"How to Successfully Land a Job with a Crooked Chrysanthemum"

Liu Yang walked out of the bookstore, greeted by the afternoon sun, and his mind was already contemplating new dish ideas.

If he could draw inspiration from this book, maybe he could quickly upgrade to the master level!

What he didn't see at the moment was the bookstore owner's face of relief behind him; this book had been lying in his shop for two years, and many people would throw it aside after flipping to the first page.

"Finally, it's sold..." The bookstore owner stood behind the counter, watching Liu Yang's receding figure and letting out a long sigh.

The book "The Exploration of Infinite Taste Possibilities" had been in his shop for almost two years, gathering dust.

Every time a customer flipped to the first page and saw the recipe for "wasabi ice cream," they would throw the book back as if they had seen a ghost.

One regular customer even said that the book should be classified in the "horror novel" section.

"I wonder if the young man will regret it after reading it," the owner shook his head, putting away the change he had given to Liu Yang. "But at least it's sold, saving space here every day."

He recalled the young man's eager expression as he looked at the book, as if he had discovered some treasure.

He wondered if the young man would end up in the hospital after trying those recipes.

"Forget it, the book is sold, and the money is received..." The owner comforted himself, "Just consider it finding a home for the book."

He couldn't have imagined that this "dark cuisine bible," which had been despised for two years, would indeed become a treasure in the hands of a chef with a cheat code.

In the evening, in the kitchen of Fu Man Lou, the steam from the wok was rising, and Xiao Yuanshan was checking the day's dishes.

Suddenly, a smell of cheap perfume mixed with oil smoke wafted in.

Xiao Yuanshan looked up and saw a "down-and-out version of an island country artist" standing at the door:

Greasy short hair was plastered with gel as if it had just been taken out of a frying pan, and his once snow-white chef's uniform was now yellowing, with several soy sauce stains on the cuffs.

If placed at the restaurant entrance, security would probably treat him as a troublemaker.

"Master Xiao!" Chen Zisheng strode forward, a sycophantic smile on his face, "I've heard so much about you!"

"Who let you in? This is the kitchen, no admittance for unauthorized personnel!"

Xiao Yuanshan frowned slightly.

This person exuded an air of restlessness, just like the speculators he had seen in the culinary world back then.

"I heard that you are in need of an assistant?" Chen Zisheng rubbed his hands, his eyes darting around,

"I have studied in the island country and can create many new dishes. You see..."

He pulled out a stack of photos from his worn briefcase, the leather of which was almost the same color as his chef's uniform.

"Take a look at these, they are my masterpieces!" Chen Zisheng said, his face full of confidence, completely forgetting the fiasco these "artworks" had met at Grandma Li's birthday feast.

Looking at Chen Zisheng's exaggerated expressions and the flashy photos of dishes, Xiao Yuanshan shook his head inwardly.

This was not an applicant, but a show-off.

But the man's current appearance, compared to his so-called "high-end cuisine," seemed like something from two different worlds.

The other chefs in the kitchen of Fu Man Lou occasionally glanced over, watching this scene with interest—

They wanted to see what kind of waves this "master returned from the island country" could make with their Master Xiao.

Seeing Xiao Yuanshan's expressionless face, Chen Zisheng quickly took out a carved knife from his worn briefcase.

The knife looked quite shiny, in stark contrast to the other items on him.

"Master Xiao, let me show you my skills!" he said, grabbing a radish and starting to carve, his face focused as if creating a piece of art.

Fifteen minutes later, a radish flower that could barely be recognized as a chrysanthemum was presented to everyone.

Chen Zisheng looked at his work with pride, as if he had already seen Xiao Yuanshan's expression of amazement.

Xiao Yuanshan glanced at the crooked "chrysanthemum," a disdainful sneer on the corner of his mouth:

"Is that all? This thing, any helper in our kitchen can carve better than you. Xiao Wang! Come and show him how it's done."

A young chef quickly carved a lifelike peony, making Chen Zisheng's "masterpiece" look even more shabby.

But Chen Zisheng seemed not to notice, quickly changing his excuse:

"Master Xiao, the cuisine I learned in the island country is also very distinctive! Would you like to taste it?"

Seeing that Xiao Yuanshan did not immediately drive him away, he quickly went into the kitchen and started to prepare in a flurry.

Although he had been focusing on plating for years and his wok skills were almost rusty, his signature "Sakura Drunk Shrimp" was still within his grasp.

Xiao Yuanshan looked at the served dish, which indeed looked good, with exquisite plating.

He took a bite, and the taste was not astonishing, but at least palatable.

At this moment, he remembered that the flow of customers in the restaurant had indeed decreased recently. As an old brand, Fu Man Lou might need to keep pace with the times and develop some new categories.

"Alright," Xiao Yuanshan said indifferently, "You can stay and give it a try, with a probationary salary."

Chen Zisheng was overjoyed, nodding his head repeatedly: "Thank you, Master Xiao! Rest assured, I will work hard!"

Liu Yang was nestled in the sofa, holding the book "The Exploration of Infinite Taste Possibilities," finding it more and more intriguing as he read on.

Hu Jing's cookbook was essentially the ultimate guide on "how to drive normal ingredients mad," with each dish seeming to challenge traditional culinary arts.

Pepper deep-fried silk? Just looking at the recipe, he could imagine the expressions of despair on the diners' faces.

Sweet and sour pepper chicken? This might as well send one's taste buds straight to the ICU.

No wonder the book wasn't selling; the taste testers probably needed to see a psychiatrist.

But in the eyes of this "super chef" with a system, these so-called "dark cuisine" recipes were nothing short of art.

Each page seemed to beckon him, as if saying, "Come on, pair me, aren't you brave?"

The most bizarre thing was that he recently discovered a bug in the system—

When he first stumbled upon this bug, Liu Yang was as nervous as a teenager on his first date.

That day, the restaurant was as busy as a vegetable market at dusk, and he was frantically carrying a plate of green vegetables that had only been seasoned with salt, planning how to apologize to the customers later.

"Xiao Li!" He had grabbed Xiao Li, who was also carrying a tray at the time, "If that table complains, you say..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he heard a guest at the table exclaim in amazement, "This dish is amazing! The control of the heat is just perfect!"

Liu Yang was stunned on the spot, his expression as if someone had announced he had won five million on the street.

He sneaked a peek at the plate that should have been a "salty water stir-fried green vegetables" disaster, and almost rubbed his eyes blind—

The vibrant green leaves were covered with a layer of crystal clear sheen, each piece seemingly meticulously coached, exuding the noble aura of a Michelin three-star dish.

It was then that Liu Yang understood just how perverted the system's bug was—

It turned out that even if he messed up the dish, as long as it was served to the customers, the system would automatically perform an "optimal correction."

No matter if he put in the wrong seasonings, failed to control the heat, or even cut the vegetables crookedly, they would all turn into perfect delicacies in front of the guests.

This was not an ordinary correction, but a "heaven-defying" improvement:

- Too much salt? The system automatically adjusts the saltiness to the perfect ratio.

- Heat not right? Instantly adjusts the texture of the ingredients to a perfect state.

- Wrong seasonings? Immediately turns into an unexpected but wonderful combination.

- Even if he forgot the ingredients? The system directly complements them out of thin air.

"This is the king of cheats in the world of cheating!" Liu Yang couldn't help but marvel in his heart.

This was not a bug; it was a versatile "gourmet corrector."

From then on, he simply let go and dared to try the most outrageous recipes from Hu Jing's book.

After all, even if he messed up the stir-fry, it would turn into Michelin-level deliciousness in front of the guests.

The system operates silently, as if saying: Master, just go ahead and wreak havoc on the ingredients, I've got your back!

This might just make him the first chef in Michelin history to become famous by relying on a system glitch.

Thinking of this, Liu Yang couldn't help but want to laugh — this cheat was even more exhilarating than when he used to spend lavishly in nightclubs in his past life.