Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 77

“I saw him. It might not be the answer you all were expecting—Wei Liguo has changed,” Deng Qimai began.

“What do you mean? Does he not like her anymore? That’s normal, I guess—after all, it’s been years.”

“Yeah, what do you mean by ‘changed’? Tell us more.”

Guo Gaoang saw the message right away but stayed silent, keeping his focus on the group chat.

“It’s not that complicated, really. You know the saying, ‘The first sword of success cuts down the people you once cared about’? That’s what this feels like—except those ‘people’ were from years ago.”

“He said he knows the skewer seller is Zhao Xiaojing. Apparently, after he moved back for his civil service exams, he saw a local short video someone posted of her selling skewers.”

“He saw her that early? And he didn’t go look for her?”

“What? No reaction at all? Back in senior year, wasn’t he depressed for half a year because of her?”

“There might’ve been some reaction—I didn’t dig that deep. But he admitted that he hadn’t forgotten her all these years and that she was always on his mind. Said he used to dream about her constantly before seeing that video.”

“And after he started his job?”

“After joining the civil service and landing a respectable position, he decided that someone selling skewers wasn’t… suitable for him.”

“Uh, as harsh as that sounds, it’s not completely unreasonable?”

The chat lit up with responses, as the other six group members jumped in one after another.

“That’s pretty much what he said. He told me he’s now a proper government employee, and while Zhao Xiaojing would probably be willing to be with him, he couldn’t accept the idea of people finding out his girlfriend is someone who runs a roadside stall. He said it would be embarrassing.”

“He’s just being realistic. When you put it that way, I support Wei’s decision.”

“Yeah, it’s blunt, but it makes sense.”

“I don’t see the problem. If he liked her, he should just go for it. All this talk about ‘embarrassment’ sounds like an excuse. Didn’t Guo say her skewers are wildly successful?”

“This isn’t about money, though.”

“To be honest, I can kind of understand his reasoning. But what really bothered me wasn’t that—it’s the way he talked about her. If he’d truly cared for her, there are things he wouldn’t have said.”

“@Guo Gaoang, bro, someone in the group said earlier that you need to be discerning about who you’re loyal to. I wasn’t going to bring this up, but since it’s just the few of us in Yang City, and you’ve helped me a lot over the years, I consider you a true friend. I argued with him today, and honestly, I think you shouldn’t treat him like a friend anymore.”

“What do you mean? What did he say?” Guo typed back, his chest tightening.

“He said something about you and Zhao Xiaojing… implying things.”

“…”

“He said since your career depends on food blogging, you wouldn’t be promoting her so heavily unless you were getting something out of it. Then he went on about how Zhao Xiaojing has been out in society for so many years, dealing with who-knows-how-many people, and she must have some… ‘tactics.’”

“Are you serious…?”

“He doesn’t even trust Guo?”

“He mentioned seeing videos of Zhao Xiaojing’s stall, saying there were lots of men helping her—like fetching bags or packaging skewers. His exact words were, ‘This woman deals with people every day, and Guo is stupid enough to get involved with her. I’m not.’”

“??? How could he say something that awful?”

“Guo, don’t get upset. While it’s true you need to be careful about who you trust, I didn’t expect him to be so cruel. For the record, I believe in you!”

“By the way, about those men helping her at the stall—what’s that all about?”

“There were plenty of women helping too, but he conveniently left that out. I was chatting with the group leader yesterday, and he showed me some older videos. Back when Zhao Xiaojing set up near the elementary school, a lot of parents got to know her. For a while, they even treated her stall like a self-serve station, grabbing brushes to apply sauce themselves. Parents thought it was a fun, novel experience, and since Zhao is socially anxious, she didn’t know how to stop them. It wasn’t just men—there were plenty of women too,” Guo explained, biting his lip as tears welled in his eyes.

“I’ve only met Zhao Xiaojing twice. The first time was for a few minutes because of Wei Liguo, and the second was yesterday when I went to apologize with the group leader. I swear on my life!”

“If it’s like that, wouldn’t the videos show it too? How could Wei twist the truth like that?”

“Man, what happened to Wei? Why is he like this now?”

“Maybe he’s always been this way—it’s just more obvious now that he’s out in the world. Honestly, I wasn’t wrong this morning when I said he’s this kind of person. There were signs even back then.”

“What signs?”

“Take Zhao Xiaojing, for example. Back then, wasn’t she one of the top students in the class? And out of the top students, wasn’t she the prettiest? Wei didn’t even talk to her much but decided he liked her! Isn’t that just opportunism in its early stages?”

“That’s one way to look at it, but isn’t it normal to like someone smart and pretty in high school?”

“Alright, let’s talk about Guo. Guo’s family was the wealthiest among us, right? Wei used to hang around Guo all the time! Back when Guo had a regular job, Wei was always messaging him in the group. But ever since Guo started food blogging and didn’t gain much traction, Wei has been badmouthing him behind his back. Is that not proof enough? The guy’s just a complete opportunist!”

“You’re spot on, Cai! Now that you mention it, I remember another time when—”

The group erupted into a flurry of messages, with everyone sharing past anecdotes about Wei’s behavior.

Guo stayed silent, his vision blurring as hot tears filled his eyes. Clenching his fists, he kicked his desk in frustration, his face flushed with anger and sorrow.

Everything they said was true. He had known about some of it, but he had never thought too deeply about it.

As the chat grew increasingly heated, Guo forced himself to calm down and dialed Wei’s number.

“Hello? Liguo?”

“Yeah, Guo. What’s up? I’m working overtime right now.”

“I need just a moment of your time to ask a few questions. Did you know the skewer seller is Zhao Xiaojing?”

“Why are you bringing this up now…”

“Do you think there’s something going on between me and her?”

“Heh, Guo, why are you asking this? Even if there is, so what? You’re my friend—what difference does it make?”

“Just answer me. Do you suspect something between me and Zhao Xiaojing?”

“Aw, c’mon, what’s all this about?”

“So what Deng said is true? You look down on Zhao Xiaojing, think she’s had countless shady dealings, and now you’re implicating me too?”

“Guo, Zhao Xiaojing is ancient history. If you like her, that’s your choice. I don’t like her anymore, okay?” Wei rambled, clearly flustered.

Despite the sweltering summer heat, Guo felt a cold chill spreading through his limbs as he hung up the phone.

Everything they’d said was true.

No wonder Wei had always been so eager to ask about his family connections, always probing about how far they could help him advance.

No wonder Wei had drifted away after Guo quit his job to become a food blogger. Guo had thought it was because Wei was too busy with work and exams.