The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 18

Jiang Tingzhou slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door.

Just then, Jiang Yisheng waved at him, motioning toward the CEO’s office.

Jiang Tingzhou paused. He realized he hadn’t done anything yet, so he turned around and walked inside.

It was normal to have a preliminary talk upon promotion to vice president. He had just spoken at length and felt parched. Besides, he did have something to say to Jiang Yisheng.

When Jiang Yisheng saw him enter, he closed the door—but noticed that Jiang Tingzhou didn’t sit down properly. Instead, he helped himself to some water from the dispenser.

He frowned and scolded, “You just became vice president and you’re already so full of yourself? Don’t be unruly. Also, why didn’t you tell me about the documentary in advance? Jiang Foods could have prepared. If something goes wrong, you’ll be responsible—understand?”

Jiang Tingzhou ignored him, raised his head and drank the water, then grabbed a notebook and pen from the nearby shelf. He sat on the chair by the coffee table and started writing in the notebook.

“Okay, continue,” he said.

Jiang Yisheng was a little confused—he didn’t think his words were important enough to write down—but went on: “You have to contact President Qin about this later. I heard Mr. Lu will be back in two days. He’s been working hard abroad. You have to—”

Jiang Tingzhou’s next move interrupted him.

He finished writing, tore the page out of the notebook, and handed it to Jiang Yisheng.

Jiang Yisheng frowned. “What nonsense are you up to now?” he muttered, but still took the paper.

He unfolded it.

At the top were three bold characters: Resignation Letter.

The content was just as simple.

—Boring. I don’t want to do this anymore.

Below was Jiang Tingzhou’s name and today’s date, written neatly.

Jiang Yisheng stared in disbelief. His mind raced and he was speechless. “You…”

Jiang Tingzhou was already on his feet. After all, there was no rule that said how long a vice president had to stay in the role.

As he pushed open the door, Qin Rushuang was waiting with her phone in hand. She looked worried, but quickly smiled.

“We contacted the crew. The director was very impressed with you. They also plan to come to Yongqing soon to collect materials. Tingzhou, one thing—”

“President Qin, you don’t have to tell me,” Jiang Tingzhou said politely. “The crew has always been interested in Yongqing local cuisine. The award-winning Stuffed Rivers and Mountains is based on local dishes. Many Gongyan chefs know how to cook local food—it’s Jiangshi’s specialty. Some of them are even better than me. This whole thing can move forward just fine without me. The Lu family has plenty of talent. My only role was to open a path. I trust your ability. Anything that needs doing can still go ahead without me.”

Qin Rushuang was stunned. “Tingzhou, what do you mean by saying that all of a sudden?”

At that moment, Lu Jiahe and Jiang You arrived. Everyone listened as Jiang Tingzhou spoke.

“I’m resigning. I want to do something else,” he said. “From now on, Jiang Foods’ affairs have nothing to do with me. Let’s go our separate ways. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

Jiang Moli, sitting nearby, quickly stopped him. “What’s wrong? Baby, what’s made you so unhappy again? Don’t say such things. You’ve just become vice president—how can you just quit like this?”

She had always tried to be a mother who treated both children fairly. Even now, she still wanted both of them to be happy. But in the Jiang family, that was never going to happen.

She looked panicked, but Jiang Tingzhou was already decided.

“Mom, I’ll come see you again when I can,” he said, hugging her. “After I leave, things will be calmer. You won’t have to worry about Jiang You and me. No need to sway between us. This is the best way.”

Qin Rushuang quickly caught up. “Tell me if you need anything, Tingzhou. I know you were wronged before, but it’s different now. Besides, Baiyu will return to China soon. You’ve always led our cold chain logistics—don’t you want to celebrate that with him? Don’t act on impulse. Trust me, the good days are just ahead.”

Jiang Tingzhou looked back at her, then at the people behind her, each with different expressions.

Of course, I know better days are coming.

He had already won once. After rebirth, winning again was easier. He knew everyone’s temperament and thoughts.

—Jiang You was good with sweet talk but lacked real ability. Lu Jiahe was a fool. Qin Rushuang was warm on the outside but cold inside—moved only by real interests. She was just like Lu Zhenting, calculating to the core. Bringing up Lu Baiyu now was a deliberate move to make him stay.

As for Lu Baiyu, the future heir of the Lu family, he was still young, with plenty of exploitable weaknesses.

Not just in Yongqing, but across the entire province, Jiang Tingzhou knew exactly what every key player wanted.

He not only knew—he acted on it. And succeeded. If he wanted, the road ahead would only get easier.

Maybe if he was more careful, he wouldn’t even die from overwork. Three to four more years, and he could return to being President Jiang—rich, powerful, in control of everything.

But—

It was boring.

After a few days of rebirth, he thought it through. He didn’t like the power games between these people. Even if it was easy mode now, Jiang Tingzhou didn’t want to play again. He wanted to change his life.

So he turned around and said, “No need.”

He walked away firmly, and no one could stop him.

Qin Rushuang had no reason to forcibly hold him back, and everyone was confused.

At that moment, Jiang Yisheng came out of the office and was met with a barrage of questions: “What did you just say to him?”

Jiang Yisheng was just as confused. “President Qin, I swear I didn’t say anything. I just said a few words when I came in! Tingzhou must have burned his brain. Yes, he had a high fever before—it must be brain damage!”

“You’re saying he’s the one not thinking straight? I think you’re the one with brain damage!” Qin Rushuang snapped coldly. “Jiang Yisheng, you’d better talk him into coming back. If this doesn’t get resolved, you’ll bear the consequences.”

She didn’t stay a second longer. She left with her son, face dark.

Lu Jiahe, who had planned to eat with Jiang You, now had no time either. As he walked away, he muttered to Jiang Yisheng, “What the hell’s wrong with you? Why did you have to provoke him?”

Was Jiang Tingzhou someone easy to mess with?

Jiang Yisheng: …

Who was it that even provoked him? Before the meeting had even started, some big shot—who was it again—argued with Jiang Tingzhou as soon as they met.

Not just once, and it was always like this. Even though Jiang You and Jiang Tingzhou hated each other, they knew how to behave in public. It was Lu Jiahe and Jiang Tingzhou who always clashed when they met, sniping back and forth.

But Jiang Yisheng only dared to think this silently. He absolutely wouldn’t say it out loud. He put on a brave face to send the two Lu family members out, repeatedly promising, “We’ll solve it, we’ll definitely solve it, and we’ll persuade him to come back. How could Jiang Tingzhou just walk off like that with so much going on in the Jiang family? President Qin, President Lu, don’t worry!”

But no one in the company could get in touch with Jiang Tingzhou—because the moment he stepped out, he blocked everyone in Jiangshi except his mother.

There was nothing to hand over. He was only VP for a few minutes. The processes in the old store were already streamlined over the past two years, and everyone knew what to do.

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t keep the recipes to himself; he already taught several of his chefs. He also taught the chefs from the Gongyan branch.

He did his part and felt no regrets. From now on, he just wanted to live for himself.

The first thing Jiang Tingzhou did was find a suitable buyer for the pastel bowls he had.

He knew someone interested—a frequent customer at the store. When he heard Jiang Tingzhou wanted to sell, he was very happy and immediately said he could pay on the spot.

The buyer’s name was Li Xu. He was in investment and became one of the most influential people in Yongqing in recent years. With a wide network and a fondness for collecting antiques, he was a guest at the Jiang house and a longtime Gongyan patron. He knew everything about the bowl—even the bet between Jiang Tingzhou and Jiang You over the VP position.

In fact, Jiang You probably wanted the bowl just to curry favor with Li Xu and expand his network.

Jiang Tingzhou called Li Xu, and before he could explain, Li Xu bluntly said, “You won and became vice president, right? Why, short of money? Selling it the moment you got it?”

“Yes, I really need the money urgently,” Jiang Tingzhou admitted. “Li Xu, I know this item could go to auction, but I can’t wait long. As long as you give a fair price, we can pay and deliver immediately.”

He didn’t need to build connections. This was a one-off deal.

Li Xu laughed. “Okay, I like your straightforwardness. Bring the goods; let’s meet and talk!”

They agreed to meet at noon. Li Xu chose the restaurant.

Jiang Tingzhou arrived early, but Li Xu was half an hour late. When he arrived, still on the phone, he said, “Get them to make a reservation quickly.”

“Get them to confirm it ASAP. I heard Lu Baiyu—yes, President Lu—is returning soon. He’ll definitely come to Yongqing. You know what kind of man he is. Make sure the Lu family is pleased!”

Lu Baiyu.

Jiang Tingzhou’s ears perked up. Maybe his sudden resignation and departure would indeed make the Lu family happier.

Li Xu walked over and hung up. He saw Jiang Tingzhou already writing something on paper but didn’t look closely and asked, “What are you writing?”

He saw a few words—something like a plan—but Jiang Tingzhou put it away and said, “Nothing.”

He was using the wait time to draft his future plans.

Jiang Tingzhou was a planner. It was his habit. From personal growth to corporate strategy, his goals were usually achieved.

After getting the money, he planned to buy his neighbor’s yard and smoothly enter retirement.

Naturally, he was also planning what that life would look like.

After researching and consulting a doctor carefully, he quickly listed several key elements of retirement life.

—Sufficient savings made a big difference. After buying the yard and completing the formalities, he needed to repay the loan. Once the yard was his, he’d have a comfortable retirement environment. Then physical and mental health, including moderate exercise and a healthy diet, would become achievable. He could fully manage that. He planned to refer to long-lived elderly people and make detailed daily schedules.

He decided to go to bed at midnight and get up at 6 a.m. A normal, healthy person needed 8 hours of good sleep.

After waking up, he’d have breakfast, do some simple exercises, then spend the morning reading or drinking tea at leisure.

There was a traditional habit of drinking tea by the Yongqing River—he’d seen many elderly people doing that, either in teahouses or with tea sets by the lake in People’s Park, spending their mornings peacefully. They all seemed to live long lives.

Some long-lived elderly people followed a common lifestyle: after a relaxed morning, they went home around 1 p.m. to make lunch, then took a nap. After waking up, they did what they enjoyed—playing cards, mahjong, chess, or joining hobby groups at senior centers. After those activities, they made dinner and finished just in time for the evening news. Then they cleaned up, washed up, and did housework—the day ended.

It sounded peaceful. It was the kind of retirement life many people dreamed of. And it was completely opposite to Jiang Tingzhou’s former life. He felt that if he kept living the way he did before, he’d probably die just as early.

Everything else flowed easily in his planning—until he got stuck at “hobbies.”

According to the doctor, cultivating hobbies was one of the most important ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. But today, he realized: he had no hobbies, other than work.

Aside from work, there was nothing he genuinely enjoyed.

He had seen the world and tried many things. The company’s entertainment events were always varied—tasting sessions, concerts, golf, countless visits and activities—but none of them interested him. He just glanced and moved on. He could play some of those games, sure, but they weren’t “hobbies.”

From the time he could remember to the moment he became president of Jiang Group, Jiang Tingzhou never had time or energy to develop hobbies. He poured everything into work and still felt it wasn’t enough. There was simply no room for anything else.

So his notebook stayed blank on that part.

He sat there, not writing, until Li Xu came over. Once he saw him, he put the paper and pen away—still with nothing written in that section.

Forget it. I’ll figure it out later, he thought.

After Li Xu arrived, the restaurant started serving dishes, but after trying one, he shook his head. “Not as good as your cooking. Not even close.”

Jiang Tingzhou hummed in agreement, though his mind was elsewhere.

Luckily, Li Xu didn’t drag things out. After a few words, they settled on a price. The bowl was previously valued at four million but hadn’t sold. Prices had gone up since. Jiang Tingzhou’s ideal price was around 4.2 million, but Li Xu offered five million on the spot.

He didn’t just match it—he raised it.

It was beyond Jiang Tingzhou’s expectations.

“If it were someone else, I’d definitely bargain it down,” Li said. “But you, Tingzhou—I won’t let you take a loss. There are a lot of people I like in Yongqing, and you’re one of them.”