Chapter 20: Inheriting the Shop
Xia Yu rushed downstairs, only to find the old man already sitting in the back seat of the luxury sedan.
He knocked on the window, but the old man didn't roll it down. He just nodded at him, calm as ever.
Then the engine hummed. Director Nakiri gave a low instruction to the driver, and the sleek black car slowly rolled away, leaving the old shopping street behind.
Xia Yu stood there in silence, watching until the car vanished from sight.
When he turned around—
The arrogant "God's Tongue," Erina Nakiri, stood right at the entrance, arms crossed, meeting his gaze.
"I asked Hisako to come pick me up," she said coolly.
"…Then why are you still here?"
Xia Yu blinked.
She came with the car. Why didn't she leave with the car?
But now that the old man had left, Xia Yu didn't feel like teasing her. He waved lazily and walked inside.
"It's hot out. Come sit down if you want."
Without waiting for her response, he went upstairs, closed the bathroom door, and splashed cold water on his face.
He stared at himself in the mirror.
Still young. But now, no longer lost—just tired.
The old man had left two days earlier than expected. Just last night, he'd finished studying the cooking manual, thinking he could show off.
But the old man was already gone.
Home… was calling him back that urgently?
Xia Yu shook his head.
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter.
From today onward, he was the chef and manager of Xia's Chinese Restaurant.
Ding!
System Task Complete: [Inherit the Restaurant]Reward: [Broken Jade Knife] (Purple-tier kitchenware)Cooking Skill Level increased to 6. Talent Point +1.
Expected.
The system's updates came in a neat row.
Restaurant panel has been modeled. You may access it through the system interface.Kitchenware added to inventory.
Xia Yu tried opening it—and choked on toothpaste foam.
A holographic projection of the entire restaurant appeared before his eyes, fully labeled: front signage, dining area, kitchen, storage, living quarters, backyard.
He spotted Erina in the dining area, fidgeting impatiently.
She was muttering, her lips cursing something silently. Xia Yu leaned in, eavesdropping through the system's real-time audio.
"…That commoner actually left me here!"
"Why hasn't Hisako shown up yet?!"
He stared blankly.
Is this full-on surveillance?!
Suddenly, being the shop owner felt a lot safer.
He explored the panel and found a prompt on the dining area:
Upgrade: Cost – 1,000 Reputation Points
Yeah, right.
How long would that take?
Current Reputation: 220
"…Huh? Where'd the extra 210 come from?"
Your dishes were shared online—on Weibo, forums, and more. Your restaurant's reputation has grown. +10 Reputation each.
Twenty-one such entries.
He slapped his forehead.
Last night's post from the round-faced blogger!
He grabbed his phone, logged into Weibo, and checked her account: @YueyueFoodStreet.
A pinned post had over a thousand reposts and thousands of comments.
Only 600,000 followers, yet this kind of engagement? Definitely loyal, high-quality fans.
He skimmed the comment section:
"Are you sure this pic isn't filtered? I'm drooling already."
"Tokyo Ameyoko?! Yueyue you better come out, I just blew 100k yen on food this month."
"Rich guy above, take me with you. +1 for study abroad students."
Satisfied, he locked the phone and got dressed.
Downstairs, Erina was still there.
She had one leg crossed over the other, short plaid skirt riding up slightly—long legs in black stockings fully exposed. The white of her thighs peeked just above.
Almost absolute territory.
"Erina, have you had breakfast? Want me to whip something up?"
"…Call me Nakiri. We're not close."
She frowned. "Besides, I already ate. A proper French breakfast—toast, eggs, milk. What is this? Tofu?"
She sniffed.
"It really is commoners' food."
Xia Yu chuckled, stepping behind the kitchen counter.
He summoned a jade-like knife from the system inventory.
Thin and elegant, like a fruit knife—but icy cold to the touch, emitting a faint chill.
[Broken Jade Knife] (Purple-tier):Looks like a fruit knife, but sharp enough to split stone. Best for cutting meat. The emitted cold preserves freshness for up to seven days without refrigeration.
A good knife!
Xia Yu's eyes gleamed. He grabbed some tofu he made the night before.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
The jade knife moved like a whisper. Soon, strands of tofu as fine as noodles piled up on the board.
Xia Yu picked up the tofu threads, light dancing in his eyes.
This knife didn't just improve cutting—it was a leap beyond talent points. A chef without good tools was like a swordsman with a dull blade.
He returned the knife to the system inventory.
Around 10 AM, his stomach growled.
So, he used last night's tofu pudding and whipped up two bowls of Brown Sugar Tofu Pudding. No meat—just walnuts and roasted peanuts.
"Cilantro?"
He placed the bowls on the counter and looked at Erina.
"…"
A vein twitched on her forehead.
"I said I already ate!"