AGN -Chapter 303 High-End Humblebrag Only Needs the Simplest Approach

When Qin Huai returned to the back kitchen, Zang Liang was squatting at the entrance waiting for him.

The moment he saw Qin Huai, Zang Liang pounced like a hungry tiger. His eyes carried three parts jealousy, three parts extreme jealousy, and four parts intense jealousy—so much so that even his tone turned sour. “Xu Cheng is looking for you.”

“He’s in the kitchen waiting for you, chatting with my master and Master Tong.”

“He said he wants to do another exclusive interview with you and write a dedicated food review for the Four-Joy Tangyuan.”

By the end, Zang Liang could barely hide his ugly, jealous expression—though, in truth, he hadn’t hidden it at all from the start.

Hearing that Xu Cheng wanted to write a special review just for the Four-Joy Tangyuan, Qin Huai was briefly stunned, then quickly understood.

Guo’er’s skill level was A-grade, but when Xu Cheng tasted it last time, it performed beyond expectations at A+ level. With the added “buff,” it gave Xu Cheng a huge surprise. Today’s Four-Joy Tangyuan was only A-grade, but it also had a buff.

Moreover, this buff was very stable—eat it at a birthday banquet, and you get the buff. It had even “awakened” Chen Gong and left Xu Cheng once again amazed, so deciding on a feature interview right away was perfectly reasonable.

But Qin Huai didn’t plan to accept the interview.

First, Four-Joy Tangyuan eaten outside a birthday banquet had no buff.

If Xu Cheng exaggerated wildly in his review, diners might be tempted, traveling across mountains and seas—halfway across the globe—just to taste a bowl, only to find it didn’t live up to expectations. That would lead to disappointment and damage his reputation.

Second, Qin Huai genuinely didn’t want to appear in Zhiwei again.

To say something that would make Zang Liang want to punch him: most people work for money, but Qin Huai truly worked out of passion.

He really wasn’t short on money.

There was still a massive inheritance from Luo Jun waiting for him, with more zeros than he cared to count. Luo Jun’s Rolls-Royce car keys were still in Qin Huai’s possession. Even if he stopped working, Qu Jing, Chen Huihong, and Luo Jun wouldn’t let him starve.

On top of that, most of the dim sum at Yunzhong Canteen had extremely high profit margins. Qin Huai was both the brand and the sole owner—every bit of profit went straight into his pocket. Earning a little more or less didn’t make much difference to him.

It wasn’t worth exhausting himself just to earn more.

During the final period at Huang Ji, when he had to make Guo’er every single day and couldn’t give equal attention to all pastries, Qin Huai had had enough.

Four-Joy Tangyuan had already received plenty of “favor.” It shouldn’t be overindulged. More importantly, its quota in the main storyline task had already been met. Qin Huai needed to focus his energy on other pastries to push forward the main task.

In short: Chef Xiao Qin thought appearing in Zhiwei meant too much work—and he didn’t want to work that hard.

“Oh, an interview.” Qin Huai nodded in realization. “Got it.”

With that, under Zang Liang’s envious gaze, Qin Huai walked into the kitchen and headed straight toward Zang Mu and Tong Deyan. Zang Liang hesitated for two seconds at the door, then quickly followed.

Xu Cheng was chatting happily with Zang Mu and Tong Deyan.

“Today’s stir-fried double crisp is even better than the one I had last time at Babao Zhai. Master Tong, that’s not very honest of you—holding back when I came to eat. Is hiding a trick the trend now? Saving it to surprise us food critics at the right moment?” Xu Cheng joked, clearly in a good mood.

Tong Deyan was also in high spirits. “Who’s holding back?”

Xu Cheng: “…this stir-fried double crisp…”

Before he could finish, Qin Huai arrived.

Seeing Qin Huai finally return from the restroom, Xu Cheng was delighted. As a top food critic with great authority in the field, he genuinely enjoyed seeing rising stars in the culinary world—especially one who rose this fast, shone this brightly, and spoke so pleasantly.

“Chef Qin, do you have time now? Would it be convenient to find a place for a brief interview?” Xu Cheng asked.

Instead of answering directly, Qin Huai asked, “Mr. Xu, would you like another bowl of Four-Joy Tangyuan?”

Better to eat while the birthday banquet buff was still active—who knew when the next one would be?

Xu Cheng hadn’t expected that response. Internally, he sighed at how simple and sincere Qin Huai was as a pastry chef. After hesitating between being full and being too full, he shook his head.

“I’m getting old. Not like when I was young.”

A polite refusal.

“Then how about I prepare some raw ones for you to take home?” Qin Huai suggested. “There’s fresh filling ready—would you like to take a look?”

When interviewing chefs, Xu Cheng loved to first observe their kitchen environment and watch the cooking process. Though he wasn’t a chef himself, years of experience gave him a unique eye for details others might miss.

Usually, he wouldn’t make such requests of unfamiliar chefs—many guarded their secret recipes. But since Qin Huai invited him, Xu Cheng happily followed him to his workstation.

Zang Mu and Tong Deyan tactfully didn’t follow. Zang Liang also wisely stayed behind, earning an approving look from his master.

Despite being a bit influenced by Qin Huai these past two days, at least the boy still had proper manners.

Zang Mu sighed, “Although Qin Huai sometimes seems a bit unstructured, he’s reliable when it matters.”

Tong Deyan said nothing, only watching from the corner of his eye.

At the workstation, Qin Huai calmly resumed making Four-Joy Tangyuan, showcasing his speed and skill.

Xu Cheng, clearly fascinated, watched for a while after examining the four fillings. Then he pulled out his notebook and pen, ready to conduct an on-the-spot interview.

“Mr. Xu,” Qin Huai spoke first. “I’m truly honored that you’re willing to interview me again so soon. But I’d like to be honest—I don’t want to appear in Zhiwei anymore.”

Not far away, Tong Deyan’s pupils shook in shock.

Xu Cheng: ?

But Xu Cheng didn’t get angry. Back when he first founded Zhiwei, when it wasn’t yet famous, many chefs had refused him for all sorts of reasons. As his influence grew, refusals disappeared—and some who once rejected him even sought him out.

Instead, he grew curious. “May I ask why?”

“I know what Zhiwei represents now,” Qin Huai said with a sigh. “But it’s too influential—ten times more than I imagined. Ever since Guo’er appeared in it, I feel like I’ve been stuck in Huang Ji’s kitchen without a break.”

“Guo’er is fine—it requires Master Huang Shengli’s cooperation and can only be sold at Huang Ji. But Four-Joy Tangyuan is different. I can sell it in my own shop. If Yunzhong Canteen gets featured in Zhiwei, I’m afraid I’ll end up…”

He trailed off, sighing again.

Xu Cheng wanted to laugh but restrained himself.

“You’re the second chef I’ve met who refused Zhiwei out of laziness,” he said with a smile.

“The first?” Qin Huai asked curiously.

“Same surname as you—Chef Qin Guisheng, in the United States,” Xu Cheng replied. “I originally planned to interview him alongside his senior brother Peng Changping as a special feature. But he refused, saying his brother was already retired and didn’t mind crowds, while he himself was nearing retirement and didn’t want to work as hard as in his youth.”

Qin Huai was deeply moved—he hadn’t expected someone to think just like him.

“If a chef doesn’t want an interview, I won’t force it,” Xu Cheng said. “But I’ll leave the opportunity open. Whenever you’re ready, just contact me. I’d be happy to visit Yunzhong Canteen—and enjoy some freshly made pastries.”

“By the way,” he added jokingly, “you wouldn’t refuse me if I use some connections in the future to get a special meal, right?”

“Of course not,” Qin Huai replied. “If you come to the shop, I’ll even post about it on my social media.”

“But as for Zhiwei… let’s leave it for now.”

Xu Cheng couldn’t help but laugh again.

Not far away, Zang Liang watched Qin Huai and Xu Cheng chatting happily, with Xu Cheng laughing so heartily. Unable to hold back his curiosity, he asked, “Master, what do you think Qin Huai is saying? Why is Mr. Xu so happy?”

Zang Mu: …Good disciple, you’re great in every way—if only you could learn to keep your mouth shut.

Tong Deyan couldn’t help but say, “He said he’s not accepting the interview.”

Zang Liang: ???

“Why?!” Zang Liang almost screamed.

“Because he’s lazy and worried that if he appears in Zhiwei again, business will be too good and he won’t be able to handle it,” Tong Deyan said, his face full of speechless disbelief, though there was also a trace of admiration for Qin Huai’s social intelligence. “But it’s smart.”

Zang Liang: …

Without hesitation, Zang Liang immediately pulled out his phone and messaged his good brother Tan Weian.

Zang Liang: I get you now. I finally get you. I REALLY get you now!
Zang Liang: I want to kill him so badly!
Zang Liang: Jealousy has completely twisted my face!
Zang Liang: Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn!!!

Tan Weian, seeing the messages inside Zhiweiju: …

What on earth did Qin Huai do to break Zang Liang like this?

He only went to the restroom—how did something this big happen?

It hadn’t even been that long. Qin Huai couldn’t have made pastries that fast, right?

After thinking for a moment, Tan Weian figured that since Zang Liang didn’t explain, it probably wasn’t something he could say. So he didn’t ask and simply replied:

Tan Weian: Brother, I understand you.

…

Since Xu Cheng couldn’t interview Qin Huai, he didn’t stay long in the kitchen. He packed two bags of Four-Joy Tangyuan and left.

Because Xu Cheng took two bags, and Han Guishan also wanted to set aside two extra bags for his younger sisters, plus Chen Gong’s unexpected awakening completed the task ahead of time, Qin Huai simply stayed in the kitchen the entire afternoon making Four-Joy Tangyuan—producing so many that Han Guishan nearly wanted to write him a check on the spot.

It was his way of thanking Han Guishan for being a truly good boss—one who hadn’t wasted the auspicious beast buff of the Wenyao fish, nor Chen Gong’s wholehearted dedication.

Han Guishan wanted Qin Huai to stay in City A for a couple more days—not to make more pastries, but simply to host him and let him relax—but Qin Huai politely declined.

He still had radishes to slice back in Shanshi.

It wasn’t convenient to practice knife work here in City A. He could only cut for short periods each day, and Zang Liang would keep watching him. Whether for the eagerly waiting customers in Yunzhong Community or for the need to consistently practice and improve his knife skills, Qin Huai wanted to return to Shanshi as soon as possible.

That evening, Chen Gong came alone to Qin Huai’s hotel to continue their conversation from noon.

Chen Gong’s obsession had been clarified, but the recipe hadn’t been given yet, nor the “gift.” While Qin Huai had been making tangyuan and practicing knife work, Chen Gong had been chatting a lot in the “Happy Family” group chat, figuring out the basic rule that after awakening, a spirit creature should give part of its inheritance to Qin Huai.

Qin Huai: ?

Wait—who came up with this “basic rule”?

Why did Qu Jing seem so convinced, seriously explaining it in the group chat, and Chen Gong actually believed it?

Was he really the kind of person who was eager to inherit spirit creatures’ wealth?

…Well, maybe a little.

With a yearly salary of 7 million, Chen Gong still managed to keep Qu Jing holding the title of “poorest spirit creature.”

As an excellent assistant, Chen Gong knew Qin Huai wasn’t someone who liked small talk. After bringing snacks, drinks, and fruit that Qin Huai liked, he sat down in the hotel room, handed Qin Huai a banana, and got straight to the point.

“This afternoon, I carefully searched through my memories.”

“Leaving aside my second life where I died suddenly at 30, in my first life, when I followed those three bosses, I did eat quite a few good things,” Chen Gong said.

Qin Huai was shocked. “You died suddenly in your second life?”

He hadn’t mentioned that at all at noon—back then, he only focused on the miserable working life of his first life.

“In my second life, I still retained most of my memories. My obsession at the time was to find a good boss. But I kept thinking—maybe I wasn’t good enough, not hardworking enough, which is why my boss discarded us old employees once he succeeded.”

“So I worked a bit too hard in that life… and died from overwork in my early 30s.”

Qin Huai: …

Brother, honestly, your normality is kind of heartbreaking.

“Let’s not talk about irrelevant things. I found a pastry that might suit you very well,” Chen Gong said.

Hearing this, Qin Huai immediately sat up straight.

“Qin Ji Pastry Shop. In my first life, when I followed my third boss, I saw it in Shanghai.”

Qin Huai was shocked again.

He truly hadn’t expected that the shop which was nearly going bankrupt in Beiping had actually grown into a nationwide chain. Not only had Qu Jing seen it in the provincial capital during her first life, but Chen Gong had also seen it in Shanghai.

Back then, the once-famous Taifeng Tower in Beiping had declined, yet Qin Ji Pastry Shop had risen.

Was this the true strength of pastry chefs?

“I privately talked with Miss Qu Jing and found that the times we saw Qin Ji Pastry Shop were probably close—I saw it about four to five years after her.”

“So I think you’ll be very interested in this recipe.”

Qin Huai nodded vigorously.

He was extremely interested!

Chen Gong had guessed perfectly!

“So how should I give it to you? Just say it?”

“I, Chen Gong, now wish to gift the recipe of this pastry in my mind to Mr. Qin Huai.”

As soon as Chen Gong finished speaking, a system notification sounded in Qin Huai’s mind.

“Ding! Congratulations, you have received a recipe gifted by Chen Gong. Please check the game panel.”

Qin Huai opened the panel.

Name: Chen Gong
Species: Wenyao Fish
Status: Awakened

Dreams: 0/0
Recipe: Mung Bean Cake (click to view details)

Gift: 50% of assets (27 million)

Wait—Chen Gong, you’re actually giving it?!

And not even as an inheritance!

“Oh right, I also have a lifetime pastry purchase contract here. I’ll need you to sign it now. Tomorrow, I’ll transfer 27 million to your account.”

“My pastries for the rest of my life will be in your hands.”

“Don’t worry—it’s based on my appetite, not President Han’s.”