NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: Yan Qincheng
~Four Days later~
The restaurant bustled with activities. It was already noon, during the first rush hour. The employees busied themselves at their workstations. Lu Yu was updating the cash register when someone walked up to him.
"Wow, this place is packed,"
Lu Yu looked up to see a beautiful lady looking at him with a cheerful smile.
"Miss Qincheng!"
The Usually grumpy Lu Yu called out ecstatically.
"Boss, Miss Qincheng is here!"
One could hear the chaotic crashing of pots and spoons coming from the kitchen as old man Shen came rushing out.
"Little Qincheng!"
The old man was to burst with joy. He pushed his way through the counter and grabbed Yan Qincheng for a hug.
"I've been so worried about you. Why didn't you come by sooner?"
"I've been occupied with work. We just concluded the semester exams, so have to be done processing results before the deadline."
"All I hear are excuses. You have always been busy, but you also made time to come by. It's like you ghosted us since…"
Old man Shen couldn't complete his sentence when he said up to that point. He understood Yan Qincheng's temperament, but what he didn't know was how much of an impact the encounter had on her, nor was he willing to dig it up. He cared so much for Yan Qincheng like she was his daughter.
"You don't have to hide it… I know you're dying to know what happened. But I'm so hungry, I can barely remember anything…"
"Is that all? Say no more. Name what you'll have!"
Yan Qincheng pretended to be in distress, and the old man reacted as expected.
"I'll have my special, thank you very much."
"Leave it to me. I'll be right back!"
Old man Shen went into the kitchen, where Zhi Luan prepared three dishes at the same time.
"Kid, I need you to handle a special order, quickly."
"I'm currently making…"
"Yes, yes, I'll help you finish them up. Just prep for a Lanzhou beef noodle soup."
"Lanzhou beef… isn't that a regular dish. What's special about it?"
"The customer makes it special. Plus, the extra beef, half a bowl full of broth with extra chili, and make sure the noodles are undercooked… make no mistakes on that."
Old man Shen was already out of the kitchen before he was done speaking.
Zhi Luan was at a loss for what to do. The old man just came to give extra work without lending a hand as he said he would. Zhi Luan could only curse old man Shen under his breath.
Yan Qincheng saw old man Shen leaving the kitchen empty-handed.
"Where's my order? I thought you went in to get it ready."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I put someone on it."
Yan Qincheng was confused. She looked around and counted three staff, which was the right number the last time she was here. Her eyes then widened in realization,
"You got a new staff? Wait, no, you hired a chef?"
"Don't look so surprised." Old man Shen laughed.
"How can I not be? You never listened when I suggested you a helper. Knowing you, you would rather work in the restaurant alone. What changed your stubborn mind?"
"Don't say it like that, Qing'er. It's just difficult to find someone who can do a decent job around here."
"Well, I'm glad you have someone helping you out. But are you sure he can handle my order? You know how picky I can get with my food."
"Don't worry about it… he dares not mess it up, or I'll take it from his pay." But in the meantime, why not tell me what happened?"
Yan Qincheng's expression instantly faltered.
Noting the change in her expression, old man Shen felt a pang of sympathy for her, knowing she was going through a rough time.
"It's alright, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to."
Yan Qincheng replied solemnly.
"How can I refuse when you asked nicely? It's not a beautiful memory but… you won't believe what the news says till it happens to you."
"So, it's true then,"
"Yeah, that was the scariest moment of my life. I saw my life flash before my eyes… I was what you'd say, brushed by death. And after futile resistance, I was willing to accept that fate, but that moment never came…"
Yan Qincheng relayed everything the way it happened. Old man Shen could only sigh, but then he became curious,
"You can't remember who helped you?"
Yan Qincheng shook her head.
"It's not like I don't remember, I just couldn't see his face well. The drug had already kicked in at the time and I could barely see my fingers, plus it was dark. I only managed to see the outlines of his face."
After Yan Qincheng was discharged, it took a couple of days before gave her statement at the precinct. From her statement, it was confirmed that the naked man at the scene indeed was the mass murderer. However, the involvement of another person made things a little complicated. The detective in charge, Detective Lang, temporarily closed the case and put a tight lid on any information related to the serial killer case, until he was sure the third person was not an accomplice.
While old man Shen chatted with Yan Qincheng, her special order was ready and served.
The steaming hot spicy food appealed to Yan Qincheng's taste, making her swallow a mouthful of saliva.
"What are you waiting for? Dig in and tell me what you think?"
Old man Shen wore a smirk. Old man Shen wanted to use this as a test to know if Zhi Luan was also good at preparing ridiculous orders like this one.
Yan Qincheng didn't hold back and dug in. She had a way of eating her food, putting a little bit of everything on her spoon before eating it all at once. The flavors came rushing instantly as she gave old man Shen an incredulous look. Old man Shen still wore his smirk.
"What do you think?"
Yan Qincheng couldn't wait and blurted out.
"It's amazing!!"