Divorced and Determined: The CEO's Ex-Wife Fights for Love - Chapter 138

Chapter 138 All Correct! This Lu Peng, He Got Everything Right!

At Jingtai Grand Hotel, Chairman’s Office, Chen Jingrong frowned as he flipped through the feedback forms, feeling deeply dissatisfied.

Why was the level of these chef applicants so poor?

And this was after a citywide recruitment drive in Jiangcheng!

They could only identify basic flavors like oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar in the portobello mushroom sauce?

Anyone with a tongue could do that!

Standing beside him, Zhu Li noticed the chairman’s displeasure and, worried that his blood pressure might spike, quickly reminded him.

“Chairman, perhaps you should check the last feedback form—from Mr. Lu Peng.”

“Lu Peng?”

Chen Jingrong tossed aside all the other feedback forms in frustration—not a single one had impressed him. Then, he picked up the last form.

The handwriting was neat and composed in standard Chinese script.

“The beef is tender, the heat control is well-executed, and the sauce for the portobello mushroom is well-balanced. The sauce is the key to this dish, containing pumpkin, taro, verbena, thyme, and European hornet honey. However, the basil flavor is a bit overpowering.

The butter used is not ordinary butter—its flavor suggests that the cows were fed fresh grass rather than processed feed, as there is a hint of herbal undertone. The perfect wine pairing for this dish would be a Sauvignon Blanc from Blanqué.”

Chen Jingrong’s eyes widened in astonishment, and he exclaimed excitedly, “All correct!”

“This Lu Peng, he got everything right!”

Zhu Li was also shocked.

“He even pointed out that the basil flavor was too strong and could detect the herbal notes in the butter. That’s practically supernatural!”

Chen Jingrong took a deep breath to calm himself and hurriedly asked, “What about the second task?”

He was eager to know how this Lu Peng had performed in the knife skills test!

“Chairman, he cut 3.7 ounces of meat strips from a 4-ounce pork loin, almost zero waste. And the strips were identical in thickness and length—you could barely distinguish them with the naked eye.”

After speaking, Zhu Li showed the DV recording to the chairman.

Chen Jingrong watched in stunned silence.

“And the final dish—the Mapo Tofu?”

A true test of a chef’s skill, this Sichuan dish had piqued Chen Jingrong’s curiosity. What kind of surprise would this Lu Peng bring?

“It’s already here.”

Zhu Li had a cart brought in, but naturally, all the other applicants’ Mapo Tofu dishes were ignored—only Lu Qin’s was left.

As soon as the lid was lifted, a wave of steam billowed up. Chen Jingrong swallowed his saliva and gasped.

“The aroma!”

He examined the dish—it looked fantastic. “There’s minced beef and finely chopped garlic sprouts—this is authentic Mapo Tofu!”

“There’s an old saying—-‘Tofu should be eaten hot, and wives should be married plump.’”

Chen Jingrong picked up a spoon and took a bite.

“Hu-chi hu-chi~!”

“Hmm!!! Hot, numbing, and spicy!”

He immediately took two more bites.

“Absolutely satisfying!!!”

Even as he furrowed his brows from the heat and spice, his expression was one of joy and immense satisfaction.

“Xiao Zhu, come try this.”

Zhu Li, having already been tempted by the rich aroma, eagerly picked up a spoon the moment the chairman permitted it. She took a bite of the tofu, enveloped in spicy oil.

“The numbing and spicy flavor is intense, yet incredibly delicious!”

“This is amazing!”

As a lover of Sichuan cuisine, Zhu Li had never tasted a better Mapo Tofu—this was the best, no exaggeration.

“Good, isn’t it?”

Chen Jingrong grinned, taking another bite, his face radiating delight. Now this was authentic Sichuan cuisine! All the Mapo Tofu he had eaten before felt inferior in comparison!

“Quick-fried tofu, slow-cooked fish.”

“Look, the sauce is still steaming—it’s genuinely hot!”

As an experienced gourmet, Chen Jingrong had the highest praise for this Mapo Tofu. He could confidently say—it was master-level!

“Xiao Zhu, bring this Master Chef Lu Peng to me at once.”

Without a doubt, this Master Lu Peng was qualified to be the head chef of Rongxuanji Restaurant!

Zhu Li hurried off to fetch him.

______

Meanwhile, the fourteen chefs had returned to Private Room 3092, waiting for the results. While drinking tea, several people took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Lu Qin.

“Dude, you’re amazing! Who did you train under?”

Given his exceptional knife skills—cutting 3.7 ounces of meat strips from a 4-ounce pork loin—it was clear this guy wasn’t an ordinary chef. He had to be someone significant! So, they immediately asked about his teacher.

“I never had a master.”

“No master?”

The group was puzzled—was he self-taught?

A natural talent?

“Then which famous hotel did you work at before?”

With skills like his, he must have worked at one of Jiangcheng’s top hotels or restaurants.

“I ran my own food stall.”

“……”

“A food stall?”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

What kind of joke was this?

With such incredible culinary skills, he was running a stall? What kind of logic was that? Was he bluffing?

Just then, Lu Qin’s phone rang.

It was Fang Ya.

“Lu Qin, I’m here. I don’t see you!”

“I’m on the third floor, Private Room 3092.”

“I’m in 3092 too!”

“?”

“Oh! Lu Qin, it’s VIP 3092, not a regular private room!”

“???”

Lu Qin hung up, thought for a moment, and replayed the events in his mind.

I messed up.

This was a chef recruitment event, wasn’t it?

Lu Qin glanced around at the other thirteen applicants and confirmed his suspicion. But one thing still confused him.

Why did Manager Zhu initially ask if he was “Mr. Lu”?

Could it be that someone else shared his surname?

What were the odds of that happening?

Fang Ya had said, “Everything is arranged”—which likely meant she had booked a VIP private room with top-notch service and unlimited food and drinks.

Not some elaborate culinary assessment!

She hadn’t even arrived—how could there be a tasting session?

Lu Qin was speechless.

What an absurd mix-up!

No time to dwell on it—he needed to leave before anyone caught on. Otherwise, they’d think he was an imposter causing trouble!

So, using the classic “bathroom escape” tactic, Lu Qin quietly slipped out of the regular 3092 private room. He didn’t bother asking the staff where the VIP rooms were—he just needed to get away first.

After turning a couple of corners, he spotted a VIP sign on a wall-mounted light fixture. At the same time, he encountered three people in the hallway. They were hotel and restaurant investors—Deng Jianping, Sun Zhi, and Fan Qingfang.

The three of them had just stepped out of a VIP private room. Previously, they had all tried to recruit Lu Qin as their head chef and had personally lined up at his food stall.

Lu Qin had a great memory—he recognized them immediately. The three men were equally surprised and delighted to see him.

“Boss Lu, what are you doing here?”

“I’m meeting a friend.”

“Oh? We didn’t get to eat your food yesterday—we’ve been craving it. Will you be setting up your stall this afternoon?”

“I won’t be there this afternoon, but I’ll open earlier in the evening.”

…

After a brief chat, Lu Qin learned that the three of them were investors in Rongxuanji Restaurant. However, not the Jiangcheng location, but a branch in Haishi, where they had all invested.

“Well, since you’ve got plans, we won’t keep you. We’ll come by your stall tonight.”

With that, the three headed for the elevator.

Meanwhile, in the Chairman’s Office—Chen Jingrong frowned and asked, “What do you mean he’s missing? Where is he?”

“He said he was going to the restroom, but he never came back. I sent staff to check all the restrooms—he’s nowhere to be found,” Zhu Li said.

“How could this happen?”

“Did he leave?” Zhu Li asked.

Chen Jingrong shook his head.

“Why would someone at his skill level walk away from an interview he was sure to pass?”

“Bring me his application.”

Zhu Li found the file, but upon seeing the ID photo, she muttered, “Huh?”

Chen Jingrong frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“The photo looks nothing like him. In the picture, he’s wearing glasses.”

Chen Jingrong studied the file.

“Age… thirty-eight?”

Zhu Li shook her head.

“No way—he’s young, probably not even twenty-eight.”

Both were utterly bewildered.

“The resume is fake?”

Zhu Li quickly pulled up the DV footage from the kitchen and played it. Chen Jingrong compared the footage to the resume.These were two completely different people!

What the hell was going on?