Chapter Text
‘Well,’ said Wei Ying, scratching his head through the fabric of his chef’s hat. ‘I guess we could fill them with raspberry jam instead, make a new, simple buttercream and put the crumbs on top? Maybe add a few fresh raspberry’s to make it look like we intended them to be that way?’ He was looking at a small disaster: the Swiss buttercream on the double-chocolate cupcakes hadn’t been cooled properly, and as a result the coconut oil – a substitute for butter, since Pan preferred to serve vegan food – had started running. Sizhui, his brand-new assistant, was looking mortified. ‘Oh, it’s not that bad,’ said Wei Ying, trying to cheer him up. ‘We’ll make something out of it.’
In fact, it was pretty bad. Sizhui was great to work with and Wei Ying low-key loved the boy, but he was fresh out of culinary school and consequently had zero experience. Which meant he kept making beginner’s mistakes.
Which Wei Ying then had to try and solve.
‘You know what, I’ll just run over to the store to get those raspberry’s. You just stay here and keep an eye on the cakes, alright?’
‘Yes, master Wei.’
Wei Ying patted him on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, it’s a common mistake. At least now you won’t make it again anytime soon, right?’ He smiled reassuringly, took off his chef’s hat and apron, grabbed his coat from the rack in the hall and stepped onto the café-floor. He waved at Wen Ning and Song Lan.
‘I need to run to the store for a moment. Anything you two need?’
‘I think we’re good?’ said Song Lan, exchanging a look with Wen Ning, who nodded.
‘Alright then. See you in a bit.’
He returned with raspberries, strawberries, extra coconut oil, edible glitter and pink food dye, ready to pump the appearance of their failed cupcakes up to eleven, and found Lan Xichen had taken custody of the table in the kitchen.
‘Hello Wei Ying,’ Lan Xichen said. ‘How are you?’
‘Very well, thank you.’ He put the groceries down. ‘Just a little ah… blooper we have to cover up.’
Sizhui was in the process of cutting the cakes into portions and trying not to look too mortified. Wei Ying peeked over his shoulder. ‘Looks good,’ he said. He stirred the caramel sauce in the sauce pan to inspect its thickness. ‘That too. Nice colour, good texture. Keep it up.’
‘Yes, master Wei.’
Wei Ying turned to Lan Xichen. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I got the design for the folders ready and Wangji updated the website agenda. We just wanted your opinion before we press the button and go live.’
‘Ooh, nice!’ He sat down on the empty seat and Lan Xichen turned the laptop his way. An opened document showed the design of a folder, two-sided, in Pan’s colours and with white lettering:
The Gay Agenda
Activities at Pan
June & July
*
Double drag movie night
Pan provides snacks and a screening of
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar
&
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
*
SOS support monthly
Our team of experts offer you help
regarding health questions & legal rights
Dr. Lee L.T., MS (mental well-being)
Dr. Wen Q., MD (medical assistance)
Dr. Zhang L.A., LL.M (legal advice)
*
Wear What You Want
Gender Swap
Dinner and Dancing
Limited seats available!
*
Being Ace in Asia
A guest lecture from Chonqqing University
by Lijun Su & Yanchen Zheng
Q&A afterwards
Includes drinks and reading materials
*
Open Mic performance night
feat. Sean Xiao!
Informal music session after
bring your own instruments.
*
Ballroom Night
Pan’s first dip into the world of voguing!
Hosted by Caiyi native
and reigning champion
Ouyang ‘Ozzy’ Zizhen
Look on our website for more information!
*
Wang Lingjiao sings at Pan!
Including a guest performance
by Zhaoze
on the electric guqin
Always check for availability via our website!
‘Sean Xiao?’ said Wei Ying dumbstruck. ‘As in: the one? Caiyi born Sean Xiao?’
Lan Xichen chuckled. ‘We’re old friends. He’s promised to come and play at Pan for years now, but he’s never had time.’
‘No shit. How on earth did you two meet? Can you get me an autograph? My brother is gonna be so jealous...’ The words had passed his lips before Wei Ying realised he might not be inclined to do Jiang Cheng such a favour. Or maybe he should. Perhaps this could be an opportunity…
He put a pin in that thought and continued to the website, clicked his way through the tabs.
‘Err, master Wei?’ Sizhui asked. ‘I think I’m done. Would you check?’
‘Of course.’ He rose immediately to inspect the work. Sizhui had plated each piece gorgeously: this was something in which he definitely outshone Wei Ying, who cared a lot more about the performance of a dish in the mouth than he did about how it looked on a plate. His pupil was really challenging him to up his game, and Wei Ying liked that.
‘Ten out of ten for looks, that’s for sure. Now for my favourite part...’ It wasn’t actually his favourite: he like seeing other people eat what he’d made more, but it wasn’t exactly the worst part of his day either. Sizhui had put two small pieces aside for himself and Wei Ying, for the taste test. Like any good cook, they’d tasted every part separately throughout the process: the cake batter, the simple syrup, the hazelnut-caramel filling and the sauce to be drizzled on top. But the real surprise would always lay in how the picture came together.
Wei Ying cut a piece off and took a bite, savouring the cake on his tongue, flattening it against the roof of his mouth. ‘I like it,’ he said. ‘Not overpoweringly sweet, I like the crunchiness of the hazelnut and the salt flakes give it a nice little punch. I say job well done.’
Sizhui beamed. He always did when he was given a compliment and Wei Ying wondered if he’d just never received a lot of kindness at culinary school, or if he never got them at home either. He didn’t feel like he was close enough to the boy yet to ask those kinds of questions, but he would, at some point.
‘Lan Xichen, can I offer you a bite?’
‘Oh, please! To be honest, I was hoping to get a taste: the smell is positively mouthwatering...’ Wei Ying pricked the remainder of his piece on a clean fork and fed it to Lan Xichen, who let it roam around in his mouth for a few seconds before closing his eyes and swallowing the bite down.
‘That was absolutely delicious! I don’t know how you do it, Wei Ying: you tell me you’re making a salty-caramel-hazelnut-cake and I try to imagine how great that must taste, and somehow my musings can never compare to the real thing.’
‘Thank you, Xichen, but in this case I really must wave all responsibility to Sizhui: I may have thought it up, but he executed it all perfectly.’
‘I’ll never regret the day I hired you,’ Lan Xichen said, sweetly.
‘Nor I, Xichen, nor I. Now let me look at the website real quick – err, Sizhui, do you think you need help with the replacement buttercream?’
‘No, master Wei, I think I’ve got it.’
‘Excellent.’ He checked the tab for the Gender Swap – Dinner and Dancing first, since that was the event he was planning to invite Yanli and her Peacock to. The description made it sound relatively subdued, but that wasn’t what he was going for.
There was a reason Pan currently had two dancing poles taking up precious space in the storage room.