AGN -Chapter 297 Loving Work

After finishing the four dishes, Qin Huai completely changed his impression of Tong Deyan—and at the same time gained a whole new understanding of Han Guishan’s appetite.

Before meeting Tong Deyan, Qin Huai hadn’t heard much positive about him. Most of what he learned from Dong Shi was that Tong had a bad temper, didn’t take apprentices, and seemed to have some conflict with his own culinary school. He was said to have a fiery personality, exploding at the slightest provocation, and often arguing fiercely with the owner at Babaozhai.

That said, his professional skills were solid. His cooking was more than competent—otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to argue with the boss every day and still firmly hold onto the position of head chef.

After all, the head chef at Babaozhai earns one of the highest salaries in the industry.

Before coming here, Qin Huai’s strategy had been simple: avoid contact with Tong Deyan as much as possible.

No contact, no conflict.

Tong handled the hot kitchen (savory dishes), while Qin Huai handled the pastry and dough side. Their responsibilities barely overlapped, so as long as they didn’t interact, they could just finish the job peacefully.

That had been Qin Huai’s thinking before tasting the food.

But now—

Tong’s bad temper? That’s just his personality. The supposed conflicts with his school? Just unverified gossip. As for constantly arguing with the boss—who’s to say the problem isn’t the boss?

Master Tong must have his reasons!

His dishes are delicious, he’s easy to get along with, and he’s straightforward. If he wants to eat pickled vegetable dumplings, he just asks directly. He knows how to handle things with the right balance and understands who to approach for what.

Most importantly—his cooking is incredible.

The sweet-and-sour carp was crispy and perfectly balanced; the stir-fried double crunch showcased masterful heat control; the braised sea cucumber with scallions, while not as good as Cao Guixiang’s, still outclassed 99% of restaurants; and the braised prawns—no need to elaborate, especially the way he pressed the shrimp heads—pure professionalism.

Qin Huai had made up his mind. Once he got back, he would add Tong Deyan on WeChat and keep in touch. Ideally, he’d build a good enough relationship to get access to Tong’s special off-menu dishes whenever he visited Babaozhai.

After all, top chefs at high-end restaurants always have their signature specialties—dishes that don’t always appear on the menu. Whether you get to taste them depends on your connections.

Now that we’ve talked about Tong Deyan, let’s talk about Boss Han’s appetite.

Qin Huai was stunned.

No wonder Chen Gong wasn’t worried about Han Guishan overeating himself into the hospital—his appetite was truly astonishing.

The fermented rice bun Qin Huai handed him as a side dish? Finished.

Still not satisfied, Han noticed some leftover staff meal in the kitchen and had another round of food with a bowl of leftover rice.

As a top-tier assistant, Chen Gong couldn’t let his boss suffer the indignity of eating leftovers. He immediately called a nearby restaurant and ordered a fresh, hot meal.

And now, Han Guishan was polishing off that fresh meal as well. His appetite was jaw-dropping.

At this point, Qin Huai didn’t even bother trying to persuade him to eat less.

It was too late.

Standing side by side with Chen Gong, arms crossed, Qin Huai watched Han Guishan mix the last bit of sauce from the stir-fried dish into his rice. His eyes practically said “I don’t understand this, but I’m deeply shocked.” He asked:

“Does Boss Han… usually eat this much?”

“Boss Han is actually quite health-conscious most of the time,” Chen Gong replied calmly, defending his boss. “He usually eats multiple smaller meals. He only eats more when the food is especially good.”

“And he built everything from scratch—came from tough times. He has no airs and treats his subordinates very well.”

“It’s my honor to work for him.”

Qin Huai: …Alright, I get it. You’re his ultimate loyalist.

Since he had nothing better to do—and figuring that as long as he wasn’t embarrassed, no one else would be either—Qin Huai decided to skip the indirect approach. When dealing with people like this, sincerity is the ultimate weapon.

After thinking carefully for three seconds, he asked:

“Assistant Chen, you’ve been with Boss Han since the early days, so you’re basically a company veteran. I’m just curious—purely curious—but according to TV logic, you should at least be a senior executive by now. Why choose to remain an assistant?”

The moment he asked, Qin Huai felt he’d overstepped.

Maybe he shouldn’t be called Qin Huai—he should be called Chen Huai. At this moment, Chen Huihong’s spirit seemed to possess him.

In the distance, Tong Deyan suddenly nearly choked on a bun and started looking around for water.

Chen Gong smiled and answered calmly:

“Because Boss Han needs me as his assistant.”

“When I first followed him, this was the job I did. To be honest, although I had a decent education—a bachelor’s degree—I studied fine arts. I can handle assistant work just fine, but if you put me in another department, I wouldn’t really have the ability.”

“The most important thing is—the assistant’s salary is high.”

Qin Huai was immediately interested. Lowering his voice, he asked, “About how much?”

In the distance, Tong Deyan choked again, coughing violently.

Chen Gong didn’t hide it. He held up seven fingers. “Roughly a seven-figure annual salary at this level.”

Qin Huai: !
!!
!!!

Boss Han!
Are you still hiring assistants? The kind who specializes in making pastries—a personal dessert assistant!

Maybe Chen Gong was just really free, or maybe Qin Huai’s blunt way of talking made him think something was off about Qin Huai and he wanted to chat more to figure it out. In any case, until Zang Mu’s dishes came out, Qin Huai kept chatting with Chen Gong.

Chen Gong didn’t really have a personal life. As a personal assistant earning as much as 7 million a year, even when Han Guishan didn’t have tasks for him, he still had to stay on call 24/7.

The high-intensity work made his personal life extremely monotonous. In his thirties and still single, his days consisted almost entirely of work. He rarely traveled on his own—most of his trips were company-paid, accompanying Han Guishan and his family.

Compared to him, Zheng Siyuan’s single status felt almost unfair.

Zheng Siyuan simply failed blind dates because he thought the women couldn’t cook well. At least he was willing to go on blind dates and wasn’t resistant to them.

Chen Gong, on the other hand, had never even gone on one. He didn’t have the time, and he felt blind dates would interfere with his work and his dedication to serving Boss Han with complete loyalty.

A couple of years ago, Han Guishan even organized an internal matchmaking event at Good Taste specifically for Chen Gong. The event was a huge success—over a dozen couples formed, and about half of them ended up getting married.

But Chen Gong himself didn’t go.

He stayed home writing a work report.

Afterward, when he found out the event had been arranged especially for him, Chen Gong was very touched. But he also made it clear that he had no interest in that sort of thing. Han Guishan understood, assuming Chen Gong just hadn’t met the right person yet, and later asked his wife, Wang Jing, to help look for potential matches.

It turned out Wang Jing wasn’t very good at matchmaking either—otherwise Chen Gong wouldn’t still be single now.

However, the Good Taste matchmaking tradition remained. Every year, the company organizes an internal social event, and over the years, quite a few couples have formed. Some young, single graduates even apply for jobs there specifically because of its reputation.

There’s even a rumor going around that Good Taste helps employees find partners.

Chen Gong said he was the one who spread that rumor—it gives them an advantage when recruiting young employees.

By the end of the conversation, Qin Huai felt like he had an epiphany.

He understood what kind of obsession Chen Gong had—and roughly guessed the trigger for his awakening.

Qin Huai took out his phone and sent a message in the “Loving Family” group chat.

Qin Huai: I think I’ve figured out what kind of obsession Chen Gong has.
Qin Huai: But I have a question.
Qin Huai: Are there spirits whose defining trait is loving to work?
Qin Huai: I feel like his obsession is probably finding a good boss and dedicating himself completely, even unto death.

Luo Jun: There are spirits like that? Spirits that love working???
Chen Huihong: I quite like working.
Qu Jing: I also quite like working.
Luo Jun: ???

Qin Huai, holding his phone: …

No wonder you’re not human—you really aren’t human!

Chen Huihong: @Qin Huai, Xiao Qin, what about you?
Qin Huai: I think it’s okay.
Luo Jun: …