Tang Hao first picked up the contract and carefully read it.
He had read enough business documents to understand it. He read through it and saw that there were no problems.
Ling Wei’s Tai An Group would supply the finances and handle the operations, while he had to come up with the recipes and medicinal prescriptions.
“No problem! I’ll sign it!” Tang Hao nodded.
Then, he looked at the business plan.
“Magical Kitchen? Not bad…” Tang Hao nodded when he saw the name of the restaurant.
He carefully read through it and placed the business plan on the table. “There’s no problem. We’ll sign the contract today!”
Ling Wei handed a pen to Tang Hao.
Tang Hao signed the contract without hesitation. Then, Ling Wei also signed it and stamped it with Tai An Group’s seal.
Chapter 314 - Another Massage
“Nice working with you!” Ling Wei said as she stretched out a hand at Tang Hao.
Her hand was fair and delicate and her fingers were long and slender.
Her hand was cool and smooth to the touch.
“Nice working with you!” Tang Hao returned the smile.
This collaboration was win-win. President Ling had always wanted to create a brand of her own and make a name for herself. The collaboration brought many capable people together. As for Tang Hao, he wanted to set up a restaurant so that it would be easier to topple Yu Lin Group in the future.
Both parties were very satisfied with the arrangement.
“Congratulations!” Master Chef Ding and the others came to congratulate them.
“Master Chef Ding, you promised that you’ll join us once the collaboration is a go,” Ling Wei said with a smile.
Master Chef Ding slapped his chest. “No problem. You don’t have to worry about that, President Ling!”
Then, he quickly pulled Tang Hao into the kitchen. “Come with me, Little Brother, show me your skills!”
Now that Master Chef Ding had joined his company, he was considered an ally. Tang Hao did not keep any secrets from him and shared with him all the tricks to remove the medicinal taste.
The chefs were amazed by what they heard.
“This is incredible!” Master Chef Ding exclaimed.
“So that’s the trick behind it. There’s more to it if you want to activate the medicine’s full potency. If you just put the herbs into the pot and cook them, the effects would be reduced. You can’t call that medicinal cuisine.
“However, if you process the herbs in a certain way and activate the potency of the herbs, that’ll make all the difference,” Tang Hao said as he pointed at the herbs on the table.
“How should we process them though?” Master Chef Ding asked.
“The trick is in the soaking. The container matters a lot, too. I’ll bring over a container soon, and you’ll know it when you try.”
“Oh!” The chefs nodded in understanding.
The container that he mentioned was none other than the bronze qi gathering jar.
Tang Hao left the restaurant, got in his car, and drove around the block. He took out a qi gathering jar from his pocket dimension, then returned to the kitchen.
That qi gathering jar was about the size of a hand basin, which was a lot smaller than the ones he used in his factory. He had it custom-made when he received Ling Wei’s phone call two days ago.
The chefs exclaimed in surprise when they witnessed the jar’s effects.
They inspected the bronze jar as though they made a ground-breaking discovery. They carefully handled it like a rare treasure.
Tang Hao stayed there the entire afternoon to impart culinary skills to the chefs, as well as discussing with them the menu of the new restaurant.
It was already very late when he left Imperial Kitchen.
Tang Hao drove his car and returned to his apartment.
When he almost arrived at his apartment, his phone started ringing. It was from Zhao Qingxue.
Tang Hao was surprised. He picked up the call.
“Is there anything, Officer Zhao?” Tang Hao asked.
“Tang Hao, do you still have any of the medicine you gave me before?” Zhao Qingxue stammered.
“What medicine?”
“Um, you know, that medicine!” Zhao Qingxue said sheepishly.
Tang Hao was clueless for a long while. “Oh!” He remembered what it was and chuckled.
“So, that’s the medicine you’re talking about! I say, Officer Zhao, why do you need it?”
“I have no other choice!” Zhao Qingxue said exasperatedly. “I’ve just transferred here and I need to catch up with work. There’s a big case recently and I’ve been working overtime. I only get to sleep three or four hours a day.
“I’ve just gotten off work and I’m about to go home!
“So, do you still have that medicine? When will you be in Provincial City for classes? I’ll come look for you.”
Tang Hao smiled. “Of course I still have it! I’m in Provincial City now. How about I deliver it to you? You should still be at the provincial headquarters, right?”
“Yup!”
“I’ll come over then! Just wait for me.”
After ending the call, Tang Hao stopped the car and spent the next three minutes concocting a potion for her. Then, he drove toward the provincial police headquarters.
He arrived at the destination in about ten minutes.
From afar, he could see a tall and beautiful figure standing at the entrance. Her police uniform made her look almost heroic.
Tang Hao slowed down the car and stopped in front of her.
Zhao Qingxue opened the car door and sat inside.
Tang Hao examined her face closely. She looked lethargic and the quality of her skin was deteriorating.
Tang Hao was shocked. “You’re endangering your life, Officer Zhao!”
Zhao Qingxue glared at him. “Don’t be so dramatic. Where’s the medicine?”
Tang Hao handed her the potion. “You shouldn’t overwork yourself, Officer Zhao. You’ll have many bodily problems soon.”
What’s there to worry about? I’m still young. Also, don’t they call you a divine doctor? If there’s a problem, you can cure it!” Zhao Qingxue opened the bottle and downed a gulp.
Tang Hao was speechless. He thought about it carefully and realized that she made sense.
“I say, Officer Zhao, why must you become a criminal police officer? I’ve heard that it’s the toughest division in the police force.”
“Because it’s my dream! Don’t you know that everyone in my family is a police officer? Even my mom is. My dad and a few other uncles were all criminal police officers. Thanks to them, I’ve always wanted to be one since young.
“Don’t you think that criminal police officers are very cool? There are so many bad people in this world, and I want to do my best in stopping crime so that the world can become a better place.”
Zhao Qingxue’s lips curled upward as she spoke.
“Ah!” She suddenly exclaimed and her face was blushed red.
“I hope you don’t think that I’m childish!” She said sheepishly as she looked at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao chuckled and shook his head.
“No! I think it’s good that you have ideals that you want to achieve, Officer Zhao.”
“Really?” Zhao Qingxue blushed even harder, though she secretly felt happy.
That was the first time she heard that from someone. Tang Hao’s words had affirmed her ambitions.
“Right, where are you staying now?” Tang Hao asked.
“Oh! I’m staying at Clearwater Gardens. Do you know where it is?”
‘Yes!” Tang Hao replied. He started the car and drove toward her house.
They arrived about twenty minutes later. The car went into the residential area and parked under her apartment.
“We’re here!” Tang Hao said.
However, Zhao Qingxue showed no signs of leaving.
He turned aro
und to see that Zhao Qingxue was sitting there with an awkward expression on her face. She hemmed and hawed for a while and finally said, “Do you think you can massage me for a bit?”
She spoke very softly and her face was red, as though she was extremely embarrassed by that request.
Tang Hao was taken aback.
Then, he chuckled and agreed to it.
He parked the car and followed her upstairs.
A black car was parked not too far away. A young man sat in that car. He was none other than Jiang Yunbo.
His expression became sullen when he saw the two people go upstairs.
His eyes were burning with jealousy and resentment.
“Dammit, this immoral couple! Zhao Qingxue, you filthy whore, is that how you treat me even though I’ve bared my feelings to you?
“Don’t blame me for being merciless!”
He muttered to himself. His face slowly contorted into something ugly.
Chapter 315 - In Danger
The apartment was not spacious, but it was cozy and welcoming.
Tang Hao sat on the couch, while Zhao Qingxue was sitting with her back facing him.
Tang Hao had massaged her once before, but he still felt awkward.
He took several deep breaths and managed to calm his emotions.
Then, he lifted both of his palms and pressed them on Zhao Qingxue’s shoulders.
He channeled qi into his palms and applied slight pressure. Zhao Qingxue’s nimble body trembled.
Zhao Qingxue bit her lips and her face was red. The pair of hands behind her was like magic. It brought untold comfort to her body.
She felt as though she was floating in the sky.
Her body was suffused with warmth and her lethargy was swept away.
Tang Hao stopped about five minutes later.
“I’m done!” He removed his hands.
Zhao Qingxue was a little disappointed that it was over so quickly. She stood up and stretched her limbs.
“This is amazing. I feel great now,” she said happily.
“You should relax more, Officer Zhao. Remember to rest.”
“I know!” Zhao Qingxue gave him a side-eye. “I don’t think I’ll get to rest much these days though. The squad is on a big case.”
“What’s the case?” Tang Hao was curious.
“Well…” Zhao Qingxue hesitated. “I can’t tell you the specifics, but I can briefly describe it to you. It’s a major case because it’s related to [evil forces] from foreign countries.
“Have you heard of Miki Group from Dongying?” (TN: ‘Dongying’, literally ‘Eastern Ocean’, is the poetic name for Japan.)
Tang Hao nodded. He remembered seeing the name on the Internet before. They were a major yakuza group in Dongying.
“The squad had been investigating a series of abductions. However, the investigations led us to Miki Group.”
Her brows straightened in anger. “Miki Group is too evil!
“We’re suspecting that Miki Group is involved in these missing persons, and we believe that they have kidnapped these people to harvest their organs.”
Tang Hao was shocked when he heard that.
He had heard about news and rumors of people being abducted and their organs harvested, but they sounded more like sensational clickbait than actual news.
Furthermore, these were done by foreigners to harm Huaxia people.
“How’s the investigation going?”
“It’s going quite well. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely crack the case,” Zhao Qingxue said.
They chatted for a while more before Tang Hao went downstairs.
After returning home, he started absorbing spirit stones.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
In those three days, Tang Hao cultivated at home every night. In the daytime, he went to classes as well as Imperial Kitchen to work on the new restaurant’s menu.
The new dishes not only had to taste perfect, but they also needed to have different positive effects on the body. The dishes could preserve one’s beauty, increase one’s vitality, and strengthen one’s health.
Adding Master Chef Ding’s fame and incredible skills to that, Tang Hao believed that Magical Kitchen would be instantly famous.
While they worked on the new menu, the location for the first restaurant had been selected and it was currently being renovated. They should be open in less than half a month.
One night, Tang Hao was in his apartment absorbing the spirit stones.
Suddenly, his phone started ringing.
Tang Hao opened his eyes. He noticed that an unknown number was calling him.
He placed the spirit stone aside and picked up the phone.
He heard a low, deep male voice from the other end of the phone. That voice sounded frantic.
“Hey! Tang Hao!”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows when he heard the voice. He remembered the voice. It belonged to Zhao Wuyang, Zhao Qingxue’s elder brother.
‘I thought this guy didn’t like me, and he even wanted to arrest me. Why would he be calling me over the phone?’
“What’s wrong, Officer Zhao? Is there anything?” Tang Hao asked calmly.
“It’s Qingxue… something happened to her!” Zhao Wuyang shouted frantically over the phone.
Tang Hao’s expression changed drastically. He stood up and asked sternly, “What happened?”
“Sigh! She infiltrated the enemy base as an undercover because the mission required it. However, she suddenly lost contact and I can’t reach her no matter how many times I dialed her number.
“This mission is very dangerous. Something must have happened to Qingxue. The enemy base is out at sea, and we need the cooperation of the maritime police. However, they aren’t too keen on cooperating. I’m afraid that something really bad will happen to her once the maritime police finally decide to mobilize their forces.
“Aren’t you connected to the military, Tang Hao? Can you think of a way to help her?”
Zhao Wuyang sounded as though he was begging.
Tang Hao’s expression became grim after he heard that.
The undercover mission her brother was talking about must be related to the abduction case. He also heard before that Miki Group was merciless in their methods. It was hard to imagine what would happen to Zhao Qingxue once she fell into their hands.
“Where’s the location of the incident?” Tang Hao asked.
“It’s on a cruise ship. We haven’t found out its exact location yet.”
“Where are you now?”
“At the port. Qingxue’s colleagues are all here too.”
“Just wait for me. I’ll come over now!”
After ending the call, Tang Hao dashed down the stairs and into his car, then sped toward the port. The car sped on the road like lightning.
He arrived at the port in a little more than three minutes.
Zhao Wuyang brought some people to him once he got out of his car.
“This is Captain Zhang!” Zhao Wuyang pointed at a middle-aged man standing next to him.
The man was crestfallen. “It’s all my fault for sending Lil Zhao in. She was only supposed to scout the cruise ship, there shouldn’t be a problem…
“There must be an informer in the maritime police, and they must be very highly ranked as well. We can’t rely on them for now. I’ve heard from Captain Zhao that you have connections in the army. Can you think of something?”
Tang Hao looked toward the open sea and became more anxious.
“How long ago did the incident happen?”
“Well… about half an hour ago,” Captain Zhang hesitated.
Tang Hao’s expression changed drastically.
Zhao Qingxue’s odds of survival were looking slim after so much time had passed.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Tang Hao glared at Zhao Wuyang.
Zhao Wuyang opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but eventually lowered his head guiltily.
&nbs
p; “Do you know the exact location of the cruise ship?” Tang Hao asked sternly.
The police officers looked at each other.
“We don’t know its current position, but ten minutes ago it was here,” one of the police officers said as he brought up a tablet computer.
“Here’s the last known position of Zhao Qingxue’s tracker.”
He pointed at a red dot somewhere in the middle of the sea.
Tang Hao snatched the tablet, looked at it, then dashed back into his A8.
Chapter 316 - Rising Killing Intent
Zhao Wuyang and the others were shocked.
“What is he…?” Captain Zhang said.
Zhao Wuyang hesitated and said, “He should be looking for help!”
“Oh!”
Captain Zhang and the others nodded in understanding.
Tang Hao ran to his car, opened the car door, and sat inside.
As he turned the steering wheel around, his expression was dark and sullen.
His gaze was ice-cold and penetrating, though he felt so nervous as though his body was on fire.
Almost half an hour had passed, and Zhao Qingxue’s fate was still unknown. Every passing second meant that her chances of survival were lower.
“Don’t you think that criminal police officers are very cool? There are so many bad people in this world, and I want to do my best in stopping crime, so that the world can become a better place.”
Somehow, those words surfaced in Tang Hao’s mind.
He could remember clearly the confidence and innocence on her face when she said that.
“Just you wait, Miki Group!”
Tang Hao grunted, started the engine, and floored the accelerator.
The tires of the car screeched, then the car sped toward the sea.
Captain Zhang and the other police officers yelled out in surprise when they saw that.
“Oh my god!”
“He’s lost his mind!”
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 142