When a Real Man Flips Out

Heh, Qin Fen narrowed his eyes. "Since your master already said so, pretend I never brought it up. Let's go, boys. Time to get to work." Qin Fen understood the meaning behind the other man's words perfectly. He was afraid Qin Fen would meddle in the kitchen and threaten his position. Fine, suit himself. Qin Fen was happy to take it easy.

Clap, clap. Sun Yating clapped her hands. "All right, get back to work. It's getting late; time to start preparing."

After taking two steps, Sun Yating called Qin Fen over. "Zhang Ye is usually like this. He's very proud when it comes to cooking. I put in a lot of effort to bring him here, so don't take it personally."

"I'll let it go for your sake. Besides, a prime minister's belly can hold a boat." Qin Fen spoke softly, leaving the other half unsaid. Who told you to have such big boobs?

Whenever there was work to do, time always passed quickly. After cutting and organizing the ingredients, Qin Fen went to the break room off to the side, leaned against the wall, glanced over the people still busy working, then took out a cigarette and slowly lit it.

He took a deep drag and blew out a smoke ring, easing his nerves.

He pulled out his phone and checked his friends list. The Heavenly Court seemed quite peaceful.

Yet an odd name had appeared in the circle. Qin Fen was certain there had never been such a figure in Investiture of the Gods, nor in Journey to the West.

This Golden-Bearded Daoist was definitely a stranger.

What caught Qin Fen's attention even more was that the man's inner thoughts were rather strange.

Golden-Bearded Daoist: That old Matchmaker Yue seems to have some tricks up his sleeve. He looks like he's come up with some good method. I saw the delight on his face today. No, I have to do something. Letting the Heavenly Court grow too much won't benefit us.

It wasn't easy to persuade Taibai this time and get him to change his tune. Using the expansion of the Buddhist School as an excuse, I'll speed up the Heavenly Court's development. But my real goal isn't to make it stronger. It's to gradually stir up the younger generation's thoughts, then sabotage things from within and provoke their rebellious nature, so they secretly descend to the mortal world. This has happened more than once or twice in the Heavenly Court's history.

Dong Yong and the Seven Fairies, as well as the Third Holy Mother, were the best examples.

That way, we can obtain more bloodlines and strengthen our tribe.

Interesting. So he was a conspirator. Qin Fen was immediately intrigued. He had never expected that among the ever-growing Heavenly Court, there would actually be a traitor to the Demon Tribe. Just from the man's inner thoughts, Qin Fen understood that he was one of the Demon Tribe.

No wonder Matchmaker Yue had been worrying about population growth at first, only to suddenly change his mind not long afterward. Just as Qin Fen was about to check Matchmaker Yue's status, an anxious shout rang out beside him.

"Brother Qin, come quick! Something terrible happened!"

"What is it?" Hearing the shout from He Wen, the food runner, Qin Fen closed his phone.

"A customer outside is making trouble. There's a problem with the Winter Melon Bowl Wang Wei made."

"A problem? Doesn't he have a secret sauce? Didn't he learn how to make it?" Qin Fen froze. His string of questions left He Wen completely dumbfounded.

"I don't know either. Manager Sun already went out. Hurry up."

Sensing that something was wrong, Qin Fen immediately followed him out. The moment he reached the dining hall, he heard a noisy uproar.

"Boss, I'm not being picky. Taste this yourself. What is this? It's completely different from what we had last time. And this color—it looks disgusting. I have no appetite at all." A middle-aged man pointed at the Winter Melon Bowl as he spoke.

"Sir, our restaurant's signature dishes all use the same method, so there shouldn't be much difference," Sun Yating said politely.

"Boss, try it if you don't believe me. I had it last time too, and it really wasn't like this. I'm only giving you face today. Otherwise, you'd have to give me an explanation no matter what. And this taste—it's just weird."

The man spoke bluntly, though he had not fully lost his temper yet.

Listening to him and the surrounding diners' comments, Qin Fen stepped forward for a look. Well, no wonder the man was upset. That color looked like shit—yellowish and watery. At least Qin Fen had no appetite just looking at it.

"I came here last time too. To be honest, Winter Melon Bowl is rare in ordinary places and troublesome to make. This place not only tasted good, but the price was reasonable too. But today, heh, that color is just awful." A diner nearby stood up and took a glance.

"Yeah, we had it last time. But today's one... ha, I wonder if anyone will laugh at that guy for eating shit."

"I have no appetite just looking at it."

Hearing the people around him, the middle-aged man became even more displeased. I fucking took a bite of it. His anger, which had gradually subsided because the owner was a beautiful woman, flared up again. "I don't care. You have to give me an explanation, or call your chef out here. I'm not looking for trouble. There's no need. The people who come here to eat are all regulars, and I don't have time to waste with you.

"It's not about the money, but you have to explain this clearly. If it was your mistake, just replace it for me. I'm being generous enough already."

"All right, sir. I'll replace it for you first." After saying that, Sun Yating waved her hand. It was better to make a big problem small and a small problem disappear.

Wang Wei in the kitchen had already learned about it. Upon hearing the boss's instructions, he did not argue and immediately prepared another serving. He felt guilty, after all, since Zhang Ye had not made it personally.

When the middle-aged man opened the winter melon lid and took a look, his face immediately darkened. Then a surge of humiliation and anger rose in him. You fucking did this on purpose, didn't you? It's the same again.

"What do you mean? Didn't you say you were replacing it? Look at this yourself—it's still the color of shit. If anyone's going to eat it, you eat it. Have your chef eat it himself."

"Sir, I'm the chef," Wang Wei replied awkwardly.

"So it was you? Then eat it for me." The middle-aged man was furious. "What the hell did you make? Are you feeding pigs?" Once could be forgiven, but they had done it again. He was no longer giving them any face. If they had replaced it with a proper one, or simply taken the dish away, things would not have become this awkward. A man lived for his pride, just as Buddha lived for incense. Who could stand being treated like this?

"Sir, this is how I usually make it," Wang Wei said, holding himself back.

"Usually? Do you take me for an idiot? I was here the day before yesterday. The appearance was wrong, and the taste was much worse too. It definitely wasn't you. Call your head chef out."

Seeing that the customer was refusing to give them any face and was about to make a scene, Sun Yating glanced at Qin Fen. If worse came to worst, they could waive the bill.

"How about I make you another serving?" Qin Fen stepped forward.

"You?" The customer was doubtful. Qin Fen was too young; this dish tested one's cooking skills.

"Qin Fen, why are you making trouble? What can a security guard like you cook? Don't think I don't know what you used to do. My master said that while he's away today, I'm in charge. Move aside." Wang Wei immediately panicked. If Qin Fen stepped in, nothing good would come of it.

Still too young. Qin Fen shook his head.

"So you're not the head chef after all. You're just an apprentice. Then what are you showing off for?" The customer was unhappy. "I've been calling for a chef all this time, and this is who you send to deal with me?"

"Qin Fen, can you really do it?" Sun Yating was stuck between a rock and a hard place, so she could only force herself to ask.

"How could a man not be able to do it? Boss, don't worry. Not only will I make it, I'll make it right here in front of everyone! Bring out the stove, table, and chopping board!" Qin Fen shot Wang Wei a cold look. He did not mind being a security guard. Were kings and generals born superior? But this master and disciple pair had mocked and squeezed him out again and again. Did they think he was made of clay? As a Four-Haves Newcomer, Qin Fen had plenty of backbone.

There might only be one chapter tomorrow. My child is starting school, and there's a grade-level parent meeting, so I won't have much time. There'll be one chapter in the morning and none at night. Sorry about that; things will return to normal on Monday. Also, please vote for the story. I've put a lot of thought into this book, so I hope it does a little better. I don't want it to end up like my old book, which reached 1.8 million words and still often got no recommendations before my old editor gave up on it. Please give me some support and motivation. I'm building up chapters in reserve, and those who know me know that I'll naturally go on a posting spree later. Thank you! And thank you all for your clicks, rewards, and recommendation votes all this time.