"Tao, come, let me toast you..."

The private room was filled with glasses, bowls, plates, and dishes all over the round table. The large turntable was neatly arranged with various dishes. Lin Qing raised his glass to toast Huang Tao, followed by Li Hongrui, Liu Zihang, Ding Hai, and other classmates, one after another, like a procession of paying respects.

For a moment, the room echoed with the continuous, crisp clinking sounds of glasses gently colliding.

They could drink well, boasting an impressive drinking aura, each holding a large glass filled with red wine, downing it in one go.

Huang Tao couldn’t hold his liquor, so he always used soda in place of alcohol, just taking a sip at a time.

Yet even so,

No one challenged his gesture!

That’s the benefit of being respected.

After toasting Huang Tao, everyone politely toasted Gu Zhihao, who was sitting beside him.

This round of drinks...

Everyone casually uttered "take it easy" and only took small sips.

Gu Zhihao could hold his liquor a bit, but he didn’t dare drink competitively with a bunch of classmates in such a setting.

Otherwise, even if he didn’t drink himself under the table, he’d still end up dizzy, unable to tell north from south!

So, you see!

He played it safe.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone continued chatting and laughing, fondly recalling their school days.

The conversation inevitably shifted to the present, discussing work, life, partners, and even kids!

Many of the classmates present were already married with children, some even responding to the government’s call to have a second child. Even the unmarried ones already had girlfriends, so there was naturally a lot to talk about in these categories...

Some classmates also inquired about Huang Tao, particularly curious about his cooking skills.

It wasn’t just him who was curious; the other classmates also wanted to know, given that they had shared four years of study together yet were unaware of Huang Tao’s impressive culinary skills.

Just remarking that Huang Tao had hidden it well!

Huang Tao, of course, candidly told them that he had learned his cooking skills online.

The moment he said this.

Their jaws almost dropped to the floor, and they were filled with disbelief.

At that moment, Huang Tao was also a bit taken aback.

Because a system notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding~]

[The host accomplished the random task "Reveal the True Identity of the Lobster" through understanding the ingredients, earning a Perfect Level recipe draw; do you wish to proceed with the draw immediately?]

Uh...

He had just casually mentioned how to identify a Canadian Lobster, that’s all.

And now, out of the blue, he completed a random task?

Indeed!

He hadn’t expected that his casual actions would not only trigger a system task but also instantly complete it.

Thinking about it, this task was a bit too easy, wasn’t it?

But come to think of it.

The system had always been this way, so there was nothing surprising about it, and he readily accepted the result.

This was a reward, after all!

He certainly wouldn’t turn down a reward!

"Draw!"

Huang Tao silently chanted, feeling a tinge of anticipation.

With the New Year’s festive season in mind, he hoped his luck wouldn’t be bad...

As he pondered,

A circular turntable appeared in his mind, laden with names of various dishes:

Mapo Tofu, Couple’s Lung Slices, Kung Pao Chicken, Fish Fragrant Pork, Ants Climbing a Tree, Shredded Chicken, Steamed Pork, Garlic Steamed Scallops, Spicy Blood Curd, Sautéed Squid, Spicy Chicken, Pickled Chicken Feet, Potato Stew Ribs, Lantern Shadow Beef, Dried Fried Beef Shreds, Cabbage Pork Rolls, Boiled Cabbage, Dongpo Elbow, Dry Braised Fish, Twice-cooked Pork, Sichuan Spicy Cucumbers, Ginger Duck, Crispy Rice Slices, Home-style Twice-cooked Pork...

The names of various dishes were dazzling.

Seeing them almost made Huang Tao hungry...

Just when it became engaging, the circular turntable began to spin gradually, picking up speed.

An additional "Pause" button appeared beside it.

This indicated the draw had commenced!

He silently chanted a prayer in his mind.

"A cloud from the sky, and Lv Dongbin on the cloud, holding a little stick, twists and turns to come down to earth. A cloud from the sky, and Lv Dongbin on the cloud, timeless and desireless, living as an immortal on Penglai Island, heavenly spirits be manifest, heavenly spirits be manifest, Supreme Lord Laojun, show your spirit, heavenly spirits be manifest swiftly..."

After the prayer,

He pressed the "Pause" button with his mind.

The speed of the circular turntable began to slow down, finally coming to a gentle halt.

[Congratulations to the host for acquiring a Perfect Level Recipe: Wensi Tofu!]

[Wensi Tofu]: Wensi Tofu originated in Huai’an, Jiangsu, and Yangzhou. It is a traditional specialty dish of Jiangsu Province, belonging to the Su Cuisine - Huaiyang Cuisine. This dish has a long history, with strict ingredient selection and fine knife skills. It is tender, smooth, and melts in the mouth, with nourishing benefits for malnutrition, rejuvenating the body, among others.

[Ingredients for Wensi Tofu]: Tofu, winter bamboo shoots, Jinhua Ham, fresh shiitake mushrooms, lettuce, salt, MSG, etc. (The ingredients are not fixed and can be substituted with others, such as using carrots instead of Jinhua Ham, black fungus instead of shiitake mushrooms, and adding thin strips of egg crepes...)

[Preparation of Wensi Tofu]: Peel the old skin from the tofu, cut into thin strips, blanch in boiling water to remove the yellow water and beany smell; remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms, wash, and cut into thin strips; peel the winter bamboo shoots, wash, cook, and cut into thin strips...

Wow!

This Wensi Tofu symbolizes the ultimate knife skills of Huaiyang Cuisine.

He felt extraordinarily lucky today!

This means there will be a new dish available after the holidays!

Relying once more on his powerful mind, Huang Tao gently tapped on the recipe, and the ’Wensi Tofu’ recipe transformed into a stream of light, merging into his forehead.

Immediately, he sensed that he had thoroughly mastered the "Wensi Tofu" preparation process, along with an abundance of experience and the anecdote of Wensi Tofu.

At this moment, Lin Qing’s somewhat forlorn voice reached Huang Tao’s ears: "Once everyone’s back to work, it will be hard to gather..."

Huang Tao chuckled and said, "I’m still around here, we can gather anytime, and I’ll whip up a table of dishes for you all."

As soon as he said this, it garnered an immediate response.

"Hahaha, Tao, if you’re cooking personally, I’ll take a leave to come back and eat."

"Yes, you really hid it deep, all these years in university managing everything, we had no idea you could cook so well."

"You’re quite a celebrity now, your skills are truly extraordinary!"

"Remember to send us some of your delicious creations in the future!"

The banquet was bustling and lively.

After the meal, they ascended to the hotel’s KTV, to the large private room booked by Gu Zhihao.

Lin Qing sat beside Huang Tao, gossiping curiously: "Have you met our class flower?"

Huang Tao didn’t hide it and replied directly, "When I went to visit Teacher Li, I ran into her downstairs."

"Oh, you ran into her,"

Lin Qing nodded knowingly: "I heard she went back after the second grade and plans to work abroad for a few years!"

"I know!"

Huang Tao nodded.

Lin Qing opened his mouth, initially wanting to say more, but was interrupted by Gu Zhihao, who was at the song selection: "Tao, what song do you want to sing? Let me pick it first."

Huang Tao smiled, "You sing first."

Gu Zhihao insisted, "Come on, you’re the man of the evening, you should sing the opening song."

"Sing one, sing one..."

The other classmates egged him on.

Unable to refuse any longer, Huang Tao reluctantly named a song to Gu Zhihao.

Soon, the large screen changed to the song he just picked. Huang Tao picked up the microphone, stood in front of the coffee table, and began singing, even calling out: "Anyone who knows the song, come over and sing with me!"

In an instant, everyone joined in a chorus...

"Oh friend, dear friend, have you ever thought of me? If you are enjoying happiness, please forget about me!"

"Oh friend, dear friend, have you remembered me? If you are enduring misfortune, please tell me."

"Oh friend, oh friend..."

Many people, as they sang, couldn’t help but get teary-eyed.

The gatherings and partings along life’s journey are like a song, a song that never ends.