446: Chapter 446 The Twelfth Prince

Time flew by like a white steed passing a crevice; three short years vanished in the blink of an eye like a shooting star.

During these three years, Di Pingjian put in countless hours of hard work and tireless effort, finally achieving a significant milestone in her career—a promotion from a common waiter to a chef in the Restaurant.

Once, Di Pingjian was just an obscure waiter in the Restaurant, busy every day with trivial tasks like taking orders, serving food, and clearing tables.

However, she was not satisfied with that. Harboring a love for cooking and a desire for higher career development, she used her spare time to learn culinary techniques, constantly practicing and honing her skills.

After a long period of accumulation and effort, Di Pingjian's culinary skills improved significantly.

Her dishes were excellent in color, aroma, and taste, winning unanimous praise from the Restaurant's customers.

Finally, in an internal assessment, Di Pingjian stood out with her outstanding performance and successfully secured the position of chef.

After becoming a chef, Di Pingjian's work remained busy, but compared to her time as a waiter, there was a qualitative change.

First, a chef's salary was much higher than a waiter's, which significantly improved her quality of life.

Secondly, as a chef at the Restaurant, Di Pingjian received more attention and respect, and her opinions and suggestions were seriously listened to and considered by the management.

Additionally, chefs had several days off each month, allowing her to better adjust her mind and body and relieve work pressure.

Overall, Di Pingjian's transition from waiter to chef meant more than just a qualitative leap in her status at the Restaurant.

More importantly, she realized her professional dream through her own efforts, opening up a broader path for the realization of her future ideals.

Time passed, and years flowed like a shuttle. Now fifteen years old, though slightly short in stature, Di Pingjian's elegant and poised appearance was like a beam of warm sunlight, brightening everything around her.

Because of this, the young noblemen visited the Restaurant more and more frequently.

Di Pingjian's charm was reflected not only in her pleasing appearance but also in the fact that the meals she cooked were always unique and eye-opening.

Every dish seemed like a work of art she had created with her heart, excellent in color, aroma, and taste, making one's mouth water.

For Di Pingjian, the day salaries were distributed each month was a special moment.

She would carry her hard-earned earnings and set out on the road home—to the Shelter that had once taken her in.

She left more than half of her salary to the Shelter without hesitation to repay its past kindness.

This kindness and gratitude deeply moved the head of the Shelter, Tian Min.

Tian Min had never imagined that Di Pingjian would not only show extraordinary talent in the culinary arts but also achieve such success.

However, he attributed all of this to the God he believed in, thinking that it was God's grace that allowed Di Pingjian to possess such talent.

Despite her busy work, Di Pingjian would still occasionally find time to visit her mother.

When her mother was not home, she would quietly leave an appropriate amount of money to fulfill her filial duty.

However, she never acknowledged her mother, perhaps due to some deep-seated concerns or perhaps out of fear of causing her mother unnecessary trouble.

Di Pingjian was busy in the Restaurant every day, her figure shuttling between the kitchen and the dining area.

She seriously prepared every dish and cooked with her heart, ensuring that every meal provided the best taste experience for the customers.

In addition to her daily work, Di Pingjian would use her spare time to seek advice from experienced Advanced veteran chefs.

She humbly learned their techniques and experience, constantly improving her culinary level.

Time quietly slipped away amidst cooking, learning to cook, and innovating new dishes.

Before she knew it, two years had passed, and Di Pingjian was now seventeen years old.

During these two years, through unremitting effort, she gradually rose from a low-level chef to an Advanced chef.

As her culinary skills improved, Di Pingjian's reputation grew.

Many sons of wealthy families developed a strong interest in this beautiful, poised, and skilled young woman, and many began to pursue her openly.

However, faced with the pursuits of these wealthy Young Masters, Di Pingjian was not moved.

She tactfully declined them with various appropriate reasons and continued to focus on her culinary career.

Di Pingjian's life remained as calm as water; she was either busy cooking in the Restaurant or learning new recipes and techniques.

Her love for cooking and the realization of her ideals left her no time for other matters, as she focused solely on raising her skills to a higher level.

Just like that, another two years passed, and Di Pingjian was now nineteen years old.

During these two years, her culinary skills reached a new level, and she finally Advanced from an Advanced chef to a Top Chef.

A Top Chef was the trump card of this top-tier Restaurant!

Their culinary skills were unparalleled, serving as the Restaurant's hallmark and pride.

Besides Di Pingjian, there had only been two Top Chefs here before, both of whom were experienced middle-aged men.

However, Di Pingjian broke this tradition, ascending to the throne of a Top Chef at such a young age—something unprecedented in the Restaurant's history!

Because of this, the Restaurant's management paid special attention to Di Pingjian, viewing her as the Restaurant's future star.

After all, a young and promising Top Chef like her was truly rare.

However, the work of a Top Chef was not like that of other common chefs who had to cook in the kitchen every day.

Normally, a Top Chef was only required to cook personally for a few days each month.

Unless there were particularly distinguished guests willing to pay a high price to specifically designate a certain Top Chef to cook for them, they could spend most of their time relaxing.

Logically, Di Pingjian should have a very relaxed life now, as there weren't many opportunities requiring her to cook each month.

However, that was not the case.

Due to her beauty and culinary skills, those wealthy Young Masters flocked to her, often coming to the Restaurant specifically to request her to cook.

These wealthy Young Masters were not only generous with money but also had extremely high requirements for food, forcing Di Pingjian to spend more time and energy to satisfy their palates.

Additionally, some nobles heard that the Restaurant had promoted a new Top Chef and came specifically to taste this newcomer's signature dishes.

This undoubtedly added a lot to Di Pingjian's workload, making her much busier than the other two Top Chefs in the Restaurant.

Of course, for Di Pingjian, a Top Chef who had just risen to prominence in the Restaurant, being busy had become a part of her life.

As for the Restaurant's management, they were naturally very happy to see Di Pingjian so busy.

After all, whether the Restaurant's business prospered was directly related to their income. If Di Pingjian could maintain this working state, the Restaurant's business would surely get better and better, and their wallets would grow fatter.

As for Di Pingjian herself, she didn't actually have any complaints.

She had long since grown accustomed to this busy pace of life, and one could even say she quite enjoyed this feeling of fulfillment.

Moreover, there was one thing that made her particularly happy: more and more guests were specifically requesting her to cook.

This not only meant her culinary skills were recognized by more people but also meant her monthly bonuses would become more substantial, allowing the children in the Shelter to have a better life.

So, despite the busy work, Di Pingjian enjoyed it and was full of energy!

Time passed, and now Tian Min was nearly sixty, with years having carved deep marks on his Face.

However, whenever Di Pingjian visited him, Tian Min's weathered eyes would always reveal an earnest expectation, as if waiting for her to take over the banner of his charitable cause and continue forward.

Di Pingjian understood Tian Min's wish and was willing to devote herself to this loving cause.

Since she became an Advanced chef, she had selflessly donated most of her income to the Shelter, practicing Tian Min's charitable philosophy with practical actions.

Under Tian Min's unremitting efforts over the years, the once-dilapidated slums had now been renewed, undergoing earth-shaking changes.

This was no longer the dark, damp place full of poverty and suffering that people remembered; instead, it had transformed into a relatively clean and orderly Slum District.

Now, every family in the Slum District had an earthen-walled room. Though simple, it at least provided them with a Shelter from the wind and rain.

At night, tragedies of abandoning infants due to life's hardships no longer occurred in the streets and alleys, and children could finally sleep peacefully in warm embraces.

In the past, life for people in the slums was extremely difficult; most were servants of nobles, working all day yet barely able to make ends meet.

However, the situation had improved slightly now. Although the wages they received were still meager, they were at least no longer starving or living in constant uncertainty as before.

This change was not accidental but closely related to the laws promulgated by the royal family.

Over time, these laws gradually began to show signs of looking after the commoners and poor people at the bottom of society.

This shift undoubtedly brought a glimmer of hope to the residents of the slums.

And in the process of facilitating the change in laws, Tian Min played a crucial role.

He tirelessly campaigned and appealed for the rights of the people in the slums, making their voices heard by more people.

It was precisely because of his unremitting efforts that the laws were gradually changed, providing some legal assistance for the commoners and the poor.

Di Pingjian harbored a grand ideal in her heart; she longed for the day when the Slum District would completely disappear from this world, and every commoner could enjoy an equal right to life.

Di Pingjian herself was born a commoner and knew how hard life was for the poor. Every month, she would find time to go to the Shelter to visit the abandoned children.

However, this action of hers was accidentally discovered by some of the wealthy Young Masters who were pursuing her.

These wealthy Young Masters were originally only attracted by Di Pingjian's beauty, but when they learned she was so kind and helpful, their admiration for her deepened.

They began to actively pay attention to the situation at the Shelter and offered their help, providing assistance to the children and the poor there.

Over time, more and more wealthy Young Masters and young noblemen joined this cause.

They not only donated supplies to the Shelter but also actively participated in the work of improving life in the Slum District.

The children in the Shelter received better care, and the basic life in the Slum District gradually improved.

Among the many noble Young Masters pursuing Di Pingjian, there were naturally some who wanted to take her directly.

However, out of consideration for their Face and status, they rarely used their influence to pressure her. After all, Di Pingjian was such a kind and loving girl with a great reputation, so pursuing her in a forceful way was clearly inappropriate.

Furthermore, there wasn't just one noble Young Master pursuing Di Pingjian. If someone tried to use their power to force her to become their woman, it wouldn't be easy; they would essentially become a public enemy.

In this situation, Di Pingjian handled the numerous noble Young Masters and wealthy sons with ease, using her intelligence, beauty, and superb culinary skills to make them all fall for her.

Di Pingjian's reputation was like a whirlwind, quickly sweeping through the entire city and even reaching the ears of the high-and-mighty royal family.

The Dominators of this city were the royal family, whose power and status were unshakeable.

It was said that not only this city but the entire planet was under the control of various royal families, their rule being omnipresent.

One day, the Twelfth Prince of the royal family personally visited that Restaurant.

His arrival caused a commotion, as people speculated about the purpose of this noble prince's visit.

However, the Twelfth Prince's goal was very clear—to take Di Pingjian away.

Having heard of Di Pingjian's culinary skills, he was determined to make this Genius chef his personal chef.

Faced with the Twelfth Prince's demand, everyone was helpless.

Although the Restaurant was reluctant to lose such a Top Chef, they were powerless against the authority of the royal family.

Even knowing this would greatly affect the Restaurant's business, the high-level management didn't dare to have the slightest objection. After all, the visitor was the Twelfth Prince; who would dare say "no" to him?

Those noble Young Masters and wealthy sons who had once been jealous over Di Pingjian were now as silent as cicadas in winter, each lowering their heads and not daring to make a sound.

Di Pingjian herself did not directly refuse the Twelfth Prince's request; on the contrary, she showed a relatively mild attitude.

However, this did not mean she would easily satisfy all of the Twelfth Prince's demands. After some careful consideration, Di Pingjian proposed a seemingly insignificant condition—she hoped to see Tian Min, the founder of the Shelter, one last time.

This condition did not seem like something difficult for the Twelfth Prince to accept.

After a brief thought, he agreed to Di Pingjian's request without hesitation.

After receiving an affirmative answer, the heavy stone in Di Pingjian's heart finally fell. She said goodbye to Tian Min as she wished, her heart full of emotion and reluctance.

Subsequently, Di Pingjian followed the Twelfth Prince back to the Inner District of the royal palace. This place was both strange and mysterious to her.

However, to Di Pingjian's surprise, the Twelfth Prince took extra care of her.

He did not force her to do anything she was unwilling to do, nor did he limit her freedom, as she had imagined.

On the contrary, the Twelfth Prince gave Di Pingjian enough space and respect; she only needed to cook a delicious meal for him at mealtimes.

Such treatment made Di Pingjian feel flattered and simultaneously gave her a slight favorable impression of the Twelfth Prince.

As time went on, as Di Pingjian served as the Twelfth Prince's personal chef, the time and frequency of their contact increased.

In this process, the two gradually became familiar with each other, and their communication became more natural and casual.

However, no matter how casual the Twelfth Prince was with Di Pingjian, she always maintained the proper sense of propriety and respect.

After all, she was well aware of her status—she was someone from a Shelter, and on this planet, her status could be said to be very humble.

Therefore, she did not dare to overstep in the slightest, always treating the Twelfth Prince with a humble attitude.

Gradually, Di Pingjian discovered that the Twelfth Prince was very different from the other princes; the others all fought for power and profit.

But the Twelfth Prince only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun every day, especially eating; the Twelfth Prince was a total Foodie.

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