The Game of Life

April 11th, fully prepared.

With Ji Xue withdrawing from the competition, Wu Minqi advanced directly to the national top four. Transitioning from a contestant to a spectator, the organizers kindly arranged for her an excellent front-row seat to comfortably watch the drama unfold, taking great care of the experience for the player with a bye.

As usual, Jiang Feng arrived at the provincial studio early, and the staff took him to see the prepared ingredients.

Upon entering the temperature-controlled room housing the ingredients, Jiang Feng immediately spotted the osmanthus syrup.

The familiar jar, the familiar color, the familiar appearance-Jiang Feng’s eyes became moist.

Moving closer, he twisted open the jar, took a taste, and it was the exact flavor! A unique fragrance, a pure taste of osmanthus syrup!

The employees of the Good Taste Company really are all-around talents as the legends say!

“Where did you buy this osmanthus syrup from? Can you tell me the address?” Jiang Feng asked eagerly.

“It was provided by an employee of the Good Taste Company. If you’d like to know, I can get in touch with her for you,” the staff member said with a smile, naturally able to accommodate such a small request for a contestant specifically mentioned by Mr. Han for additional attention.

Jiang Feng examined the rest of the ingredients, which all displayed excellent qualities—high grade and fresh, with the black rice soaked long enough, much better than what was available at the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant.

On the left, there were the lively prawns, and on the right, the dough for making noodles, vermicelli, and some vegetables. The ingredients for three groups were all quite simple, suggesting that due to the 40-minute time limit, no one wanted to prepare complex dishes.

Returning backstage, Jiang Feng found his usual dimly lit corner to sit in and started watching the “Good Taste Chef King Contest.”

He had to admit, there was a reason why this variety show surpassed 30 million views in just a few days-whether it was the editing, post-production special effects, filming techniques, or the background music, everything highlighted Zhang Guanghang’s handsomeness from every angle. Even in a wide shot, Zhang Guanghang was the most outstanding and noticeable among the 36 contestants on stage-tall, with long legs, exuding an aura as if he was radiating light.

Jiang Feng even suspected that the post-production team added special glowing effects to him.

Apart from a brief minute when Jiang Feng fell and momentarily stole Zhang Guanghang’s thunder, after watching the one and a half hours of the show, Jiang Feng couldn’t recall what the contestants he wasn’t familiar with looked like. He only remembered Zhang Guanghang’s face.

And his 1.92 meters of height with those long legs.

Being handsome really lets you do whatever you want.

Jiang Feng sighed helplessly inwardly.

Turning off the video on a certain site, Jiang Feng opened a reading app and started reading “A Profligate’s Self-cultivation,” laughing uncontrollably as he sat in his shady nook.

“Has Wu Minqi not arrived yet? I don’t think I’ve seen Ji Xue either, what happened to them?” Jiang Feng was deeply engrossed in his novel when he heard Zhang Guanghang’s voice from behind.

Turning his head, it was indeed Zhang Guanghang.

“Ji Xue quit the competition, and Wu Minqi is in the audience today,” Jiang Feng put away his phone, his face solemn as if the person shaking with laughter just a moment ago wasn’t him.

Zhang Guanghang casually sat down and asked, “She quit?”

“Yeah, something came up at home, and she didn’t think she had much chance of winning, so she withdrew,” Jiang Feng said, looking for some topic to maintain his superficial friendship with the prominent figure. “What are you cooking this round?”

“Tomato sauce prawns,” Zhang Guanghang replied.

Tomato sauce prawns, a famous dish from Guangdong Province, tangy and sweet, fitting the theme, quick to prepare, and great for plating. It’s the perfect choice for this round of the competition.

“You know how to cook Cantonese cuisine?” Jiang Feng asked, surprised He wasn’t quite sure who the famous chef from Beiping was that Zhang Guanghang had apprenticed under, but it likely wasn’t a Cantonese chef-there weren’t many Cantonese cuisine masters in Beiping.

Zhang Guanghang looked a bit puzzled, “Aren’t tomato sauce prawns a pretty common Cantonese dish?”

Jiang Feng:…

No problem, he knows how to make that dish too.

Ha… hahaha,” Jiang Feng laughed awkwardly, “just kidding.”

The two of them looked at each other without saying a word, the atmosphere tense and awkward.

Jiang Feng wondered if he should start a new conversation with Cantonese cuisine as the theme, discussing the characteristics of various cuisines or the methods of making certain dishes. But without Wu Minqi in front to shield him, he was afraid that his pretense of being a know-it-all would soon be exposed by the big shot, who would discover he was actually a pseudo-scholar and then kick him out of the chat group.

“Actually, I’ve noticed you for quite some time,” Zhang Guanghang suddenly said.

Jiang Feng was startled, wondering if he had what legends called the main character’s aura that caught the attention of a big shot like Zhang Guanghang so early on.

“Why?” Jiang Feng asked.

“I saw your profile, Taifeng Building, your last name is Jiang, and furthermore, Taifeng Building changed hands last year. The only person who could make Mr Li willingly hand over Taifeng Building, I guess, is a descendant of Jiang Chengde,” Zhang Guanghang said.

Jiang Feng was shocked.

Frozen in place, speechless for a long time.

Isn’t Zhang Guanghang half Chinese, half French?

Isn’t his French name Abel Durand?

Didn’t he go back to France to study Western cuisine with his father at the age of 19?    ^&

Isn’t he a fusion of Chinese, French, and Japanese cultures?

How does he know so much about what happened at Taifeng Building back then, and how does he know about the connection between Li Mingyi and the Jiang Family? If it weren’t for Jiang Feng’s own memory that he had read, even he wouldn’t know. Where did Zhang Guanghang learn about all these intricate details?

Right now, Jiang Feng felt that he shouldn’t call him Abel Durand, but rather Abel Holmes or Abel Ton – ton-what kind of script was he holding? How did he know everything?

“My master is Xia Mushi, who was a student of Chen Qiusheng, the former deputy chef of Taifeng Building,” Zhang Guanghang said, “For decades, my master has wished to reopen Taifeng Building, but since Mr. Li always refused to hand it over to anyone other than the Jiang Family Members, he had to give up. Last year he found out that Taifeng Building was transferred, so he guessed Mr. Li had found the Jiang Family Members. Because he was too old and powerless, he sent me back to Beiping to fulfill his wish.”

“Revitalizing Taifeng Building.”

Jiang Feng guessed who Chen Qiusheng that Zhang Guanghang mentioned was the Master Chen that Jiang Huiqin called, the one who perfunctorily praised

Jiang Huiqin’s sugar-coated sweet potatoes on New Year’s Eve with a smile the Master Chen who set himself on fire due to his son’s death.

Suddenly, Jiang Feng felt that the world was a circle centered around Taifeng Building, and everyone he met was related to it.

The restaurant, abandoned for half a century, lingered in countless people’s dreams, unforgettable.

This… Jiang Feng was at a loss for words on how to begin explaining, “You’re right, I am the great-grandson of Jiang Chengde, and Professor Li did indeed transfer Taifeng Building to me.”

“It’s just…”

“I’m out of money right now.”

Zhang Guanghang: ?

“No money for renovations, unable to open for business,” Jiang Feng admitted.

“I thought that if I won the ‘most popular’ award for my call, the endorsement fee could be used for the renovations, but as you can see, the situation is different now-you are ahead of me by a hundred thousand votes,” Jiang Feng said with a wry smile.

“Taifeng Building, perhaps, can’t open anytime soon. Zhang Guanghang: ???