Chapter 1877: True Skill Is No Match for Flashy Tricks

"That's right, it was your dad who asked me to do it."

"There's no need for you to be a busybody; if you don't like me, just say so directly. I won't pester you endlessly. What's the meaning of introducing a boyfriend to me? Sheng Zichen, I hate you to death."

Li Xueer ran out, furious.

She entered the house wearing that makeup, scaring her old father so much his blood pressure nearly skyrocketed!

But before he could scold his daughter for painting herself into such a ghastly sight, she had already begun to scold him.

"Did you ask Sheng Zichen to help me introduce a partner?"

"Yes, what about it? Did the boy not suit your fancy? It's fine, I'll have President Sheng help again..."

Before the father could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Li Xueer: "You've gone too far, actually conspiring with an outsider against your own daughter. I don't want to talk to you ever again. How could you do this? Turning your back on your own kin..."

Li Xueer flew into a great rage at her father.

But no matter how many high-sounding reasons she gave, Lao Litou knew exactly what she was thinking in her heart.

Lao Litou had never feared anything in his life and would never bow to anyone, yet in front of his daughter, he patiently waited for her to finish venting before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Daughter, it's all your father's fault for being incompetent; our family isn't a match for theirs."

"The Sheng Family has a prominent background; it's not a match for a family like ours. You liking Sheng Zichen is destined to have no result, so don't be so stubborn, daughter..."

"Sheng Zichen is certainly a good man, and I know he is very good, but he has no feelings for you, and you aren't the type to pester someone relentlessly..."

Her father's words extinguished Li Xueer's anger, leaving her only more heartbroken.

It turned out that her own feelings of liking him weren't enough—far from it. There was a chasm of thousands of miles between her and Sheng Zichen. Not to mention that Sheng Zichen had no feelings for her now, even if he did, the two of them could never be together.

In other words, the relationship between her and Sheng Zichen was like a toad lusting after a swan.

Li Xueer miserably discovered that she was indeed that toad.

She silently went to the washroom to wash the makeup off her face, feeling like a complete clown.

Li Xueer had always been proud and arrogant; now, unable to bear such a blow, she didn't want to go to work at the restaurant anymore. Facing the person she loved every day while being unable to be with him was cruel to anyone.

Li Xueer wanted to resign, but Zichen was unwilling.

The restaurant had finally managed to hire someone with such exquisite knife skills; he wanted to cultivate Li Xueer properly, attempting to make her separate her emotions from her career.

For a boy, perhaps it was easy.

But for a girl, especially Li Xue who had never been in a relationship and was devoted in her affections, it was not easy at all—it wasn't just difficult, it was fundamentally impossible.

The negotiation yielded no results.

Zichen wanted to have Lao Litou act as a lobbyist to persuade Li Xueer to change her mind.

In fact, there was a contract between them; he could completely use the contract to pressure her and forbid her from resigning.

But Zichen was unwilling to do that.

Lao Litou also didn't want to persuade his daughter; he knew he couldn't.

He proposed another solution: "I will go to work at your restaurant to replace my daughter."

Zichen hesitated: "Is your health up to it?"

Lao Litou glared: "What? Are you looking down on me for being old? I haven't even complained that your restaurant is small. It's settled; my health is fine, I'll go work for you."

With Lao Litou coming in person, Zichen was naturally overjoyed.

Both of them felt that Lao Litou's craftsmanship was even better, and with him there, the effect would be even better than when Li Xueer was there.

But reality often exceeds imagination.

Lao Litou began his performance in the open kitchen in place of Li Xueer, and the response... was mediocre!

The restaurant's orders continued to slide, and many customers responded that they wanted to see a beautiful woman perform knife work, not an old man.

Even though Lao Litou's culinary skills were superior, it was useless; the customers weren't experts, they only wanted spectacle, and they all liked to look at a beautiful woman.

Lao Litou had been proud and arrogant his whole life; now that he had suffered a setback, he was already feeling stifled, but he was also being mocked and ridiculed by his colleagues while eating his meals.

"Yo, Old Li, still going strong, you can really eat, huh?"

"You don't do much work but you eat a lot, and you're still drawing a high salary. That's really nice. If I could find a place to retire like this when I get old, I'd wake up laughing..."

"Exactly..."

The ones making these snide remarks were the very people Lao Litou had chased out with a kitchen knife and a broom not long ago.

They had already disliked Lao Litou, but out of respect for his skills, they hadn't dared to go too far.

A few days later, the restaurant had not regained its former glory because of his arrival, and it was getting worse.

These people grew bolder, making snide remarks and mocking him in every way possible!

Lao Litou's expression was grim, but he couldn't say anything.

Because although what these people said was unpleasant, it was the truth. Such was the reality, and there was nothing to be said.

He put down his rice bowl and stopped eating.

He thought that if he ate less, there would be no gossip, but that was just a beautiful idea; there is a gap between reality and ideals.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Zichen said from inside the office: "Please come in."

Lao Litou walked in and sat on a chair, fuming, yet he didn't say a word.

Zichen brewed a cup of tea for him and placed it in front of him: "You've been mistreated, haven't you? Don't lower yourself to the level of the younger generation; these people are truly out of line, and I will discipline them."

Lao Litou: "No, I didn't come to complain. Everything they said is true. I was thinking that since I'm of no use here, I might as well go home and fry my steamed buns."

"Or I could go back and try to persuade Li Xueer... but it might not work. That girl's temper is just like mine; once she sets her mind on something, no one can change it."

Lao Litou was trying to resign.

It was just that he was embarrassed to say it, because he still owed the other party a favor that hadn't been repaid.

Zichen said: "You don't need to have any psychological burden. I've reflected on this over the past two days, and actually, it's all my fault. I arranged your position incorrectly."

"From now on, you don't need to perform knife work out there; it doesn't suit your status. I have other arrangements for you. As for Li Xueer, you don't need to force her to come back."

"Whether she comes back or not, our restaurant will continue to operate just fine; it won't go under."

Sheng Zichen comforted him for a while, then let him go out.

Afternoon.

Gu Zhihao arrived; Lao Litou was very happy to see his old friend, thinking he had come to visit him, but Gu Zhihao said no.

It was Zichen who called him, saying the restaurant had a major personnel change to announce and asking him to come over, which was why he had come.

Zichen gathered all the restaurant staff for a meeting and officially announced: appointing Lao Litou as the restaurant's honorary consultant, with flexible working hours and the same salary as before.

Lao Litou was stunned; he whispered to Gu Zhihao, "What's a consultant?"

Gu Zhihao joined everyone in applauding until his palms were red, and he replied with an excited face, though it almost made one die of anger: "I don't know either."

"You don't know, yet you're this happy?"

The Wife Always Wants to Anger Me