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

As if confirming their suspicions, Manager Liu then announced.

"To ensure everyone has a good time, the boss said that you can choose the restaurant for this gathering yourselves."

"Feel free to name whatever you'd like to eat, speak your mind!"

Everyone: ? ? ?

No, they guessed wrong? They actually let them choose for themselves.

No need to be so polite!

"We choose ourselves? Really? Don't tell me later that we don't have enough budget."

"I want to try that newly opened Japanese all-you-can-eat restaurant, the one that costs 300 yuan per person. I've been craving it for ages."

I want to eat hot pot.

"Barbecue, barbecue, we absolutely have to have barbecue!"

"..."

Just as everyone was chattering about what to eat, Liu Dexin once again gestured for them to be quiet.

"Quiet down!"

"I see you all want to eat this and that. Well then, write down the restaurants you want to eat at, one for each of you, and hand them to me."

"To ensure fairness and impartiality, I will select one restaurant from the list you submitted."

As he spoke, he picked up a stack of sticky notes from the table and handed them out to everyone one by one.

While returning the money, he said in a serious tone:

"Think it over carefully before you write it."

After sending it, perhaps still not entirely reassured, he emphasized it again.

"Before you all start writing, I'd like to remind you of something."

"The company has been under a lot of pressure to meet performance targets lately, and the boss isn't having an easy time either. I hope everyone can see things from a broader perspective. After all, it's a team dinner; the important thing is the atmosphere, not the class, right?"

Upon hearing the supervisor's words, everyone couldn't help but purse their lips.

He thought to himself, "It's still the same as before."

[Xiao Ran: Liu Xin: Anyone who dares to write "expensive" will face my wrath.]

[Lily: Classic, so classic! They say everyone can choose whatever they want, but in reality, there's no choice. Anyone who dares to write down the expensive option will be punished later.]

[Programmer Xiao Zhang: Holy crap! What's the point of writing this then? Just write "the convenience store downstairs from the office."]

[Operations Department Sister Ya: Sigh, let me just write about a regular restaurant, the kind where the average price is around 70 or 80 yuan per person.]

[Lily: To be honest, I've been with the company for so long, but I've never eaten at a restaurant in the Financial Street area. I'd really like to go and have a meal there.]

[Operations Department Manager Ya: Forget about restaurants in the Financial Street area. A meal there easily costs several hundred yuan per person. Listing them would be suicidal. Everyone should try to choose places that are close to the company and not too expensive. Going too far is too much trouble.]

[Designer Aqiang: Damn it, I don't care if they give me a hard time! I just want to eat barbecue! I don't care, I'm just writing about barbecue!]

【……】

Everyone started writing on sticky notes, each with their own thoughts.

Some listings are for ordinary restaurants in the old town, a bit far from Financial Street; some are for barbecue and Japanese food; and some are for restaurants near Financial Street, making you wonder what if the owner just happens to be generous today?

After they finished writing, the sticky notes were collected one by one.

Liu Dexin looked at each one, his expression shifting between good and bad.

"Eating hot pot on such a hot day? Xiao Wang, did you consider everyone's feelings when you wrote this? What if someone gets heatstroke?"

"Japanese buffet? Li, you certainly know how to enjoy yourself! Is the company for you to enjoy yourself or for you to work? Your awareness needs improvement."

"Who wrote this barbecue recipe? It costs over 300 yuan per person! Do you think the company's money grows on trees?!"

"....."

The people whose names were called by Liu Dexin lowered their heads, cursing him inwardly for being shameless. Didn't they agree to write whatever they wanted?

In a small group.

[Programmer Xiao Zhang: This guy's not even going to act anymore. He said he'd write whatever he wanted to eat!]

[Ya Jie from the Operations Department: I told you, this is just a formality. You guys actually dared to list it as expensive, you've got guts.]

[Lily: A leopard can't change its spots. A sycophant will always be a sycophant. He'll even say the boss's fart smells good.]

【….】

While they were secretly complaining and cursing.

Liu Dexin continued flipping through the sticky notes, his face growing increasingly grim, as if some words kept slipping from his mouth.

"Outrageous!" "No sense of proportion!" "No sense of the bigger picture!"...

He finally smiled with relief when he saw a sticky note with neat handwriting.

Then he held the sticky note high and addressed the crowd:

"Look! Look at this, everyone! This is a truly good employee who cares about the company!"

"Choosing Shaxian Snacks perfectly aligns with our company's excellent work ethic of diligence, thrift, and pragmatism!"

"This perspective opens up a whole new world, far superior to you guys who only think about eating, drinking, having fun, and indulging in extravagance!"

This sudden barrage of praise completely stunned all the employees present.

Everyone: ? ? ? ?

Liu Xin, are you serious?

Shaxian snacks?

Just as they were completely bewildered, wondering who the traitor was, Liu Dexin revealed the answer.

"This sticky note was written by Wen Ran, an intern at our company. Let's all give Wen Ran a round of applause!"

Scattered applause broke out in the office.

Everyone looked at Wen Ran, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Some of those gazes were resentful, some were puzzled, and some were already tagging her frantically in the group chat.

[Lily: @Xiaoran, no, Xiaoran, how could you betray the organization so quickly?]

[Programmer Xiao Zhang: I'm dumbfounded. I never expected anyone to write "Shaxian" (a local specialty), you could have just written "street food stall"!]

[Designer Aqiang: @Xiaoran, tell me the truth, did your supervisor talk to you privately? Did he threaten you?]

[Lily: Whose company dinner goes to Shaxian snack bar?]

[Operations Department Sister Ya: Everyone, calm down. I think Xiao Ran might have her reasons. Maybe she didn't know what to eat and just randomly wrote down Shaxian snacks. She just didn't expect Liu Xin to have no bottom line and choose her.]

【…】

While everyone was complaining in the group chat, Wen Ran finally sent a few messages.

[Xiao Ran: Um... I'd like to say a few words.]

[Xiao Ran: That Shaxian snack is really delicious, trust me.]

[Xiao Ran: I was even hoping my supervisor would choose me, and I didn't expect him to actually do it! Now I can't wait to go eat.]

When everyone saw this message, they were all puzzled again.

[Lily: ? ? ? ? ? ? ]

[Programmer Xiao Zhang: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ]

[Others: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ]

[Designer Aqiang: Xiaoran, did you overwork yourself yesterday and burn out your brain? You can't even wait for a Shaxian snack?]

[Operations Department Sister Ya: Xiao Ran, I admit Shaxian snacks are great value for money, but this is a company dinner.]

[Lily: I give up! I really thought you'd been bribed by Liu Xin, but we were just overthinking it.]

【............】

Just when everyone had completely given up hope for the dinner party, Liu Dexin slipped into the boss's office again.

moment.

He walked out with a broad smile and announced again:

"Everyone, please be quiet! Please be quiet!"

"I just spoke with the boss, and he was very happy to hear that you all volunteered to have dinner at Shaxian Restaurant!"

"The boss said that everyone's suggestion is excellent, fully demonstrating the humble and down-to-earth spirit of our company's employees! This spirit deserves praise!"

"The boss even promised on the spot that tonight's Shaxian dinner is all-you-can-eat! Eat as much as you want!!!"

"No upper limit on spending!!!"

Upon hearing this news, everyone in the office was completely disheartened and gave a perfunctory clapping.

"Thank you, boss!"

"......."

Only Wen Ran shouted with delight upon hearing the words "no upper limit".

"Ah!!! Thank you, boss!"

"Thank you, supervisor!"

"Long live the boss!!!"

Seeing Wen Ran so emotional and excited, Liu Dexin nodded with satisfaction.

I thought to myself: This little girl is really good, she's so full of energy!

Liu Dexin walked towards her with a big smile.

"Wen Ran!"

"director."

"Since you recommended this dinner location, how about you take care of ordering the food?"

"Yes, supervisor."

"Then contact a Shaxian restaurant later and tell them that 26 people from our company are going to dinner tonight, and ask them to reserve a table for us."

Wen Ran was taken aback when she heard "26 people": "Manager, why are there 26 people? Is someone not going?"

Although their company is not large, there should be about 28 people including the boss.

Liu Dexin explained, "It's like this, the boss is going to meet an important client today, and I have to go with him to support him. So the boss and I won't be going tonight. You guys just enjoy yourselves."

Wen Ran finally understood: the boss wanted to dine alone at a fancy restaurant.

But she wasn't angry at all, because she was excited and couldn't wait to eat at that Shaxian restaurant.

"Manager, if the boss isn't going, how will we pay for the meal?"

Liu Dexin generously took out a bank card from his pocket and placed it on her desk: "Here's what we'll do, you take my card, pay the bill with my card after you finish eating, and remember to get an invoice. I'll ask the boss for reimbursement later."

The finance department would also be attending this dinner, and they could have simply paid for it through the company account for reimbursement. However, he deliberately had everyone use his own card to pay for everyone's meal, which suggests he had his own ulterior motives.

When he takes the invoice to his boss for reimbursement, the boss will surely praise him for being efficient and considerate of the company, which will further enhance his image in the boss's mind.

How much does a meal at Shaxian snack shop cost?

Even if we let them go all out, the average cost per person is at most thirty, so for twenty-six people, it would only cost seven or eight hundred yuan.

It costs seven or eight hundred yuan, and it can be reimbursed later. Plus, it can boost your reputation with the boss. It's a win-win situation!

Wen Ran took the bank card and nodded: "Okay, supervisor!"

Still a little uneasy, she asked again, "Um... I wanted to ask again, is it really possible to go up to an unlimited amount?"

"Of course! The boss said so himself, so eat as much as you want!" Liu Dexin said.

"Thank you, supervisor. You're so kind!" Wen Ran was touched.

Liu Xin felt very comfortable after being praised, and said generously, "Oh, don't be so polite! I'm always the most considerate of you young people, so eat well and don't feel guilty."

Then he swaggered away.

I hadn't walked more than a few steps when I saw the boss come out of his office with a briefcase, ready to meet a client.

Liu Dexin immediately became a sycophant and fawned over him.

After the boss and supervisor left, everyone in the office began to complain without restraint.

"Shaxian County has no price cap, hahahahahaha... What a joke for the new century!"

"Let me do the math. A serving of Shaxian mixed noodles costs five yuan, steamed dumplings cost six yuan, and chicken leg rice costs twelve yuan. Even if each of us is a big eater and we eat two servings of chicken leg rice and two servings of stew, it will cost at most fifty yuan. For more than twenty people, it will cost at most a little over a thousand yuan."

"A thousand yuan or more, with no upper limit—this boss's generosity is amazing! I'm in tears. What about you guys?"

"I cried too, I was so moved, so touched that the boss could be so stingy, it's an extreme."

"Our company is about to set a new record: the first internet company in the entire city to hold its company dinner in Shaxian County."

"Xiao Ran, I still want to ask, were you really bribed by your supervisor?"

"........."

Wen Ran listened to everyone's complaints without offering any explanation.

He thought to himself: You'll thank me after you've eaten at that Shaxian restaurant.