I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

Upon seeing Yu Shen's message, everyone in the group started making bets.

Don't fill the teacup so full: [Old Fish, you actually dared to invite Sister Qingyuan? I bet five cents she won't go.]

Even mountains and seas can be flattened: [I'll bet five cents she won't come.]

I'm not fat: [I'll bet a dollar.]

Don't fill the teacup so full: [I bet five bucks! If she comes, I'll eat all the food in Li Heizi's shop!]

A fish in the deep sea: [Damn! I bet you just want to freeload!]

However, he also felt that Lin Qingyuan would not go to Shaxian, after all, she was the queen of perseverance in this group.

I'm Not Fatty: [Old Fish, it's your treat today, can we order whatever we want?]

I'm Not Fatty: [Let me do the math: Noodles 588, steamed dumplings 588, pigeon soup... that's only 5000+ per person, so for a dozen people it's 50,000 to 60,000. Old Yu, you're really generous today, I'll allow you to show off!]

Yu Shen was immediately unsettled when he saw the message from Fatty.

What the hell!

He only planned to order custom-made dishes!

That fat guy is shameless, trying to have his cake and eat it too! That won't do!

He knew these guys' appetites very well. Fatty alone could eat two sets of deluxe food, and with that cunning Lu Qianshan, he would definitely order the expensive stuff. A single meal would easily cost hundreds of thousands.

No matter how rich he is, he can't afford to be squandered like this!

No! Absolutely not!

He quickly sent a follow-up message in the group.

A fish from the deep sea: [Wait! Let me clarify! I'm only treating myself to my custom-made new dishes today, nothing else! We'll each eat our own food, split the bill!]

I'm Not Fatty: [??? Old Fish, you're being too stingy! You should only treat us to one meal!]

A fish in the deep sea: [You animals, you know how ruthless Li Heizi's knife is. If you let me pick one, I'd be begging on the streets next month.]

Normally, he wouldn't have invited them to dinner at all. This time, Li Heizi had something on him because he had promised Li Heizi to order 100 servings of the new product. If he didn't, Li Heizi would definitely expose his secret.

He was forced into this situation!

He couldn't handle 100 servings of the new product himself, so he simply treated everyone to a meal.

He's now just praying that Li Heizi will be kind and that the new product won't be too expensive, or he'll really be heartbroken.

.............

StarBlue Technology, Human Resources Director's Office.

Lin Qingyuan sat behind her desk, looking at the documents in her hand with a furrowed brow.

CEO Zheng Keming has given a firm order to lay off half of the interns and recent graduates in preparation for the IPO.

There is no room for negotiation.

Looking at the names of those young people who had just graduated, she felt tormented and even anxious.

Many of these people were people she had personally interviewed, and they left a deep impression on her.

Without exception, they all joined the company with aspirations for their future professional lives.

Now, however, she has to personally cross out these people's names.

To be honest, she really didn't want to do it.

But I had no choice but to do it.

This is the price of being an HR professional: you have to do the dirty work that you don't want to do but have to do yourself.

Similarly, she knew that after this round of layoffs, she would have to leave headquarters with the blame on her shoulders.

If she doesn't carry it, does that mean Zheng Keming should?

Just as Lin Qingyuan was feeling agitated, her phone vibrated several times in a row.

She picked it up and saw that someone had tagged her in the "Jiangcheng Luxury Gourmet Private Sharing Group".

Is Yu Shen treating everyone? Or is it the launch of a custom-made new product?

Lin Qingyuan's first reaction was not to go.

If she doesn't reply, she's still the same person, still the queen of perseverance in this group, still the woman who keeps her word.

But this time, seeing the lively discussion in the group, she actually hesitated.

"How about we go just once?"

The moment the thought crossed Lin Qingyuan's mind, she immediately shook her head.

Lin Qingyuan, Lin Qingyuan, you've persevered for so long, how can you waver just because of one treat? You're the most determined person in the whole group!

He was also the only person Li Heizi had never openly killed.

But... Li Heizi's cooking is really delicious.

Especially that Su Hongchen, how could there be such delicious vegetarian braised pork in this world?

She could never forget the taste of that vegetarian braised pork—soft, savory, and not greasy at all; it was a godsend for a woman like her who had to manage her figure.

Just as Lin Qingyuan was frantically torn between whether or not to reply, there was a knock on the office door.

Knock knock knock!

"Come in!" She instantly regained her aloof demeanor and sat up straight.

The office door opened, and a young woman in business attire walked in, carrying a document in her arms.

"Hello, Mr. Lin! I'm Wen Ran, an intern in the marketing department. Our manager asked me to bring you this information on the department members."

Lin Qingyuan looked up at her young and vibrant face.

intern.

Another intern.

She felt inexplicably irritated and pointed to the desk: "Put it here."

"OK."

Wen Ran obediently placed the documents on the table. After putting them down, she didn't leave immediately, as if she had something to say but was hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, Lin Qingyuan asked, "Is there anything else?"

"No...no!" Wen Ran quickly shook her head. "President Lin, if you're busy, I'll head out now."

"Um!"

Wen Ran had just turned around when Lin Qingyuan suddenly called out to her, "Wait!"

Wen Ran turned around: "President Lin, is there anything else you need?"

Lin Qingyuan looked at her: "How long have you been working here?"

"Reporting to General Manager Lin, I've only been with the company for less than a week," Wen Ran replied.

"Are you settling in well at the company?"

"I'm used to it!" Wen Ran nodded repeatedly. "Our big company is really different. Most importantly, the salary is much higher than at my previous company."

Lin Qingyuan smiled upon hearing this.

This girl is quite honest and doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives.

"Which companies have you worked for before?"

"I've had several jobs before, and they were all terrible. The first company's boss was stingy, and the supervisor kept shirking responsibility, so I quit after two months. The second one was an insurance company, where I had to make sales calls every day. I also interviewed at several other companies, but they either asked me to pay for training or didn't pay me during the probation period. One company was even more outrageous; on my first day, they made me buy coffee for the whole company and wouldn't reimburse me..."

"Back then, I even wondered if I was cursed, why was it so hard to find a decent job?"

"Fortunately, our company hired me, and I will definitely work hard!" Wen Ran said.

After hearing her story, Lin Qingyuan felt a little sorry for her; the girl's job search had indeed been quite difficult.

Of course, she didn't know that although Wen Ran's career path was somewhat bumpy, she hadn't actually suffered much loss.

Especially after getting to know Li Zhibai, the owner of Shaxian snack bar on Financial Street.

"So how do you feel about your current job?" Lin Qingyuan asked again.

"It's great!" Wen Ran said, "President Lin, you don't know, I'm really motivated every day now. Although the internship salary isn't high, once I'm officially hired, my salary will increase a lot."

"Then I'll be able to eat at Shaxian snack shops more often."

"Shaxian?" Lin Qingyuan was taken aback.

"Yes! It's that Shaxian snack shop on Financial Street." Wen Ran perked up at the mention of Shaxian: "President Lin, you have no idea, the food there is especially delicious! Although it's a bit pricey, it's really worth it."

"When I was at my worst, I worked overtime until midnight. I was exhausted, hungry, and felt wronged. I cried for a long time in front of that shop, and finally gritted my teeth and ordered a bowl of wontons."

"Guess what? After eating that bowl of wontons, I felt like I was reborn! Really! I'm not exaggerating at all! It was like... like all my grievances were cured by that bowl of wontons."

"From then on, I felt that there was nothing that a bowl of Shaxian noodles couldn't solve."

"If there are any, then two bowls!"

As Wen Ran spoke, her face fell again: "It's just a bit pricey. My salary is low right now, so I can't eat there often. But today is different. The owner of Shaxian Restaurant just sent me a WeChat message saying someone's treating us tonight, and it's a new dish! I can get some too. I didn't expect there to be such kind people. I'm so happy!"

Lin Qingyuan was somewhat lost in thought when she saw the happy and expectant look on her face.

This girl actually went to that store too?

She couldn't help but recall the first time she went to that store.

If I had been more patient and less impulsive back then, perhaps I wouldn't be so embarrassed to go to the shop to drink Li Heizi's soup now.

Saving face is such a harmful thing!

"President Lin?" Wen Ran called out softly when she saw her in a daze.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Lin Qingyuan came back to her senses.

"President Lin, are you in a bad mood?" Wen Ran asked.

Lin Qingyuan thought to herself that this child was quite perceptive, unlike some interns who stammered when they saw her.

"Work-related issues are a bit annoying."

"Then I recommend you try Shaxian snacks!" Wen Ran strongly recommended again, "Seriously! Mr. Lin, you're so rich, you can totally go eat there! It'll cheer you up, I guarantee it!"

"The owner of that shop is... well, a bit unusual, but the food is really delicious, especially the soup. Let me tell you, one bite..."

Wen Ran began to describe the various dishes of Shaxian County in great detail, from mixed noodles to steamed dumplings, from wontons to stews, each one described in vivid detail.

Lin Qingyuan already had an almost obsessive love for soups, and now, with Wen Ran's vivid description of Shaxian cuisine, her desire intensified, like a kitten scratching at her heart.

How about we go just once?

Anyway, Yu Shen was treating, so it wasn't that she went voluntarily; she just couldn't refuse his hospitality.

Just then, Wen Ran extended an invitation to her: "President Lin, it's almost time to get off work, why don't we go together? You can trust me!"

Although she was just an intern who had been working for less than a week, her experience of changing jobs multiple times had taught her that if you could build a good relationship with the HR director in a large company, it would be beneficial for future promotions, job transfers, and even salary increases. Such opportunities are rare and hard to come by, which is why she dared to make the bold invitation.

Lin Qingyuan and she stared at each other for a few seconds before Lin Qingyuan nodded gently.

"good!"

Wen Ran was overjoyed that she actually agreed: "That's wonderful! President Lin, let me tell you, you definitely won't regret going!"

Lin Qingyuan: "By the way, what's your name?"

"Wen Ran! The Wen of warmth, the Ran of rising!" Wen Ran said immediately.

"Wen Ran," Lin Qingyuan said, "wait for me in the underground parking garage after get off work."

"Okay, Mr. Lin!" Wen Ran left happily.