The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu changed his clothes and went to the kitchen, finding Sun Qingning and Yao Yihang organizing the staff’s lunch together.

It wasn’t surprising for Sun Qingning to cook.

Ever since he volunteered, whenever it was Zhao Meng’s turn to cook, Sun Qingning would take over.

But it was strange for Yao Yihang to be busy alongside him.

After all, the kitchen was hot and stuffy, and they had been busy all morning. It should have been more comfortable to rest in the dining room with the air conditioning.

However, this didn’t concern Fu Yu, although he found it a bit surprising, he didn’t show it on his face.

He greeted Sun Qingning and prepared to head to the dining room to find Zhao Meng.

Passing by Yao Yihang, Fu Yu sensed something unusual when Yao Yihang turned around and let out a "humph", but he decided not to react. Even if Yao Yihang meant something by it, he didn’t say it outright, so who was Fu Yu to demand he couldn’t humph?

But it seemed like today was fated for an unpleasant encounter with Yao Yihang to conclude their day.

Just as Fu Yu brushed past Yao Yihang, Qi Shun came running in from the doorway.

Seeing Yao Yihang, Qi Shun hurried over and said urgently, "Chef Yao! Manager Jia asked which side we want for the dormitory? I have no idea, I’d like you to help me decide."

As Qi Shun spoke to Yao Yihang, he happened to block Fu Yu’s path, so he greeted Fu Yu proactively.

"Hello, Chef Fu! I’m Qi Shun, we’re alumni from the same school, you’re my senior."

Fu Yu nodded with a smile, "Yes, I remember you. You performed on stage during the school anniversary."

Hearing this, Qi Shun immediately laughed, "I was just showing off..."

Before Qi Shun could finish, Yao Yihang interrupted.

Yao Yihang said, "It’s just a dorm assignment! You’re a new junior worker, without a master’s support, not even officially employed yet, no qualification to choose a room. Your cooking skills are basic, you can’t take home service orders, you don’t have the right to be picky! All dorm layouts are the same. The south side is a commercial street, it’s noisy with traffic at night. The north side doesn’t get sun, blocked tightly by the hotel opposite."

"Just live wherever the leadership assigns."

Qi Shun excitedly came to seek advice from Yao Yihang, only to be rebuked without rhyme or reason.

Although Yao Yihang’s intent was clearly to mock Fu Yu, his words were directed at Qi Shun.

Qi Shun felt he lost face, but bore it in front of Fu Yu, and silently turned to leave.

Fu Yu coldly watched Yao Yihang, who seemed like a mad dog, and said, "If you’re capable of taking home service orders, you too might get to choose any dorm you fancy. Even if you want to live in the dining room, no one would stop you."

Everyone left in the kitchen heard Fu Yu’s words.

Fu Yu walked lightly towards the dining hall.

To him, Yao Yihang’s words were nothing.

On the contrary, previously Yao Yihang never openly challenged him but always had a passive-aggressive demeanor, making him uncomfortable. Today, Yao Yihang finally mocked him directly, which gave Fu Yu a welcome chance to vent. It felt incredibly satisfying.

Just stepping outside, Fu Yu saw Qi Shun quietly complaining to a familiar-looking young man: "Hmph! What’s the big deal! If he doesn’t want to help, just say it, why all that nonsense? He came up the ranks in small eateries, not me. I graduated from a proper culinary school, and I even earned my internship spot with top marks. How can you compare me with others?"

Fu Yu pretended not to hear and turned towards the dining room.

For the new juniors from the same school, Fu Yu treated them all equally, neither favoring nor being overly friendly.

He was mindful, knowing he was a senior didn’t mean he should act superior.

Newcomers in the kitchen always went through the same routine.

Junior workers did the heavy lifting, and those with a good foundation, talent, and social skills would naturally get the chance to assist the chefs ahead of others.

This process was something you had to learn and realize on your own; no one else could really help.

Fu Yu had climbed this way himself, so aside from offering a hand when he could, he wouldn’t boast or speak recklessly.

However, compared to others, Fu Yu still seemed relatively more kind and approachable.

After the new recruits reported in, they went back to pack their belongings.

They needed to move in by tonight, officially starting work tomorrow.

The kitchen operations proceeded as usual without any impact from the newcomers’ arrival or departure.

But when it came time to finish work that evening, Fu Yu finally had a moment to scroll through his phone and discovered several notifications in the class group tagging him.

He rarely paid attention to the class group messages since, after graduation, contact amongst classmates noticeably dwindled.

Occasional messages were mostly requests for assistance, likes, or advertisements.

Today, being tagged suddenly surprised Fu Yu.

He opened the messages and realized someone posted on the school’s forum about their first day interning at the restaurant, mentioning Fu Yu.

It noted that Fu Yu had successfully become a full-time employee at Qianlima Restaurant just a year after graduating.

Everyone expressed their admiration for Fu Yu, calling him impressive.

The post, steadily receiving replies, was quickly bumped to the top, becoming a popular post in no time.

Li Linfeng, who stayed on at the school to teach, noticed the post first, and casually shared a screenshot in the class group.

It was meant as a joke, considering Fu Yu’s tales seemed to be legendary outside of his presence.

This was quite amusing.

But the class group was large, and aside from the local classmates met during reunions, the rest were scattered worldwide.

Soon enough, the news of Fu Yu’s quick success at Qianlima spread widely.

The buzz brought out many usually silent classmates.

Since among them, Fu Yu’s stable job and official contract at Qianlima seemed impressive, especially while many were still in flux.

Settling in Bei’an was a long-held dream for many.

Those tagging Fu Yu were usually classmates who were close to him in school.

They joked about visiting Qianlima for a treat from Fu Yu when in town. Local classmates asked for help getting some VIP discounts or coupons.

Their tone was playful, and Fu Yu jokingly replied, "Politely decline, ha!"

Everyone laughed and played along.

Most were good-natured, though a few jokingly remarked that Fu Yu was too proud now, looking down on old classmates.

Fu Yu wasn’t bothered, simply smiling and ignoring it.

People who could make such comments weren’t worth engaging with.