Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 78

“Hey babe, guess what? We’ve got an absolute scumbag in our class!” Cheng Zishuai angrily messaged his girlfriend, Wang Lingling, as he attached screenshots of their group chat.

“What the hell is wrong with him?!” Wang Lingling fired back after skimming through the screenshots. “Does he think landing a government job makes him a king or something?”

“Honestly, does he think anyone even wants him? He looks like a toad, and I doubt Zhao Xiaojing would give him a second glance. He needs a mirror to see what an absolute mess he is!”

“Listen, you better stay far away from people like him. Delete and block him immediately, or I swear I’ll be pissed! What a trashy guy. How did we not see through him back then?”

“Disgusting… I’ve never seen someone so malicious before!” Wang Lingling vented, quickly forwarding the screenshots to her old high school friend group.

Her group of former classmates then shared the screenshots with other small chats and contacts.

Until eventually…

“Well, Wei Liguo does have a point,” Li Jingying chimed in almost instantly after seeing the screenshots. “Flies don’t land on eggs without cracks. Why does her stall have so many men helping out? And hasn’t Guo Gaoang dated countless women himself? Who knows what’s going on between the two of them.”

“Plus, she dropped out of school so early. Who knows what she was doing all these years? Sure, she’s running a stall now, but who’s to say she wasn’t doing something else before that?” Li Jingying added in the group chat, which included former members of their cheerleading squad.

“That’s already been explained, though. Plenty of women were helping at the stall too. Why would you say something like that?” one of the girls who had forwarded the screenshots retorted, shocked by Li Jingying’s remarks.

“Why? Is she untouchable? If she can do it, why can’t people talk about it? Do you even know what she’s been doing all these years since she dropped out? And honestly, why do any of you think a respectable government employee should be pining after some shady street vendor? Does she even deserve him?” Li Jingying typed smugly, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

She felt vindicated. After all, this was proof that Wei Liguo wouldn’t betray her for someone like Zhao Xiaojing. Wasn’t this the validation she needed?

Though her attempt at stirring up trouble in the skewer group chat had failed miserably, and she’d been kicked out and even publicly called out in Li Donglai’s posts, none of that mattered. It had been a burner account—no one could trace it back to her.

Now, in their old high school cheerleading chat, she figured she could still ruin Zhao Xiaojing’s reputation.

“Li Jingying, what are you even saying? Do you have any basis for these accusations?” Su Yuchen fired back, furious as she saw Li Jingying’s messages.

“And what’s all this about not knowing what she’s been doing? Are you completely clueless? Her mother was seriously ill, and she spent years at home taking care of her. If you don’t know the facts, don’t spread lies!” Su Yuchen snapped.

“Li Jingying, you’re just jealous, aren’t you? Didn’t you used to chase after Guo Gaoang? I remember he barely paid you any attention. Is that why you’re making up all these stories about him and Zhao Xiaojing now?” another girl in the group added, calling her out.

“That burner account is yours, isn’t it? The profile picture is the same as one of your old WeChat avatars. You’ve been the first to bash Guo in the comments of every one of his videos. Even his fans aren’t as diligent as you!” she continued, attaching screenshots of the account’s comments for proof.

“Wow, now that you mention it, I recognize that account too. I follow Guo, and this username always pops up immediately after he posts, leaving negative comments. I thought it was weird!” another girl chimed in.

“I just checked—the account’s location is in Yang City. It’s probably hers,” someone else added.

Li Jingying had been furiously typing a reply to Su Yuchen but froze when she saw her burner account exposed. Her fingers hesitated above the keyboard as fear gripped her.

“Wow, I checked the account too—it says Scorpio as the zodiac sign. Isn’t that your sign, @Li Jingying?”

!!!

Panicking, Li Jingying quickly logged into the account and deleted all its information and posts.

“Hahaha, I found an old post from that account showing a picture of a claw machine prize. That exact photo was also on @Li Jingying’s old WeChat Moments.”

“Don’t say anything else—I wasn’t done looking at the posts yet! Now that we’ve pointed it out, she’s deleted everything!”

The growing crowd in the group gleefully shared screenshots of the now-blank account, showing how its bio, zodiac, gender, and every other detail had been scrubbed clean.

“@Li Jingying, so it really is you! I only mentioned Scorpio to test you—I didn’t even remember your zodiac sign. Don’t think I wouldn’t notice you stalking and trolling me,” Guo’s supporter typed triumphantly.

“Hey, everyone, let’s stop bullying her—she’s even changed her gender now!” someone joked.

“@Li Jingying, sorry, but the people’s eyes are just too sharp.”

“HAHAHAHAHA, she left the group!”

“Hahahahahaha!”

“My bad, I feel guilty, but watching her crack under pressure is hilarious!”

“Good riddance! She was always stirring up drama and causing trouble anyway. The group’s cleaner without her!”

“@Su Yuchen, now that the liar’s gone, can you tell us what’s really going on with Zhao Xiaojing?”

As the group shifted back to discussing Zhao Xiaojing, Su Yuchen took a moment to calm down before responding.

“Thanks, everyone, for backing me up. This whole thing really isn’t like Li Jingying made it sound.”

“Zhao Xiaojing is…” Su Yuchen began, explaining Zhao’s situation while avoiding sensitive details. She focused on the main points, clearing the false narratives.

“So that’s what happened… I remember she had good grades back then. Such a pity; she could’ve gotten into a prestigious school.”

“That Wei Liguo is unbelievable. For him to spread such disgusting rumors—can’t believe he dared claim he liked her.”

“Yeah, just hearing what he said secondhand already sounds awful. I bet Deng was being polite when he relayed it.”

“Yang City isn’t big. It’s not like you can avoid people forever. Spreading vile rumors like that—how does he expect others to live? What trash!”

As the group collectively condemned Wei Liguo, Su Yuchen felt a sense of relief but also a growing concern.

Over the years, Zhao Xiaojing had become more withdrawn and reserved, burying her feelings and growing increasingly introverted. Though she’d recently seemed more outgoing, these malicious rumors could still hurt her deeply.

With the National Day holiday still weeks away, it would take four hours to travel back to Jiang City. And regular weekends weren’t enough to make the trip.

No—it was time to ask for leave.

“Su, Director Lei wants you in the office!” a colleague called out as they passed her desk.

“Got it, I’ll head over now!” Su Yuchen replied, standing up with a mix of determination and uncertainty.

This was as good a time as any to request time off. After all, she hadn’t taken a single day of leave in months, even though she was always the first one in the office and the last to leave. No one worked harder than her.

“Director Lei, you needed me?” Su Yuchen knocked on the door and entered after hearing a reply.

“You don’t have anything to say to me?”

“I was actually just about to request some time off. I’ve been working overtime for months and wanted to take a couple of days to rest.”

“Time off?”

“Yes, is that alright, Director Lei?”

“Where do you get the nerve to ask for leave? Have you even looked at the designs you’ve been submitting? They’re absolutely terrible—no creativity, no taste! You just want time off? If everyone were like you, how would this company even function?

“The work you’ve done is so subpar, and you can’t even take the initiative to improve during your free time? Do you expect me to hold your hand and teach you? This is a workplace, not a school! I’m not obligated to educate you!” Director Lei snapped, slamming his desk.

“Then find someone else who loves doing it! Honestly, your ‘haphazard senior citizen aesthetic’ is hideous. You have no understanding of design but insist on sticking your nose into everything. Have you ever studied design? Have you ever given a single constructive piece of feedback? If you don’t know what you’re talking about, stop making things worse!” Su Yuchen fired back, her temper flaring after being unjustly scolded.