Chapter 648 - 314: The Little Chef Who Wants to Cook

Chapter 648: Chapter 314: The Little Chef Who Wants to Cook

Xinrong Restaurant.

Upon learning that a distinguished guest would be partaking in the "Rong Family Banquet" for lunch, the entire restaurant dedicated all of its service resources to the occasion.

Three head chefs, accompanied by two apprentices and eight servers, followed Zhang Yong to a private room on the top floor.

The room not only offered a beautiful view of Modu’s landmark buildings through its windows, but its interior decor was also exceptionally exquisite.

Murals depicting folk customs from the Three Kingdoms period were the main feature, with black, bronze, and red as the dominant color scheme. The style was somewhat reminiscent of the Republican era, exuding elegance and solemnity from every corner.

Originally, Lin Shen and Gu Wanqing were supposed to be attended by a dedicated butler.

But because Ma Zifan had personally called to make the reservation, Zhang Yong had taken it upon himself to act as the "butler" for this Rong Family Banquet.

"Mr. Lin, please take a look and choose a suitable menu."

Zhang Yong said with a smile as he pushed a menu in front of Lin Shen.

"Since you only made the reservation one day in advance, we’ve had to make some emergency arrangements, including express air-freighting some ingredients from their sources."

"However, some ingredients still need to be procured, so a few dishes may not be available for you this time."

"That’s fine."

Lin Shen waved his hand dismissively.

"It’s my fault. I’ll book a week in advance next time. This was a last-minute decision."

"Of course."

Zhang Yong hadn’t expected Lin Shen to be so easygoing, and his opinion of him rose a few notches.

’He may look like a suave, dashing heir to a fortune, but I didn’t expect him to have such a gentle personality.’

’As expected, Zifan’s friends are in a league of their own.’

Lin Shen glanced over the menu, then handed it to Gu Wanqing with a light chuckle.

"See if there’s anything you’d like to eat."

"You can just order, Shen!"

Gu Wanqing quickly waved her hands, her pretty face flushing slightly as she stole glances at the dozen or so people standing on the opposite side of the table.

Every one of them was looking at Lin Shen and Gu Wanqing with eyes full of anticipation, seemingly waiting for them to order.

Being stared at by so many people, Gu Wanqing’s shyness and social anxiety flared up again. She immediately passed the task of ordering to Lin Shen, busying herself by smoothing her hair, not daring to lift her head and look anyone in the eye.

Seeing this, Lin Shen decided to order quickly to help his little chef relieve the awkward atmosphere.

So, he returned the menu to Zhang Yong and chuckled.

"Rong, just bring us a few of your signature dishes. You can decide on the combination for me; I won’t order individually."

"Excellent."

People in the restaurant business love it when customers say this. It allows them to cook according to the head chef’s usual style, preparing the restaurant’s best dishes to impress their patrons.

Thus, Zhang Yong smiled, took the menu, and led the head chefs and servers out of the private room, telling them to hurry and start preparing the meal.

After the large crowd had bustled out, Gu Wanqing finally placed a hand on her chest and breathed a light sigh of relief.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Shen teased with a smile.

"Still so socially anxious? I thought having you give that speech as the freshman representative would have helped you get used to it."

"It didn’t," Gu Wanqing said, vexed.

"I get nervous when there are too many people. I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing and making someone angry or causing a misunderstanding."

"Besides, this place we’ve come to is so high-end, and it seems that Rong even knows you."

Gu Wanqing stood up and moved her chair a little closer to Lin Shen. She then sat down beside him, tentatively reaching out to hold his hand. Only after he took the initiative to grasp it did she whisper,

"He’s so impressive. If I said something wrong, wouldn’t I embarrass you, Shen?"

"That’s because you’re too kind."

Lin Shen saw right through to the root of Gu Wanqing’s social anxiety: she cared too much about what other people thought of her.

’Her personality is just too gentle. She thinks the easiest way to avoid offending people is to talk less and interact with them as little as possible.’

So, as Lin Shen toyed with Gu Wanqing’s hand, he spoke in a heartfelt tone.

"The truth is, when you’re dealing with people, it’s impossible to make everyone like you, so there’s no need to worry so much about what others think."

"You just need to take care of yourself first and make yourself happy. Only then, on that foundation, can you help others and live a happy life."

"So, don’t worry about what others might think of what you say. Just be yourself."

"Mm-hmm."

Instead of finding Lin Shen’s lecture cheesy or anything of the sort, Gu Wanqing was actually very happy.

’Yay!’

’Another day, another lesson from Shen!’

’It feels like he knows everything. He’s so cool!’

Gu Wanqing looked at Lin Shen with a blissful expression, even wishing he would lecture her more and help her understand the reasons for her social anxiety.

After all, her life experience was shallow. She needed someone to guide her, to help her avoid pitfalls and explain the bigger principles of life to her.

In high school, all she had to do was focus on her studies without worrying about such things.

Furthermore, because Gu Wanqing was exceptionally beautiful, everyone, both boys and girls, was very friendly to her.

The line of boys pursuing her could have stretched from one end of the hallway to the other, but she always held the conviction not to date in high school, so she paid it little mind.

It was precisely this docile and well-behaved personality that made her very popular in high school, an age when everyone was still naive and clueless.

But college was different.

College was the first step into society, involving all sorts of relationships with classmates and club members, the politics of being selected as an outstanding student, and so on.

A person had to slowly learn to accept and adapt to all these social intricacies.

But Gu Wanqing still couldn’t adapt, which was why she needed Lin Shen to teach her.

In her eyes, everything Lin Shen said was right!