Chapter 28: The Privileges of a Master

Fortunately, there was a large garbage bin not far from the hotel; otherwise, Chen Yun would have had no idea where to throw it. After tossing the bicycle inside, Chen Yun silently recited “Recycle,” then was taken aback by the system prompt he heard.

“Recycle successful. Player Chen Yun has received 50 gold coins.”

Fifty gold coins?! Chen Yun was genuinely surprised. How could it be so much? The recycle value was only fifty percent of the original price. Could it be that Wei Yu’s bicycle was actually worth a hundred gold coins? If that was the case, then the tuition he’d charged was rather steep.

“Well, I’ll just have to teach him a few more skills in the future.” Chen Yun dusted off his hands and returned to the hotel.

The welcome banquet at noon was a joyous affair for all. The hotel’s senior staff were eager to build a relationship with Master Chen, while Chen Yun deliberately kept a low profile. Since he was the youngest present, he addressed everyone as “brother” or “sister,” which earned him much goodwill. The management had worried that Master Chen might throw his weight around, but now saw they had nothing to fear.

“It’s a shame Master Chen doesn’t drink. Otherwise, I’d make sure we drank ourselves under the table together,” Zhang Lang said, finishing his wine in one gulp.

“I’ll stick to soft drinks. Alcohol dulls my sense of taste, which isn’t good for my cooking,” Chen Yun fibbed. He’d actually considered having a drink, but a glance at the wine’s attributes immediately changed his mind.

“Feitian Dragon Wine (similar to premium Maotai), purple consumable. For two hours after consumption, Strength +500%, Constitution +300%, Intelligence and Mental Power -80%.”

What a joke—massive strength, but intelligence and mental faculties plummeting. Wasn’t that just a recipe for drunken mayhem? Until his intelligence and mental power far surpassed the norm, he’d better steer clear of alcohol. Otherwise, if he blurted out the secret of the system, he’d be done for.

“Look at how young Chen is, and already a master chef! It’s all thanks to his dedication. We should all learn from him!”

“You flatter me, Zhang. Now that everyone’s had their fill, perhaps we should wrap up? By the way, what work will I be doing? Am I to cook in the kitchen?” Chen Yun finished his drink, steering the conversation back to business.

“You just arrived today, so I’d planned to tell you about your work tomorrow. But since you ask, I’ll explain now,” Zhang Lang replied. “You don’t need to work in the main kitchen—it’s too exhausting. Head Chef Yu can handle that. Chairman Jiang specifically instructed me to provide you with a private kitchen and office. From now on, you’ll work there.”

“What?” Chen Yun was startled. The offer was more generous than he’d imagined. He’d thought he was just coming to cook, but Chairman Jiang valued him so highly he’d arranged a dedicated kitchen and office!

“I’ll assign you three assistants. They’ll bring all necessary ingredients from the main kitchen to yours. You’ll only need to cook; leave everything else to them,” Zhang Lang continued. “Chen, our city has never had a master chef before. Now that you’re here, you’re our hotel’s greatest asset. I plan to host a banquet soon, inviting the city’s elite. Once they taste your dishes, they’re bound to become regulars.”

“All right, I’ll follow your arrangements, Zhang. Just point me where you need me. But I’m not much for socializing, I hope you’ll understand,” Chen Yun replied with a smile.

“No problem! With you on board, I can rest easy. At the banquet, all you need to do is make a brief appearance—the rest is up to me and the other managers,” Zhang Lang assured him, then added, “I won’t overwork you. A master chef is precious because of their rarity and the uniqueness of their dishes. I’ll tally up the number of tables, and you only need to make one dish per table—the kitchen staff can handle the rest.”

“One dish per table seems a bit meager. Let’s make it three. Guests should enjoy themselves,” Chen Yun suggested after a brief thought.

“Three dishes per table? Can you handle that? There’ll be no shortage of guests—dozens of tables at least, meaning you’ll be making over a hundred dishes,” Zhang Lang said in surprise.

“I can manage. I’ll just handle the stir-fries while my assistants take care of the rest. It’ll be quick.” Chen Yun thought to himself, with system skills at his disposal, a hundred dishes was nothing; so long as he had enough mana and ingredients, he could make a thousand.

“By the way, Zhang, I like to drink soft drinks while I cook. Please make sure the kitchen is well stocked,” Chen Yun quickly added, remembering that the drinks at the table all restored mana—a perfect solution to his mana shortage.

“That’s easy. Secretary Lin, Master Chen likes soft drinks—note that. Move five cases of assorted drinks into his kitchen, and another five in his office. Keep them stocked at all times. If Master Chen ever misses work because he ran out, you’ll have to answer to me,” Zhang Lang commanded with a wave of his hand.

“Understood, Mr. Zhang. I’ll handle it at once.”

That afternoon, Chen Yun enjoyed a restful sleep in the luxurious suite prepared for him by Mr. Zhang. When he opened his eyes, it was already evening.

“Player Chen Yun has reached Level 3. You have gained 1 free attribute point.” As soon as Chen Yun woke, the system chimed in.

Another level up? It took 150 experience points to go from level two to three—how did it happen so quickly? Chen Yun looked around in confusion, finally noticing the system’s description of his guest room.

“Five-star luxury suite. While resting in your room, the player enters auto-grind mode, gaining 15 experience points per hour. Resting on the bed doubles this to 30 points per hour. Experience gained increases with the player's level.”

Incredible! Reading this, Chen Yun was elated. No wonder it was a five-star hotel—just lying in bed, he could earn 30 experience points per hour. That was far better than the single point he got from cooking two dishes. Truly, this was leveling up while lying down.

“If five-star hotels are this amazing, what about six-star, seven-star, or even eight-star hotels? Could I level up once every hour?” Chen Yun mused. “To reach level 100 quickly, I’ll have to keep grinding culinary skill proficiency. If I reach Intermediate Chef, I’d probably be a grandmaster in real life.”

Opening the fridge in his room, he drank a beverage to restore his spare mana pool, then prepared to head to the kitchen to cook a couple of dishes. Ever since he’d tasted his own cooking, he’d lost all interest in anyone else’s food.

Just as he left the suite, he saw Mr. Zhang striding toward him.

“You’re awake, Chen! I was just about to call you for dinner,” Mr. Zhang said cheerfully. “So, are you satisfied with your suite?”

“Very much, Mr. Zhang. Thank you for your trouble,” Chen Yun replied. “You haven’t eaten yet either, I suppose? How about you take me to the kitchen and I’ll cook us a few dishes?”

“That would be wonderful.” Mr. Zhang was delighted by the offer and quickly led Chen Yun to the kitchen.