Hidden Quest "Saving Weilou" Completed!

Nan Xu paused in his steps.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise and clicked on the system instructions.

[Hidden Mission: Save Baiweilou]

[Task Difficulty: Rank 5]

[Mission Description: You not only exposed the corrupt elements within Baiweilou, but also severely damaged the Jiang family's reputation, exposing their ambitions to the light of day and completely severing their possibility of plotting against Baiweilou. Baiweilou's internal and external troubles have now been resolved!]

[Task Rewards: 168000 Experience Points, Luo Qinzhu's Favorability (Large Amount), Random Gift from Luo Qinzhu (Rare), Random Compensation from the Jiang Family]

Upon seeing the mission reward, Nan Xu was overjoyed.

He originally only intended to help Baiweilou get rid of a scourge to repay Luo Qinzhu's kindness, but he didn't expect to complete a hidden mission along the way, with such a generous reward.

Indeed, choosing to stay at Baiweilou was the right decision.

Having just passed the eighth-rank assessment and unlocked his level cap, he casually used up the experience points he received from the mission and added them all to his character level.

[Ding! Your level has been upgraded to LV24!]

After breaking through level 20, the experience required for leveling up also increases dramatically. 160,000 experience points may seem like a lot, but they are not very useful at all.

"Gaining experience through normal means is too slow... I guess I still have to harvest experience from the players."

Nan Xu silently pondered this as he stepped off the stage.

As soon as he stepped off the stage, Xiao Zou slapped him hard on the shoulder: "Ah Xu, you kept this from me for so long! You managed to take control of your life's feast without a word!"

Nan Xu then snapped out of her daze, smiling and spreading her hands: "I can't help it, this is my secret weapon. To make up for it, I'll cook this dish for everyone myself tonight, how about that?"

Xiao Zou's eyes lit up immediately, and he cheered, "Yay!"

The other chefs who had taken leave to cheer him on also smiled with satisfaction. The dishes that could beat Jiang Yuqiao's life banquet must be delicious!

Just thinking about it makes their mouths water.

After calming down the chefs, Nan Xu finally met Luo Qinzhu's gaze.

Luo Qinzhu's gaze flickered, which made Nan Xu's heart sink.

He knew that Luo Qinzhu and Wang Yi, these long-time employees of Baiweilou, had a very good relationship, and that his actions just now could be said to have completely ruined Wang Yi's future.

Could it be that... Luo Qinzhu might hold a grudge against me because of this?

But the next moment, what Luo Qinzhu said greatly exceeded his expectations:

"Ah Xu, I'm sorry..." Luo Qinzhu nervously clutched the hem of her clothes. "You must have noticed that Uncle Wang was acting strangely a long time ago, right? Now that I think about it, you hinted at it to me time and time again..."

"If I had trusted you more, or if I had been smarter, you wouldn't have needed to risk your life fighting with Chef Jiang Yuqiao for Baiweilou... I'm sorry, I failed to become a qualified head chef."

Nan Xu was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Sister Qinzhu, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"If it weren't for the bowl of soup that saved my life, the lesson you taught me about 'All Rivers Flow into the Sea,' and the three days you spent with me experimenting with new dishes, I wouldn't be able to serve this 'Soup of a Hundred Delicacies from the Mountains' today."

He looked into Luo Qinzhu's eyes and said, word by word, "Whether it's my usual improvement in cooking skills or today's victory in the cooking competition, it's all inseparable from your help."

"So... in my heart, you are the best chef at Baiweilou!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qinzhu's cheeks immediately flushed red: "Calling me the best chef is too much of a compliment..."

The surrounding chefs chuckled good-naturedly, and Xiao Zou grinned in agreement, saying, "Ah Xu is right! Chef Luo, you always take good care of each and every one of us. In that respect, no one is more suitable to be the head chef than you!"

"That's right, that's right! Xiao Nan has spoken our minds!" the chefs exclaimed.

Luo Qinzhu blushed even more, covering her face with her sleeve: "Alright, alright, stop talking..."

Nan Xu smiled. He found it quite amusing to tease Luo Qinzhu occasionally.

However, he was speaking from the heart. In a sense, if Luo Qinzhu hadn't been this kind of person and hadn't given him so much care, he wouldn't have challenged Jiang Yuqiao for the sake of Baiweilou.

In this light, the Jiang family and Wang Yi were both made and destroyed by Luo Qinzhu.

Amidst laughter and conversation, the group returned to Baiwei Restaurant. Chef Li, who had stayed behind to look after the restaurant, greeted them with a smile: "Everyone's back? How did Xiao Nan's eighth-rank assessment go?"

"There aren't many customers at Baiweilou Restaurant anymore. This eighth-rank assessment must be very exciting, right?"

"That was amazing!" Xiao Zou quickly recounted what had happened. "Ah Xu actually fought with that chef Jiang Yuqiao, and he won! He even got Jiang Yuqiao to expose the traitor in our Baiwei Restaurant!"

Then, as if remembering something, he said indignantly, "Jiang Yuqiao said that it was Wang Yi who ambushed you during that cooking battle! It's a pity you weren't there and didn't see what Wang Yi looked like when he was exposed... I should have slapped him for you!"

"Oh, I see. Well, thank you so much, Xiao Nan." Master Li was still smiling, his emotions not fluctuating much, and he didn't even show a hint of surprise.

Nan Xu's heart skipped a beat: "You knew all along that Wang Yi was a traitor?"

"Not that early," Master Li waved his hand. "It was probably after I was ambushed."

"Then why don't you..." Nan Xu asked, somewhat surprised.

"Why not tell Xiao Luo?" Master Li smiled. "Because Xiao Luo might not believe it if I just said it casually. I can only keep an eye out for her first, and then find a suitable opportunity to tell her - that was my original plan."

"Originally?" Nan Xu raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Yes, but later I found out that you, Xiao Nan, had also noticed this matter, and it seemed like you had some kind of plan, so we decided to wait and see." Master Li still had that same smiling expression.

"Uncle Li, so you are also..." Luo Qinzhu was stunned.

"However, I never expected that Xiao Nan could do such a good job."

Master Li suddenly stopped smiling and bowed solemnly to Nan Xu: "Xiao Nan, you have helped Baiweilou so much. As an old friend of Xiao Luo's father, I thank you on behalf of Xiao Luo and his father."

After saying that, Chef Li gave Luo Qinzhu a meaningful look: "Little Luo, as the head chef, you should thank Xiao Nan properly later."

"...Ah, I will!" Luo Qinzhu nodded blankly.

"It's only natural, after all, I'm also a part of Baiweilou." Nan Xu smiled.

But he felt a surge of excitement; with Master Li's words, the rewards for the hidden quest might be even greater.

What could that mysterious gift, labeled "precious," be?