same restaurant.
"Where is this Small Shop?"
On that day, many people in Star Luo City were asking this question in unison.
...
Holding a copy of Food Critique Magazine, Qi Han mingled with the crowd and soon returned to Small Shop.
He glanced briefly at the table of contents and couldn't help but smile when he saw all 16 of his restaurant's dishes listed in Food Critic, dominating the top 16 spots on the ratings list.
"Ru Yi, is this enough to complete the Time-limited Quest?" he asked.
"It is!"
As Ru Yi spoke, the Quest interface appeared in front of Qi Han:
[Time-Limited Quest: Get Featured in the Food Critique Magazine (Completed)
Quest Rewards: Random Recipe Drop x1 (Claimable), 2 Star Optional Recipe Fragment x4 (Claimable), Spirit Power Level +2 (Claimable).]
Without hesitation, Qi Han claimed the Spirit Power Level +2 reward, feeling a warm flow coursing through his meridians as his Spirit Power grew stronger once again.
He was now at level 29. Just 1 more level, and Qi Han would reach level 30.
Qi Han then claimed the random recipe reward and entered the system space.
As he looked at the familiar roulette, Qi Han couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. But there was someone even more nervous than him standing beside him.
"High-star, high-star, high-star, high-star, high-star!" Ru Yi stomped her foot, her face tense as she watched the roulette. Her adorable little fists clenched tightly until the roulette stopped on a yellow block, and her expression fell. "Host, are you the reincarnation of Kamijou Touma or something?"
Qi Han's expression turned even more peculiar. "I always thought you determined what I got, not the roulette."
"How could that be?" Ru Yi shook her head. "The roulette really decides on its own. I'm just a bystander."
Now Qi Han's expression turned darker.
So was he really an unlucky person?
Well, if he was, then so be it.
Qi Han looked at his lottery result.
A 2 Star Dish recipe - Triple No-Stick.
— — — — —
Tn: Triple No-Stick : Triple No-Stick is a traditional Chinese dessert known for its unique texture and preparation method. The name is referring to its notable characteristic: it doesn't stick to the plate, chopsticks, or teeth.
This dish is made from egg yolks, sugar, and flour, and is often flavored with various ingredients like sweet bean paste or fruit.
The preparation involves cooking the mixture over low heat while constantly stirring to achieve the desired non-sticky consistency. This dessert is particularly popular in northern China and is often enjoyed during festive occasions.
How the Dish looks like: https://imgur.com/a/triple-no-stick-dhQunMz
Also, who is Kamijou Touma?
Kamijou Touma is the Main Character of the Japanese Manga, Toaru Majutsu No Index, the reason why he's referenced in this chapter is because of the fact that one of the main ability of Kamijou Touma is to erase any 'supernatural' thing with his hand, no matter how powerful the said thing it is.
One of the thing that his hand has erased is 'Luck', something that in that world, is a real thing that are given by God to every single being.
By erasing his luck, Touma become the most unlucky existence in all of history, which is why so many world-ending event happening around him.
<+>
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