Chapter 120: Universal Celebration

When the work in the kitchen finally eased up, Han Jiayi approached Bai Renzong.

"What would you like to eat?" Han Jiayi asked with a beaming smile, her usual sweetness now tinged with a hint of shyness.

Bai Renzong rested his chin on his hand, studying his adorable girlfriend for a long moment before replying, "I'll have the seafood risotto set."

"Now that you've passed the Michelin inspection, you don't need to come here to eat every day. It's a waste of money," Han Jiayi said with a serious expression. "I can make it for you in the morning, and you can just heat it up for lunch."

"Can't I come over to see my girlfriend?" Bai Renzong asked, looking at her.

"Hehe..." Han Jiayi felt a surge of secret joy. "You can..."

"Then go ahead and make it; I'm hungry," Bai Renzong urged softly. "I saw you were busy in the kitchen earlier, so I didn't want to disturb you."

"You should have just told me, really..." Han Jiayi frowned slightly. "Wait a moment, okay? It'll be ready soon."

Soon, Han Jiayi brought out a seafood risotto, accompanied by sides of German sausage with scrambled eggs, carrot salad, and salt-baked pork. After setting the meal down, she sat beside him.

"Why don't you head back after you finish today?" Han Jiayi asked in a low voice. "When we close up tonight, I'm going to have a small celebration with the staff. It might be a bit late..."

Bai Renzong placed a hand on her head and said calmly, "What are you talking about? Of course, I'm staying until you finish work so we can go back together. Even if it's just for a free meal, I have to stay, right? Otherwise, what would I eat at home?"

"Alright then," Han Jiayi said with a shy smile. "It might be late, is that okay?"

"It's fine," Bai Renzong said, stroking her hair. "I'll have Xiaobei bring the camera over later to film your celebration, then I can edit it and upload it to share with the fans. After all, their favorite Yijiaxuan has officially become a two-star Michelin restaurant as of today."

"Great!" Han Jiayi said happily. "Is it good?"

"To be honest," Bai Renzong immediately turned serious, "this salt-baked pork would be better if replaced with a breaded chicken cutlet. The sausage and scrambled eggs are already pork, and the chewy texture of the salt-baked pork clashes with the squid and oysters in the risotto. If you swapped it for a chicken cutlet, the crispy texture would further enhance the layers of the set meal..."

"You!" Han Jiayi pointed at him indignantly. "You're my boyfriend now, and you're still critiquing me!"

"I have to separate my personal feelings from my professional standards. If I don't point out your mistakes, how will you improve?" Bai Renzong gently pinched the tip of her nose. "But remember, no matter how much I criticize you, deep down, I love you."

"You, you, you..." Han Jiayi covered her nose, her face turning bright red. Her defiance instantly deflated. "Just, just eat..."

"Mm," Bai Renzong nodded with a faint smile. After taking two bites, he added seriously, "Remember to update the menu and replace the salt-baked pork with chicken cutlet."

"I know, I know..." Han Jiayi stomped her foot, feigning annoyance.

Bai Renzong was satisfied and continued his meal.

"Well then..." Han Jiayi gestured behind her. "I'm going back to work, okay? If you're tired, you can go rest in my office."

"Don't worry," Bai Renzong nodded. "Take care of yourself and don't overwork."

"Mm, hehe..." Han Jiayi bit her lower lip, smiling as she turned and skipped back into the kitchen.

It really feels great to have a girlfriend, Bai Renzong thought to himself with contentment, continuing to eat.

As the complimentary strawberry cake was distributed throughout the shop, the joy of the upgrade spread. Soon, the guests all knew that Yijiaxuan was now a two-star Michelin restaurant, though some were worried: wouldn't the prices go up now?

"Don't worry, our operating costs haven't increased, so we won't be raising prices," Han Jiayi explained to the guests with a smile. "We own this storefront, so the rent isn't going up either; the prices will remain exactly as they were."

"Good grief..." Bai Renzong looked around the shop. Although it was only two hundred square meters, commercial property prices were different from residential ones. This storefront alone was worth at least tens of millions...

At that moment, Bai Renzong suddenly felt as if he were being kept by a wealthy woman.

"No, no, pull yourself together! You need to raise your own value too!" Bai Renzong thought.

While Han Jiayi was busy managing the restaurant in the afternoon, Bai Renzong got to work. Although he couldn't record the video yet, he could write the script so he could record it immediately upon returning home.

The next video was to be a film review, and this time, Bai Renzong decided to review *The Legend of Hei*, which he had watched with Han Jiayi a few days prior. In his opinion, the film had many highlights, but also room for improvement.

"Before watching this film, I was actually approaching it with a critical mindset. However, the opening theme song hit me immediately—it had such a warm and healing style, and combined with the adorable Hei, I was instantly relaxed and fully immersed in the story..." Bai Renzong wrote on Han Jiayi's computer.

"Although this film has many merits, domestic animation still has a long way to go. For instance, the slightly rough art style and the pasted-on backgrounds made it hard to stay immersed, and the mismatch between the voice acting and the characters' expressions often pulled me out of the experience. Furthermore, the fact that most of the characters kept a poker face throughout made them feel lacking in distinct personalities..."

"In my opinion, the most brilliant part of this film isn't the music or the art, but the traditional fantasy culture it embodies. I believe that one day, our country will be able to use this as a foundation for cultural export. When that time comes, I will be honored to have contributed to this film's box office."

"In summary, I give it a score of 8.5. The flaws do not overshadow the merits; it is highly recommended."

After finishing, Bai Renzong let out a long sigh of relief. Suddenly, Han Jiayi poked her head over his shoulder. "Old Bai..."

"Whoa!" Bai Renzong was startled. He turned around and glared at her. "When did you get in here?"

"I've been here for a little while, but you were too focused to notice," Han Jiayi laughed.

Her fair, delicate face was so close to his that he felt a sudden urge to kiss her, but he felt it might be too soon, given it was only their first day as a couple.

*Patience, patience, it will happen sooner or later...* he told himself.

"The review for *The Legend of Hei*..." Han Jiayi glanced over it. "It's really well written."

"Because the work itself has such distinct characteristics, it's easy to write a good script," Bai Renzong sighed. "If it were a trash film like *Shanghai Fortress*... it would be a testament to my restraint that I didn't use foul language."

"Hehe..." Han Jiayi couldn't help but chuckle. She glanced at him, and with the two of them so close, she recalled the intense sense of security she felt when he held her earlier.

Unable to help herself, she leaned in and gently nudged her head against his cheek, like a spoiled little cat.

After doing so, she blushed and quickly stood up straight, stammering, "Um, would you like to have some dessert?"

"Sure," Bai Renzong said, gently stroking her hair with a smile. "Be a good girl."

Han Jiayi lowered her head to hide her smile and turned to trot away.

*My girlfriend is just too cute,* Bai Renzong thought, touching the spot on his cheek where she had nudged him.

The news of Yijiaxuan's upgrade to two stars had also been sent to customers who held membership cards, so despite it being a weekday, the restaurant was packed.

Work didn't wind down until eight o'clock. Since the restaurant closed at nine, there were no more new orders, and the chefs began preparing a staff meal in the back.

Each chef took responsibility for one dish, and soon the table was full. Once the meal was prepared, the restaurant officially closed its doors.

As the last customer paid and left, the waiters and chefs gathered in the staff break room.

"Cheers!" Han Jiayi raised her glass happily, clinking it with everyone present. "From today on, this place is a two-star Michelin restaurant. Once the new revenue report comes out, everyone will get a raise."

Although the prices remained the same, the increased fame would bring in more customers.

That was the power of the Michelin Guide: it reached tourists from all over the world.

While a two-star rating might not be enough to make people travel across the country specifically for a meal, tourists visiting Beichang City would certainly make a point to stop by Yijiaxuan, so monthly revenue was bound to increase.

The staff cheered. Su Hui handed her glass to Han Jiayi. "Congratulations to you too. After all these years, you've finally found someone worth entrusting your life to. It's a double celebration, isn't it?"

"Thank you..." Han Jiayi said with a shy smile, clinking her glass against hers.

Bai Renzong wondered to himself: *Entrusting my life? Isn't that a bit much? Though, getting married would be great...*

"Alright, alright, everyone eat, you must be starving," Han Jiayi said, then gently tugged on Bai Renzong's sleeve. "You eat too, okay? You must be starving; it's past nine..."

"A little," Bai Renzong said politely, having not eaten anything since the dessert at three.

"I just don't know if it's to your taste," Su Hui said modestly. "These dishes are a bit of a chaotic mix."

It was true—it was a fusion of Chinese and Western styles, and at a glance, there were dishes from at least six different countries. Putting them all together was a bit bizarre, but at least there was variety. Besides, as a free-loader, what could he say?

"The whole kitchen staff worked together to make this spread," Han Jiayi teased. "Care to provide a critique?"

"Then I won't hold back," Bai Renzong said. His expression darkened, and the staff swallowed nervously.

Bai Renzong began to eat his way through the table, tasting a bit of each of the dozen dishes. Everyone watched in silence, half-anticipating and half-dreading his feedback.

"The main event of the day is starting now..." Wang Bei said from the side, holding the camera with a smile.