Universe Infinite Canteen

"Ah, that's possible?"

The surprise came so suddenly that Ma Lu's smile almost couldn't be suppressed. "You guys are pretty good, huh? She resigned, but you can still get her to work for you?"

"This incident was deplorable, manipulating company resources for personal vendettas to get back at you, Boss Ma, and it severely affected the company's reputation. Strictly speaking, we could sue him," Zhu Chen said.

"However, considering his previous contributions to the company, the management decided not to pursue his legal responsibility. The condition is that he must also cooperate with the company to minimize the impact of this matter before he leaves."

Ma Lu became interested. "Ah, if that's the case, does that mean I can do whatever I want with her until I'm not angry anymore and willing to cooperate with you?"

Zhu Chen hesitated a bit. "Er, you can't do anything illegal..."

"Don't worry, it won't be illegal. At most, I'll just have her clean my restaurant and serve me some tea or water.

"She has caused damage to my reputation, so it makes sense for her to compensate me through her actions, showing a bit of remorse. Plus, I'll pay her a salary, based on the minimum wage standard in City B, so it definitely won't be illegal."

"This..." Zhu Chen was still hesitant.

"If that's doable, then I'll cooperate with the Meiping Website to issue a statement clarifying the truth of the matter," Ma Lu threw out his trump card.

"I'll try my best," Zhu Chen took a deep breath, "or I can add another million."

Ma Lu shook his head. "I like money, but I'm not so desperate for it. Besides, some joys can't be bought with money."

...

Zhu Chen, worthy of being an executive from a large firm, was efficient in his actions. He had visited Ma Lu at noon and brought the person over in the afternoon.

As soon as Yu Yitong entered the door, she saw Ma Lu grin at her with a sly smile, which made her tense up inside.

"Here?"

"Mhm," Yu Yitong nodded slightly.

"Hehehehe!" Ma Lu took out 20 yuan from his pocket and slapped it on the counter, straightforwardly saying,

"Take this and buy a cleaning rag and toilet cleaner from across the street at Love Home Grocery, then clean the restroom first. No, make me a cup of tea first, then clean the restroom."

"Boss Ma, don't push it too far."

Yu Yitong hadn't said anything yet, but the man behind her changed his expression abruptly and said angrily.

Yu Yitong coughed lightly, "Mike, do you remember what you promised Mr. Zhu?"

The man's expression went through several changes, and finally, after looking at Zhu Chen beside him, he left briskly through the door.

However, less than two minutes passed before he came back, carrying a cleaning rag and a bottle of toilet cleaner, and then unwillingly asked Ma Lu, "Where's the tea?"

Ma Lu was puzzled, "Hold on, who are you?"

"He's Mike, Chinese name Hu Dazhuang, team leader of the second group of our company's media operations department."

Zhu Chen introduced Mike to Ma Lu, "It was under his instigation that Tang Rijie and the others used the shop visit video to slander your restaurant."

"Wait a minute..." Ma Lu felt a bit confused, "You're saying this guy orchestrated everything before? Then what's her role here?"

Ma Lu pointed at Yu Yitong next to him. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"About three months ago, Serina interviewed you, and she was convinced that your stall would not stay for long, hoping the company could establish a good relationship with you early on, especially with that mysterious chef behind you.

"But Mike just wanted to leverage the popularity you had on the internet at that time to drive traffic to other restaurants on the website, so he edited Serina's interview before it was published.

"He removed the name and address of your new restaurant and added some of his own stuff to it. I heard you don't have a good impression of the Meiping Website, and you even scolded their observers for dining here.

"But in reality, the article was completely modified by Mike acting smart, without the management's knowledge. Serina repeatedly sent work emails afterward, proposing to include your restaurant into the company's rating system ahead of time, all of which were vetoed by Mike.

"Considering her professional vision and keen instinct, the company decided to promote her exceptionally to be the new leader of the second group. I brought her here today because you two met before, and I heard you're even alumni.

"From now on, I plan to assign any interviews about the Universe Infinite Canteen to Serina. Additionally, she will stay at your restaurant for the next few days to supervise Mike in fulfilling his commitment."

After Zhu Chen finished speaking, Ma Lu was taken aback for a moment before asking, "Wait, can Dazhuang still go back to being the team leader?"

Although surprised by Ma Lu's inconsistencies, Zhu Chen still answered earnestly, "That's impossible now. After doing something like this, which is against the company's enduring values of objectivity and fairness, the company can no longer employ him."

"No worries, I was just asking."

Zhu Chen then introduced the two observers who would be coming to rate the restaurant later, mentioning how professional they were, but Ma Lu was no longer interested in listening and gave perfunctory responses.

Zhu Chen brought up the past and hoped Ma Lu could cooperate with the Meiping Website as soon as possible, to make a video to clarify the matter.

Ma Lu agreed, and with that, he sent Zhu Chen off.

Dazhuang was already cleaning the restroom at this point, leaving Yu Yitong with nothing to do, standing by the cash register.

The atmosphere grew awkward, to the point where Ma Lu lost interest in browsing forums.

Perhaps feeling the continued silence wasn't good, Yu Yitong brushed a stray lock of hair back behind her ear and then spoke up.

"Did you think I was the one behind this? Is that why you made such a... request to Mr. Zhu?"

Ma Lu hmphed and ignored her.

"Is that how you saw me?"

"If you can't make conversation, don't force it," Ma Lu said with a stern face.

"You seem a bit disappointed; is it because I got a promotion? Come to think of it, I should thank you for that. I was already polishing my resume, ready to look for a new job.

"But it's not easy to find work before the new year, and actually, I kind of like what I'm doing now."

"Our relationship hasn't gotten to the point where we share life talks and dreams," Ma Lu said, "Even if it wasn't you who did it, our relationship has gone from hatred back to being cold at best."

"I know, I just wanted to thank you," Yu Yitong said, "If you don't want to see me, I can stay at the Love Home Grocery across the street for the next few days."

"Hmm."

"What does 'hmm' mean... Agree or disagree?"

"Do as you please," Ma Lu said, "I run a restaurant and am busy all the time, I don't care to bother with where you stay, as long as you don't interfere with my business."

"I can serve as your waitress for a few days," Yu Yitong rolled up her sleeves and volunteered, "I also want to learn more about restaurant service and our customers' thoughts, which will be useful for my future work."