Fourth update,

...

This time, the culinary festival competition not only has individual contests but also a team event open to all hotels, restaurants, and diners in Ninghai.

The team event will select the top ten and top hundred, awarding them a special signboard as a symbol of honor and class. There will also be awards for the best dish, signature dish, and so on—these too are a kind of live advertisement.

"Although Fang Feixue is a bit smaller and less famous, we have our own strengths, so we're setting our sights on breaking into the top hundred..."

Tang Feifei set a realistic goal; in widespread competitions across the whole Ninghai territory, the top ten are virtually pre-determined, each dominated by renowned chefs.

Qin Fang had tasted the Supreme Set Meal prepared by Old Eli and, while it was quite delicious, even he, with his intermediate cooking skill, felt inferior, let alone chefs like Gu Rongzhi.

Besides Qin Fang, the best culinary skill at Fang Feixue was now almost at the intermediate level under Wen Yi. If renowned chefs made Qin Fang feel inadequate, Wen Yi had even less of a chance, so setting Fang Feixue's goal to be in the top hundred was very prudent, although still quite challenging.

Big hotels have their advantages: aside from renowned chefs, they have skilled apprentices to assist and a variety of chefs with their own specialities, making for a high overall level and a significant advantage in the team event.

By comparison, Fang Feixue seemed much weaker. Only Qin Fang and Wen Yi were reliable, and while the other chefs' skills were not bad, they were definitely not outstanding—or they wouldn't have chosen to work at a small diner like Fang Feixue.

Of course, thanks to Wen Yi's recent efforts in creating signature dishes, the skills of the other chefs had improved significantly, and now each of them had one or two specialty dishes they excelled at.

"I fully support this! We can participate in both the individual and team events, and we can also book an exhibition space. Spending a bit of money doesn't matter, as long as we can make a name for Fang Feixue..."

After skimming through the promotional brochure from front to back, Qin Fang naturally agreed. Perhaps Fang Feixue wasn't making much money, which could be attributed to its clientele of salaried workers from nearby universities, teachers, students, and some local residents. Compared to places like Ningcui Residence and Night Scenery of the Lotus Pond, it lagged far behind.

But the restaurant industry is undoubtedly profitable, provided that it grows bigger and stronger, as Tang Feifei hoped.

"With your support, we'll do just fine. You'll be our key player!"

Hearing Qin Fang's agreement, Tang Feifei immediately smiled brightly.

Of course, Qin Fang was definitely the main force; without him, they might manage to snag an individual championship with just a bunch of minor players, but breaking into the top hundred in the team event was not something one person could achieve alone.

"Wen Yi, I'm entrusting this task to you. There's a month to prepare for the culinary festival, so you must push yourself. Work hard to improve your cooking skills and develop several signature dishes. If any of our dishes make it onto the list for best or signature dishes, there will be a big bonus... Of course, the same goes for the master chefs here!"

Qin Fang said with a cheerful smile, primarily addressing his apprentice, Wen Yi.

Over time, the other chefs had grown quite fond of Wen Yi. If they hadn't been older and already settled down, there might have been no telling how many would be courting her.

Upon Qin Fang's words, other chefs might have felt disheartened or even angry, but Wen Yi's growth was something everyone agreed upon. Now, every chef had several dishes almost as good as Wen Yi's, and some regular customers at Fang Feixue explicitly requested dishes made by specific chefs. This was also the chefs benefiting from Wen Yi's influence; far from being jealous, they hoped for her continued breakthroughs so they could continue to ride on her coattails.

"Master, don't worry, I definitely won't let you down!"

Wen Yi had gradually become more lively, perhaps because she had been eating much better recently, her complexion becoming more rosy and her figure fuller, making Qin Fang secretly sigh: No wonder chefs tend to have fuller figures.

"By the way, Feifei, when you have the time, ask Brother Nan if he knows of any suitable locations. If Fang Feixue is to grow and strengthen, the current spot is too small. If I manage to achieve something at the culinary festival, I want to rent a larger venue and turn Fang Feixue from a small diner into a large restaurant..."

Originally, Qin Fang was not in a hurry, but seeing the potential in this culinary festival, he felt it offered great opportunities. He had nearly six million in funds, and although a large hotel was beyond his means, starting with a bigger restaurant was feasible.

"Boss, are you... serious?"

Old Niu and the chefs couldn't help but ask.

"Of course I'm serious! Once everything is in place, you masters will be the veterans of Fang Feixue, with assuredly better salaries and benefits. You can rest easy!"

Qin Fang understood what the chefs were worried about: their skills might suffice for the current small diner, but they might struggle in a more upscale large restaurant, and they feared Qin Fang would let them go. Qin Fang wouldn't do such a thing; their skills, honed under Wen Yi's tutelage, were too valuable for him to just let them leave.

The main reason was that Qin Fang could control Wen Yi's skills, but he couldn't control the craftsmanship these masters had learned. He didn't want to kick someone out only to end up strengthening his competitors.

As far as he knew, the person Ningcui Residence was most eager to poach was Wen Yi. The other few masters also had some inclination, but their treatment was good and they knew their own worth, so none of them agreed.

"Leave this matter to me..."

Tang Feifei immediately assured, patting her chest. It really wasn't a difficult task for someone of her status.

Once the meeting was over, everyone went their separate ways, and a few of the senior chefs also helped clean up before clocking out and heading home.

Only then did Qin Fang notice Xiao Muxue, who was sitting alone in a corner. She seemed to have been quiet the entire time, and Qin Fang seemed to have not assigned her any tasks, which left her sitting there a bit sulky.

"Oh, right, Muxue, are you free next weekend?"

Qin Fang obviously knew what Xiao Muxue was thinking and didn't avoid Tang Feifei, directly asking the question.

"I should be free!"

Xiao Muxue was slightly startled at his words, then smiled and replied, while Tang Feifei seemed a bit suspicious, not knowing why Qin Fang was asking this.

"Next weekend, I have to make a trip to Southern Yue. There will be a seminar on the lithium battery industry, where world-renowned lithium battery manufacturers will be present. Brother Jiangnan and I have already made contact with several manufacturers to go and have face-to-face talks. If things go well, I'll sell off the piece of technology data I have in hand..."

Qin Fang didn't hide the matter from Tang Feifei, but Xiao Muxue was hearing about it for the first time.

"Fangfang, why don't we keep it for our own production?"

Tang Feifei couldn't help frowning upon hearing this. She was well aware of the potential of that piece of technology data. It seemed like a big loss to sell the data rather than produce it themselves.

"Feifei, a lithium battery project is not a minor project. The investment is definitely calculated in the billions. Do you think we have the capability to pull it off?"

Qin Fang lightly tapped Tang Feifei's nose and smiled, "Besides, I just said it's the first piece of technology data. In fact, I've already arranged for the lab to start researching the second piece. The first one is just an obsolete product..."

"Ugh, you're so bad!"

Tang Feifei was a bit stunned, then quickly caught on and her face lit up with a happy smile.

"But why bring Muxue along when you're going to talk business?" Tang Feifei inevitably felt a bit jealous.

"You little vinegar jar, have you forgotten which countries the world's top-ranked manufacturers are from?" Qin Fang asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, I see! In that case, let Muxue accompany you. She can take care of you! But... you're not allowed to bully Muxue!"

Tang Feifei then understood. Xiao Muxue was from the Foreign Languages Institute, majoring in English, but she also knew some Japanese and Korean. Since most lithium battery manufacturers are Japanese, followed by Korean, Qin Fang was bringing Xiao Muxue along as a translator.

This business matter was of great importance, and Tang Feifei did not trust Chen Jiangnan. Qin Fang felt the same. Without a translator by his side, who knew if Chen Jiangnan would collude with the manufacturers and deceive Qin Fang? That was something Tang Feifei would never allow to happen, so after some consideration, she agreed, knowing that Xiao Muxue would likely not betray Qin Fang.

With Tang Feifei's approval, Qin Fang could now bring Xiao Muxue along without any issues. In fact, Tang Feifei also wanted to go, but she was too busy with the food festival, so she had to compromise reluctantly.

With everything arranged, it was time to start preparing. They couldn't go into battle unprepared, so both Qin Fang and Tang Feifei took the matter very seriously.

"Are you satisfied now?"

Qin Fang whispered in Xiao Muxue's ear, causing her cheeks to flush and she cast a coquettish glance at Qin Fang, which made Qin Fang's "little brother" restless.

Recalling Xiao Muxue's affection, Qin Fang pondered whether he should take this opportunity to "devour" Xiao Muxue...(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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