Chapter 2: Midlife Crisis?

"Rejected?" Gu Xin Ye repeated the word in disbelief. Then, she put a hand on her chin as she thought about any possible reason one might reject the offer to work under one of GDB Group's high-end restaurants.

It was two months ago that she heard that Chef Qin Zhan had quit his position as the Head Patissiere in The Orchid, one of the luxury hotels under Zhang Group Worldwide in Capital City. There was a rumor that Qin Zhan was invited to work for a five-stars hotel in S Country, but Qin Zhan had declined their offer and mentioned that he has no intention to work abroad.

Once the people from the industries heard Qin Zhan's statement, everyone in the F&B industries had rushed to recruit him to their restaurant, including Gu Xin Ye. However, Qin Zhan had rejected everyone's offer.

But, Gu Xin Ye refused to back off. She knew that with Qin Zhan working for her, the GDB Group's profit will increase. The shareholders would be happy, and the board of directors will have no other choice but to admit that she was capable to lead the company.

Gu Xin Ye raised her head and stared at her assistant. "Why? That amount is not high enough? Should we increase it by ten percent?"

"I don't think Chef Qin rejected your offer because of the salary offered," Lin Qiao spoke carefully.

Though Lin Qiao had known Gu Xin Ye since college years, she too would be slightly afraid when she saw how domineering Gu Xin Ye can be in the office. Gu Xin Ye's gaze can be very intimidating once she heard that her plan did not go well.

"Then why did he rejected my offer? What did he want? Did he say anything at all?" Gu Xin Ye continued to ask.

Lin Qiao took a deep breath. "He did not say anything. Recently, Chef Qin had moved away from Capital City and there were rumors that he had moved to a small town near the sea, called Z Town."

"Z Town?" the frown on Gu Xin Ye's face deepened. "That's far. What is he doing there?"

"I took the initiative and investigate. It seemed that he quit his job from The Orchid and head over to Z Town to run a noodle stand."

Gu Xin Ye let out a chuckle. She adjusted the spectacle on the bridge of her nose and leaned forward. "Lin Qiao, you know that I don't appreciate a joke at a time like this."

"Xin Ye, I am not joking." Lin Qiao looked as if she wanted to cry.

"Why would a famous pastry chef as he quit his high paid job and head over to a small town and run a noodle stand?" Gu Xin Ye narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Do you think it would make any sense?"

Seeing the way Gu Xin Ye stared at her, Lin Qiao was a bit frightened. She had seen a few managers run from Gu Xin Ye's office crying after she gave them this look.

Subconsciously, Lin Qiao tightened clenched her hand tightly. "It might not make sense, but according to the investigator, this is what happened."

Gu Xin Ye retracted her gaze and drummed her fingers on the table. "Could it be a midlife crisis? Wait. That couldn't be right. How old is Qin Zhan again?" she reached the file on the table and started to browse through it.

"Twenty-nine," Lin Qiao said. She had studied Qin Zhan's profile for days and could recite his biodata by heart.

Once she got the answer from her assistant, Gu Xin Ye pushed aside the file. "He's only a few years older than me. Midlife crisis at this age?" Gu Xin Ye mumbled to herself. Then, she looked at Lin Qiao again. "What about the reason he quit from The Orchid?"

"I asked around. Chef Qin quit due to some personal reasons. Or else, Zhang Group would never let someone as good as him to quit no matter what."

"You got a point."

"But no one knows what the reason was. Not even those from HR. Chef Qin did not tell anyone except for his friend, Director Zhang."

Gu Xin Ye closed her eyes to think. If she wanted to know the reason Qin Zhan quit his position at The Orchid, the best solution was to meet Qin Zhan's friend, Zhang Yu Han. However, she did not want to meet that man.

GDB Group and Zhang Group were not really in friendly terms. Though Zhang Group specialized in the hotel industry, they also had a few famous chefs working for their hotels and restaurants. And previously, GDB Group had headhunted a few of their chefs from Zhang Group.

Of course, Zhang Group would hold grudges over that matter. Even if she went to see Zhang Yu Han, there was no way that he will tell her anything.

Until she found out the reason why Qin Zhan quit and move over to a small town, Gu Xin Ye knew that she won't be able to lure Qin Zhan to work for her. She needed to figure out his weakness before she proposed a new deal.

"Xin Ye, I don't think it will work if we send another representative to talk to Chef Qin," Lin Qiao said after a long silence in the office. "Everyone who went to Z Town to look for Qin Zhan returned with disappointment. They said that Chef Qin rejected every offer no matter how high they are willing to offer. In some cases, he would drive them away before they could say a word. I think Chef Zhan is resolute with his decision to stay in Z Town."

"I can't back down like this," Gu Xin Ye bit at her nails.

If she wanted to get back the company from Wang Zhi Wei, the fastest way would be to recruit Qin Zhan to her restaurant and focus on their high-end restaurant. Though this move might be risky, Gu Xin Ye knew that she will get every money she invested back soon. She knew that people would be willing to spend a lot of money to taste Qin Zhan's handcrafted desserts.

Gu Xin Ye leaned on her chair. "I need to meet him."

"What?" Lin Qiao blinked a few times. Could it be that she had misheard things? However, looking at Gu Xin Ye's smiling expression, Lin Qiao knew that she did not mishear things.

"Since he had turned down everyone I sent, then, I have to personally visit him in Z Town and convince him to join me," the smile on Gu Xin Ye's face widened. "With my persuasion skills, I don't believe that he will turn me down."

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
zetsubouaichan

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*ahem*

Here's a bit of promotion: Zhang Group and Zhang Yu Han is also a character from my other novel called 'Loving You Too Much'. If you have time, please do check it out.

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