Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 79

“What did you just say?!”

Director Lei froze, staring at Su Yuchen in utter disbelief.

“I said, whoever wants to put up with you can go ahead and do it. This slave-driving job, where two days off a month is treated like a miracle, can go to someone who doesn’t need sleep, doesn’t need food, and doesn’t need a paycheck. Because, honestly, anyone with a shred of aesthetic sense or ambition would never put up with you.”

Su Yuchen, having decided to burn the bridge, let her words fly. She’d already stepped over the line; there was no point holding back now.

“Oh, you’re really something, aren’t you? So this job’s too lowly for someone like you, huh? Let me tell you something: this is how work is! You can’t even handle revising a few drafts, and you think the company’s at fault? You think no one can criticize you? I’m saying all this for your own good! Go try working somewhere else—people won’t even waste their breath yelling at you! Don’t think for a second—”

Director Lei began slamming the desk, his face contorted with anger as he launched into his usual tirade of manipulative, demoralizing rhetoric.

“Stop! Save it. You’re not going to guilt-trip me anymore; I’m done falling for it! Quit lecturing me about how I should work. I’m here to make money, not to be your servant. News flash—this isn’t the Qing Dynasty! Wake up!” Su Yuchen snapped, cutting him off.

Without waiting for his response, she turned and left the office, ignoring the shocked stares of her colleagues. She returned to her desk, and within minutes, she had drafted a resignation letter.

“I’ll give you a few days to find someone to take over my workload. I’ll stay to finish the handover if needed, but if you don’t require it, that’s even better,” she said as she walked back into Director Lei’s office, slapping the resignation letter onto his desk.

“Fine, fine! I’ve seen it all now. You think you’re some big shot, don’t you? Let me warn you—don’t come crying to me later. This industry is small, and you’ll find yourself out of options soon enough. Don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Director Lei threatened, his chest heaving with anger and his face twisted in barely-contained fury.

“Are you saying I don’t need to handle the handover? Can I leave today then?” Su Yuchen asked coldly, feigning ignorance of his threats.

“Get out! Leave today! And remember—don’t come crawling back!” Director Lei shouted, grabbing the resignation letter and flinging it across the room. The paper fluttered through the air before landing softly on the ground.

“Thank you for the reminder. I already regret staying here as long as I did,” Su Yuchen replied before walking out the door once more.

As she packed up her belongings, her teammate Xiao Zhou approached, looking resigned.

Su Yuchen handed over the meticulously organized files she had just prepared and took the time to explain everything in detail to her.

“Thanks. Even though you’re leaving, you’ve made things so much easier for me,” Xiao Zhou said, clearly grateful.

“I didn’t mean to cause you trouble. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision,” Su Yuchen replied.

“It’s not your fault. Even if you didn’t leave, she’d still pile work on me. Nobody here gets a moment’s rest. Ever since she came, leaving before midnight is a luxury,” Xiao Zhou lamented, sighing heavily as she walked away.

For the first time, Su Yuchen felt genuinely relieved about her impulsive decision. While quitting hadn’t been part of her plan today, the seeds of doubt had been planted when her former team lead, Sister Hong, left without looking back.

Ever since that day, she’d questioned the point of enduring a boss who knew nothing about design yet constantly micromanaged, or dealing with clients who ignored advice and then blamed her when things didn’t work out. Her parents had always taught her that work was about enduring hardship, but what was the point of hardship for hardship’s sake? Nothing ever improved. She wasn’t happy. There was no sense of fulfillment.

She had spent the past three months working nonstop, taking only one day off each month and staying late into the night. If today’s incident hadn’t pushed her over the edge, she might still be suffering in silence.

At least now, she could finally take a few days off.

Rubbing her temples, Su Yuchen pushed the chaotic thoughts aside and picked up her phone to book a ticket home.

—

Meanwhile, Guo Gaoang received a set of screenshots from a friend.

“What the heck?! I can’t wrap my head around this. What did I ever do to her? Why would she go out of her way to mess with me like this?” Guo messaged back in disbelief upon learning that Li Jingying had been the one maligning him.

His phone buzzed almost immediately as his friend called him directly.

“Hey, you idiot. Do you believe me now? I told you it was her, but none of you would listen! What did I say, huh? Trust a woman’s intuition next time!” his friend scolded.

“I just… I can’t believe it. That was so long ago, and I thought it was ridiculous when you brought it up. Now that it’s actually true, it’s even more absurd! But why?!” Guo groaned, running his hands through his hair in frustration. His friend had once speculated that Li Jingying was targeting him as revenge for rejecting her back in high school, but Guo had dismissed the idea as too far-fetched. Apparently, he’d been wrong.

“You’re just a magnet for toxic women. The ones who like you and get rejected hold grudges for years, and the ones you like turn your whole life upside down. Face it, buddy—you’re doomed when it comes to women.”

“Can we not bring up my ex right now? One problem at a time!” Guo snapped, stomping his foot in irritation as memories of his tumultuous past relationship resurfaced.

“Haha! Like I said, you’re cursed. And let’s not forget—her antics caused just as much trouble for us as they did for you!” his friend shot back, laughing.

“Anyway, what are you going to do about Li Jingying? Now that you know it’s her.”

“What can I do? She’s already unfollowed me. I doubt she’ll come back.”

“See? This is why you’re such a pushover. Someone screws you over, and you just let it slide. You’re not even going to expose her?”

“She’s already left the group, hasn’t she? Everyone knows it was her. If she comes after me again, I’ll post everything then. Besides, she’s a girl…”

“There you go again, letting your soft spot for women guide you. Fine, fine. But what about Wei Liguo? He’s not a woman, is he?”

The mention of Wei made Guo fall silent. After a long pause, he took a deep breath.

“Him… I need more time to think about it.”

“Suit yourself!” his friend replied, clearly unimpressed. After a moment, he continued, “By the way, do you remember Su Yuchen? She used to hang out with Zhao Xiaojing. She just asked me for your contact info. Wants to talk to you about all this. Should I give it to her?”

“Yeah, give it to her. What does she want to talk about?”

“See, this is exactly what I mean. You don’t even know why she wants to call, but you’re already saying yes. You’re hopeless, man. Just ask her yourself—I don’t know,” his friend quipped before hanging up, leaving Guo fuming but unable to respond.