Chen Xiaofeng didn't think much of it, but while eating the four-star cake, he suddenly thought about the five-star one. This cake was even better than the one he had tried before.
"Brother Jia, isn't there still a five-star cake? I want to try the five-star one."
Hearing Chen Xiaofeng's question, everyone snapped out of their daze.
Oh right, what about the five-star cake?
They had been so immersed in the deliciousness of the four-star cake that they completely forgot about the five-star one. If the four-star cake was already this good, the five-star cake must be an unparalleled delicacy.
Jia Fuhai's employees, who were watching the scene, felt a bit heartbroken as no one was asking about the three-star cake.
But, of course, they too were munching on the four-star cake. The three-star cake? Even dogs wouldn't eat it! And they were this confident only because their boss was around.
"The five-star cake, huh? Do you all know how much it costs?" Jia Fuhai asked with a smile.
Everyone nodded.
One star costs 10 yuan, two stars 15 yuan, three stars 25 yuan, four stars 40 yuan, and five stars cost 150 yuan.
Though 10 yuan for a one-star cake may seem cheap, people had to consider that the cake wasn't big, so it was actually quite expensive.
The cost of the ingredients was no more than 1 yuan per cake, even for the more expensive materials. So, the cake's actual size wasn't all that large, which made the price seem even higher.
"The reason the five-star cake is so expensive is because it's hard to make. Even when I make it by hand, it's not always consistent.
Our Jia Ji Bakery has a strict star-rating system that everyone's already familiar with. The taste strictly follows the rating criteria."
Jia Fuhai explained helplessly. While he could make the five-star cake by hand, he wasn't always diligent enough to do so, so it mostly came down to luck whether a five-star cake was made.
The younger crowd was heartbroken that they hadn't had the chance to try the five-star cake, while the older folks were more skeptical, thinking it was just a marketing gimmick. They knew well that scarcity increases demand.
"Don't believe me? Just take a look at the ingredients; everything is laid out clearly for you, right?" Jia Fuhai said, noticing the doubtful looks from some people.
"True."
"You think you could make a cake that tastes like this?"
"No way! We don't have your skills, Jia!"
"I'm telling you, it's all about the heat and timing. Even a slight difference can result in vastly different flavors."
Jia Fuhai wasn't afraid to reveal the truth because, even though he couldn't make it consistently, he knew others wouldn't stand a chance.
"That's true. Just like how a seasoned chef's food is better—it's all in how they handle the heat," an older man nodded in agreement.
"No wonder the employees under Jia's supervision could only make three-star cakes. There's a reason behind it."
"The person handling the food really is key," added a restaurant owner, knowing that the skill of the chef was critical in his own line of work, while everything else was secondary.
"If you really want to try it, I could attempt to mass-produce it, but there's only a small chance a five-star will come out, which is why the price is so high," Jia Fuhai sighed.
In the future, there might only be a five-star cake once or twice, and even then, it would be when he felt like making it. Or maybe when his baking skills improved.
"Come on, Jia, keep making them! We'll buy up everything today," someone shouted.
"Hold on, hold on! Everyone has the same idea. I want it too!"
"Well, I can give it a shot, but I'll make this clear first: you all have to promote this for me!" Jia Fuhai decided to give it his all in exchange for some serious marketing for his bakery.
"Don't worry, Jia. We'll spread the word and give the less-than-five-star cakes to our employees as part of the promotion."
"My hotel will offer free cake to our customers to help promote it."
...
Seeing that everyone was on board with their plans, Jia Fuhai nodded. He knew that once they tasted the five-star cake, there was no way they wouldn't follow through with the promotion. If they wanted to eat it again, they'd have to stick to the plan.
"Well, I'll get to it. I'm not sure if the remaining ingredients will be enough to make a five-star cake, though." After informing everyone, Jia Fuhai prepared to put on his sterile suit and head into the kitchen.
Zhen Lina and the other employees followed him in.
Meanwhile, the guests sat down, all holding their full stomachs, resting after the feast. Yes, they were stuffed.
Some called friends to boast, while others chatted among themselves.
The previously opposing grandpas, Wang and Xu, were now sitting together, chatting like old friends.
'This cake was heavenly!' Chen Xiaofeng posted on his social media, proudly showing off his day.
Chen Xiaofeng, the son of a major shareholder at Tianchen Group and the owner of a live-streaming company, had a considerable number of followers on his social media platforms.
'?? Chen, what cake could possibly impress a wealthy guy like you?'
'Are you promoting something?'
'The guy above must be joking. Chen's already rich; what would he even promote? His streaming platform?'
Chen Xiaofeng's followers began debating the post.
"This brat, I thought he posted something crazy again," Chen Xiaofeng's father, who kept a close eye on his son's posts to prevent any mishaps, sighed in relief. There wasn't anything wrong with this post.
As long as his son wasn't causing any trouble online, he was satisfied.
"Should we try the three-star cake?" Some of the other business owners, curious about the difference, decided to give it a try. After all, they'd probably end up using it as promotional material too.
"This three-star cake is nowhere near as good as the four-star one!"
"Jia's star rating system really has some merit."
"If this is how good a machine-made cake is, imagine what his hand-made cakes are like."
That last comment caught everyone's attention.
"True."
Chen Xiaofeng's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Has anyone here ever tasted Jia's hand-made food?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Even though they were neighbors, each floor had only one apartment, so they didn't have much opportunity to visit each other's homes unless they were particularly close.
The crowd began to chat again, and some business owners started networking, making new deals. After all, many wealthy people were present today.
The room soon split into different groups: the business owners chatted about deals, parents with kids shared parenting tips, young people formed their own cliques, and people like Zhao's mom were quietly enjoying their cake.
There were quite a few people, like Zhao's mom, savoring their food in peace.
While Jia Fuhai was busy making cakes, Zhou Jin happened to return to his factory next door. Seeing the crowd at Jia's place, he hurried over to check things out.
"Huh, isn't that the boss of Xiangjin Foods?"
"It really is."
Zhou Jin was quite well-known in Xiangjiang, thanks to his livestreams. Most people had seen his photo before.
"Old Gao, what's going on here? Why is it so lively?" Zhou Jin quickly asked Gao Qichao for the details.
"Boss Jia is having people try the cakes," Gao Qichao explained.
"Little Jia is getting too big for his boots. A tasting event, and he didn't even invite me!" Zhou Jin teased. He had a soft spot for Jia's cakes and couldn't stop thinking about them.
"Uh, it was a last-minute notice last night. Maybe he didn't want to bother you," Gao Qichao tried to defend his boss.
"Hmph! Today, I'm definitely going to get some of that cake," Zhou Jin joked with a playful huff.
Inside the production area, after two attempts, Jia Fuhai finally succeeded in making a batch of five-star cakes.
Though it wasn't a perfect 100%, over 90% of the cakes met the five-star standard.
He had taken this process very seriously, making careful adjustments to ensure success.
Once the cakes were packaged, Jia Fuhai emerged from the sterile room.
"Hey, hey! The cakes are ready! Jia Ji's secret five-star cakes!" With the cakes packed, Jia Fuhai pulled a cart to the entrance of the factory and began calling out to the crowd.