I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 36

Perhaps it was just needless worry, but from the very first day Zhou Youling bought the restaurant, she had imagined a day when someone would cause a scene. She had even envisioned scenarios where dishes were shattered all over the floor and tables were overturned, reminiscent of the time her family went bankrupt and creditors came to wreak havoc, turning everything in their home upside down.

Facing conflicts and troubles seemed to be a regular occurrence for Zhou Youling. Much like her marriage, where despite her efforts to make it work, there were always others who deliberately stirred up trouble.

If the person causing a scene in the restaurant was Xue Yining, then Zhou Youling felt that all her previous worries were somewhat prophetic.

Some events happen with such coincidence that it’s hard not to be suspicious.

Xue Yining and her friends were seated in Area A of the main hall, right by the entrance, at Table 3.

Table 3 was neither too big nor too small, typically accommodating up to six people. Besides Xue Yining, there were two men and a woman at the table, all looking quite pretentious.

The dish pointed out to have a cockroach was the Spicy Duck Blood Hot Pot.

The Spicy Duck Blood Hot Pot was a signature dish at Food and Color, made primarily with duck blood and served with Raw Blood Hot Pot and Beef Tripe as main ingredients, offering a spicy and numbing flavor.

Because the dish was visually appealing and aromatic, and served in a generous portion, it was both appetizing and a great value for money, making it one of the most popular choices among the menu items. Food and Color had even adapted the dish to suit the local tastes of Nanzhou City, making it a must-order for every table.

At the moment, a large cockroach had been picked out and placed on the gray-white tabletop, along with the red oil, making it very conspicuous.

Moreover, there wasn’t just one cockroach in the dish; besides the one on the table, another was floating on the red oil of the hot pot.

Typically, the Spicy Duck Blood Hot Pot included seasonal vegetables as side ingredients, along with the essential Raw Blood Hot Pot and Beef Tripe.

Given that the blood in the hot pot was dark brown, it was easy for a similarly colored cockroach to blend in, making it possible for someone to accidentally consume it without noticing.

The mere thought of this scene was enough to make one’s stomach churn.

Two weeks ago, Zhou Youling might have doubted the kitchen’s hygiene, but now she was confident that such an incident wouldn’t happen, especially with such a conspicuous cockroach, unless the kitchen staff were blind.

However, regardless of her confidence in the kitchen, the fact remained that a customer had found a cockroach in their dish.

Zhou Xiaoming had already apologized to the customers and offered to waive their bill, lowering his stance as much as possible, but the customers were still dissatisfied with this resolution.

“Just look at this! Isn’t your restaurant disgusting?” a female customer at Table 3 exclaimed angrily.

“Finding a cockroach in the dish! I have every reason to doubt the hygiene of your place! I’m going to expose you! Let everyone know I found a cockroach at Food and Color!”

“Don’t even think about denying it or destroying the evidence. We’ve already taken photos and posted them on Weibo.”

“It would be best if the authorities shut down your restaurant! Stop causing harm to people!”

Zhou Youling listened patiently to the customer’s complaints and then bent slightly to apologize, “I’m very sorry for what happened this time. To show our sincerity, our restaurant is willing to waive the bill for your table and offer additional compensation. Would this resolution be satisfactory to you?”

“Compensation? What kind of compensation are you talking about?” the female customer demanded, her tone aggressive.

Zhou Youling replied, “According to the Food Safety Law, if you find unclean food in a restaurant, you can receive ten times the compensation. We are willing to compensate you tenfold.”

The woman paused, surprised, and glanced at Xue Yining, who had remained mostly silent throughout the ordeal.

Following the woman’s gaze, Zhou Youling also looked at Xue Yining.

It seemed as if, in this incident, Xue Yining had become the final arbiter.

Xue Yining, sitting calmly, shook her head and smiled gently, “It’s not about the money for us. Honestly, compensation doesn’t matter. When we eat out, we just want peace of mind. Finding a cockroach in the food is unsettling.”

Zhou Youling nodded slightly, having suspected that money wasn’t an issue for Xue Yining. Clearly, Zhou Youling lacked experience in handling such situations and decided she should learn more from Zhou Xiaoming in the future.

Xue Yining looked up at Zhou Youling and said, “Zhou Youling, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

Zhou Youling maintained a slight smile, though internally she scoffed at the notion of friendship.

Xue Yining continued, “I was really looking forward to dining here and even praised you to my friends. I’m truly sorry about what happened today.”

“I’m really sorry,” Zhou Youling said, lowering herself to the point of feeling like a public nuisance.

Zhou Youling wanted to resolve the matter quickly without escalating it further.

Unexpectedly, Xue Yining suggested, “How about this: if you eat the cockroach, we’ll let it go.”

The onlookers collectively gasped.

“That’s disgusting…”

“Serves them right for being so unhygienic.”

“Let the boss eat the cockroach, that’ll teach them.”

“Kind of curious to see what happens.”

Zhou Youling glanced at the cockroach on the table and then at Xue Yining sitting across from her.

If they were truly friends, why would she make such a difficult demand?

Though Zhou Youling was brave enough to squash a cockroach with her hands, she didn’t have the courage to eat one. The thought alone, compounded by her pregnancy nausea, made her feel like vomiting.

Zhou Xiaoming, unable to watch any longer, tugged at Zhou Youling’s sleeve, “Let me handle this.”

Suppressing her urge to retch, Zhou Youling shook her head at Zhou Xiaoming, who stood by her side.

“What? Afraid to eat it?” Xue Yining teased with a smile.

Zhou Youling gritted her teeth and said, “As the boss of Food and Color, I have full confidence in our restaurant’s hygiene. If you have doubts about our cleanliness, you’re welcome to inspect the kitchen.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a customer chimed in, “Let’s go check it out!”

Zhou Youling was confident that once the customers saw the cleanliness of the Kitchen, they would be left speechless.

In recent times, under the supervision of the acting Kitchen Supervisor, Su Xingan, the Kitchen had been scrubbed spotless.

While waiting for the customers to tour the Kitchen, Zhou Youling instructed Zhou Xiaoming to retrieve the video surveillance.

The guests at Table 3 were growing impatient, especially a man in a work jacket who shouted, “Who wants to see your Kitchen now? The cockroach is right here! Are you trying to dodge responsibility? Do you believe I won’t smash up your restaurant?”

“Please, sir, calm down,” Zhou Youling replied with a smile. “The cockroach is indeed here, and it’s our responsibility. I won’t shirk it. I’ve already asked our manager to pull up the surveillance footage.”

“Surveillance?” The man in the work jacket looked around. “Where are the cameras in your restaurant?”

He had previously checked and noticed that the restaurant didn’t seem to have any cameras installed.

Zhou Youling explained, “Perhaps you weren’t aware, but we have hidden cameras installed at each table.”

As she spoke, Zhou Youling picked up a vase from the table and revealed a hidden camera from it.

“Hidden cameras? Isn’t that an invasion of privacy?” the man exclaimed.

Zhou Youling reassured him, “Rest assured, we’ve consulted with the relevant authorities. Installing hidden cameras in the public areas of our own restaurant does not infringe on your privacy. These cameras function just like regular surveillance cameras.”

Shortly after, Zhou Xiaoming approached Zhou Youling and whispered something in her ear.

Zhou Youling smiled and said, “I wonder if anyone here is interested in watching a surveillance video.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a projection nearby displayed a surveillance video.

The footage showed a man in a work jacket taking two dark brown objects from a box. He looked around nervously before placing the objects into a dish.

In less than ten seconds, the video clearly documented how the two cockroaches ended up in the Spicy Duck Blood Hot Pot on the table.

The video was replayed for emphasis.

“Oh my! You planted those cockroaches yourselves!”

“If the restaurant didn’t have this footage, they would have been wronged today!”

“You young folks, how is this different from those scammers on the street? It’s pathetic!”

“I just checked the Kitchen, and it’s a hundred times cleaner than my own!”

“Is this a competitor trying to sabotage them? How despicable!”

“Customers like you should be arrested!”

The couple at Table 3, faced with undeniable evidence, could no longer stay seated. They hurriedly got up to leave but were stopped by the restaurant’s waiter.

Zhou Youling walked up to Xue Yining, blocking her path. “Let’s get one thing straight; we’ve never been friends.”

Xue Yining’s face turned various shades of red and white.

She had never been so humiliated, yet it was Zhou Youling who repeatedly made her feel unlike herself.

Indeed, today’s incident was orchestrated by her, intending only to humiliate Zhou Youling. She hadn’t expected it to backfire so spectacularly.

“What do you want?” Xue Yining asked.

“What do I want? Isn’t that what I should be asking you?” Zhou Youling’s expression was icy. “I’ve never wronged you, so why do you keep targeting me?”

Xue Yining gritted her teeth.

Zhou Youling continued, “When I got married, there were all sorts of rumors. After my divorce, you still wouldn’t leave me alone. Do you know why I installed hidden cameras in the restaurant? Because I damn well anticipated a day like this.”

Xue Yining let out a cold laugh. “Should I commend you for your foresight? Just tell me, what do you want?”

Zhou Youling grabbed the cockroach with her bare hand and held it out to Xue Yining.

Xue Yining recoiled in disgust, stepping back from the thumb-sized cockroach.

Zhou Youling said, “It’s simple. Just as you brought this cockroach, you can eat it yourself.”