The Gourmet Customizer

"Sorry, I’m a cop!"

Su Chen stood on the rooftop, a somber look on his face. He pulled the handcuffs from his waist, about to cuff Liu Dehua, who stood opposite him.

’Wumeng Mountain connects to mountains beyond~’

’Moo...’

Damn!

He jolted awake, irritably grabbing the source of the sound. ’This damn ringtone. I swear I’m gonna change you one of these days!’

The handcuffs in his hand had turned into a phone, and that badass scene from a moment ago was just a goddamn dream!

"Boss, we have a problem! A huge problem! Someone’s here to apply for a job!" He Shuting’s overly sweet voice came through the phone.

’That girl’s been hanging around Teacher Wang Xiaoyi a lot lately. I wonder if it’s contagious.’

’Still, it’s actually kind of nice to listen to.’

"What time is it...?" Su Chen groggily glanced out the window. It was already dark out. It had been afternoon when he fell asleep, and since he hadn’t turned on any lights, the room was pitch black.

He pulled the phone away from his ear to look at it. The screen’s glare was so blinding he could barely open his eyes. Eight-twenty.

’Seriously? Isn’t this way past closing time? Why is He Shuting still at the office? And why would someone suddenly show up for a job application? Are they nuts?’

’I never even posted a job opening!’

"Boss, you’d better hurry over and see this! If you don’t come soon, this person’s going to throw a fit!"

Huh?

Su Chen shot up from his recliner and pushed open the door. He saw a group of people huddled together in the office area—not on the second floor, but on the nineteenth.

"No way! You have to let me work here! If you don’t hire me, I’m not leaving! It won’t matter even if Boss Su shows up!"

The man in the center had a gruff voice that sounded vaguely familiar, but his tone was like a petulant child’s.

Su Chen quickly pushed past He Shuting to get a look inside. "Master Zhang? What are you doing here!"

It was none other than Zhang Heping, who had left around noon—the man also known as Old Er, the chef who made the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines.

Cui Yufen had even mentioned over lunch that of all her apprentices, Zhang the Second was the biggest shame.

He was an exceptionally skilled chef who was just plain lazy—so lazy he couldn’t even be bothered to cook. Years ago, he had followed her in the Capital City and earned a small fortune. After saving up a large sum, he took his wife and child to travel, eating his way from place to place.

Now that his child was in school, he still couldn’t bring himself to settle down.

Zhang Heping was quite well-known, especially in the Jiaodong region. Every year around the New Year, he’d return to his hometown, find a large restaurant to work at for three or four months to make some cash, leave the majority of it for his family, and take the rest to continue eating his way across the country.

Whenever he ran low on money, he’d just find a random restaurant and work for a bit. The moment he got tired of the place, he’d quit and leave.

Thanks to his incredible talent, he’d never starve no matter where he went. In fact, many places treated him as a guest of honor!

Cui Yufen lamented his wasted potential, but Su Chen didn’t see a problem with it.

’This guy, Zhang the Second, has simply figured life out. What’s the point of this whole song and dance, anyway? The man just loves good food. He’s not neglecting his family, and he still gets to pursue his passion. Isn’t that great?’

’Who says a person has to work themselves to death their whole life?’

’To each their own way of living, right?’

So, the question was, ’Zhang Heping, what the hell are you doing at my company?’

Old Er was sitting at Bai Xiaobo’s workstation like a shameless rogue. "Boss Su, you have to hire me today, whether you want to or not!"

"Wait, Master Er—ah, no!" Su Chen was so flustered he tripped over his words. "Master Zhang, please, calm down. First, tell me what’s going on."

Zhang Heping shot a glare at He Shuting before turning his head to say, "I went back to my hotel today and just couldn’t get comfortable. The taste of your Nine-Turned Pork Intestines was running wild in my mouth like an unleashed dog. I couldn’t even lie down in bed, I was so antsy it felt like my heart was crawling with ants!"

"Anyway, I’m running out of money, so it’s the perfect time to come find a job here. I don’t care if you pay me or not, as long as you feed me!"

Su Chen had never heard anyone make such an outrageous demand!

"Master Zhang, but... I heard from Master Cui that you were still planning to travel the country?"

"Not anymore!" Zhang Heping said huffily. "After eating your Nine-Turned Pork Intestines, I feel like there’s no point in going anywhere else. If I never get tired of the food here, then going anywhere else would be a complete waste of time!"

’Wow.’

’So, for this Zhang the Second, how long he stays anywhere is decided entirely by how long it takes for him to get sick of the local food?’

’That’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?’

"Master Zhang," He Shuting said, trying to reason with him. "With all due respect, if you really join our company, I’m afraid you might never be able to leave."

"Even better!" Zhang Heping retorted, glaring. "It’ll save me a ton on travel expenses!"

His unreasonable antics and utter shamelessness truly put the employees of Delicious in a bind. Even the normally good-tempered Aunt Fang was starting to get annoyed.

"This old guy is so unreasonable! Who just plops themselves down in someone else’s office and refuses to leave!"

Su Chen waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

It was obvious Zhang Heping had come prepared. Combined with what Cui Yufen had said earlier, Su Chen was starting to understand.

’This guy is at the absolute peak of the foodie pyramid. When he finds something delicious, he absolutely will not leave until he’s eaten to his heart’s content.’

’Besides, Su Chen had another theory.’

’Zhang Heping was a family man. He probably had some money on him, but not much; the majority must have gone to his wife and child.’

’Otherwise, he could have just done what Liu Ahbao did and simply shown up every day to spend money on food and drink without looking for a job.’

"Master Zhang, if you really want to come work for our company... that can be arranged." Su Chen didn’t turn him down.