Chapter 26 — You're to be called the Princess of Baking!
After nightfall, Yu Yi woke up pensively in his large, luxurious bed.
The familiar environment set him at ease only for him to tense as he realized that the pajamas he was wearing was powder blue.
He imperceptibly wrinkled his brows and quickly walked over to his wardrobe to change into light gray pajamas. He then tossed the powder blue colored clothing to the ground.
Inside the wardrobe, half of the clothes belonged to Yu Xin. Yu Yi used to throw his clothes away every time he woke up, but the next time Yu Xin emerged, he would buy even more clothes to aggravate Yu Yi. After this repeated several times, Yu Yi stopped throwing them away.
After all, it was his own money being used.
He walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water, and, as if recalling something, he pulled open the refrigerator door to take a look.
All sorts of foods were neatly arranged in the refrigerator, though the half-eaten cake was an unexpected addition. It was placed roughly on one of the middle shelves.
Yu Yi grabbed the cake and set it on the table. After drinking his glass of water, he sat down.
The Charlotte Cake emitted a rich, fragrant mango scent. Yu Yi picked up a knife and fork to cut himself a tiny chunk.
The cake base was not moist or soft enough, and the consistency of crème bavaroise was lacking a bit. If this cake was given to him to taste, he certainly would not have approved of it.
But Tang Mi had helped make it early in the morning and expressed that Bai Xiao had made this birthday cake for him.
He sat alone at the table and ate the cake spoonful by spoonful.
Once he finished a little less than half, he drank another glass of water and went back upstairs.
When he reached his bed, he discovered a slip of paper beside his pillow.
「I promised Sweetheart to stop sending her flowers, so if you send her flowers, write your own name.」
Yu Yi stared at the note and casually placed it to the side as he lay down to sleep.
The next day, Luo Hao's call woke him up. Once the call connected, Luo Hao carefully called out, "CEO Yu?"
Yu Yi replied indifferently, "Mn."
Luo Hao sighed in relief. "Yesterday, Yu Xin came out again. Do you need to call Doctor Zhang?"
Yu Yi thought for a moment and said, "There's no need. I'll head straight to work, so wait there for me."
"Okay."
He had a scheduled company meeting in the morning. Yu Yi headed straight to the conference room upon reaching the workplace, during which the staff greeted him. He, as usual, did not respond, but this did not stop the female employees from staring at him in rapture.
When he exited the elevator, he found Luo Hao waiting for him by the conference room door. Yu Yi walked over, accepted the proffered documents, and walked into the conference room.
Once Yu Yi sat down, all the department managers began giving their reports.
The Public Relations Department manager said, "The new dessert special collection has already begun manufacturing. This time, the star pastry chef we intend to select is 『Sweet Dream』's pastry chef. This will promote the desserts while also giving the new location some publicity."
Yu Yi nodded. "Acceptable."
"Then I will send someone to arrange this later today. The special collection will be put together this week, and we will officially begin publicizing it on the official website and Weibo account next week."
"Mn."
Once the meeting ended, Luo Hao followed Yu Yi back to the office. Yu Yi went to sit down in his chair and asked Luo Hao, "What did you tell my parents yesterday?"
Luo Hao said, "I told them you had a meeting at the last minute and could not make it to lunch. Old Mr. Yu seemed to be a bit displeased."
"Mn." Yu Yi indifferently acknowledged his reply and did not seem to care that Old Mr. Yu was displeased.
Luo Hao stood for a while before asking, "Do you still want to send Tang Mi flowers today?"
Yu Yi fell silent and then replied, "There's no need to send flowers from now on."
Luo Hao's eyes widened, but he did not ask further.
Tang Mi began work with fear and trepidation, extremely afraid that the little brother from Yearning Love Flower Shop would suddenly pop out of nowhere. When that familiar figure still did not show up by eleven-twenty, she finally relaxed a bit.
The restaurant manager walked in from outside with Lu Yu. When Tang Mi saw Lu Yu, she was startled.
The restaurant manager entered the bakery and smiled at her, saying, "This is Lu Yu from the Public Relations Department. Since you two have worked together already for the bakery exhibition, I don't need to give much of an introduction. Her primary reason for this visit is to talk to you about the dessert special collection."
Suddenly understanding why, Tang Mi nodded. She knew of the dessert special collection. From time to time, Yu Zhi's official Weibo would release a special collection of gourmet food. All kinds of themes would be featured, with the dessert section being the most popular. Tang Mi had paid close attention to Yu Zhi's Weibo prior to joining the company. If she saw something she wanted to eat, she would go and order it.
"Lu Yu will talk to you about the specifics; you two can go to the lounge to discuss."
"Okay." Tang Mi led Lu Yu to the staff lounge and poured her a glass of fruit juice while she was at it. "What does this special collection need from me?"
Lu Yu smiled enthusiastically at her. "We decided to choose you as this collection's star pastry chef!"
Tang Mi was stunned. "Star pastry chef?"
"Mn. I mainly came here today to do a short interview with you as well as take a picture while I'm here." She winked at Tang Mi. "Have you seen our previous special collections? In addition to a photo of the chef in uniform, we also include a casual dress photo. We'll have a photography specialist come and help you take a photo. The appointment is three days from now, so remember to dress up!"
Tang Mi: "…"
The previous special collections had indeed included photos of the featured chef. She thought about how the official Weibo had a follower count approaching ten million, and a sweatdrop formed on her forehead. "Is a photo required?"
"Yes, don't be shy. Now we need to pay attention to how we feature this. You see Lin Che and how he is titled the Prince of Baking? Hey, I was thinking, you should be called the Princess of Baking!"
Tang Mi: "…"
"Moreover, I have already posted the picture I took of you at the bakery exhibition, so don't worry!"
Tang Mi: "…"
Lu Yu took out a recording device and conducted a short interview. Afterward, she asked, "We need a new cake from you for the special collection. Is this a problem?"
Tang Mi thought it over and said, "I'll do some experimenting, but I am not sure if it will pass CEO Yu's taste test."
Lu Yu patted her shoulder and said, "That will certainly be no problem. The strawberry bavarois cake sold really well last time. Even my boyfriend especially loved it!"
Tang Mi: "…"
Completely unguarded against a handsome face.
Lu Yu packed her things and stood up from the sofa. "Have the restaurant manager contact the company as soon as possible. When CEO Yu arrives to taste it, we'll take a photo beforehand."
"Alright."
After Lu Yu left, Tang Mi went to look for the restaurant manager. During lunch, the restaurant manager told her that the secretary had already booked an appointment at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
This was the second time her cake was representing all of Yu Zhi, so Tang Mi's heart was not as apprehensive as last time. Like before, Yu Yi was waiting in his office for her. When Tang Mi opened the door, she caught sight of Yu Yi in his impeccable suit, but her brain suddenly flashed the memory of Yu Xin dressed in a flower print button-up and nine-tenths length pants.
She shook her head and smiled at Yu Yi. "Hello, CEO Yu."
Yu Yi nodded at her and gestured for her to sit down.
Tang Mi presented her cake. Without waiting for Yu Yi to speak, she directly jumped into introductions. "This is a caramel cheesecake. The base is made from crumbled chocolate cookies. The cream cheese has a soft texture and a rich flavor. I mixed in some plain yogurt and lemon juice to enhance the taste. In the middle of the cream cheese is a layer of fresh blueberries and raspberries. Not only do the berries accentuate the taste, the colors create a bright contrast against the white cheese when cut into slices. The top layer is caramel, decorated with candied lemon shavings and roasted almonds."
Tang Mi handed the tray over and waited for Yu Yi to taste it.
Yu Yi picked up a spoon yet did not directly taste it like before. Instead, he made a rare comment. "Caramel desserts are very famous worldwide. Its rich caramel taste has caused many to become infatuated with them."
As he slowly brought his spoon toward the cake, Tang Mi could not help but fixate on his slender fingers.
When his spoon gently pierced through the caramel layer, a light crisp note rang out, resembling the sound of breaking ice over a frozen lake.
Tang Mi watched as Yu Yi brought up a spoonful of cake to his mouth. She did not know why, but every time she watched Yu Yi eat cake, she would always feel as if her heart was being tugged at.
"The cream cheese is very rich and mellow. The sweetness of the caramel and the unique sourness of the cheese compliment each other, while the combined layer of blueberries and raspberries has a strong fruity taste. In addition, the hardness of the cookie base makes the cream cheese taste even softer. This contrast is very delicious."
Tang Mi widened her eyes slightly as she stared at him blankly.
Yu Yi raised a brow, asking, "What's wrong?"
Tang Mi shook her head and giggled. "Nothing. It's just that this is the first time I've heard you comment on my cake. I'm very happy, hehe."
Yu Yi gazed at her and pursed his lips faintly. His lips still tasted of the sweet caramel. "I apologize for the day before yesterday. Yu Xin has troubled you again."
"That's alright. It was Children's…your birthday." Tang Mi swallowed back the 'Children's Day' phrase that nearly escaped her, as she mentally stewed in embarrassment, frustration, and fear.
Speaking about Children's Day with Yu Xin had made him stop the car.
"I ate the birthday cake you made with Bai Xiao. Thank you."
"Ah, that cake was made by Bai Xiao. I merely stood to the side and gave pointers."
Yu Yi remained silent for a moment and then said, "Still, thank you."
Tang Mi shook her head and then suddenly said a little apprehensively, "Yu Xin met Bai Xiao, will this…"
"I will think of a way to resolve this."
Tang Mi nodded hesitantly. "Oh, that's good. This cake…"
"Passes. I will notify the Public Relations Department."
"Thank you." Tang Mi happily smiled at him. "Then I…will take my leave."
Yu Yi paused and then nodded. "I will send a driver to escort you back."
Being able to once again enjoy this special chauffeur treatment, Tang Mi giggled as she stood up; yet, she was slow to leave, standing still.
Yu Yi stared at her and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Mn…" Those flowers that day, were they actually sent by you…
Tang Mi struggled for quite a while and ended up still not daring to ask. Since he wrote Yu Xin's name, that meant he didn't want her to know. Therefore, she should cooperate and not expose him.
"It's nothing. Goodbye, CEO Yu." Tang Mi smiled and waved before leaving the CEO office.
Author's Note:
Thank you to all the rich little angels throwing landmines. I love you all! Muah~! （づ￣3￣）づ╭?～
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