novelraw Chapter 374 - 345: What Defeats Us Is Never Others, but Ourselves_2
Chapter 374 - 345: What Defeats Us Is Never Others, but Ourselves_2
The other colleagues chimed in, "Yeah, come on, tell us!"
Brother Qin and Cai Qinyu exchanged a glance, a hint of understanding passing between them.
Brother Qin coughed lightly, "Director Jin, to be honest, Chef Huang’s culinary skills..."
Cai Qinyu laughed and took over the conversation, "Brother Qin, stop keeping us in suspense. Actually, Chef Huang’s cooking skills are pretty average, not as miraculous as the internet claims."
Brother Qin also laughed and nodded, "Right, Qinyu’s right. The food he makes tastes just so-so, nothing special."
Upon hearing their response, the colleagues were obviously a bit disappointed but soon laughed it off, sighing, "Seems like the trending topics on the internet can sometimes be exaggerated."
Suspicion flickered in Director Jin’s eyes, but without any evidence to prove whether what Brother Qin and Cai Qinyu said was true, he could only temporarily bury his doubts, hoping for a chance to verify it himself in the future.
Similar situations were playing out in various workplaces as well.
Like the special police team, the education bureau...
But most leaders, even if fooled by colleagues, all maintained a skeptical attitude like Director Jin, thinking of one day verifying things personally.
...
In the kitchen.
The sound of water splashed loudly.
Once again transformed into Huang Jun’s exclusive chef, Liu Suyu was standing by the sink, busily washing the osmanthus flowers.
Her body swayed lightly with the movements, certain parts bobbing up and down like two playful little bunnies.
Meanwhile, Chu Qiweng was next to her, bending over, gently holding a piece of lotus root with both hands, meticulously scrubbing the mud off, inadvertently showcasing her unique charm.
Quite alluring indeed!
Imagine if this group of young and beautiful garden leaders all dressed up as chefs; what a charming scene that would be!
It could probably captivate everyone!
And as time went by...
All the osmanthus flowers and lotus roots had been washed spotlessly clean, neatly arranged to the side, waiting for Huang Jun’s skillful hands to turn them into delicious dishes.
"Phew, finally finished them all." Liu Suyu breathed a long sigh of relief, gently smoothing her somewhat messy waves, a touch of reflection on her lips, "Didn’t expect washing osmanthus flowers to be so troublesome!"
Heaven pity!
Her hands that usually never touched spring water, today repeatedly washed osmanthus flowers in this clear water, as if trying to infuse every petal’s fragrance into her fingertips.
God knows how many osmanthus flowers she washed today!
"Yeah, never thought washing osmanthus flowers and lotus roots would be so physically demanding. When lunch comes, I’m definitely going to eat a big meal to replenish my energy!"
Chu Qiweng nodded frequently beside her, agreeing with Liu Suyu, then leaned back on a chair, stretching her arms wide.
Her gaze fell on the golden osmanthus flowers and the tender white lotus roots, imagining Huang Jun turning them into delicious osmanthus and glutinous rice lotus roots in the afternoon, her mouth watering in anticipation, wishing she could eat them right away.
"Should’ve asked those parents who brought the osmanthus and lotus roots to stay and help earlier; it would have made things easier for us." Liu Suyu spoke up again, shaking her head in regret, also reaching out to gently rub her sore waist to relieve fatigue.
Chu Qiweng laughed teasingly, "Manager Liu, you’re really a hindsight strategist. The people are already gone; how could we call them back? Besides, we’re already done, saying this is meaningless now!"
"Yes, yes, I should have thought of it earlier." Liu Suyu nodded in agreement, "After all, these osmanthus flowers and lotus roots were voluntarily brought by the parents; they should participate in the process. Next time we can plan ahead and let everyone share the joy of labor."
The other garden leaders also nodded in agreement, "That’s right; whoever brings the osmanthus flowers and lotus roots should be responsible for cleaning a part of it..."
"Right, right, that’s a good idea."
"..."
While taking a break from washing the osmanthus flowers and lotus roots, the group sat in a corner of the kitchen, starting to chat idly, enjoying the moment of tranquility.
Chu Qiweng picked up her phone, glanced at the time,
then couldn’t help but scroll through her friends’ circle. Her gaze slid across the screen, browsing the latest updates from her friends.
After scrolling for a while, she opened Weibo, continuing to immerse herself in the online world.
While scrolling...
She clicked on the topic ranked first on the trending list.
Initially, Chu Qiweng was almost speechless in shock, doubting whether she was seeing things.
At first glance, she froze instantly, thinking she had seen it wrong.
She rubbed her eyes and confirmed again—
Good heavens!
This isn’t an illusion!
"Chef Huang, you’re trending again!" She excitedly shouted out loud.
This startling and abrupt shout...
Made Liu Suyu and the others stop what they were doing, stunned for a moment before finding Chu Qiweng a bit of an alarmist.
"Chef Huang was trending last night, and this morning he’s at the top. Who doesn’t know that? Do you need to be so shocked?"
"Yes, Accountant Chu, are you trying to scare me to death so you can inherit my Huabei?"
"Accountant Chu, my little heart almost got scared out of me!"
"..."
Chu Qiweng shook her head repeatedly, hurriedly explaining, "It’s not the morning trending topic; it’s a new trending topic, a new trending topic..."
"You mean Chef Huang is trending again?" Liu Suyu came to her senses, asking with a face full of disbelief.
After all, very few people can trend twice on the same day, unless they are first-line celebrities.
Chu Qiweng nodded like pecking rice, "Uh-huh!"
Seeing this, Liu Suyu and the others quickly pulled out their phones, each opening the Weibo app.
Not browsing doesn’t matter...
One look at the top of the trending list, and hanging there was—#the light of salvation for the suicidal, lamb skewers#.
And the focus of this trending topic was none other than the familiar Huang Jun!
As for the morning trending topic, it quietly slipped to second place.
All this precisely confirmed that saying— "It’s never others who defeat us, but ourselves."
Liu Suyu’s heart surged with an uncontrollable excitement, her fingers constantly sliding across the phone screen, going through each comment.
Looking at those positive feedback and praises, her face blossomed into a smile.
It was better than trending herself!
Of course, she didn’t have the opportunity or ability to trend either...
Then.
She excitedly came to the operation room, shouting to Huang Jun, "Chef Huang, good news! You’ve become the trending topic focus again!"
Trending?
Busy making lunch, Huang Jun, upon hearing the shout, raised his head in surprise looking at Liu Suyu, "Manager Liu, what trending topic?"
"Chef Huang, see for yourself..."
Liu Suyu approached him, showing him the phone screen.
Huang Jun briefly paused his busy work, curiously moving closer to Liu Suyu, his gaze following her fingers as they slid over the screen.
Minutes later...
He finally understood the entire story.
Apparently, the matter of a few lamb skewers persuading a suicidal person to change their mind caused such a massive stir on the internet, even skyrocketing to the top of the trending list.
Is this even possible?
This happened so long ago...
If it truly deserved to be trending, it should have happened earlier; it shouldn’t have taken so long to trigger a sensation, right?
Probably because of the morning’s trending topic, many started paying attention to me, some even began digging into me, which is how this old story got brought back to light?
I hope these trending topics die down quickly to prevent disruption to my life, and don’t want my affairs overly magnified and becoming people’s frequent chatter.
"These trending topics, just let them pass quickly..." Huang Jun helplessly shook his head and continued his work.
Initially not understanding, but with a second thought, Liu Suyu comprehended Huang Jun’s feelings, sensing his concerns.
Also worrying about what he worries, she too hoped the clamorous trending topics fade quickly, allowing him to continue his work and life in peace without outside disturbance.
...
After finishing the call, Liang Yinqiu tidied up a bit and then walked out from the principal’s office to the guard room at the gate, where she met Jiang Shuihan and Lv Pengfei, who had been waiting.