I Run a Restaurant in a World of Natural Disasters

Chapter 140: Chapter 112: For Beiluo City

At nine o’clock the next morning, Ning He, who was still sound asleep, was startled awake by a knock at the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to find it was Connie and Ah Huai.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ning He welcomed them in, then looked at the time. "You finished so early today?"

"Don’t even get me started! I wanted to come over last night and get a clear answer. That ad of yours—what’s it all about? Why are you suddenly leading a group out of the city for some ’gourmet tour’?" Connie was filled with questions and a bit of anxiety. "Is it because you don’t have enough money to start the company? The restaurant’s business is great right now. You’ll definitely be able to save up enough if you take your time. We’ve got some savings too, you can take it and use it for now. There’s no need to take such a huge risk."

It was only then that Ning He abruptly remembered. She had been so swamped lately that she had completely forgotten to explain the situation to them beforehand. She’d even forgotten that the ad had aired last night.

As she poured them both a glass of water, she quickly concocted a plausible story.

"It’s not just about the money," she said with a guilty smile.

"Then what else could it be for?" Connie was unconvinced.

Ning He scratched her head and gave an awkward laugh. Just as she was trying to think of a reason, her phone rang at the perfect time. She quickly answered it, temporarily escaping Connie’s interrogation.

The call was from Cindy. She sounded exceptionally excited.

"Ning He, our video blew up!"

"What?" Ning He was completely confused.

Cindy explained in a rush, "It’s the ad video we filmed! It was simultaneously released on our official media channel last night. And guess what? As of this morning, the view count has already passed five hundred thousand! Ning He, this is what you call getting famous before it even premieres!"

Ning He was a bit shocked too.

With the entire Alliance’s population at about two hundred million, five hundred thousand views was a very impressive figure.

"Ning He, I have a feeling our show is going to be a massive hit across all platforms! Macken is going to have more guests than he can handle, haha! Ning He, you’d better be prepared! But don’t feel too much pressure. With your skills, you’ll definitely win over the entire audience!"

"Okay, I get it. Don’t worry."

After hanging up the phone, Ning He had a plan.

She sat down next to Connie, cleared her throat, and put on a serious, mysterious expression.

"That was Cindy on the phone. The truth is, I’m doing this challenge at the request of the TV station. They want to promote Beiluo City’s culinary culture across the entire Alliance, to get more people to know our city and raise its profile. This is critically important for the future development of Beiluo City."

This wasn’t just an empty boast from Ning He.

Among the nearly two hundred safe cities in the Alliance, Beiluo City was relatively unknown. It had no major defining features and wasn’t particularly wealthy. Few local businesses ever managed to expand beyond its borders, which certainly limited the city’s development.

Sure enough, Connie was taken in by her story.

"This... why did they pick you? There are so many chefs in Beiluo City. Why did it have to be you taking this risk?"

Ning He sighed.

"What can I do? Our restaurant is just that good. The videos Cindy filmed for me are really popular on the platform, and they said I was the most suitable candidate. For the development of Beiluo City, of course I couldn’t refuse. It’s worth it, even if it’s a little risky."

Connie still wasn’t entirely convinced.

So Ning He went ahead and pulled out her high-end phone, opened the official media account, and tapped on a video in the food section.

Connie glanced over and saw that the videos were indeed all about their restaurant, and the view counts were in the six digits. For context, other videos on the official channel would be lucky to break ten thousand views; most only got a few thousand.

There was no comparison.

Although she knew Cindy often came to the restaurant to film videos, she never expected the results to be this good.

"Let me see."

She was instantly hooked and grabbed the phone for a closer look. Ah Huai leaned in as well, his face full of curiosity.

Ning He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little pleased with herself.

’This wasn’t her bragging—it was the truth. They had to believe it whether they wanted to or not.’

"This is too much! It’s complete bullshit!"

Connie suddenly roared in anger. Ning He, who had been leisurely sipping her milk-flavored calcium supplement, jumped in fright. Her hand trembled, and she splashed the sticky liquid all over her leg.

"What’s wrong?"

’Was my cover blown?’

’No way!’

Fuming, Connie shoved the phone in front of her. "Look at what these people are saying! It’s infuriating!"

Ning He took the phone and looked closely, her eyes widening immediately.

"Beiluo City? Never heard of it. It must be small and poor. What kind of good food could they possibly make?"

"A Gourmet Challenge? Are they trying to copy Central City’s God Chef Challenge? What a shame. They don’t have Central City’s resources. It’ll be a sad imitation, a total laughingstock."

"Hahahaha, so any poor-ass place can host a food show now? A place where they can’t even afford meat. Are they just going to serve a table full of grass for people to chew on?"

"The poster above is a prophet! This chef runs a vegetarian restaurant!"

"Ugh, they definitely saw the previous videos got some heat and want to ride the wave. Too bad only the top twenty cities in the Alliance have what it takes to pull off a food show. This one is doomed to fail!"

"Let’s make a prediction: one episode on pork, one on beef, one on chicken, one on fish, and then stretch it with an egg episode. Five episodes and done! Like if you agree!"

"I disagree! This chef only knows how to make vegetarian food. I bet there’s only one episode: salad. Because the guests will have starved to death by the second one!"

Ning He quickly scrolled through the comments section. There was no shortage of such negative remarks.

The mockery, practically overflowing from the screen, made Ning He’s face darken.

’Damn it. Doubting Beiluo City’s heritage was one thing, but how dare they question my cooking skills?’

’Compared to the chefs in this world, my skills are absolutely max-level, okay!’

’Steaming, frying, braising, stewing, pan-frying, roasting, baking... From the Eight Great Cuisines of China to Southeast Asian flavors, Michelin-starred Western dishes, and Mediterranean fare—the number of recipes I’ve eaten, seen, and studied could drown these keyboard warriors. What a bunch of ignorant fools!’

’Just watch. I’ll make those guys drool themselves to death in front of their screens!’

"It’s fine. Once our first episode is out, these people will shut up. No need to pay them any mind," Ning He said nonchalantly, turning off the screen.

Connie, who had originally been worried about Ning He’s safety outside the city, now pushed those concerns to the back of her mind.

"Yeah, you focus on preparing. You have to make these trolls shut up! Don’t worry, Ah Huai and I have pretty much mastered the restaurant’s signature dishes. When the time comes, you just go without any worries. Leave the rest to us."

Ning He was touched. "I knew you guys would support me. But you still have to manage the cafeteria. Won’t you be too tired? I think we should hire another person for the cafeteria, so you can take turns and get more rest."

Lately, Connie and Ah Huai had been running between two places. Even though Ning He had tried to shorten their work hours at the restaurant—from three to seven-thirty—it was still very tough. Unable to get a full night’s sleep, Connie’s face always looked a bit haggard.

"Ning He has a point. We’re not made of iron, after all. We’ll burn out if we keep this up. It would be enough if one of us went to keep an eye on things each day," Ah Huai said.

Connie hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright, we’ll listen to you. We’ll find someone reliable."

With people like Youzhen and Ding Wang around, it shouldn’t be hard to find a steady and capable junior chef. And so, the matter was settled.

After they finished talking, Connie couldn’t help but yawn, and Ah Huai was also a bit tired. So Ning He had them rest, one on the sofa and one on the bed, while she planned to make herself a nice brunch. But just as she took some eggs out of the fridge, her phone was bombarded by calls from all sides.

First, Leitel called to ask if he could get a priority spot.

Then Cindy called to remind her that some negative comments had appeared on the website, telling her to ignore them and just focus on her preparations.

Next, Julie called to congratulate her on her new venture and report on her work progress.

After that, Macken also called. He said the guest list for the first batch was set—all invited regular customers at the previous price. But he also said he accepted her proposal to auction off spots, which would be implemented from the second installment.

By the time Ning He finished handling the concerned inquiries from everyone, it was already time for lunch.

In the end, Ning He went to the restaurant with Connie and Ah Huai for a bowl of malatang, starting her busy day.

Because of last night’s advertisement, almost every customer who came in today asked Ning He for more details. Many were tempted, but because the location was outside the city, most were still a bit hesitant.

But Ning He wasn’t worried.

Once the first episode was successfully completed and broadcast, she believed they would change their minds.

As Ning He finished an extremely busy day, came home, and collapsed into bed, Wade, who had been running around outside all day, also returned to Anle House.