Trillionaire's Slice of Life

"This sweet and sour fish is quite good, crispy and delicious—it's one of my signature dishes. Try some."

As Chu Mo spoke, he didn't give Li Tingting any chance to refuse and simply nodded gently to the maid beside him.

The latter quickly swapped the delicacy, which was a bit farther from them, to the front, and once the maid used the communal utensils to serve a portion to each of them, Chu Mo looked at her with a face full of expectation.

For Chu Mo, this was the first time someone was sharing a meal with him that took nearly three hours to prepare.

Ever since he learned to cook from his family's head chef, aside from the dinner he cooked once at his old classmate Chu Wen's place for her and her housemate Zhao Shuangshuang, no one else had tasted his cooking.

Moreover, in Chu Wen's shared apartment, due to a serious lack of ingredients, Chu Mo simply made a few simple home-style dishes, and didn't get a chance to showcase his signature culinary skills.

So, strictly speaking, this girl named Li Tingting was the first to taste his cooking since he learned the craft.

Chu Mo had been studying cooking under his family's head chef for nearly half a month and felt his culinary skills had improved by leaps and bounds. It was a whole level better than when he used to fumble around on his own, but this was just his own judgment; no one else had confirmed it.

As for the head chef's opinion...

Since Chu Mo had last invited the head chef to lunch, the chef was so nervous that he broke into a sweat, hardly tasting the food and only reaching for the dishes twice; since then, Chu Mo had not invited him to share a meal again.

Similarly, he had never heard a single comment about his cooking from him.

Therefore, Chu Mo was truly very eager to hear Li Tingting's critique.

The girl sitting across from him, with a tiny tear mole on her right eye, naturally picked up a small, crispy piece of sweet and sour fish with her chopsticks, elegantly placed it in her mouth, and lightly savored it as the crisp, aromatic flavor spread.

It was a bit more refined and palatable than what the school cafeteria chef prepared, but compared to what she had once tasted at a star-rated hotel, it seemed to lack something—what exactly that was, Li Tingting couldn't say, but there was indeed a slight difference in the taste.

So, how should she respond?

Looking at the anxious expression of the young man in front of her, Li Tingting originally wanted to blurt out that it was "incredibly delicious", but suddenly, the image of the young man busily and focused in the kitchen flashed through her mind.

This top-tier rich heir, whose worth is at least in the billions, being so engrossed in cooking for hours in the kitchen, must really love culinary arts. Any hardworking person shouldn't be met with empty flattery.

So, after seriously contemplating for a moment and without trying to please him out of any interest, Li Tingting earnestly said:

"The taste is very good. If I had to give a score out of ten, I would give it an eight. As for the missing two points...

There's no issue with the crispiness, but the overall taste somehow feels like it's missing something. I don't know exactly what it is, but it lacks that sense of happiness one gets from food."

Upon hearing this, the once expectant expression on Chu Mo's face immediately turned much more serious. He picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, then closed his eyes to taste it carefully.

But, no matter how carefully Chu Mo savored it, he could not find any issue.

Isn't the essence of sweet and sour fish its crispy and delicious taste? He had achieved that, so what could he have possibly forgotten?

After thinking it over, Chu Mo slightly furrowed his brow.

They say it's hard to see the picture when you're inside the frame. He couldn't taste the slight difference, but Chu Mo believed Li Tingting wouldn't just give him an arbitrary review. If she only gave him eight points, there must be something he didn't do quite right.

This time, Chu Mo didn't need the maid to assist; he picked up a big piece himself and tasted it again, with the crispy and sweet flavor still there.

After a moment, Chu Mo suddenly turned his head to the maid beside him and instructed:

"Call the head chef over."

The obedient maid immediately answered and headed toward the door of the dining room. Moments later, the head chef, with a tall chef's hat, entered the room with a cautious face. Chu Mo waved him over, and at the same time said:

"Chef Li, please taste this sweet and sour fish and see how you find the flavor."

Upon hearing this, the plump chef by his side immediately strode over, took the utensils from the maid, carefully picked up a piece, and tasted it intently. After a moment, with a small frown, the puzzled head chef asked:

"The flavor is quite authentic, and the crispness is just right. Does Mr. Chu find it disagreeable to his palate?"

Seeing that the head chef found nothing amiss, Chu Mo waved his hand and said:

"It's nothing, you've worked hard, Chef Li."

After the chef had left, Chu Mo picked up another piece of the sweet and sour fish, put it in his mouth, and pondered the taste. Meanwhile, Li Tingting, by his side, finally spoke up:

"I had sweet and sour fish at Ting Yu Pavilion once, and compared to being crispy, their flavor seemed richer and more fragrant. If you have a chance, Mr. Chu, perhaps you could personally try it at Ting Yu Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Chu Mo simply nodded and stopped dwelling on the matter, instead instructing the maid beside him:

"Invite the head chef from Ting Yu Pavilion over this evening, specifically one who can make this dish of sweet and sour fish."

Butler Danny was busy with contract matters, and Qin Zixuan, the personal maid, had gone to Bafang International Hotel to discuss the acquisition of Shi Yuan Entertainment with Zhan Bingxue.

Currently serving by his side was the original sixth-tier head maid, who had just been elevated to a seventh-tier head maid that morning.

This top-tier maid, whose annual salary had reached 1.8 million, immediately bowed and respectfully responded:

"Yes, Mr. Chu."

Chu Mo nodded gently, no longer dwelling on it, and suddenly turned his gaze to Li Tingting in front of him, raising his eyebrows as he said:

"If there's something you want to say, you may speak now."

Upon hearing this, Li Tingting gently set down her bowl and chopsticks, wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, and after a moment of silence, the girl with a teardrop mole shook her head and said:

"Nothing more."

"Oh? Aren't you here to persuade me to sign the contract?"

"I indeed came with that intention," said Li Tingting, her clear eyes full of calm reflection:

"When I was sent out of the villa by the maid earlier, I felt slighted, as if Chu Senior never took this collaboration seriously, which made me feel unfairly treated. Filled with passion, I wanted to fight for an explanation, but...

at the kitchen door just now, I saw Chu Senior toiling away for hours, practicing over and over to slice the potatoes more uniformly, and humbly seeking advice to perfect the sweet and sour fish."

"Therefore, I don't think Chu Senior is the type of rich second generation who plays with others carelessly. Chu Senior likely considers every action carefully, and since Senior has made a decision, even if I argued my case passionately, it probably wouldn't change his mind, would it?"

Chu Mo scrutinized the girl's profile attentively, then, after a moment, he nodded gently and said solemnly:

"Miss Li, the decisions I make are indeed not easily swayed, but I can make an exception for you this one time. What do you say to a deal?"

"I refuse!"

Chu Mo, who had been about to articulate further, found himself at a loss for words at Li Tingting's resolute response. After a while, he could only smile wryly and say:

"I just wanted you to help me evaluate my cooking skills. Is that really so difficult?"

At these words, the girl's expression, previously cold, suddenly widened with surprise.

Then her beautiful face instantly turned beet red.