Chapter 64: When They Meet Again, Will Brother Look Down on Him?
The next morning at ten o’clock, Qin Wan arrived at Jinghongyan to start his shift as usual.
Once the restaurant opened for service, he and the other chefs became busy in the back kitchen.
Li Ye received a phone call, stepped out of the kitchen, and headed toward the private rooms.
The president of the Imperial Capital Chamber of Commerce had called, saying that several of his friends were dining here today to discuss a collaboration and asked Li Ye to look after them.
Li Ye was well-versed in social pleasantries; it was usually just a matter of going over, offering a bottle of wine, and exchanging a few polite words.
He stepped into the “Xijiangyue” private room.
Inside sat five or six men and women.
Every one of them was dressed in formal attire, looking every bit like business elites.
Li Ye’s gaze naturally chose to land on the young man sitting next to the head of the table.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with tidy, jet-black short hair styled into clean textures, wearing a well-tailored, pure black suit.
That face could absolutely be described as breathtaking.
Sword-like brows over bright eyes, a high bridge to his nose, and thin lips with superior contours.
Most captivating of all were those peach-blossom eyes.
Their outlines were exquisite and deep, but they weren’t alluring or flirtatious like typical peach-blossom eyes. On the contrary, his gaze contained a full measure of aloofness and coldness.
As his gaze shifted slightly, an inexplicable sense of sorrowful melancholy escaped from them.
Even someone like Li Ye, who was accustomed to seeing handsome men, couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment.
Of course, it was only a moment.
He immediately put on his trademark smile.
After saying a few customary polite words, he presented a bottle of red wine with an excellent vintage.
Just as he was preparing to leave, the man who had just captured his attention spoke.
“Pardon me, Manager. Is it convenient to invite Chef Number Nine over? The dishes were excellent; we would like to thank him in person.”
The man’s voice was gentle but faint.
His words were concise and to the point, devoid of any extra emotion.
Jinghongyan had a rule: every dish’s plate or bowl would have the identification number of the chef who prepared it attached.
Some diners would offer a few words of praise to the chef in person, while others would leave a separate tip for them.
Li Ye nodded. “Certainly, please wait a moment.”
With that, he exited the room.
A moment later, the chubby Chef Number Nine walked into the private room.
Several guests highly praised his culinary skills and gave him a tip.
The chubby chef left happily.
Just as he reached the hallway, someone followed him out from behind.
“Chef, wait a moment.”
The chubby chef turned around and saw it was one of the guests from the room just now.
A very good-looking young man, so he had a very deep impression of him.
“Do you have further instructions?” the chef asked.
The man gave a polite, faint smile. “That dish just now, the Silver Carp Fried Egg Dumplings—it was made by your Chef Number Fifteen. I felt the flavor was quite good.”
The chef nodded. “Oh, that’s good, then, that’s good!”
The man pursed his lips. “Is Chef Number Fifteen a young chef?”
The chubby chef was very talkative and nodded with a smile. “Yes, a very young lad. He hasn’t been here very long.”
“Mhm. Do you know his name?”
“He’s called Qin Wan. A particularly handsome young master!”
Hearing this name, the man’s expression stiffened almost imperceptibly.
However, it was gone in a flash.
“Alright, thank you.”
Having said that, he turned and walked back.
Sheng Siyue did not return to the private room. Instead, he followed the hallway out to the small garden in the restaurant’s backyard.
As he walked, he felt his heart was both suffocated and restless.
He couldn’t help but reach out and undo the top two buttons of his shirt collar.
That dish just now, the Silver Carp Fried Egg Dumplings—it contained cinnamon powder, which almost no other chef would use.
That unique flavor had instantly awakened his buried memories.
Many years ago, in the small kitchen of the villa, Qin Wan had made this dish specifically for him.
“Xiao Wan, this flavor is a bit different from what the cook usually makes.”
“Does Brother think it tastes good?”
“It’s delicious. It has a tiny bit of spice, but it’s not sharp; it gives off a very warm feeling. What did you put in it?”
“Cinnamon. If Brother likes it, then every time I make this dish for Brother in the future, I’ll add cinnamon!”
At that time, Qin Wan was only eleven or twelve years old.
He wasn’t tall yet, just a tiny little thing.
He always smiled when he spoke to him, and a small, cute dimple would appear at the corner of his lips.
Qin Wan’s clear and beautiful face surfaced before Sheng Siyue’s eyes once more.
Five years ago, Qin Wan had fled the Sheng family with Auntie Rong.
During those five years, he had missed him countless times and dreamed of him countless times.
But he never dared to contact him.
Today, he was representing the Sheng family’s Hengsheng Group in the Imperial Capital to discuss business.
Near noon, his business partners had brought them to this restaurant.
The moment he unintentionally tasted that familiar flavor, Sheng Siyue’s heart began to throb violently.
He didn’t know if any other chef besides Qin Wan would add cinnamon to this dish.
He didn’t know if his guess would turn out to be true.
But at that moment, he could no longer continue to pretend that nothing had happened.
So, he had calmly feigned an interest and called a chef over, then indirectly asked for information about the chef who had prepared that specific dish.
With that inquiry, he learned a fact that sent his inner emotions into a tumultuous upheaval that would be hard to settle.
Qin Wan!
the younger brother he longed for day and night was truly at this restaurant.
So close at hand.
He had fantasized about the scene of their reunion countless times.
But right now, he could not meet him.
After Qin Wan and Auntie Rong had staged their deaths by drowning years ago, Sheng Sinian had always harbored suspicions.
Sheng Siyue knew Sheng Sinian’s character and methods too well.
Sheng Sinian was a “male ghost” who refused to go away!
He knew that he and Qin Wan had a good relationship, so he had been secretly monitoring his movements.
As long as he had any contact with Qin Wan, even the slightest movement would be noticed and suspected by Sheng Sinian.
Currently, the power of the Sheng family was in Sheng Sinian’s hands.
He hated Qin Wan to the bone; if he knew of Qin Wan’s whereabouts, he would surely find every possible way to harm him.
And he himself was not yet powerful enough to have sufficient ability to protect his most beloved younger brother.
Therefore, at this moment, Sheng Siyue suppressed and endured the inner urge to see Qin Wan.
He walked into the small garden and stood by the stone archway. He lit a cigarette and took deep drags of the thin mist.
He struggled to calm his emotions.
After a long while, he threw the burnt-out cigarette butt into the trash can before turning to head back.
In the restaurant’s back kitchen.
The chubby chef returned to his station beaming with joy.
He looked at Qin Wan, who was currently plating a dish not far away.
“Xiao Qin, that table of guests just now—not only did they praise me, but they also complimented the Silver Carp Fried Egg Dumplings you made!”
“Young brother, you have a bright future! Keep up the hard work!”
The chubby chef patted Qin Wan’s shoulder.
Qin Wan smiled and nodded. “Mhm, mhm! Thank you!”
He made the final adjustments to the dish in the pan before sending it out.
Once the orders on his hand were all finished, he breathed a small sigh of relief.
He walked to the breakroom nearby, took a paper cup, and poured himself a cup of juice to drink.
As he drank, his thoughts suddenly drifted far away.
When the chubby chef mentioned the Silver Carp Fried Egg Dumplings just now, he had uncontrollably remembered his brother, Sheng Siyue.
He had made that dish for him when he was a child.
At that time, in order to innovate the flavor, he had added a little cinnamon.
Sheng Siyue said he liked that taste, so every time he made it afterward, he added cinnamon.
Brother…
His gaze was somewhat unfocused and a bit dazed.
When would he be able to see Brother again?
He missed him so much.
But if they met again, and Brother found out he had already become someone else’s caged canary, would Brother look down on him?
Thinking of this, he let out a soft sigh.
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