As Liu Jinfei scanned the room, the slight smile on his handsome face gradually disappeared. There was still no Shen Lingqing; not even her shadow was in sight. He wasn’t sure why he was bothered by it, however. Since when did he like being in Shen Lingqing’s company? While he admitted that the young woman was pleasing to one’s eyes and her presence was intimidating for some, he felt like a moth being drawn to the bright light that she was.

Well, her name meant ‘ethereal’ anyway. It shouldn’t be surprising that he was somewhat attracted to her. As a man, he truly admired Shen Lingqing. As a chef, he was even more impressed with how knowledgeable she was when it came to cooking without actually doing the act.

Liu Jinfei let out a sigh as he collected the tray with his food and took a seat where he could be alone and far from the other guests of the resort. This was no time to wonder where Shen Lingqing was because he had more pressing matters he needed to attend to once he was done with his breakfast. At least, here, he and Lin Xiao didn’t need to worry about cooking their own meals as it was already provided and prepared by the resort.

Just as he thought that he could have his breakfast in peace, a shadow fell on him. Liu Jinfei looked up, only to see Lin Xiao taking the seat across from him and placing his own tray filled with food.

“Man, I thought I totally lost you today. I overslept! It’s been ages since I overslept, and I didn’t think I was that tired in these past days,” he told Liu Jinfei.

“You’ve been working really hard, Chef Lin. I have never met a person as dedicated as you,” the younger chef replied.

“Did Director Shen’s butler inform you?” Lin Xiao asked.

“Hn, you mean the festival competition tomorrow? He sure did.”

“Do you think we can do it? I heard that we are going against the sous chefs of both Grace Palace and Blue Haven at the same time,” Lin Xiao confessed, “I’m quite nervous, actually. I’ve never participated in a cooking battle before.”

“I’m not nervous about losing to those two.” It might sound arrogant on Liu Jinfei’s part, but that was the truth. “And I’m pretty sure Director Shen isn’t pressuring us to win this competition.”

“Then, why would she register our names to compete?”

“Maybe she wanted to see if we made a difference for the past three days we have been training under her guidance. I’m pretty sure she also wanted to see how we would act under pressure.” That was the only plausible reason Liu Jinfei could think of as to why Shen Lingqing had done that.

He might not have known the Shen princess for too long, but he knew for a fact that each decision she made had a reason for it. For a businesswoman like her, patience was a crucial virtue she needed to pay attention to. She would want the best scenario she could get from the card in her hands.

“That makes sense. Chef He actually taught me a few things I needed to try today. Are you going to practice in the kitchen?” He heard Lin Xiao ask.

“If you don’t mind sharing the kitchen with me, Chef.” Liu Jinfei flashed one of those smiles that could easily make women swoon over him.

Lin Xiao laughed and started eating.

“The kitchen isn’t mine to begin with, Chef Liu. Also, I think this is also a good way for us to get along and know our preferences since we’re going to work together as a team soon.”

“Right.” Liu Jinfei nodded in agreement. “You know, these past few weeks felt like a dream to me. I didn’t expect that I would be working as soon as I came back from abroad. I was merely visiting Savory Alley back then because I heard it was recently acquired by the Shen family.”

“I know what you mean, Chef Liu. I actually feel the same way. Even now, I couldn’t believe that I am here with you, being trained by a world-class gourmet like Director Shen. While I do think it’s a pity that she didn’t turn out to be a chef like Madam Shen, I think she’s doing well on establishing her name on her own.”

Liu Jinfei chuckled and took a sip from his coffee. Still, it must have been hard for Shen Lingqing to be pressured by people around her. Being a daughter of two prominent figures, the public wanted to know what she was capable of and expected her to excel on her chosen path.

The woes of being an heir… everyone’s eyes were on them, waiting for Shen Lingqing to make a mistake, so they could cast the first stone towards her. Liu Jinfei’s eyes narrowed at that thought without noticing it.

“Director Shen sure is an outstanding woman. People are bound to notice her, whether they like it or not,” Lin Xiao pointed out, “Anyway, with her superb palate, she could easily point out where I went wrong and what part I could improve. There’s no way someone could be as efficient as her.”

“But it’s been three days already, and she isn’t here with us. Do you think something has happened?”

Lin Xiao lifted his gaze at the man sitting across from him and noticed the frown on Liu Jinfei’s face. He smiled inwardly and chuckled. ‘How amusing.’

“It might have something to do with the annual auditing of Grace Palace and Blue Haven. I heard from Chef He that Madam Shen and her husband would usually pay a visit to do it, but this time, Director Shen volunteered to do it for this year,” he explained, noticing how light and simple their breakfast was for today.

“I see.” Liu Jinfei sighed. However, Shen Lingqing could have just told them ahead of time than to disappear unannounced.