CHAPTER 561: CHAPTER 301: WEN YAO FISH_2

At the banquet, Cheng Gong, who usually showed little expression, got up and told President Han he was going outside to make a phone call. After President Han nodded, he left the banquet hall.

Before leaving, he reminded Xu Cheng, "Mr. Xu, the kitchen should be tidying up now after being busy. You can probably find Master Qin Huai in the kitchen in about 15 minutes."

After speaking, Cheng Gong remembered to check his watch and note the time.

A minute later, the two met in Suite 888.

For a moment, Qin Huai didn’t know what to say. Cheng Gong was the spirit he was least familiar with among those who had awakened. Yesterday, he was trying to extract information from Cheng Gong. Today, Cheng Gong awoke on his own.

Cheng Gong smiled slightly, "Although I don’t know how Master Qin knew I was a spirit, I believe you must have some abilities beyond normal people. Yesterday’s questioning was not without purpose."

"If you’re willing, you can say whatever you can disclose, and I will try my best to understand. But it’s best within 15 minutes; if it takes too long, I’m afraid Mr. Xu might get anxious waiting."

Qin Huai: ?

Qin Huai, though unsure why Xu Cheng would be anxious if it took too long, indeed had a lot to count and had repeated many times very proficiently.

Qin Huai quickly spilled everything he could and couldn’t say and even pulled Cheng Gong into the group chat of the family that cherished each other, telling Cheng Gong that if he didn’t understand anything, he could directly ask Chen Huihong, Luo Jun, and Qu Jing in the group. They all had plenty of time.

Qu Jing might be a little busy, but the other two truly had a lot of time.

After listening to the explanation from the male protagonist in the system text, Cheng Gong rarely fell silent.

Even if he’s a versatile assistant, it’s evident that he would be a bit flustered when facing the system’s male protagonist.

Cheng Gong took a full minute to digest this before slowly asking, "Should I now pick out one of the best pastry snacks from my memory, and whether I can make it or not, simply expressing my intention to gift you the recipe, and you’ll have a dish with some unknown buff, is that right?"

Qin Huai was moved on the spot. Is this the self-cultivation of an assistant? He was so shocked just now, and now his first reaction is actually to offer the recipe.

With this work quality, if he could afford a 7 million annual salary, he really would want to poach from President Han.

"There’s no rush with that," Qin Huai said, "I’m more interested in knowing what your obsession is right now."

Cheng Gong understood, "You want to know how I failed the first time? Let me briefly explain."

Through Cheng Gong’s narrative, Qin Huai heard the tragic story of a diligent worker.

Like Chen Huihong, Cheng Gong’s first life during the period of the Republic of China was very cautious in his transformation, becoming a young and strong man arriving in Shanghai. He worked at the docks for some time to understand the rules of the human world, then started learning various skills.

There are indeed few spirits who are so normal, actively immersed, industrious, and first learn how to be human.

As Wenyao Fish, Cheng Gong is an auspicious beast, but he himself doesn’t have any abilities. He first spent some time learning to write, then learned to use an abacus, and entered a rice shop, where he relied on his eloquence and excellent work ability, along with low salary demands, to become an accountant.

Then, under the boss’s appreciation, he was promoted to manager.

This sounds like a very ordinary promotion process.

With Cheng Gong’s diligent work and Wenyao Fish’s auspicious beast buff, the rice shop’s business gradually prospered and rarely encountered trouble from various forces.

The boss’s business grew bigger, spreading throughout the south, and eventually even expanded beyond the rice shop into shipping.

Doing shipping business in those days was undoubtedly risky and bloodthirsty, yet the boss managed smoothly, soon becoming a wealthy magnate.

Cheng Gong was also forgotten by the boss.

When the boss was just a rice shop owner, he greatly needed a talented manager like Cheng Gong. But when he became a wealthy magnate, Cheng Gong was just a negligible employee among many.

The boss relied on Wenyao Fish’s auspicious beast buff, transforming from a small rice shop owner into a shipping tycoon, but he didn’t know this was Cheng Gong’s contribution, only thinking himself fortunate. Once he became a shipping magnate, he even started disdaining the early rice shop employees, feeling their wages were too high, and aggressively started layoffs.

Cheng Gong was laid off just like that.

He didn’t lose heart and quickly found another employer.

Very soon, the second boss, with Wenyao Fish’s blessing, had smooth business operations, then started feeling uncomfortable about Cheng Gong and the old employees who witnessed him at his most destitute moments, and without any reason laid them all off.

The third boss did the same.

Cheng Gong knew his abilities might not match the boss’s post-wealth status, but he didn’t understand why every boss, after becoming wealthy, would abandon the mates who fought together with them. He didn’t need the boss to reward him with gold and jewels; he just wanted the treatment books described – enduring hardships together and sharing fortunes.

A strong discontent led to Cheng Gong’s failed awakening.

His obsession was actually very simple, wanting to find a good boss who could endure hardships and share fortunes.

Cheng Gong’s second life didn’t meet his ideal boss either.

This is his third life now.

As a spirit, Cheng Gong’s awakening difficulty is not high but also not low. Anyone who has worked knows that finding a good boss is as hard as climbing the heavens, but it’s absurdly lucky that Cheng Gong found President Han, exactly such a good boss.

Cheng Gong’s sudden successful awakening was also quite reasonable.

"So, during the birthday banquet, you happened to feel that President Han is truly a rare boss who can endure hardships and share fortunes, and with an emotion, your obsession dissolved and you successfully awakened," Qin Huai asked.

Cheng Gong thought for a moment, "I’m not exactly sure. I only had the thought as I was eating the Four Happiness Glutinous Rice and was reminded of when President Han had just founded Good Taste."

"At that time, I had just graduated from college and was working by President Han’s side. The company had little money during its initial start-up phase. To save money, every day Mr. Wang cooked meals and sent them to the company, offering meals for a few of us employees. Mr. Wang’s cooking was particularly bad; she always simmered the dishes too long to ensure they were cooked, so by the time they arrived at the company, they were overcooked to a mush."

"In such a situation, on my birthday during my first year at the company, President Han gave me a computer."

"He said the company didn’t have enough computers for everyone. Since I needed to use a computer more often, staying in the company to wait and use computers for overtime wasn’t ideal. As a boss, he rightfully took the occasion of my birthday to give me a computer, so I wouldn’t have to compete with others and could finish work on time. If I resigned, I could take the computer with me as a token of the company’s appreciation."

"At that time, even President Han shared computers with others, though he didn’t use it much. But at that moment, I genuinely felt I’d joined a good company and wanted to work there for a lifetime."

"While eating the Four Happiness Glutinous Rice, I suddenly recalled this event and felt warm and happy, then my obsession dissolved, and I awoke."

Qin Huai was shocked.

Earlier, while looking at the game interface, he had also glanced at the Four Happiness Glutinous Rice’s buff.

[When eaten at a birthday banquet, this dish allows one to feel genuine joy and pleasure, as blessings filled with goodwill are among the warmest loves in the world.]

So... Cheng Gong essentially awoke by eating Four Happiness Glutinous Rice.

The buff matched perfectly.

It’s because Qin Huai awoke, and his awakening seemed most like a typical awakening in a system text among all spirits.

What... what a normal spirit.

During his first life, his behavior and manner were normal, process was normal, awakening mode was normal, even his obsession seemed quite normal.

He’s practically the model student among spirits.

Does the fish spirits have an awakening training class? They seem to be more normal than bird spirits and plant spirits.

"So..." Qin Huai didn’t know what to ask next.

Cheng Gong glanced at his watch, "Master Qin, it’s been 18 minutes. I suggest you return to the kitchen; otherwise, spending too long in the restroom might be misunderstood."

"We can talk more later, and you need to give me some time to go back and rummage through my memory and see if there’s a really good recipe I can give you."

Qin Huai found Cheng Gong’s words very reasonable and nodded, "Alright."

"Do you want to come to the kitchen for some snacks later?"

"Yes, please save me a bowl of Four Happiness Glutinous Rice, thank you."