The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Seeing that Fu Yu didn’t mind his avoidance of direct confrontation with Jia Rundong, Yao Shi sighed with relief: ”Come on, Xiaofu, let’s have a drink.”

”Speaking of which, during this time, it was thanks to you holding the fort. Otherwise, the work here in the kitchen would have been quite tough.”

Yao Shi looked at Fu Yu, his tone gentle.

Fu Yu quickly said, ”I only did a bit of my duty. Actually, during this period, Qingning contributed a lot. With his help, and Chef Zhao’s coordination, our work went so smoothly.”

Yao Shi exchanged smiles with Zhao Meng.

Yao Shi said, ”Xiaofu, I invited you and Old Zhao over for dinner tonight not only to thank you for supporting my work during this period but also because I have some things I want to tell you.”

Fu Yu nodded and listened attentively.

”Having principles is a good thing. Even if you’re not naturally talented, don’t have a good family background or luck, as long as you stick to these principles, you can still forge ahead on the road to success. Besides, you’re very talented and willing to work hard; success is just a matter of time.”

”But in today’s society, to stick to your principles, sometimes you might need to integrate your character and conduct closely together.”

”You have to first figure out what you really want, then see how much leverage you have and what resources you can use around you. As long as the approach is proper, you can often achieve good results.”

Yao Shi sipped his refreshing beer, squinting as he talked about life with Fu Yu.

Fu Yu felt a bit troubled because the education he received growing up taught him to always be kind to others.

”Doesn’t that just make me manipulative?”

The first person Fu Yu thought of was Yao Yihang, followed by Jia Rundong.

Zhao Meng couldn’t help but sigh and retorted, ”Silly boy, that’s called resourcefulness!”

Fu Yu knew Yao Shi meant well, but still couldn’t help saying, ”But if a person has too many cunning thoughts and lacks sincerity, isn’t that bad too?”

Zhao Meng corrected him, ”Being cunning isn’t an issue; it’s people with insidious thoughts that are bad.”

Yao Shi nodded, ”Exactly, Old Zhao is right! Let me tell you, it depends on how you look at things.”

”If you have no aspirations and just want to live a smooth, ordinary life, going with the flow, then naturally you don’t need so many cunning thoughts and can do things straightforwardly.”

”But when you encounter something in the future or have a goal you want to achieve, you need to think more about whether there’s a better way or strategy to accomplish it. Being kind is good, but first you need to see what kind of person and matters you’re dealing with!”

”Those who just fool around daily with petty tricks rarely amount to anything, because no matter how many foolish moves they make, they can’t beat a single decisive strike.”

As Yao Shi spoke, Fu Yu listened carefully by the side.

Seeing Fu Yu taking it to heart, Yao Shi chuckled, ”After all is said, Xiaofu, if you want to do well as a chef and develop in this field, besides honing your cooking skills, you also need to observe and learn how to deal with people.”

”Actually, you’re quite smart. What you lack now is just due to being young and having little experience. Based on your current actions, you’ll definitely surpass me and Old Zhao in the future!”

Fu Yu chuckled and said, ”By then, it’ll be my turn to look after you!”

”This kid!” Zhao Meng laughed and finished his beer in one gulp.

[Ding! Affinity with NPC Chef Zhao Meng increased by 10]

[Ding! Affinity with NPC Chef Yao Shi increased by 10]

Hearing the prompts in his ears, Fu Yu smiled even more happily, and when he looked up, he noticed a ”!” above Yao Shi’s head.

While Yao Shi turned to talk to Zhao Meng, Fu Yu chose to check it out.

[Ding! NPC Chef Yao Shi’s long-term mission: Excel in the chef profession and develop well in this field. Mission completion reward: Every progress made will earn corresponding skill points.]

Wow!

This is a blockbuster reward, isn’t it?

Just improving can earn skill points!

It’s practically a free gift!

Never thought that not only could he get a raise, but he could also earn such good rewards!

Eating and drinking.

Fu Yu returned to his dormitory, washed up, and contently fell asleep in bed.

While Fu Yu slept soundly, Jia Rundong tossed and turned all night.

The next morning, as soon as Jia Rundong entered the office, before he even made his tea, he received a call from Dong Jun Tian.

Jia Rundong didn’t dare to delay and hurried to the boss’s office.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Dong Jun Tian with a stern face, looking at his phone.

”Boss, you wanted to see me?”

Jia Rundong still harbored a bit of luck in his heart.

Even though the internet is very developed now and many people watch live broadcasts,

every matter needs a process and time to become widely known.

It was only one night, even if it were to ferment, it would take a couple of days to spread.

But things did not go as he wished.

Dong Jun Tian looked up at Jia Rundong and handed over the phone.

”Here, Old Jia, look at this and tell me what’s going on!”

Jia Rundong took the phone, glanced at it, and immediately felt a buzzing in his temples, a dull ache in his brain.

On the screen was a photo of the main entrance of the Qianlima Restaurant and a glaring headline.

[Friends Cutting in Line, Is Your Time Time, and Others’ Not?]

Scrolling down, there were a series of pictures, surprisingly screenshots from interviews Yao Shi and Gu Yunwu had done at the provincial TV station earlier.

Jia Rundong’s face instantly turned ashen.

Dong Jun Tian questioned, ”How did you manage to get this on the trending list!”

Jia Rundong stammered, ”This... this... who is trying to mess with me? Such a trivial thing, how did it get on the trending list...”

Dong Jun Tian had a complex expression, staring at Jia Rundong without speaking.

”I-I just found out that Fu Yu was absent during work hours, so I disciplined him. How does this have anything to do with having friends cut in line?” Jia Rundong was so livid his face turned pale, ”If Fu Yu hadn’t had such a bad attitude back then, I wouldn’t have punished him this way! And this matter clearly happened internally at our store; how did it get blown up online? Someone with malicious intentions is clearly trying to harm me!”

Dong Jun Tian’s brows furrowed tighter, and he impatiently slammed the table.

With a ”bang,”

Jia Rundong immediately fell silent.

”Your explanations mean nothing! Look at what the trending topic says? The Qianlima front hall manager ignores customer needs, cuts in line for friends, gets rejected by a chef, and retaliates insidiously!”

”The Qianlima, a long-established restaurant, with its traditional seafood delicacies, has been operating in Bei’an for a century. Currently, internal management is riddled with loopholes, outwardly impressive but rotten inside. Can it resist the dwindling fate of ’time-honored’ restaurants?”

”You’ve not only tarnished your own reputation but our store’s reputation as well!”

After fuming, Dong Jun Tian said angrily, ”Now, go fix this immediately!”

The holidays were approaching, and he caused such a commotion at this critical juncture!

If this were to be seized by those with ulterior motives, it would definitely have a significant impact on their store!

Jia Rundong knew the severity and had no time to defend himself.

”Boss, don’t worry, I’ll find a way to suppress this matter right away.”