Chapter One: The Culinary Overlord

Canglan City, Sakura District, Imperial Court Grand Hotel.

As the sun dipped toward the west, hundreds of people crowded in front of the hotel, the dense throng casting long shadows. All eyes were fixed on the interior, peering anxiously through the glass, as if waiting for something monumental to happen.

With the evening rush hour approaching, more and more curious passersby joined the crowd, the scene growing rowdier by the minute.

“What are they doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They’re waiting for interviews.”

“Is some big shot dining inside again today? Tsk, the Imperial Court Grand Hotel’s reputation is really soaring these days.”

“There’s no big shot—everyone’s here to interview the mysterious head chef of Imperial Court, the one hailed as the ‘God among Gods’ by the culinary world.”

“That chef actually agreed to an interview?”

“Of course not. But rumor has it that a new chef challenged him this morning and won by a landslide, taking the head chef’s position in front of everyone and forcing him to leave the Imperial Court. The hotel’s management clearly wants to capitalize on the buzz, secretly leaking news of his departure to attract attention and boost their fame.”

“No way! If that’s true, this is huge news!”

“It should be true. After all, the drama of ‘the old god falls, the new god ascends’ never goes out of style.”

“Frankly, the Imperial Court’s maneuver is suffocating. If it weren’t for that mysterious chef, they’d never have leapt from a no-name eatery two years ago to the unrivaled king of Sakura District’s culinary scene.”

“That may be, but for those who chase flavor, who really cares?”

“Now that you mention it, I’m actually a bit curious about the new head chef’s skills...”

...

Creak...

In a secluded, quiet alleyway, a rusty iron gate was gently pushed open by Li Can, who then stepped out with a measured stride.

Who would have guessed that the mysterious chef, lauded as the ‘God among Gods’ by the culinary world, was in fact a young man just past twenty, with delicate features and clear eyes?

“The shameless bastards at Imperial Court locked the back door to force Master out through the main entrance. Good thing I had a spare key,” grumbled a petite, pretty girl behind Li Can, dressed in a chef’s uniform and white toque, her cheeks still round with a hint of baby fat.

Her name was Guan Miaomiao, Li Can’s only apprentice, just seventeen this year.

“Shh!” Li Can signaled for silence. “Walls have ears.”

“I’m not afraid. At worst, I’ll quit too,” Miaomiao retorted, her lips curled in disdain.

“Nonsense! This is between me and the Imperial Court. Why are you getting involved?” Li Can scolded.

“I just...”

Miaomiao bit her lower lip with her two front teeth, her face full of grievance. “I’m just angry for you, Master! If it weren’t for the nerve damage from that accident a year ago, leaving your hands impaired, no matter how skilled Lei Tianming is, he could never have surpassed you! Never! They’re just taking advantage of your misfortune!”

The accident...

Li Can’s heart clenched at the mention of those two words, his expression clouded with sorrow. That crash had not only shattered his hands but also claimed the lives of his parents...

“I’m sorry, Master, I didn’t mean to—”

“I know,” Li Can interrupted. “Truth is, even if my hands were fine, leaving the Imperial Court was only a matter of time.”

“Why?” Miaomiao was puzzled.

“They’ve wanted to remove me, the thorn in their side, for a long time. Didn’t you notice? All the dishes Lei Tianming showcased today were created from my own recipes. They’ve already mastered my repertoire; now they have nothing to fear.”

“Shameless!”

“That’s putting it mildly...” Li Can sighed deeply, leaving much unsaid.

In truth, once the news of his defeat spread through the culinary world, no restaurant owner in Canglan City would dare hire him—for doing so would be to admit, indirectly, that they were inferior to Imperial Court.

That was the management’s hidden masterstroke: ruthless and precise.

Miaomiao, of course, could not see as deeply as Li Can. She gazed at him, full of worry, only to find that familiar, confident smile lingering on his face, as if no misfortune could ever bring him down.

Yes, her master had always been that strong and indomitable king of the culinary world!

“All right, it’s getting late. You should head back,” he said, straightening the creases in her chef’s hat before turning away without hesitation.

“Master, you’ll come back to reclaim your crown someday... won’t you?”

His frail, lonely figure tore away the last shred of composure in Guan Miaomiao’s heart, and the tears she had tried so hard to hold back finally streamed down her cheeks.

She was sad because, from this day forth, no one would stand up for her with righteous conviction, no one would shield her with stern resolve, and no one would teach her without reservation...

Her sobs, like a primordial beast, battered Li Can’s heart. Though he ached inside, he did not look back. He simply raised his right hand—

And clenched his fist, tight and unyielding.

...

It was April—when all things revived and the earth renewed itself.

In Sakura District, one of Canglan City’s twelve precincts, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

Late at night, pink petals drifted under the street lamps.

With a pack slung over his shoulder, Li Can wandered aimlessly down the chilly, empty streets, with no idea where he wanted—or would—go.

A year ago, the accident had taken his parents. The trauma had cost him his job.

Now, all he possessed in the world was a few thousand yuan—an utterly pitiful sum.

It seemed absurd, but it was the truth.

After the accident, every bit of his savings had gone to medical bills or to tracking down the hit-and-run driver who had vanished as if into thin air.

He could never forget sitting in the back seat, wide-eyed, as that heavy, cargo-laden truck barreled straight toward them...

Buzz!

Just then, a concrete mixer truck roared past on the road, the blast of wind forcing Li Can to step several paces aside toward a flowerbed.

The ground beneath his feet was soft.

“Ouch!”

A shrill cry erupted beside him—only then did Li Can realize he had stepped on someone’s foot.

It was a slightly plump girl wearing glasses.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to,” Li Can apologized at once, calming her anger.

“Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of ropes,” he muttered self-deprecatingly, watching the girl walk away. When his nerves finally settled, he realized he had wandered into a remote, narrow old street.

The alley was cramped, lined on both sides with greasy spoon eateries, a one-way road down the middle packed with parked cars.

An auntie hurried out of a restaurant with a bucket of dirty water, rudely dumping it at the curb. As she turned to go back, she slipped and fell, her bucket smacking into a car pulling over.

She cursed as she got up, but was stopped by the car’s owner, and the two quickly fell into a heated argument over ‘compensation.’

Stray dogs circled the filthy water, sniffing hungrily, but found nothing edible.

This was the most authentic, down-to-earth corner of the city, teeming with every facet of humanity.

Breathing in the air, tinged with sour food odors, Li Can rubbed his growling stomach and started down the old street, searching for a decent place to eat.

In the past, the quickest way to judge an unfamiliar eatery’s quality was by the number of diners—the more people, the better the reputation.

But times had changed. Nowadays, a crowded place didn’t always mean good food; it could just be a trendy spot hyped online.

None of this troubled Li Can. At his level, a single whiff of the aromas drifting out was enough to know what he needed.

“This noodle shop’s broth is thick, but the flavors are muddied—clearly reused for too long. Noodles cooked in this lose their original taste and springiness. Besides, they’re about to close, so the owner probably won’t bother making fresh broth...”

“Dumpling shop... Come to think of it, I haven’t had dumplings in half a year. Ugh, what’s that faint sourness? The meat filling’s been sitting too long and has gone off. Shame—if the filling were decent, I wouldn’t mind mixing up a secret dipping sauce myself...”

“The barbecue place isn’t bad... Oh, God, who let off a legendary stink bomb in there? The stench!”

Li Can’s face twisted as if he’d swallowed a dead rat, and he hurried away from the barbecue shop, pinching his nose. If he’d lingered a moment longer, he’d have started berating whoever had eaten too much protein.

“Huh.”

At the end of the old street, Li Can suddenly spotted a small stir-fry restaurant called “Neighborhood Kitchen.”

It wasn’t the restaurant itself that caught his eye, but the sheet of paper posted on the door...

Urgently hiring a chef—room and board included...

(To be continued...)