Super Zoo-Chapter 366 - 362: Benefactor Turns into Enemy
"Can I ask why?"
Suming was puzzled. According to Hong Feifei, if someone else had been her savior, she would have been willing to work as a chef without pay. Was it only with him that she refused?
What kind of reasoning was that? Was I too handsome, not to mention a particularly devoted paragon of men, and this young lady feared falling hopelessly in love with me, leading to a lifetime of regret, so she decided to tough it out and reject me to avoid starting a doomed romance?
Impossible! If I had that kind of charm, I wouldn’t be running a damn zoo. I’d travel all over the world, getting to know wealthy widows with assets over a billion US Dollars. I could become the richest man in the world in less than half a year!
Cough cough, let’s not digress... The real reason Suming was here today was to invite this top chef to work at the zoo.
Until one second before the Overlord Turtle went berserk and injured people, Suming had never entertained the idea. At that time, Hong Feifei was in such high demand that no matter how much money Suming offered, it was unlikely he could have hired her.
But after the Overlord Turtle escaped from Hong Feifei’s control and even bit her, Suming’s mind suddenly became active, and he saw hope.
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When you’re on top, everyone’s your friend, but when you fall, they all turn against you. This is true in all industries, especially in a time-honored profession like cooking, which relies on skill. The higher you rise, the harder you fall. After this downfall, it’s going to be tough for her to get back up anytime soon.
This isn’t to say that her skills are gone—rather, it’s a matter of reputation. Without yesterday’s incident, with Hong Feifei’s fame, just mentioning her name would have fine restaurants scrambling to hire her at high salaries. But with a tarnished reputation, which fine dining establishment would hire a laughingstock? For famous restaurants, the chef’s reputation is sometimes even more important than their skills. To hire her would be to invite a spectacle, not unlike hiring a clown for guests to gawk at.
Most diners are not insiders. A head chef cutting their hand while cooking is already a huge joke; who would want to dine at that restaurant? Let alone almost being killed by their own ingredients. That’s terribly unprofessional.
Moreover, despite Hong Feifei’s unparalleled prominence at yesterday’s banquet, she is barely twenty-five years old, still a young girl. To have achieved so much in the culinary world at such an age, overshadowing a bunch of old men, certainly would have made some of them discontented. It’s not apparent when she’s successful, but now that she’s facing a setback, who knows how many would happily kick her while she’s down.
Suming deliberately asked Nangong Huang, if this situation had occurred before the Liberation, or even further back in the feudal society, it would be enough for an old chef to hang themselves in shame, or at the very least retire in disgrace.
As Hong Feifei said, even if some big restaurants were willing to hire her, she wouldn’t go. That would be akin to accepting charity, and a master of her level couldn’t stoop so low.
As for working at a roadside stall or small eatery, that was even less likely for Hong Feifei, as it would be akin to throwing her life away. She might as well retire directly—at least, that would be preserving some dignity.
For the zoo, though, this was a good opportunity.
The zoo’s restaurant didn’t require the chef to be famous, only skilled. Although not large in scale, its cultural and tourism background meant it wasn’t low-end, diametrically opposed to the roadside eateries, and there was a chance to expand as the zoo’s attraction grew.
That’s why Suming came to try his luck today. Before coming, he thought about various possibilities, including Hong Feifei demanding a high salary, or even shares in the company, and he prepared corresponding strategies.
Never did he imagine that Hong Feifei would refuse him in the most unlikely manner.
"Mr. Hong, are you planning to open your own restaurant?" Suming’s brain was working overtime, and the only possibility that came to mind was this: Hong Feifei inheriting her father’s business and restoring its glory.
Hong Feifei shook her head and faintly smiled, "No. I have some talent in cooking, but I’m completely hopeless at business, a surefire way to bankruptcy."
"Then I’m at a loss. Is it a matter of money?" Seeing that Hong Feifei seemed genuine and did not show any dissatisfaction with him, and since she wasn’t planning to run her own business, why wouldn’t she come to the zoo?
After a moment of silence, Hong Feifei said, "Mr. Su, do you remember Hong Bo? The head of the Hong Family Cuisine, and also my father."
"Hong Bo, your father?"
Suming frowned, thought for a long time, and then suddenly realized!
No wonder the name Hong Family Cuisine sounded somewhat familiar the first time I heard it, yet I couldn’t recall where I had heard it!
No wonder that after seeing the business card, Hong Feifei immediately recognized that my hometown was Sun Town!
That Hong Bo, wasn’t he the guy I figured out back during the New Year’s trip to Sun Town about establishing a wild boar farm, and I exposed his trickery?
At that time, Suming was more focused on how to enrich his hometown than on dealing with Hong Bo. After revealing Hong Bo’s trickery, he didn’t pay much attention to the man himself, to the point of forgetting his name over half a year.
Now it all made sense—by spoiling the Hong family’s plans, Hong Feifei held a grudge in her heart. The investigation showed that the Hong Family Cuisine’s business was in deep trouble, awaiting funds to sustain itself. Probably the closure of Hong Family Cuisine and Hong Feifei looking for a job were courtesy of my doing.
Like she’d be willing to help out!
What goes around comes around! Who knew that one second I would be her savior, and the next, her enemy!
Seeing Suming’s sudden realization, Hong Feifei quickly waved her hands and awkwardly explained, "Mr. Su, please don’t take it to heart. That incident was my father’s wrongdoing, and I didn’t approve of it either. But no matter what, the loss of my father’s lifelong business is still a knot in our hearts. Of course, we can’t blame you... Sigh, I’m not sure how to put this, but you saved my life, and I am deeply grateful, yet when it comes to working for you, I’m sorry, I just can’t do that, and I hope you can understand."
"Understood, understood." Suming nodded.
He wasn’t unreasonable. Given the situation, to draw an inappropriate analogy, it was like her father turned to thievery and got caught and beaten up by Suming in an act of heroism, then sent to the police and jailed for two years. Of course, it wouldn’t be Suming’s fault, but expecting her to work for Suming was impossible. She couldn’t get over it internally.
"Ah, look at this mess..." Hong Feifei felt quite embarrassed, biting her lip and saying, "How about I donate some money to the people of Sun Town as a show of gratitude towards you? I still have some savings..."
Suming immediately shook his head and said, "Mr. Hong, if you talk like this, then I should be the one feeling embarrassed. Let’s not even mention that I was unaware of the past conflicts between our families, even if I had known, I still would have had to save you. Saving a life... Well, it’s not about expecting anything in return; I just wanted to feel at peace with myself."
"I’m really sorry!" Hong Feifei said.
With the conversation reaching this point, Suming realized his plan had fallen through, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries, he stood up to take his leave.
Connected to the hospital room was a corridor leading to the main door, with a bathroom on one side. Hong Feifei wanted to get out of bed to see Suming off but he stopped her. He said a word of farewell and then walked through the corridor and opened the large door of the hospital room.
Hong Feifei lay in bed, with the corridor blocking her view and unable to see the entrance clearly. As soon as Suming opened the door, he was met with a familiar woman standing right at the entrance.
It was unexpectedly Ding from Xiankelai, standing with a posture that suggested she had been waiting there for quite some time.
"It’s you..." Before Suming could speak, Ding Jing gestured to him to be silent with her finger to her lips, then beckoned him to follow her.
Suming paused, wondering what game these two women were playing. After all, both had a bone to pick with him! The one inside, Hong Feifei, was bankrupted by him, and the one outside, he had stolen the honor of being among the top ten outstanding entrepreneurs from. Could it be that they were acting in concert to set him up?
A man of valor fears nothing. In the worst case, he’d be subject to a seduction!
Thinking this, Suming’s spirit soared with anticipation as he strode eagerly after Ding Jing.
The two of them walked all the way to a secluded spot beneath a window at the stairwell landing. It was there that Ding Jing finally stopped and turned to look at Suming with an expressionless face.
"Mr. Ding, if you have something to say, just spit it out, don’t be so cool, we’re in a hospital, not a photo studio," Suming rolled his eyes.
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"I heard everything you said to Hong Feifei just now," Ding Jing still spoke expressionlessly.
Ding Jing wasn’t hard on the eyes, and at just over thirty, she was in the prime of her womanhood. But she always wore such a cold expression that Suming sometimes wondered if she ever laughed.
"Oh, were you thinking of hiring Hong Feifei yourself?" Suming seemed to understand. The relationship between these two women was no ordinary one. Ding Jing’s Xiankelai Catering Group was well-known in Yangchuan City; it was entirely possible for her to hire Hong Feifei.
However, Ding Jing shook her head and said icily, "I couldn’t possibly hire her, and she wouldn’t come to my company either!"
"Why not? You two seemed pretty... on good terms yesterday, right?"
Troubled times reveal true friends; Suming understood this well. Despite the women’s apparent enmity on a normal day, the genuine concern and anxiety Ding showed when Hong Feifei was in danger yesterday was undeniably heartfelt and couldn’t be faked.
Suming’s curiosity was instantly ignited; he was all ears!
"That’s none of your business!" Ding Jing’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she said, "I only have one question for you, do you really want to hire her or not?"
"What a question!" Suming said.
"Fine, I have a plan. If you can do what I tell you, I guarantee she’ll agree to go to your company," Ding Jing said and immediately added, "Of course, you must run the zoo’s catering department at a high level of quality. Some street stall won’t cut it."
"Everything has a beginning. Of course, it’ll start as a small restaurant; I want to make that clear. Naturally, the catering business is profitable, and if things go well, I intend to expand and run it with care, without you telling me to," Suming explained.
"I understand, I’m talking about the future."
"Just tell me what your plan is." Suming thought, it better not be asking me to woo her. First win her over, then win her culinary skills. Isn’t there a saying, the quickest way to a woman’s heart is through that... whatever it is.
If Ding had suggested this, Suming was prepared to give her the middle finger, for what a crappy idea that would be!
