Chapter 153
Since running a takeout restaurant didn’t require professionally certified chefs as long as food hygiene met regulatory standards, Su Bin moved Chef Wang to his newly opened “Boss Su’s Experimental Store.” As the name suggests, this restaurant was a testing ground for Su Bin’s creative dishes. Each quarter, Su Bin would develop and introduce a new dish in his restaurants. Based on its sales and popularity, the dish could become a staple item or an exclusive offering on the takeout menu.
Su Bin had bigger plans—he aimed to open branches in major cities across Country B. For that, developing a distinctive menu with his signature style was essential. Within a few months of opening the experimental kitchen, Su Bin had already created several signature dishes, modernized versions of traditional recipes such as Stuffed Tofu, Sweet and Sour Lotus Root with Pork, and Rice Wine-Smoked Fish. These dishes not only resonated with Chinese customers but also became popular among local foreigners.
What set the experimental kitchen apart was its affordability. It attracted a broader customer base compared to Su Bin’s original high-end restaurant, “Heart of China.” Yet, for high-spending clientele, Su Bin offered bespoke dining experiences, including the option to have “Boss Su” himself cook—a concept reminiscent of “imperial kitchens.”
Initially, Chef Wang, who had worked in the takeout restaurant for a year, didn’t have high hopes for Su Bin’s venture. He dismissed Su Bin as a wealthy young heir playing business games with his friends, expecting the enthusiasm to fizzle out within a year or so. To his surprise, Su Bin was earnest, showing up at the restaurant almost daily, working hard alongside his team of energetic, dedicated young employees who combined big dreams with a grounded, tireless work ethic. Over time, the restaurant grew in size and reputation.
While Chef Wang considered settling into a steady role under Su Bin, he found his views often clashing with those of the younger generation. For instance, Su Bin stressed the importance of sourcing premium ingredients to maintain consistent flavors, citing examples like why KFC always outperformed its competitors. Wang, however, prioritized profitability over perfection. He argued that the average customer, especially those on a budget, didn’t demand perfection—they just wanted cheap and decent food.
Chef Wang’s ambitions were simpler: profit. He wasn’t trying to be the best; he just wanted to capitalize on a lucrative market. However, despite being a certified professional chef and officially holding the title of “supervisor,” his voice carried less weight than even a front desk cashier. He felt particularly undermined by Qin Chao, one of Su Bin’s trusted lieutenants, who seemed to keep an eye on him, and Su Bin only fueled his frustrations by favoring Qin Chao.
Just as Chef Wang was contemplating leaving, his chance finally arrived. Su Bin’s dine-in experimental kitchen thrived, even surpassing the city’s leading Chinese restaurant, “Heart of China.” With this success, Chef Wang was promoted to head chef at the experimental kitchen, earning a significant pay raise. Despite recognizing that his salary was a drop in the bucket compared to Su Bin’s profits, he saw his promotion as justified due to the demanding nature of his new role.
Still, what pushed Chef Wang to eventually consider “betrayal” wasn’t the salary or Su Bin’s success. It was Qin Chao—who, to Chef Wang’s dismay, was also transferred to the experimental kitchen as its manager. The two had always been at odds, and now, Chef Wang found himself working under someone he deeply resented. Life, indeed, was full of unexpected twists.
Sometimes, it’s the comparisons between people that create feelings of imbalance.
Chef Wang, who thought his promotion was a step up, found himself overshadowed by Qin Chao—a former dishwasher who had once been an undocumented worker. Although Chef Wang and Qin Chao had little interaction in the past, Qin Chao had heard plenty about Chef Wang’s misconduct, especially regarding stealing and using subpar ingredients. As someone trusted by Su Bin, Qin Chao made it his responsibility to ensure such problems didn’t occur.
Unlike the takeout restaurant, where ingredients were sourced directly from suppliers, the experimental kitchen required careful oversight. As the head chef, Chef Wang was privy to every new recipe Su Bin developed since he was the one executing them. In the restaurant business, a single signature dish can attract diners, and with Su Bin’s monthly introduction of new creations, the experimental kitchen’s popularity was through the roof.
Chef Wang resented being managed by Qin Chao and was even more infuriated when he learned that Qin Chao had become a shareholder in Su Bin’s business. That realization made it clear to Chef Wang—there was no future for him here.
Months before his departure, Chef Wang began planning his own venture. When Su Bin took a vacation, Chef Wang seized the opportunity to confront Qin Chao, abruptly quit, and quickly opened his own restaurant. Branding himself as the former head chef of “Boss Su,” Chef Wang’s new establishment initially drew a crowd of curious diners.
This was the biggest disruption Su Bin’s business had faced since its inception. Without the head chef, the experimental kitchen was in chaos. Su Bin was unreachable, and Qin Chao was so stressed he joked about going gray prematurely.
In the meantime, a young chef, Xiao Li, stepped up to fill the gap. Xiao Li, hired during the experimental kitchen’s early days, was only a year younger than Su Bin. Born to a Chinese father and a Malaysian mother, both of whom were refugees living on welfare in Country B, Xiao Li had just graduated from culinary school when he applied to work under Chef Wang as an assistant. Spending much of his time in the kitchen with Chef Wang, Xiao Li initially adopted some of Chef Wang’s questionable outlooks.
When Chef Wang left, he even tried to persuade Xiao Li to join him. Had Xiao Li agreed, the experimental kitchen might have had to shut down temporarily.
“Even trying to take Xiao Li? Chef Wang is ruthless!” Su Bin shook his head in disbelief. “I treated him well—how could he kick me when I’m down and burn bridges like this?”
Fortunately, Qin Chao intervened. After several private conversations with Xiao Li, Qin managed to “reprogram” him. The young chef became entirely loyal to Qin Chao and, by extension, Su Bin.
“Xiao Li’s a hard worker and has potential. Now that it’s the holiday season and we’re short-staffed, he’s been shouldering a huge burden these past few days,” Qin Chao reported.
Su Bin replied, “The kid’s got a future. Have you given him a raise yet?”
“Of course! Money talks, after all.”
After listening to the full story, Su Bin rubbed his chin and asked, “What’s Chef Wang’s restaurant called?”
“‘Boss Wang,’” Qin answered dryly.
Su Bin couldn’t help but laugh. “Not an ounce of creativity.”
But Qin Chao was filled with guilt. He blamed himself for not keeping the situation under control and preventing the fallout.
In truth, Su Bin and his trusted associates, Cheng Ge and Jin Fei, had anticipated potential problems with Chef Wang. Cheng Ge had even remarked that it was better for such issues to surface early. A cunning and patient saboteur lying low would have been far more dangerous than someone acting out openly.
“Stealing money or ingredients is minor—fire him, and it’s done. Even if he quits and copies Boss Su’s concept, that’s not an issue; we can handle it legally. The worst-case scenario would’ve been Wang tampering with our ingredients and ruining our reputation. Food safety scandals could destroy everything we’ve built.”
Patting Qin Chao on the shoulder, Su Bin reassured him, “You’ve handled this well. Even if I were here, I couldn’t have stopped it. Come on, let me take you out for a good meal. You’re already not handsome, and now you look haggard—people will think I’m mistreating you!”
Qin Chao sighed, “You still want to eat? This mess isn’t even cleaned up yet!”
Su Bin grinned, “What, do you want us to grab axes and smash up ‘Boss Wang’ right now? Let’s fill our stomachs first, then we’ll figure out a plan!”
Qin Chao gave Su Bin a side-eye. “What’s with you? You’ve changed since your trip.”
Su Bin: “How have I changed?”
Qin Chao: “You’ve got a bigger heart now…”
Su Bin: “A bigger heart? You mean I’m more ambitious?”
Qin Chao: “No, ‘bigger heart’ is slang from our neck of the woods. It means you’ve become more tolerant and less petty when dealing with things.”
Su Bin: “…Was I petty before?”
Qin Chao: “Not petty, just super meticulous—like a little girl.”
Su Bin: “Get lost!”
Qin Chao: “Hahaha…”
The lighthearted exchange eased the tension considerably. Su Bin showed no sign of blaming Qin Chao, which in turn lifted a huge weight off Qin Chao’s shoulders.
Qin Chao: “Why don’t we just have Chef Li whip up a couple of dishes here? It’d save us the trouble.”
Having an employee so hardworking, selfless, and thrifty made Su Bin feel like he’d used up a lifetime’s worth of good karma.
Su Bin: “It’s all stuff we’ve already created—it’s no fun. I need to try something different and find some ‘creative’ inspiration. Let’s go to the most famous Japanese restaurant in M City and see if there’s anything we can learn from them!”
Qin Chao, persuaded, shrugged and threw in a cheerful “Yoshi!” in Japanese.
