I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 616 - 290: Chen Yan: Have you heard of Lin Ji’s Food? I am the Executive Chef there! [Subscribe]_2

Chapter 616: Chapter 290: Chen Yan: Have you heard of Lin Ji’s Food? I am the Executive Chef there! [Subscribe]_2

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 come 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 comes 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 remembered a rumor he had heard online and asked curiously, "Chef Chen, everyone says the employee meals 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 immediately opened up, "Of course it’s true. I make quite a few of the employee meals myself—sometimes to test new dishes, sometimes as extra meals for the staff. Want to try some? Come 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 membership card. However, she then remembered the only one she had in her bag: the 00001 membership 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 assessment; I can’t ruin his career as well, she reasoned.

"Just mention my name at the front desk when you go, and I’ll treat you to a meal to make up for today’s loss," she said.

Ren Jie smiled and replied, "No need for a meal. 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 times without success, and it’s threatening to cause trouble. It’d be great if you could help me get two boxes."

When I first joined the Haidian squad, it was the squad leader who familiarized me with everything, helping me quickly adapt to police life. This time, when the brigade was recruiting across all of Beijing, it was also the squad leader who encouraged me to apply. Even though I wasn’t selected, I can’t forget his kindness. Since today is Teachers’ Day, it’s the perfect time to help this captain, who’s both a mentor and a friend, solve his mooncake predicament.

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 me Chef Chen again! This feels great, Chen Yan thought. I’ll have everyone at the company call me 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 come over, carrying a bag of oranges.

"Yan Bao, what do you need the mooncakes for?" she asked.

"I just messed up a detective’s undercover assessment, so I’m compensating him. You wait here; I’ll deliver them and come 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 me?"

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 me!

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 home 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 time, Ren Jie had already packed up his pancake stall and was waiting for his colleagues from the assessment 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 me to treat you to a meal, 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 home quickly to make steamed 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 come 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.