chapter 1 Scumbag manager

Huaxia Jiangnan City, Li's Secret Imperial Cuisine.

The restaurant is located in a bustling area in Jiangnan City, and it has five floors. The first floor is the main dining area, the second to fourth floors have private dining rooms, and the fifth floor is for the manager's office and staff dormitories.

The head chef at the restaurant comes from a long line of imperial chefs, so they're really skilled. That's why even though the prices are quite high, the restaurant still does good business.

Han Tang has been working here part-time since last semester, delivering takeout during his spare time and working full-time during the summer break to save money for the next semester's tuition fees.

In the afternoon, the restaurant isn't very busy, so Han Tang and Usan Le sit together and chat. They're both college students working here during their holidays, and Usan Le is quite fond of the tall and handsome Han Tang.

Usan Le noticed a black ring on Han Tang's left index finger and said, "Why would a man like you wear a ring? Are you afraid no one will know you're single?"

Han Tang smiled and replied, "This was passed down to me by my grandfather. It's an heirloom of the Tang family. My grandfather told me that as long as the ring is on, I'm considered part of the Tang family. If I ever take it off, I can't enter the Tang family's doors."

"Is it made of gold since it's so precious?" Usan Le grabbed Han Tang’s left hand and carefully examined the shiny black ring.

Han Tang said, "I don't know what material it is, definitely not gold or silver, it's not worth much. But it's a keepsake. I can think of my grandfather when I look at it."

Just as they were talking, a shout came from upstairs, "Payday! Everyone, come to the finance office to collect your salaries."

Han Tang hurried to the finance office, but after receiving his salary, he furrowed his brow and said to the finance clerk, Judy Zhang, "Judy, there seems to be a mistake in my salary."

Judy Zhang, a plump woman, held her position in finance because she was a relative of the boss. She impatiently asked, "What's wrong?"

Han Tang said, "Last month, I clearly delivered 232 orders, but my salary is calculated based on 200 orders. Why is that?"

"Manager Zhou said to round it off, so we rounded it to 200," replied Judy Zhang.

Han Tang continued, "How can you round it off like that without telling me in advance? Moreover, the month before, I delivered 275 orders, but you didn't round it up to 300, right?"

"I can't do anything about that. If you have any issues, take it up with Manager Zhou," Judy Zhang said dismissively.

"I'll go talk to him then."

Han Tang angrily took his payslip and headed toward the manager's office, but he hesitated when he reached the door. It's not easy for a college student to find a job these days. Although working here was tiring, the income was much better than most other places.

If he confronted the manager, what if he got fired? Han Tang really didn't want to ask his family for money again. Should he just let it go this time?

The restaurant's manager was Fitch Zhou, but everyone called him "Fatty Zhou." This guy often takes advantage of the employees. In the two months, Han Tang had worked at the restaurant, he had either been mistreated or had his wages arbitrarily deducted by Fatty Zhou.

Inside the office, Fatty Zhou was holding the hand of another college student, Sherry Shi, who was also working part-time during her holidays. He had an unsettling smile on his face as he eyed her well-endowed chest. "Sherry, come here. I will give you a checkup, and see how well you've developed."

Sherry Shi was naturally a bit timid, and she was frightened by Fatty Zhou. She pulled her hand away forcefully and stuttered, "Manager, please don't do this, or... or I'll really call someone."

Fatty Zhou arrogantly laughed and said, "Call someone? Go ahead and try. In this place, even if you scream your lungs out, no one dares to challenge me, Fatty Zhou. In this restaurant, I'm the king. I can do whatever I want, and I can sleep with whomever I want. Who would dare to stop me?"

Seeing Fatty Zhou getting closer, Sherry Shi nervously said, "Don't come any closer. I'm warning you, this is illegal. If you come any closer, I'll call the police."

"Illegal? What a joke, perhaps elsewhere, I wouldn't dare say that, but in Jiangnan City, both the government and the triad, who doesn't know Fatty Zhou? Over the years, as long as I've set my sights on a woman, who could escape from my grasp? Sometimes there are a few who are stubborn, crying and calling the police, but what can that do? I'm still standing here just fine. Listen, serving me well will have its benefits for you. Calling the police is the most foolish way; it'll only ruin your own reputation."

Fatty Zhou could easily exploit the psychological weaknesses of girls like Sherry Shi. He knew that they often cared about their own reputation, and that's why many rape cases remained unreported, even when the police found the victims.

From the panicked and helpless look in Sherry Shi's eyes, Fatty Zhou could tell that he had successfully scared her. He embraced Sherry Shi as if she were a lamb, and he said, "I know why you're working here. It's because your family is short on money, and your mother is lying in the hospital. If I fire you, not only will your mother have no money for medical treatment, but you'll also have to drop out of school. Think about it, getting into college wasn't easy, right? If you serve me well, I'll give you an extra thousand yuan next month."

It must be said that Fatty Zhou was a seasoned manipulator, and every move he made struck at Sherry Shi's vulnerabilities. At this point, she had lost the courage to resist, closing her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face, as she allowed Fatty Zhou to press her onto the couch.

At this moment, outside the door, Han Tang was burning with anger. If Fatty Zhou had merely deducted a small amount from his salary, he could have endured it. However, this guy had used such despicable means to bully Sherry Shi, and Sherry Shi and Usan Le were his two best friends at the restaurant.

Han Tang had heard rumors about Fatty Zhou exploiting female staff through his position of power. There had been a case where a female staff got pregnant and committed suicide after being forced by him. It seemed that the rumors were true.

With Fatty Zhou pressed against Sherry Shi, wearing a sinister and triumphant smile, he took off his belt and was about to make a move when the door behind him suddenly opened.

"Manager Zhou, I need to talk to you," Han Tang said as he entered the room.

Fatty Zhou was so startled that he had forgotten to lock the door when he was initially indulging in his act.

He quickly pulled up his pants, which had slipped down to his knees, turned around, and saw that it was Han Tang. This troublemaker always opposed him.

Today, when he distributed the salaries, he had already given Han Tang a lesson. Who would have thought that this guy would dare to ruin his moment now? Fatty Zhou felt angry to the point of wanting to vomit blood.

But now that someone had entered the room, Fatty Zhou had to restrain himself. After all, if the boss found out about this, it wouldn't be easy to handle.

With a feigned show of politeness, Fatty Zhou said to Sherry Shi, "You can go back to work for now. We can talk later when there's time."

Then he turned to Han Tang and scolded, "Don't you know how to knock when entering the manager's office? Is this the kind of manners college students like you have?"

Han Tang responded coldly, "Is my behavior lacking in manners? Is it worse than taking advantage of female employees?”

Fatty Zhou, who usually looked down on poor students like Han Tang, was shocked that he openly mocked him. He angrily retorted, "Han Tang, have you forgotten your position? Do you forget who you're talking to? Don't forget that I'm the manager, and I can kick you out in a minute!"

Han Tang challenged him, "So what if you're the manager? Does that give you the right to mistreat employees? Can a manager arbitrarily deduct my wages and insult female students? She's about the same age as your daughter. How can you stoop so low?"

Fatty Zhou had a history of wrongdoing, and Han Tang had been suppressing his pent-up anger for a long time. It all erupted in an instant.

Fatty Zhou was on the verge of exploding with anger. He couldn't believe that a waiter, whom he regarded with disdain, would openly confront him. It was turning his world upside down.

"You little nobody, dare you say it again!"

"I've said it before, what can you do besides bullying us waitstaff? You're just scum!" Han Tang had torn off all pretenses, no longer holding back.

Before Han Tang could finish speaking, Fatty Zhou, driven to madness, grabbed a half-empty bottle of red wine from the table and forcefully smashed it towards Han Tang's head.

There was a loud, crisp sound as the bottle shattered on Han Tang's head, and the bright red wine mixed with blood flowed down.

Han Tang raised his hand to cover the wound, but the blood couldn't be stopped. Fatty Zhou's blow was severe, and Han Tang began to see stars as his consciousness faded. Then, he collapsed backward.

Han Tang was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. No one noticed that the blood flowing from his forehead was absorbed by the black ring, and the wound gradually began to heal.