Pei Liang opened her eyes, sensing that she was surrounded by many people.
The hall was decorated in an antique style, with not a trace of modern flair. In front of her was a long table draped in red silk. Behind the table sat three men, each with two dishes placed before them.
The three men were quietly savoring the food. Everyone around held their breath, their gazes fixed intently on the faces of the three judges, making the hall, despite its crowd, so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
In the next moment, countless memories flooded back, and Pei Liang instantly grasped the situation she was in.
To put it simply, she was on the brink of disgrace and ruin, with only five minutes left on the countdown.
Sure enough, moments later, the three men set down their chopsticks one after another. The elderly man with white hair and the round-faced, portly judge said, “They’re evenly matched.”
“Indeed. With the same recipe and lineage of culinary skills, both are prodigies who have already reached seventy percent of what the late Chef Pei had achieved at their age. If he were still alive, he would surely be greatly pleased.”
“But in the end, a competition must have a winner. Forgive my bias, but I find that Chef Pei’s mapo tofu has a richer sauce and bolder ingredients, while Chef Wei’s is somewhat more conservative.”
Having spoken, the two placed a single silver chopstick into the chopstick holder on Pei Liang’s side, effectively casting their votes for her.
However, the third man, no older than thirty and dressed in splendid brocade, held a completely opposite opinion.
He frowned and said, “You two are renowned gourmets, so how is it that your taste buds fail you today? Have you eaten too much Sichuan pepper? If you can’t judge properly, step down and let someone else take your place. I’m sure any random customer here would be better than you two.”
“You—” The other two glared angrily at the man in brocade, but considering his status, dared not speak out.
Coincidentally, the onlookers, eager for drama, began to cheer, “Yeah, everyone here knows how to eat! Why only pick three judges?”
“Why not place the dishes on the table for everyone in the restaurant to taste? Wouldn’t that be better?”
By now, the last dish had been served. Besides this mapo tofu, there were nine other dishes painstakingly prepared by the two chefs, showcasing their lifelong culinary skills, dazzling the crowd and whetting their appetites.
The man in brocade’s words hit the mark with the foodies around.
But not far behind Pei Liang, a couple suddenly grew anxious and shouted, “There are many mouths here, and Wei’s side has come prepared. Who knows what kind of people they are? Don’t start a ruckus.”
Their words sparked discontent among the crowd. “Pei the shopkeeper really doesn’t know how to take a compliment. She’s been a regular for decades. Everyone here knows everyone else. Why suspect ill intentions?”
Pei Fugui, embarrassed by the familiar customers’ taunts, blushed but refused to let the crowd judge the dishes together.
Seeing the situation, Wei Yingshu, standing near Pei Liang, lifted her head and exchanged a glance with the proud brocade-clad young man wearing a jade crown. A flicker of disdain and self-satisfaction passed between them—directed at Pei Fugui, his wife, and Pei Liang.
Before she died, Pei Liang had been a wealthy woman worth billions. After death, she should have returned to dust and ashes, so why was she here now? Naturally, there was a reason.
The continuation of her life was a tremendous surprise, but it came with a price.
Pei Liang’s price was being bound to a bizarre, brainless system, forced to traverse various novel worlds. The task was simple: just one thing—to win over the male lead.
If you can’t win her over, you’re as good as dead.
Pei Liang’s arrival in this first world was ill-timed, to say the least.
Pei Liang’s grandfather, in this identity, was once a renowned chef in the capital. The late emperor, while traveling incognito, had tasted the old man’s cooking and was utterly amazed. He had wanted to recruit him into the imperial kitchen, but after a polite refusal, he admired the old man’s integrity and character so much that he personally inscribed the words “The World’s Premier Restaurant” as a gift.
He entrusted Pei’s grandfather with the mission to pass down his lifelong culinary secrets, insisting that such exquisite flavors deserved to be preserved through the generations.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as hoped. Pei Liang’s father, the old man’s only son, was hopeless when it came to cooking. Fortunately, Pei’s grandfather was no fool—when his own son proved incapable, he took on several disciples based on talent and passed on his lifetime of knowledge.
Among them, a disciple named Wei Qigui stood out and inherited the old master’s legacy.
Pei Fugui himself lacked talent, but his daughter showed remarkable skill from a very young age. This delighted Pei’s grandfather, who kept her close and personally mentored her.
When Pei Liang was six, Wei Qigui and his family were expelled from the discipleship by Pei’s grandfather and driven out of the capital, forbidden from using any of the culinary skills they had learned from the Pei family to make a living.
At the time, those unaware of the full story thought Pei’s grandfather was unfair. Although it was improper for Wei Qigui, an outsider, to inherit the legacy, giving it up for a promising granddaughter was understandable, even if criticized.
Before the granddaughter had shown her talent, Pei’s grandfather was already aging. For several years, the renowned Tianxiang Restaurant was run by Wei Qigui, who upheld the reputation of “The World’s Premier Restaurant.”
Not allowing Wei Qigui to inherit the legacy was one thing, but to go so far as to expel him from the capital and forbid him from using his skills to earn a living was cruel.
It was said that Wei Qigui never recovered, living in poverty and despair for over a decade before dying in middle age.
Wei Yingshu is Wei Qigui’s daughter—the heroine of this world—returning to the capital with her late father’s grudge, determined to reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to him.
As an orphaned daughter with no strong family ties, naturally she was no match for the influential Pei family. But as the heroine, through a series of fortunate events, she won many hearts with her cooking and beauty.
At this early stage of the story, the male lead has yet to appear, but among the admirers at Wei Yingshu’s feet are several noble scions from prominent families.
They are outraged by the Wei family’s plight and pity Wei Yingshu’s difficult upbringing, harboring deep resentment and disdain for the Pei family, whom they see as the root of all evil.
This culinary competition was rigged by the young master of the Minister’s residence, who used his influence to spread rumors about the old incident and set a trap to lure the gambling-addicted Pei Fugui into challenging the Tianxiang Restaurant.
Pei Liang naturally had no choice but to accept the challenge.
Knowing full well that Wei Yingshu was no longer a helpless orphan but backed by powerful allies, Pei Fugui and his wife still foolishly planned to bribe the judges.
They believed that if Wei Yingshu lost the competition, they wouldn’t have to hand over Tianxiang Restaurant or the “World’s Premier” title, and that their gambling debts would be wiped clean.
The couple thought they had everything perfectly arranged—but they had played right into Wei Yingshu’s hands.
Her return was always about seeking justice and exposing the Pei family’s ugly face to the world. Naturally, she was eager for them to make such a foolish mistake.
As expected, after the final dish was judged, the more skilled Wei Yingshu ended up losing, which immediately sparked doubts among those present.
To ensure fairness, Gao Lezhang, the young master of the Shangshu family, proposed blindfolding both contestants with black cloth, shuffling all their dishes in random order, and tasting them without knowing whose was whose.
In the end, the young judge dressed in brocade consistently made the same choices as before, while the other two judges—who had loudly claimed that Pei Liang’s dishes were superior—ended up selecting only Wei Yingshu’s dishes.
Suddenly, the cheaters were exposed in all their disgrace. The Pei family’s years of hard work were ruined overnight. The Tianxiang Tower and its imperial signboard were taken away, dragging old Master Pei to his grave. On top of that, his character was publicly condemned, and the family’s reputation was left in tatters.
The “Number One Restaurant Under Heaven” signboard had been entrusted by the late emperor himself to be passed down with care. With the Pei family’s skills and morals now disgraced, they were no longer worthy of this imperial honor.
Meanwhile, Wei Yingshu, as the daughter of a former direct disciple, was considered a fitting successor under these circumstances.
At that moment, Gao Lezhang spoke up: “This is the final dish. Do both of you truly stand by your evaluations?”
Master Zhu and Master Du, who had voted for Pei Liang, exchanged a worried glance. They had a bad feeling about what was coming, but at this point, backing down would only make them look foolish.
They nodded and were about to reply when a clear, crisp voice interrupted—
“I admit defeat.”
All eyes turned toward the speaker. It was Pei Liang himself.
Despite having won according to the judges’ verdict, Pei Liang voluntarily conceded. The crowd murmured in surprise.
Wei Yingshu and several young nobles led by Gao Lezhang frowned in confusion.
Among the three judges, the brocade-clad young man, He Xiu, who had been frowning tightly all along, finally relaxed and looked at Pei Liang with renewed respect.
Though Pei Liang’s culinary skills didn’t match Wei Yingshu’s, his sense of honor and fairness was commendable. It was worth the effort to have him here today.
However, Master Zhu and Master Du’s expressions darkened. They had been pressured into giving dishonest judgments, and Pei Liang’s sudden concession was like a slap in the face, proving they neither knew how to eat nor how to judge.
Pei Fugui and his wife, who had almost felt a stone lifted from their hearts, were now nearly fainting as their daughter unexpectedly undermined them.
Pei Liang calmly walked over to the table of dishes. Though the novel had already established the strength of both contestants, Pei Liang, a gourmet who had spent his life sponsoring handsome young men and savoring the world’s finest cuisine, had his own discerning palate.
He picked up his chopsticks and tasted both versions of the Mapo Tofu.
Then he explained clearly: “As for the ingredients of Mapo Tofu, one can choose either firm or soft tofu. Firm tofu absorbs the sauce better, offering a rich, mellow flavor. Soft tofu, on the other hand, emphasizes texture—tender and fragrant.”
“My grandfather once said that choosing only one would be a pity. So I opted for soft tofu, employing a unique tossing technique and precise heat control to combine the advantages of both.”
“Unfortunately, my skills are not yet refined. Despite many attempts, I have never managed to keep the delicate soft tofu intact as freshly cut, maintaining its perfect appearance. That is why I have always used firm tofu.”
“On this point alone, I admit defeat.”
No one around expected her to admit defeat on her own, let alone to candidly explain the reasons for her loss in such detail.
For a moment, some marveled at Wei Yingshu’s culinary skills despite her young age, but no one felt disappointed or looked down on Pei Liang. Instead, all eyes were fixed on her confident and articulate explanation, filled with trust and understanding.
After all, Pei Liang was young too. She had been a long-time patron of Tianxiang Pavilion and knew the other’s temperament well. Though she was usually quiet and focused solely on refining her craft—her talent slightly inferior on the surface—her unwavering dedication and resilience meant she would eventually master every skill that the great Chef Pei once possessed.
Snapping back to reality, Pei Fugui hurriedly said, “It’s just one dish, it doesn’t represent everything.”
But Pei Liang shook her head and pointed at a plate of stuffed bean sprouts in front of them. “Do you see the length difference between these two plates?”
Everyone looked, noticing that Wei Yingshu’s plate of bean sprouts was just a little longer than Pei Liang’s. The difference was so slight it could be overlooked, but with Pei Liang’s hint and the way the dishes were arranged, it was indeed visible.
The process of making stuffed bean sprouts was extremely time-consuming and intricate, though the steps were simple: break the bean sprout in the middle, hollow it out, then stuff it with minced meat.
Even with preparation time allotted for the competition, it wasn’t enough to handle such a workload. So both chefs had used extraordinary knife skills to carefully slice open the bean sprouts, peeling off the thin outer skin and discarding the core, all while keeping the sprout’s shape intact.
Only then did they stuff the meat and proceed with the next steps.
“To ensure fairness, the ingredients came from the same batch. That means the bean sprouts Wei Yingshu and I used were taken from the same stalk.”
“Bean sprouts don’t all grow perfectly straight or uniform, and the longer the sprout, the harder it is to hollow out the core. Wei Yingshu’s sprouts were a full five millimeters longer than mine.”
“So in terms of knife skills, I lost.”
Pei Liang then went on to point out several other dishes, each observation convincing everyone present.
Despite laying bare her defeat with no attempt to hide it, Pei Liang spoke with a confidence and ease that no loser would normally display.
This left Wei Yingshu momentarily confused, as if Pei Liang were the real winner and she herself the one utterly ashamed.
Wei Yingshu had come with the goal of avenging her father and naturally wouldn’t allow the Pei family to regain even a fraction of their standing. Whether it was their business or reputation, she intended to leave them with nothing.
With a faint, almost mocking smile, she looked at Pei Liang and said, “Pei Liang, you have a keen eye. But if that’s the case, why do Masters Zhu and Du repeatedly show bias?”
“Those two are known throughout the capital for their silver tongues. Could they really miss such subtle differences? Or is there some other reason?”
Her gaze then shifted to Pei Fugui and his wife, who avoided eye contact.
The diners around them suddenly remembered the matter. If Pei Liang herself could spot these issues at a glance, why were the two judges so slow to notice? Suspicious looks quickly turned toward the judges.
Master Zhu and Master Du paled. Both were involved in the food trade and renowned for their discerning palates.
If they didn’t provide an explanation now, wouldn’t their integrity and character be questioned from now on?
The two of them hesitated, unable to find the right words. Pei Liang, however, let out a light laugh. "Miss Wei, there’s no need to put Mr. Zhu and Mr. Du in an awkward position."
"These two gentlemen understand the current situation of my Pei family and have a deep connection with Tianxiang Tower. They genuinely cannot bear to see my grandfather’s lifelong efforts fall into the hands of outsiders, so their judgments are inevitably biased."
"Because they believe that with Tianxiang Tower under my care, one day it will once again deserve the title of 'The Best Tower Under Heaven.' Rather than watching it decline helplessly, they would rather go against their own principles as judges."
With that, Pei Liang bowed deeply to the two men. "If it forces you both to compromise your true feelings, that is entirely my own failure."
Hearing this, Wei Yingshu laughed in disbelief. Looking at Pei Liang, she said, "Miss Pei, you have quite the silver tongue—making black sound like white. According to you, the actions of these two gentlemen were nothing but acts of helplessness?"
"Then I must ask, on what grounds do you believe that someone like me, who can beat you now, would allow 'The Best Tower Under Heaven' to fall into ruin?"
Pei Liang glanced at her and gave a baffling smile. "No, it’s not about doubting your skills, Miss Wei."
Her gaze shifted behind Wei Yingshu, where Wei’s Mother and Wei’s Maternal Uncle stood, their faces flushed with joy over their daughter’s victory, greedily eyeing Tianxiang Tower.
"As for the reason, I believe Miss Wei’s mother and uncle are well aware—"
"After all, they are the very people who managed to shut down a thriving branch overnight."
