My Multiple Identities Revealed After Marrying the Bigshot-Chapter 451: Treating us like Guinea Pigs

"Oh right, where are we going?" Lu Youxi just remembered this issue.

"Didn’t I tell you today, we’re going out for dinner tonight?" Zhou Shuyan pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "You didn’t forget in the midst of all your busyness, did you?"

"I didn’t forget, didn’t forget," Lu Youxi quickly assured. "I’m just asking where are we going to eat?"

"We’re going to Dongshenglai," Zhou Shuyan explained under Lu Youxi’s puzzled "why are we going to Dongshenglai" gaze. "Shi Yusheng bought Hexing Rice, didn’t he? I’ve heard the customer feedback is quite good, and they’ve even developed new dishes with Hexing Rice."

"Let’s go and try it out," Zhou Shuyan suggested.

Lu Youxi’s interest was immediately piqued. "That’s great, I can ask Shi Yusheng about the customers’ feedback on Hexing Rice."

Zhou Shuyan couldn’t help but chuckle helplessly, when had he not noticed that Lu Youxi was such a workaholic?

Whenever work-related matters were mentioned, Lu Youxi’s whole energy changed.

Zhou Shuyan and Lu Youxi arrived at Dongshenglai.

Zhou Shuyan had booked a private room, which made it convenient to ask Shi Yusheng about the situation with Hexing Rice when he arrived.

The two had only just entered the private room when Shi Yusheng found them.

"Brother Yan, sister-in-law," Shi Yusheng sat down as he arrived.

"I knew you’d come over," Zhou Shuyan said to Shi Yusheng. "Sister-in-law just happens to want to ask about the situation with Hexing Rice at your hotel."

"That’s exactly why I came," Shi Yusheng added. "Hearing that you guys were here, I rushed over to report to sister-in-law."

"For rice, which is a staple food, many customers actually don’t pay much attention while eating it, because both Hexing Rice and Shili Xiang are high-quality rice, so many customers didn’t taste much difference. However, among the guests at our hotel, there is a very famous food critic. Just as we switched to Hexing Rice, he came for the first time and noticed the difference right away, giving Hexing Rice very high praise."

"At the time, there were many customers present, some recognized the critic, and after hearing his assessment of Hexing Rice, even those who hadn’t ordered rice asked to try it. Some who didn’t taste a difference at first, took the time to savor it carefully."

"Even though there certainly were customers who succeeded in tasting the difference, there must be a large portion who were just following the critic’s lead."

"Regardless, the reputation of Hexing Rice has been established."

"But I haven’t heard lately that the reputation of Hexing Rice has risen significantly," Lu Youxi expressed her surprise.

"Because the critic’s visit here was a non-public event, only the guests that evening knew about the review. It will take some time for customers to spread the word about Hexing Rice and for its reputation to grow."

"So currently, there’s no buzz about the critic’s praise of Hexing Rice on the market," Shi Yusheng explained. "But I estimate that in a couple of days, it should start to circulate."

"Moreover, our hotel also plans to use this wave of positive word-of-mouth to quickly develop new dishes with Hexing Rice as the main ingredient."

"Now that Brother Yan and you, sister-in-law, are here today, why not help us taste-test?" Shi Yusheng took the opportunity to suggest.

"Sure, sure," Lu Youxi nodded eagerly.

Zhou Shuyan laughed, "You kid, now you’re using us as lab rats."

"How would I dare?" Shi Yusheng hurriedly replied. "Sister-in-law understands the taste of Hexing Rice, so I’m asking you to taste and see if it’s suitable."

"I’m also curious about what dishes you’ve made with Hexing Rice," Lu Youxi mentioned.

With Lu Youxi’s consent, Shi Yusheng went off to have the kitchen prepare the new products they had been developing with Hexing Rice.

"These are all not yet on the menu; they are currently in the taste-testing phase and are being gradually refined," Shi Yusheng explained when the dishes arrived.

"Isn’t this sushi?" Lu Youxi observed one of the dishes. "Are you planning to add Japanese cuisine?"

"That’s right, Japanese cuisine is becoming popular," Shi Yusheng remarked. "And nowadays, nearly all those involved in Japanese cuisine are striving for the high-end market, so Dongshenglai also plans to keep up with the trend and create a Japanese cuisine menu."

"We have already hired a local Japanese chef. At first, the chef kept recommending their local rice, saying it was delicious, especially for sushi. I bought a bag to try, but found it slightly inferior to Hexing Rice, so I let the chef try Hexing Rice, and it totally blew him away, he stopped bragging about their local rice."

Shi Yusheng clapped his thigh with delight. "You should have seen the chef’s face at that time, pure disbelief."

"So we’re using Hexing Rice for sushi, and the taste is first-rate. Brother Yan, sister-in-law, you must give it a try!"

Lu Youxi picked up a piece of peony shrimp nigiri sushi.

The rice ball, shaped like an elongated oval, was topped with a long strip of a large peony shrimp.

Almost half of the shrimp’s body to tail dangled over the edge of the sushi plate.

Lu Youxi added a bit of freshly grated wasabi on top of the shrimp and dipped it in some sushi soy sauce.

She always liked to eat them separately to really taste the wasabi’s kick.

The sweet and tender flesh of the peony shrimp combined with the clearly defined, chewy rice grains; as she bit down, the flavors of the soy sauce and wasabi burst open in her mouth.

Distinct yet intertwined in harmony.

And yet, the sweetness of the shrimp, the umami of the soy sauce, and the spicy kick of the wasabi somehow didn’t overshadow the aroma of the Hexing Rice.

"Tasting it like this, Hexing Rice seems even more delicious," Zhou Shuyan chewed thoughtfully.

"Right? It’s not just my imagination," Shi Yusheng said. "Initially, I was worried whether my judgment of Hexing Rice was biased due to our relationship, making me think that the sushi made with it was exceptionally different. I even had the chef use other types of rice, including Shili Xiang, but none tasted as good as Hexing Rice."

"Aren’t you worried that I’m also biased?" Zhou Shuyan raised an eyebrow.

"That’s why I decided to use a blind box method," Shi Yusheng said, grinning slyly, and had someone bring up another plate of sushi.

This plate contained four nigiri sushi pieces.

And they were all tuna nigiri.

"These four are made with different kinds of rice and the prices of the rice are all quite close to each other, all belonging to the top tier," Shi Yusheng said. "But I won’t tell you which brand each one is. Brother Yan, if you can accurately determine which one is Hexing Rice, then I’ll trust your judgment and mine."

Zhou Shuyan raised his eyebrow, "We came here for a dinner date, and now we have to take your test."

Shi Yusheng chuckled, "Sister-in-law doesn’t have to try, she definitely knows Hexing Rice well enough to pick it out immediately."

So, Zhou Shuyan tasted all four.

Without hesitation, he pointed to the second one from the left. "This is Hexing Rice."

"Is it that obvious? You figured it out so quickly?" Shi Yusheng exclaimed in surprise.