System, You Didn't Say the Villain Can Read Minds! - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

◎Dissipation.◎

Mo Jiu felt a little nervous when selecting ingredients. After all, in her memory, this was her first time cooking, and she didn’t know if she could make anything decent.

However, when she saw a few familiar dish names on the menu and complete cooking processes popped up in her mind…

I know how to make this.

I am sure I do.

Mo Jiu calmed down. Her movements, initially hesitant, became decisive and swift.

She skillfully handled the ingredients, like someone with amnesia who still retained muscle memory.

She dared not ask the system why she possessed this muscle memory.

The system also didn’t ask her why.

She focused, put away all distracting thoughts, finished preparing the ingredients, then turned on the induction cooker, heated the pan, and poured in the oil.

Less oil, healthier.

It should be fine to use a bit more ingredients, right? I want Xiao Zhou to try some too.

The taste shouldn’t be bad. I have a feeling it won’t be bad…

It definitely won’t be bad!

Yun Wenzhou craned her neck, waiting for the food, eager to taste her Sister’s cooking.

But someone next to her was determined to spoil the mood.

The bald man named Yuan saw how little oil Mo Jiu poured and loudly instructed: “Pour more! You’re well-dressed, so your family shouldn’t be poor. Why are you so stingy? That little oil will stick to the bottom! Don’t ruin the pan!”

Simultaneously, his inner thoughts: The Director hates extravagance and waste! The more she wastes, the easier it is for me to keep my position!

Mo Jiu didn’t know his thoughts, so she didn’t question his motives, merely responding with a puzzled “Huh?”

While she hesitated whether to heed his advice, Yun Wenzhou suddenly reached out and snatched the oil can from her hand.

“Sister can cook it however she wants.” Yun Wenzhou put down the oil can, stopping herself from accidentally pouring all the oil inside onto the man.

As a chef, instead of trying to improve his cooking skills to keep his job, he’s trying to get rid of anyone who might be better than him? How little confidence does he have in his own cooking?

The bald Yuan was looking for an excuse to kick them both out of the kitchen. Hearing Yun Wenzhou’s words, his face instantly changed. He shouted at Yun Wenzhou: “What is your attitude? If you don’t want to work, get out! I am the manager here! You cook the way I tell you to! If you want to innovate, go do it in your own home! Don’t treat the shelter like it’s yours!”

Why are they suddenly arguing?

Mo Jiu was a little uneasy, but the ingredients were already in the wok, so she couldn’t ignore them. Even though she felt she had no chance of passing the test, she persisted in stirring the dish.

The bald Yuan tried to push her away to stop her, but as soon as he raised his hand, Yun Wenzhou quickly grabbed his fingers and bent them backward forcefully.

Yun Wenzhou was already strong. Due to her disgust with the man’s thoughts, she didn’t hold back at all, nearly breaking his fingers.

The man let out a pig-like scream, repeatedly yelling in pain, and tried to use his other hand to pry Yun Wenzhou’s fingers off, but failed.

“Let go! Let go quickly!” The man’s expression gradually twisted. His posture was pathetic, having completely lost the authority he had when shouting earlier.

Yun Wenzhou looked at him coldly, her eyes looking at a pile of rotten, stinking garbage.

Mo Jiu, seeing the service staff from the adjacent dining area approaching through the glass partition—likely attracted by the man’s screaming—quickly reminded Yun Wenzhou: “Someone’s coming.”

Although this manager is annoying, a lesson should be enough. Really hurting him might cause trouble.

Hearing Mo Jiu’s inner thoughts, Yun Wenzhou didn’t immediately let go of the man, but issued a threat: “Dare to give random instructions again?”

“I wouldn’t dare! Never again!”

With his fate held in her grip and in excruciating pain, the man didn’t bother to think. He agreed to whatever Yun Wenzhou said.

Only after receiving his guarantee did Yun Wenzhou let him go.

Shortly after, three young women from the dining area walked into the kitchen.

“What happened?” one of them asked.

Yun Wenzhou offered no explanation, just watched the man with cold eyes. The man rubbed his fingers and replied: “Nothing, nothing, just messing around.”

“It smells so good, what are you making?” A server approached Mo Jiu and peeked into the pot. “Black pepper beef tenderloin? It smells incredible! Can I have a taste later?”

Another server positioned herself on Mo Jiu’s other side: “Sharing is caring!”

The third server stood behind Mo Jiu and peeked over on her tiptoes: “Oh my, that smell! My mouth is watering!”

Yun Wenzhou frowned, wanting nothing more than to pull the three women away.

While she was still debating whether to act, another female voice sounded from the doorway: “So lively here? It’s not mealtime yet, is it?”

Hearing her voice, everyone present, except for Mo Jiu and Yun Wenzhou, was visibly startled.

Then, one of the female servers excitedly called out: “Director!”

The Director? The boss of this shelter?

Mo Jiu turned her head curiously and saw a middle-aged woman wearing an elegant, light green tweed suit. She stood straight, with a gentle smile on her face, exuding grace in every movement.

She instantly understood what was happening: “A new hire test? You continue, I’m just here to watch.”

And maybe snag some food.

The woman, referred to as “Director,” thought to herself as she sat down in the kitchen’s resting area, quickly surrounded by the enthusiastic servers.

Yun Wenzhou quickly took up a position next to Mo Jiu.

The bald Yuan outwardly fawned over the Director but inwardly screamed in dismay!

Why is she here? I’m done for. I finally became a manager, was bragging about it yesterday, and now I’ll be demoted? That’s too embarrassing!

However, no matter what he thought, he couldn’t abuse his power in front of the Director. He could only silently wait for Mo Jiu to finish all the dishes.

Mo Jiu first stir-fried a black pepper beef tenderloin, then made garlic chicken wings. Finally, feeling there was too much meat, she added a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a plate of dry-fried cauliflower.

She was hooked on cooking after her first try. If a group of people weren’t waiting to test her, she would have made even more!

Four dishes, seven people. Each person took a bowl and used communal chopsticks to put the food into their bowls to taste.

Mo Jiu herself almost cried after taking a bite.

Wuwuwu, it’s so delicious. As expected of me!

Yun Wenzhou hadn’t eaten yet, but the corners of her lips were already curved upward.

She slowly placed the food into her mouth and chewed carefully, wanting the taste to linger, just a little longer.

Sister’s homemade dish.

It really tastes so good.

I can eat this every day now. I’m so happy!

On the other side, the Director and the servers were chatting animatedly, everyone praising Mo Jiu’s cooking.

“The girl’s cooking skills are great. You must cook at home every day, right?”

“Wow, it’s so delicious! This is the first time I’ve eaten something this good!”

“There are too few people who can cook now. It’s all done by robots, but human-made food is indeed better!”

“What’s your name, little one?” the Director asked Mo Jiu.

Mo Jiu stated her name.

“Mo Jiu. Then I’ll call you Xiao Mo. This area will be yours from now on. You’ll oversee the chef assessments and training, too.”

“Huh? Me?” Mo Jiu pointed at herself in disbelief.

If she was qualified to oversee those things, it meant…

“Yuan He, swap badges with her,” the Director said to the bald man. “You’re a good person, but your cooking skills have a lot of room for improvement. Don’t underestimate this young girl. Her cooking is truly exceptional. Let her guide you more, understand?”

“Eh?” Mo Jiu hadn’t expected that simply wanting to cook would lead to her replacing the kitchen manager.

Yuan He, however, looked completely unsurprised by the result. There was no astonishment on his face, only frustration.

After a while, the Discipline Officer who was responsible for assigning Mo Jiu and Yun Wenzhou their badges returned. Upon learning that Mo Jiu had not only successfully gotten a job in the kitchen area but had also become the manager, she was genuinely happy for her despite her surprise: “Congratulations. A manager has quite a bit of authority. You have a say in personnel work assignments and cooking standards. But with great power comes great responsibility. You must manage your staff well and control every step. You can’t oppress your employees but you can’t be too lenient either. If you’re reported, the Director can replace you at any time.”

“I don’t mind. As long as I can stay in the shelter, anything is fine.” Mo Jiu had no desire to be a manager, but doing it for a while was fine.

Looking at the plot of this book, neither the protagonist nor the villain stayed here for long. Since this job was temporary, there was no need to take it too seriously.

“What about you? What will you be doing here?” the Discipline Officer asked Yun Wenzhou.

Yun Wenzhou was silent.

She couldn’t cook… Seeing her Sister manage so effortlessly on her first try, she thought she could do it too. But the two drops of water that splashed into the oil scared her so much that she instantly retreated ten meters away.

The Discipline Officer saw her embarrassment and smiled: “You don’t need to force yourself to stay in the kitchen if you can’t cook. Even if you do a different job from your Sister, you can still see each other. Your Sister will only be busy in the morning, noon, and evening. She can do whatever she wants the rest of the time.”

“I can wash dishes,” Yun Wenzhou insisted, sticking out her neck.

“Washing dishes is a job anyone can do. It’s best to save it for those who have no other skills. The guard position, however, is severely understaffed. Don’t you want to personally ensure your Sister’s safety?”

This touched a chord with Yun Wenzhou, leaving her speechless.

But what finally pushed her to nod was Mo Jiu’s inner voice.

Xiao Zhou is indeed better suited to be a guard.

Since Sister thinks so too, then…

Yun Wenzhou hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted the Discipline Officer’s suggestion and left the kitchen with her.

The Discipline Officer said she would take them to the living area later and try to arrange their residences together.

Before leaving, Yun Wenzhou gave the bald man a warning glance. The bald man shrunk his neck, genuinely admitting defeat.

He was truly afraid of Yun Wenzhou.

[What did this woman eat to grow up? She’s so strong. I can’t afford to offend her.]

Hearing his inner thoughts, Yun Wenzhou left with peace of mind.

Thus, she didn’t hear the man’s next thought—Damn it, I wish they would just vanish into thin air!

This was, of course, just a thought.

But thinking about his bright future managing the kitchen turning into smoke…

The man glared intently at Mo Jiu’s back.

His dissatisfaction, his frustration, his resentment, his exasperation… various negative emotions stacked and squeezed, eventually forming an all-consuming black hole.

His vision gradually blurred, stained with deep darkness. His body began to mutate…

“Gurgle.”

Mo Jiu, who was studying the seasonings, suddenly heard a strange sound and instinctively turned her head.

Without any preparation, a massive monster entered her field of vision.

It stood behind her, in the spot where the bald man had been.

As for the bald man? Mo Jiu only saw fragments of clothing under the monster.

“Gurgle.”

The monster lifted its long, disgusting, maggot-like body, covered in short limbs. It opened its huge, sucker-like mouth, constantly emitting strange, liquid-gurgling sounds. Inside the mouth were layers of jagged teeth.

Mo Jiu: “…”

Mo Jiu: System, please tell me I’m hallucinating.

System: Aaaaaah Host you’re going to die run aaaaaah!

Run?

There was no time to run.

The monster lunged forward, swallowing Mo Jiu whole with its terrifying mouth.

Everything happened so fast that Mo Jiu lost consciousness without even feeling any pain.

The monster wriggled its maggot-like body and chewed, cheering in a fragmented voice as it did so: “Didn’t they just vanish… that’s good… I’m the manager again… haha… hahahaha…”

However, its joy was short-lived.

The kitchen lights suddenly flickered. Accompanying this flicker, everything in the confined space subtly warped, as if an invisible vortex had appeared.

The monster vaguely sensed something. Its massive head shook from side to side, but it couldn’t locate the source of the anomaly.

The light’s flickering frequency gradually increased. The bright light converged toward one spot, first forming a luminous sphere, then this sphere elongated vertically, forming a human shape.

A figure with distinct female features, her medium-length, shoulder-length hair swayed behind her head, like golden rice fields blown by the wind.

But there were no windows underground. Where was the wind coming from?

This body, condensed from light, gradually shed its luminous shell, revealing human skin. During this process, a pair of eyes, beautiful like stars but devoid of any emotion, opened.

“Enemy… eliminate… flesh and blood…” She raised a hand toward the monster.

The monster’s body suddenly felt an invisible constraint, stuck in place, unable to move, only capable of minor tremors: “How… what’s happening?”

“…Dissipate,” the figure of light uttered the last two words.

Almost immediately, the monster’s body scattered into countless black grains of sand, like a sand dune in a strong wind, and vanished into thin air.

After a moment, the kitchen returned to normal. The overhead lights came back on.

The figure of light descended from mid-air to the ground. During this process, the luminous outer shell completely fell away, revealing Mo Jiu’s face and the clothes she wore before being swallowed.

She opened her normal dark brown eyes, stared blankly at the seasonings in front of her for a while, then, as if waking from a dream, she frantically turned her head to look around.

The kitchen was empty.

Huh? Master Yuan left? When?

Never mind. There are still many unfamiliar dishes on the menu waiting for me to study. I must finish studying them before dinner.