Xu Yanxia quickly called out, "Madam," and said, "President Lu was just cooking earlier."
"Really?"
Madam Lu looked at her eldest son as if he were an alien and said, "The one who used to be so busy he often skipped meals actually knows how to cook? He really has changed!"
As she spoke, she asked Xu Yanxia, "How did he do? Was it passable?"
"President Lu did very well."
Xu Yanxia smiled and hurriedly offered the uneaten sandwich in her hand to Madam Lu. "Would you like to try it?"
"No need,"
Madam Lu also smiled and waved her hand in polite refusal. "You enjoy it. I'm going to take a shower; I have to go out soon."
She started to walk away but paused to ask Xu Yanxia one more thing, "By the way, Xia Xia, I remember you have a driver's license, right?"
"Yes, I do."
Xu Yanxia nodded promptly.
She had gotten her license right after the college entrance exam, and during holidays at home, she would often help her brother with deliveries.
This information was also included in her application materials when she joined the Lu household.
She just didn't know why Madam Lu suddenly asked. Could it be that she planned to have her drive if both regular drivers were unavailable someday?
However, Madam Lu didn't say anything more, just nodded and went upstairs.
Meanwhile, Lu Jingming reminded her quietly from the side, "It's going to get cold if you don't eat it soon."
He sounded somewhat pitiful.
"Oh, sorry."
Not wanting to disappoint the president, she quickly took a bite of the sandwich in her hand.
He looked at her with eager anticipation and asked, "How is it? Is the flavor okay?"
Xu Yanxia nodded. "It's very good. The eggs are cooked perfectly, and the seasoning ratio is just right."
—Ahem, after all, the bacon, tomato, bread slices, and ketchup were all ready-made; he only had to scramble the eggs.
And she had been watching while he scrambled them.
Objectively speaking, it's hard to make something taste bad under such circumstances.
But Lu Jingming, encouraged by her approval, immediately smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. I'll make something else for you next time."
He thoughtfully poured a glass of milk and handed it to her, adding, "Here's some milk. If you're still hungry, you can have something else."
Xu Yanxia hurriedly took it and said thank you, yet she felt something was a bit off—
Why did it seem like this sandwich today was a breakfast he specially made for her?
...
As they talked, Lu Jingming also finished his sandwich. He glanced at the kitchen clock and said to her, "I need to go change. I have to get to the company early today."
Walking out, he told her, "Try not to stand for too long today, and don't forget to apply the medicated wine. Do it the way I showed you last night; it works better."
"Alright."
Xu Yanxia quickly nodded, watching him go upstairs.
A while later, she saw him again, now changed into his office suit, driving out through the main gate.
Soon, the radiant Madam Lu also left home with her husband, Chairman Lu.
Only Xu Yanxia and her colleagues were left to guard the daily routine of the mansion.
Already full from President Lu's sandwich, Xu Yanxia didn't make herself another breakfast. After the day's fresh groceries were delivered and she had organized the refrigerator, seeing there was nothing else to do, she returned to her room to edit a video.
The pictures she posted yesterday had piqued her fans' curiosity. In just one short night, she received tens of thousands more comments.
Especially since Queen Xixi, who had landed late last night, had specifically praised her profusely in the comments again, saying every dish was delicious and the flavors were unforgettable, which greatly fueled everyone's enthusiasm. They were all begging her to quickly post the process of her cooking.
Of course, releasing the entire process at once was impossible. So, she skimmed through the comments and first edited a video showing how to make the "Crystal Apple," the dish with the loudest demand.
Just as she finished editing the video, her phone vibrated again.
She looked at it; it was a local unknown number.
Answering tentatively, she heard a familiar voice from the receiver, very politely asking, "May I speak to Miss Xu?"
"This is she."
Xu Yanxia quickly asked, "May I ask who's calling...?"
The other party immediately introduced himself, "Hello, Miss Xu. I am Cui Youzhi, the general manager of Jiuzhen Zhishan. I had the honor of receiving you and President Lu when you dined here last time."
Oh, it was the general manager from Jiushan last time.
No wonder the voice sounded familiar.
Xu Yanxia quickly said, "Hello, Manager Cui. What can I do for you?"
Manager Cui said, "After our brand completed the equity transfer a few days ago, we are upgrading in all aspects and expect to relaunch completely during the National Day holiday. The issues you mentioned last time have already been addressed by our kitchen team. Today, I'd like to invite you to come over at your convenience and give us some guidance."
Xu Yanxia remembered. A couple of days ago, she had just signed a contract with President Lu's investment company and was now the Quality Director of Jiushan.
She had a responsibility to fulfill.
She immediately said to him, "My apologies, I've been busy these past two days and haven't gotten around to contacting you. I'm free now. Please wait a moment; I'll head over right away."
"Great, great."
Manager Cui quickly said, "We'll be waiting for you. See you soon."
"See you soon."
Xu Yanxia hung up and immediately went out to inform Housekeeper Zhang of the situation.
Housekeeper Zhang also promptly nodded and said, "No problem. The Madam and the Chairman aren't home, so you can go ahead. It's just that Lao Li is running errands for the Chairman these days, so you'll probably have to take a taxi yourself."
"Alright."
Xu Yanxia nodded quickly. "Then I'll go change."
Housekeeper Zhang added, "Dress appropriately. You are their superior now."
"Understood."
Xu Yanxia smiled and hurried back to her room.
A while later, she emerged wearing the light blue dress Madam Lu had bought for her during her first outing to a social event with Madam Lu, and she had applied a bit of makeup.
Housekeeper Zhang was very satisfied. He saw her to the main gate and only returned after watching her get into the car.
About twenty minutes later, Xu Yanxia arrived at Jiushan.
As the brand was currently undergoing upgrades, Jiushan had not been open to the public these past few days, but the staff were still working. She hadn't walked far from the ride-hailing car when Manager Cui came out with the managers from various departments to greet her.
"Welcome, Miss Xu."
Xu Yanxia shook hands with everyone and said with a smile, "We are all colleagues now, no need to be so formal. I'm probably younger than all of you, so you can call me Xiao Xu."
"How could we do that?"
Manager Cui quickly said, "If you don't mind, perhaps we could address you as Director Xu?"
"That's fine."
Xu Yanxia smiled and nodded, then followed everyone into the restaurant.
Passing through the main hall, she first briefly inspected the environment and layout, then went upstairs to the meeting room for a discussion.
The heads of each department introduced the target plans for the brand upgrade, covering front-of-house service, kitchen procurement, administration, marketing, and other aspects.
Xu Yanxia listened attentively, taking notes, her expression very serious.
After Lu Jingming took over, he largely retained Jiushan's original team.
As an established brand, everyone was quite experienced. She mainly offered some suggestions regarding kitchen procurement, pricing, and other areas.
She also took the opportunity to inform Marketing Department Manager Yang, "Yesterday's private banquet at East Lake Club was quite successful. So far, the feedback from the guests has been very positive. Since I'm here today, I'd like to add some of the more standout dishes from that event to Jiushan's regular menu."
"I also have some relevant video footage on hand. You can edit it as needed to start building some buzz in advance."
"That's fantastic."
Manager Yang replied with a smile, "To be honest, I was actually planning to ask you today if our official video channel could do a collaboration with your personal channel, since you have a much larger following."
"No problem at all."
Xu Yanxia agreed readily. "That was part of the reason I started my account. In fact, I just posted a video about a new dish on my way here. You can share it right away. For any future daily needs from my side, feel free to contact me anytime. I'll do my best to cooperate as long as I'm available."
"That's excellent."
Manager Yang promptly added her on WeChat and followed her Douyin account, initiating the interaction on the spot.
With the meeting concluded and the new menu mostly finalized, she immediately hurried to the kitchen to inspect the work.
She got so caught up in the tasks that she lost track of time.
Several hours later, Lu Jingming, who was about to finish work, called her.
