And just as the competition was about to end the live broadcast, the video page on the streaming website was still filled with countless bullet comments wildly scrolling by.

"Miss Chu Qing smiles so sweetly, she really does look prettier after a full meal."

"66666, no wonder all five judges made such ugly faces while eating—turns out they were both cold and hungry. In such a situation, I'd also give Datong River full marks."

"Exactly, the owner of Datong River is truly devoted to making great food."

"Right, this is cooking with heart, deserving of the championship in this competition."

"Totally, what were the other teams thinking? The judges are human too, after eating seven cold dishes in a row, it's no wonder their marks kept getting lower."

"Heh heh, this Datong River is really awesome, suddenly I really want to try their signature dishes, too bad they don't have a shop in Shanghai. Someone go and try it for me."

"Uh, yeah, I want to try it too; we don't have it here either."

Because Shen Qiang had changed the menu at the last minute, Datong River restaurant successfully made it into the top five.

Masters from Yuqing Hall and Baihua Tower were so pissed off by Shen Qiang that they refused all post-competition interviews and stormed off, holding back their anger and frustration.

"Boss, you were simply divine. When I heard you were changing the menu, not making a cooling dish but opting for lamb stew with radish instead, I thought you'd lost it."

"Indeed, boss, only you could pull off such a last-minute change in menu. If someone else had done this, I, as the head chef of Datong River, would have smacked him into the air. I would have never imagined, oh, that you had already seen through everything."

"Pssh, if I didn't have that bit of skill, would I still be the boss? You guys, just keep cooking well, do as the boss says, and under the boss's leadership, our Datong River will definitely forge ahead and climb new peaks."

Watching the chefs gather around to flatter him crazily, Shen Qiang laughed, "Alright alright, cut the cheesy talk. The bonus will remain the same, 20,000 each for you guys. But tomorrow, you can't go out to play. Everyone should prepare your best dish for me; I'll taste them myself tomorrow night."

"No problem. You can count on us, boss."

Just as he said this, Shen Qiang's eyes caught sight of Miss Beautiful Demon Fox Chu Qing, dressed in a long gown, standing not far away, looking at him with what seemed like something to say.

He gestured for his team members to have some free time.

Smiling, Shen Qiang walked over and asked, "Are you satisfied?"

Miss Chu Qing responded with a charming smile, "It's okay, but the lamb wasn't fresh enough."

Shen Qiang laughed, "Alright then, next time I'll prepare a live one for you."

Miss Chu Qing was taken aback and then coquettishly glared at Shen Qiang, "You're the one who eats live ones."

Shen Qiang laughed since Miss Chu Qing was indeed a true Three-tailed Demon Fox, and foxes, being omnivores, eat meat, eggs, fruit, and pretty much anything. Thus, being a gourmet was undoubtedly the perfect profession for her.

"Alright, then I'll personally stew lamb for you someday," Shen Qiang said with a smile.

Miss Chu Qing laughed and said, "That would be more like it."

Looking at her charming and seductive demeanor, Shen Qiang couldn't help but recall the scene from that night.

"By the way, speaking honestly, the chefs from Datong River aren't really outstanding. If it weren't for the fact that I came here to have seven cold dishes in a row, this radish mutton with pancake meal probably wouldn't even make it into the top five. So when you have time, you'd better remind them to practice their cooking skills more."

On hearing this, Shen Qiang smiled and said, "I will certainly remind them of that, but being a chef is like being a person, giving what the other side needs the most is undoubtedly the best."

Looking at Shen Qiang with a smile, Miss Chu Qing said, "I need the 'Daluo Heavenly Tribulation Heart Sutra.'"

Shen Qiang laughed.

But before Shen Qiang could respond, he heard Boss Ma's voice nearby: "Qiangzi! Hey! Hahaha, so you were flirting with a beauty here? Yo ho ho, beautiful lady, you really are gorgeous. My name is Ma, an antique dealer, you can call me Brother Ma."

Following the overly familiar voice, Boss Ma, with his eyes full of amazement, rushed to Shen Qiang's side and reached out to shake hands with Miss Chu Qing.

The always smiling Beautiful Demon Fox Miss Chu Qing's expression immediately turned cold, and she gave Shen Qiang a helpless smile and said, "I have a news interview to do. I need to leave first."

Feeling stunned, Boss Ma called out, "Beautiful lady, don't go!"

Miss Chu Qing didn't even bother to roll her eyes at him and simply ignored him. After taking a few steps, she stopped, turned back, and smiled at Shen Qiang, "An ancient saying goes, one who keeps company with red will turn red, and one who keeps company with ink will turn black. Choose your friends wisely and take care of yourself."

With that, the Beautiful Demon Fox Miss Chu Qing smiled radiantly and walked away.

Boss Ma was dumbfounded and asked Shen Qiang, "What does she mean?"

"She's telling Shen Qiang to stay away from you because you'll corrupt him," Sun Kaiping said with a cold voice from behind.

Boss Ma laughed, "Nice, Qiangzi, you've got some wisdom there. You've only been in Shanghai for a few days, and you've already charmed a gorgeous woman."

"Just a regular friend," Shen Qiang responded truthfully, and Boss Ma chuckled, "Come on, don't play the innocent with me. The biggest difference between you and me is that you're young and don't need to spend money to have pretty girls around. I'm older, so I have to pay, but everyone loves beauty."

Looking at the messy hotel lobby, Boss Ma chuckled, "Why are we still here? What a dump! Old Sun promised earlier that tonight's God Emperor Bath is on him. If you don't go, I'm telling you, you're going to miss out."

Shen Qiang smiled with his eyes curved, "I really can't go, I do have something important."

Boss Ma laughed, "You better think it over carefully, don't regret it. Let me tell you, it's a nice place—the moment the young ladies walk in, they stand in front of you, lift their little skirts, whoosh, twirl around once, showing off those long white legs, and with a sweet smile and flirtatious eyes, they say, 'Sir, I'm Technician No. XX, may I provide services for you?'"

Shen Qiang interrupted with a laugh, "Stop, I am a noble person."

Boss Ma laughed, "So am I."

Watching the two, Sun Kaiping laughed from the side, "If you two could be linked with nobility, then I must definitely be a saint. But jokes aside, Old Ma and I won't stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning we plan to explore an antique market. Aren't you also going?"

Shen Qiang replied, "Yes, just give me the address. I'll call you once I get there in the morning."

Hearing this, Boss Ma frowned, "Dongtai Road has been demolished. Where are we going tomorrow morning?"

"Let's start at the City God Temple, it's not far from here," Sun Kaiping said, checking the time, "If you really don't want to join us, then we'll be going now."

Shen Qiang smiled, "See you tomorrow."

Boss Ma raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "Got it, you'd better show up tomorrow. Whenever I see a bargain, I just can't control myself. Sun Kaiping is such a scammer—he wouldn't tell me even if I bought a fake, just waiting to laugh at me. I feel much more reassured when you're around."

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