novelraw Chapter 24 Idol
Chapter 24 Idol
"We only booked one table for a private banquet at noon," Lu Fen said, gently closing the reservation book. Her brows were furrowed, and her voice was filled with unconcealed worry. "And in the evening... we only have two tables. Ranran, if this continues, I'm afraid we won't even be able to cover our daily expenses."
She paused, her tone now tinged with indignation: "What's most infuriating is that Song Yu Ji actually told customers that our place is going to be demolished, and that they're at the new location of 'Yun Yu Ji's relocation and upgrade'! How could they... how could they distort the truth like that?"
Lu Xiran listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously tracing the smooth wooden edge of the counter. Sunlight slanted in through the carved window, illuminating the tiny dust particles floating in the air. She looked up, her voice soft yet exceptionally clear: "Aunt Lu, if the street is dirty, we can sweep it more often. If there are fewer customers, we'll find a way to invite them back. As for those misleading rumors..."
"The truth cannot be hidden, and the false cannot be made true. The roots of Yun Yu Ji are here, the well is here, and the flavor... is here too. No one can steal it or imitate it."
"We just need to serve each table of guests well. Our guests will naturally taste the difference." After saying that, she unconsciously glanced at the silent phone screen again, and that subtle sense of loss quietly spread in her heart once more.
Was everything last night—the intimate touches, the burning gazes, the near-out-of-control moments—just her imagination?
Perhaps Gu Yanshen is just not used to saying no.
Perhaps it was all just wishful thinking on her part; she misunderstood and misexpressed her feelings.
In the evening, the guests who had made reservations arrived on time.
When that figure stepped into the front hall, even Lu Fen, who was used to seeing such things, was slightly taken aback.
The newcomer took off her sunglasses, revealing a stunningly beautiful face—it was Crystal Ling, the world champion figure skating legend who became famous all over the world and was known as the "Ice Fairy".
She burst onto the scene at eighteen, sweeping gold medals in all top-level competitions. Her stunning beauty and exceptional talent earned her the media title of "Ice Princess." After retiring, she transitioned to singing, her debut album dominating the charts. She then ventured into film, her first movie grossing over a billion yuan. At the peak of her career, she abruptly retired to pursue further studies at a top university. Today, she remains a darling of Google, consistently ranking high on the Forbes Celebrity List.
This is the idol that Lu Xiran had pasted on her wall during her teenage years; it's the star she collected from all the competition videos and interview magazines.
Moreover, many people say that Lu Xiran's eyebrows and eyes are somewhat similar to Ling Xue's, and when she hears this, a shy sweetness quietly rises in her heart.
Lu Xiran could almost hear her heart pound. But she quickly suppressed the excitement of meeting her idol and put on a professional smile.
Lu Fen intended to lead Ling Xue directly to the most secluded private room, but Ling Xue turned and gracefully walked towards the front desk. Her voice was friendly and pleasant: "Hello, I haven't been back to China for a long time. Could you please tell me about the restaurant's specialties and new dishes?"
Lu Xiran nodded quickly, her fingertips slightly warm from excitement, but her professionalism allowed her to quickly transform the joy of a fan meeting her idol into professional delicacy: "Of course. Yun Yu Ji specializes in 'seasonal customization,' and all ingredients are delivered directly from our regularly partnered ecological farms and sea areas in the early morning of the same day to guarantee the best flavor."
She recounted her culinary delights with great familiarity: "We have three signature dishes. The first is the Aged Shaoxing Wine Drunken Crab, made with plump female crabs weighing three to four ounces each. It is soaked in Shaoxing wine aged for over thirty years and more than ten kinds of spices for a full forty-eight hours, allowing the aroma of the wine to fully permeate the crab meat. The roe is as rich and creamy as amber, melting in your mouth with a lingering sweetness. The second is the Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, made with old hens over three years old, Jinhua ham, dried scallops, and lean pork, simmered over a low flame for eight hours, and then repeatedly cooked with chicken and pork mince." The broth is simmered until crystal clear, its flavor incredibly fresh and mellow, yet as clear as tea. Only the tenderest inner core of the cabbage is used, simmered in rich broth until incredibly sweet. Then there's the traditional Dongpo pork. This is an old dish we've had since Yun Yu Ji opened. Using only the finest pork belly from black-haired pigs, water from the old well in the backyard, along with rock sugar, soy sauce, and spices, it's simmered in an earthenware pot for four hours. The finished product has a bright red color like agate, tender yet not falling apart, rich but not greasy—a dish many of our regular customers crave.
She paused, then her tone became lighter: "If you'd like to try something new, our recently launched matsutake crab roe chrysanthemum tofu and black truffle Wagyu beef tarts have also received very positive feedback."
Ling Xue listened intently, nodding occasionally. "It sounds like every dish is hard to choose from. Then please recommend some options; I'm open to trying both classic and innovative ones."
"Okay." Lu Xiran took out her notepad, ready to take notes. "So, do you two have any special dietary restrictions, allergies, or food preferences that you should be aware of?"
Ling Xue smiled slightly and shook her head. "No."
Ling Xue entered the private room first, and her assistant asked, "Do you have any desserts?"
"For dessert, if you don't mind waiting a little while, I highly recommend our freshly made mango pomelo sago. We've made some improvements, and it's received excellent reviews. Many customers come specifically for this dessert."
The assistant immediately agreed, "Hearing you say that, I definitely have to try it."
Lu Xiran carefully prepared the menu, and the kitchen immediately sprang into action. During the meal, Ling Xue took out her phone and snapped a few photos of the exquisite dishes. Soon after, she updated her Weibo:
[A long-lost taste of home. The best Dongpo pork I've ever had is here. @Yunyuji] (with location attached).
This Weibo post was like a pebble thrown into a still lake, instantly creating ripples.
Ling Xue's massive fan base and immense popularity propelled "Yun Yu Ji" and "Ling Xue's Dongpo Pork" to the top of the trending topics list at an astonishing speed. Countless diners reminiscing about the old flavors, curious fans, and food bloggers flooded Yun Yu Ji's reservation hotline, instantly filling the lines to capacity.
Looking at the sudden, almost miraculous surge in traffic, Lu Xiran felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Ling Xue. She meticulously prepared a gift box of the restaurant's finest delicacies and gently knocked on the door of the private room.
"Ms. Ling, thank you so much." Lu Xiran handed over the gift box, her face beaming with genuine joy. "Thanks to your recommendation, our restaurant is fully booked. We must make sure this meal is a token of our appreciation, and please accept this small gift."
Ling Xue quickly waved her hand, her smile warm and friendly: "Please don't be so polite. It's just that your dishes are so delicious that I couldn't help but want to share them with everyone. I really can't accept this gift."
"Please accept this, otherwise we will feel really bad." Lu Xiran insisted, her eyes filled with the pure love and gratitude of a fan for their idol.
After some polite refusals, Ling Xue reluctantly accepted the gift, feeling both helpless and touched. She even offered to exchange personal contact information with Lu Xiran. "Next time I come to eat, I'll have to look for you directly," she said with a smile, her tone as if she were a longtime friend.
Lu Xiran's heart was filled with this unexpected joy. She hadn't expected her idol to be so humble and kind, without any superstar airs, which made her admiration for Ling Xue reach its peak.
She worked at Yunyuji until after 8 p.m. Although she was exhausted, looking at the densely packed records in the reservation book, she was filled with a long-lost sense of energy and hope.
However, just as she was preparing to close the shop and take a break, her phone suddenly started vibrating wildly. A breaking news notification popped up, with an eye-catching headline:
Breaking! Figure skating queen Ling Xue suspected of food poisoning, rushed to hospital late at night!