Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle
Chapter 290 - 188 Assistant Chen

Chapter 290: Chapter 188 Assistant Chen

Qin Huai made a new friend on the airplane.

An assistant to a domineering executive.

How should I put it.

There really are all sorts of peculiar people in first class.

This time, instead of watching educational videos during his flight, Qin Huai used his phone to record issues and specific analyses related to making Three Meat Buns.

He listed several specific problems, preparing to consult Huang Shengli and Zheng Da directly after returning to Huang Ji.

Because he was thinking and noting them down at the same time, Qin Huai unconsciously started muttering to himself.

He had this habit since school, initially to memorize English vocabulary, writing with his hands while reciting with his mouth. Later on, he would verbalize his thoughts when solving problems, and mutter while writing essays.

In general, the more focused he was, the higher the probability he’d speak out loud.

While analyzing specific issues on the plane, Qin Huai couldn’t hold back and mumbled out loud; his words were overheard by the assistant next to him.

The assistant keenly extracted keywords like Three Meat Buns, meat filling, time, strength, dough from Qin Huai’s long string of murmurs and concluded that Qin Huai might be a professional pastry chef or someone related, then started a conversation.

Anyone who can be an executive assistant generally possesses good communication skills, and this assistant was one of the best. Qin Huai even felt Assistant Chen’s eloquence was on par with Gong Liang, a perfect tie.

The assistant had a gentle voice, clear logic, articulate speech, and was polite in conversation, making sudden intimacies feel not at all abrupt. Conversing with him felt like a breath of spring air.

The short journey allowed Qin Huai and Assistant Chen to establish a not-so-deep friendship, exchanging WeChat contacts, and going together to the high-speed rail station.

Assistant Chen’s destination, like Qin Huai’s, was also Gusu. According to Assistant Chen, he was specifically going to Gusu to buy pastries for his boss’s wife.

His boss had a child in middle age last year and is currently enjoying a career upswing along with family success, which should be a good thing. However, the boss’s wife has been feeling low since giving birth, which has been worrying the boss.

A few days ago, the boss’s wife suddenly said she wanted to eat Suzhou style snacks from Gusu. It just so happened that he had just finished a client meeting in Shan City and was going to Gusu on a business trip, so the boss asked him to pick up some specialty snacks from Gusu.

They had to be special.

Though Assistant Chen was excellent at his job, he wasn’t a Gusu native, and his knowledge of Suzhou style snacks was superficial at best.

Friends who travel often know that trying to eat somewhere unfamiliar is risky. The so-called online recommendations and reviews are all something you shouldn’t trust completely, and Assistant Chen was no exception.

Although he had checked information and restaurants online beforehand, he still had doubts. Just happened to overhear Qin Huai on the plane talking about Three Meat Buns, thinking Qin Huai must be a professional, so he proactively engaged him, seeking expert recommendations.

"For high-quality, fail-safe, authentic Suzhou style snacks, you should go to Zhiwei Restaurant in Hangzhou," Qin Huai seriously recommended, "Especially since you’re buying for your boss’s wife. Zhiwei Restaurant is well-known, has great quality control, and offers premium snack gift boxes, perfect for your situation."

Assistant Chen: ?

"I’m not saying there are no good pastry chefs in Gusu. There are, like Zheng Si... There’s a famous pastry shop at the entrance of a residential area, but it’s currently closed for renovation. The pastry chef is now working at Huang Ji, offering only two snack varieties daily, quite limited, which doesn’t meet your needs."

"The other pastry shops or even master chefs at large hotels aren’t up to Zhiwei Restaurant’s level. Although Zhiwei Restaurant is in Hangzhou, it’s the most renowned pastry restaurant in the industry, with many chefs skilled in Suzhou pastries."

"As long as you’re willing to spend, find a way, and make a reservation in advance, I believe it won’t be hard to get a pastry gift box that meets your boss’s wife’s requirements."

Upon hearing Qin Huai’s advice, Assistant Chen showed a look of understanding and nodded appreciatively: "I see, thank you, Master Qin, for the reminder. Having advice from professionals really is different. Luckily, I met you on the plane today, otherwise, I’d probably be wandering around Gusu like a headless fly these days."

Dragging his suitcase, Qin Huai saw the ticket gate had started checking tickets, waved as a goodbye, also indicating it was no trouble: "A simple effort, it’s what I should do."

"Assistant Chen, my train is boarding now, I have to go. If there’s anything else, you can ask me on WeChat. I also have some industry friends; recommending restaurants and such shouldn’t be a problem. Bye-bye."

"Bye-bye." Assistant Chen waved with a smile.

After boarding and settling in, Qin Huai realized he chatted with Assistant Chen all the way and didn’t even know his name.

Can’t blame him though, mainly because Assistant Chen was too articulate, young yet experienced. As an executive assistant deeply valued by his boss, flying around frequently, knowledgeable about everything.

Assistant Chen started the conversation with a purpose, keeping control of the topic throughout. Although Qin Huai was a master of lies, he couldn’t match Assistant Chen’s social skills, and he happily chatted with him along the way without much thought, eventually realizing Assistant Chen intended to inquire about restaurants, feeling he was overly cautious.

To inquire about restaurants with good snacks on the plane, just ask directly; meeting by chance and sitting next to each other was destiny. Qin Huai wasn’t someone who shunned socializing, so if Assistant Chen had asked directly, Qin Huai would surely have answered.