I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 80

An employee of Yan Corporation had spent the weekend watching the livestream of Living With You. They immediately recognized Yan Zui and Qi Yunwei.

The moment she saw them pretending not to know each other on the show, she knew the variety program must have been scripted. She thought to herself—President Yan and her “enchantress” really knew how to play; even their romance had made its way onto variety TV.

Wanting to share this discovery, she snapped a screenshot of Yan Zui on the show and sent it to a friend. But almost instantly, the message was censored.

She quickly realized—this was something that could only be discussed face-to-face, not online. It had to be Yan Zui’s doing. No one dared to spread it within the company either, for fear Yan Zui would find out and fire them.

Meanwhile, Yunmengze had nearly completed recruitment across all departments and was now steadily moving into full-scale development of the holographic game.

Every time the employees thought about how groundbreaking the game they were building was, their excitement surged. With Qi Yunwei promising generous bonuses once the project was completed, no extra motivation was needed—every worker showed up daily as if they’d been injected with chicken blood.

At first, the receptionist had been convinced the company would fold at any moment. But as the staff grew larger and larger, and as they went to and from work every day murmuring excitedly to themselves, her worries shifted. She no longer feared the company collapsing; she started worrying they were running some kind of illegal scheme—like a pyramid scam.

After all, every new hire seemed perfectly normal on their first day. But within two days, they’d be acting just like the rest, as if they’d been brainwashed.

The receptionist grew increasingly nervous, debating whether she should resign before it was too late. What if one day the boss decided to call her upstairs for “re-education”?

She was just a lowly receptionist. She didn’t have money for them to scam!

Qi Yunwei, meanwhile, began moving forward with plans to open a restaurant.

With her wide network, Yan Zui quickly secured a storefront in the city center that was up for transfer, and soon brought in designers for renovation.

Xiao Jiu’s wish had always been for more people to taste its cooking. So during the design process, the focus was on maximizing capacity.

The renovations took over half a month. When complete, the first floor could seat fifty diners, and the second floor another forty.

During this time, Qi Yunwei also set up the entire kitchen. Xiao Jiu could handle everything from washing vegetables to cooking to cleaning dishes, leaving only servers and a cashier to be hired.

A month later, Jinzhao Youjiu quietly opened its doors.

The day before the opening, Qi Yunwei posted the news in her social circle. President and Madam Liu immediately promised to show up in support, while Director Liu skipped the public comment and sent her a private message instead:
Director Liu: Yunwei, congratulations! I can’t believe you really opened a restaurant. Tomorrow I’ll bring some friends to give you our support.
Qi Yunwei: Thank you, President Liu.

Director Liu: By the way, who’s your chef?

Qi Yunwei: She’s basically my teacher—I learned a lot from her when I was studying how to cook.

Which was true—she had indeed studied under Xiao Jiu’s example.

Director Liu: Really! Then we’re definitely coming tomorrow!!!

From the string of exclamation points, Qi Yunwei could tell just how excited he was.

The next morning, six large congratulatory flower baskets arrived—four from President and Madam Liu, and two from Director Liu—lined up outside the door with impressive flair.

The official opening ceremony began at 11:30, but President and Madam Liu arrived at 11:00 sharp. Not only did they come themselves, but they also brought along their extended family—thirty or so people of all ages.

Thankfully, Qi Yunwei had come early from the office. She hurriedly welcomed them in.

The Liu family was well-off; their relatives were all established in various fields and used to dining in high-end restaurants.

From the outside, Jinzhao Youjiu looked like an ordinary eatery. They assumed it was one of those places with an impressive hidden interior. But once inside, the décor turned out to be just as simple as the façade.

After seating them, Qi Yunwei personally poured tea. A waiter handed her the handwritten menu, which she then passed to President Liu.

“We offer a fixed menu of fifteen dishes each day,” she explained. “Plus two soups—one sweet, one savory—and three desserts. Nothing outside the menu is available. Please let me know if there are any dietary restrictions, and I’ll inform the kitchen.”

President Liu chuckled. “No need to worry. Just serve us what you have. As long as we’re full, we’re happy.”

While Qi Yunwei went to the kitchen, President Liu’s younger sister whispered, “Brother, what kind of restaurant is this? The décor is terrible, the menu is tiny—opening in the city center, won’t she lose money?”

Madam Liu overheard and quickly scolded her. “Little sister, Miss Qi is no ordinary person. She wouldn’t do a losing business. Don’t speak carelessly.”

Not long after, Director Liu arrived with more than a dozen friends.

On the way over, he’d bragged: “If this place isn’t good, I’ll give each of you ten thousand yuan.” That was the only reason his busy friends agreed to come.

But then he raised the stakes: “Let’s make it fair. If even one of you says it’s not good, I’ll pay each of you ten thousand. But if all of you say it’s delicious, then each of you pays me ten thousand. Deal?”

“Why not?” they laughed. “If you’re so eager to hand us money, we’re in.”

This group had refined palates. Some had grown up on luxury cuisine, others on down-to-earth delicacies. Their tastes were picky and vastly different. To please all of them at once was nearly impossible.

Qi Yunwei brought them upstairs and handed over the handwritten menu. “Director Liu, here are today’s dishes. Would you like one of each?”

Director Liu, the only one who’d tasted Qi Yunwei’s cooking before, knew her teacher must be even more skilled. With the pride of a true chef in mind, he nodded. “As long as the portions are generous, that’ll be plenty.”

Once she left, his friends glanced at the plain sheet of paper, scrawled with pen. “Unbelievable. A restaurant without a proper menu? This is the first time I’ve seen something so cheap.”

Director Liu scoffed. “Who cares about the menu? It’s the food that matters.”

“Even if the food’s bad, we still pocket ten thousand. We can’t lose either way.”

Director Liu rolled his eyes. “Are you really people who care about ten thousand yuan? You’ll see—I’ll walk away today ten times richer.”

Just then, shouts of surprise rose from downstairs. A few guests thought something had happened—maybe a fire—but before anyone could investigate, the waiter brought up the first dish.

The rich aroma filled the air. Even the most jaded of them couldn’t help salivating. Eyes locked onto the plate, they sat frozen until it was set down.

One bite was enough. Director Liu’s eyes widened, and a groan of pleasure escaped him. “Oh my god!” he exclaimed, before his expression melted into pure bliss. “Exquisite! Truly divine. The chef is worthy of praise—far beyond even Yunwei’s own cooking!”

In an instant, they understood the gasps from downstairs.

Chopsticks darted in every direction, and the plate was emptied in seconds.

“Outrageous!” one producer suddenly banged the table.

Startled, Director Liu asked, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you like it?”

The man huffed. “I only got a single bite before the plate was gone! The serving speed is too slow—I demand to complain!”

Director Liu laughed. “You heard that—he’s begging for more. Proof enough it’s delicious.”

By the time all fifteen dishes, two soups, and three desserts had been served in rapid succession, every last one of them was licking their lips in satisfaction. Not a crumb remained.

Leaning back, stuffed and dazed, they sighed, “I never thought I’d live to taste food like this.”

Director Liu grinned. “So, no one’s saying it’s bad, right? Don’t forget to transfer the money.”

“Worth every cent,” they agreed. “A restaurant like this is a treasure.”

Downstairs, the Liu family’s table had gone through the same transformation. Even President Liu’s skeptical sister admitted defeat: “With food this good, of course she’ll make money. I’m bringing my friends here tomorrow!”

By the end, no one wanted to leave. Even the ones who hated sweets had fought over the last desserts.

When Director Liu’s group came down, they found the Liu family still chatting merrily, nibbling on a second round of treats despite already being full.

At the counter, Director Liu paid the bill and asked hopefully, “I’m a friend of the owner. The chef must be free now, right? Can we meet her?”

The cashier smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, the kitchen isn’t connected to the dining area except through the serving window. We don’t see the chef ourselves. If you’d like, you can ask the boss directly.”

It was nearly noon—the restaurant’s busiest time. Not wanting to take up space, Director Liu decided he could come back another day to meet the chef.

The Liu family prepared to leave too, but President Liu’s sister, ever practical, asked if they could order takeaway for dinner. In the end, she went so far as to reorder the entire menu again.

Once both large groups had left, the servers scrambled to clear tables for new guests.

But despite the prime location, the dining room remained strangely quiet.

“Boss,” the head waiter called Qi Yunwei to report. “This area is full of upscale offices. The white-collar workers here care about appearances. Maybe the simple décor is keeping them away. Why don’t we renovate a little better and put up some ads?”

Qi Yunwei only laughed. “Don’t worry. Take it slow. It’s better this way—if too many people come all at once, you won’t be able to handle it.”