2025-03-27 20:50:17“Those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves, you lazy pig!” a chef dressed in spotless white clothes shouted at Zi Han as he dumped another stack of greasy plates into the sink. “I want them all crystal clean. No scratches or spots, or you’re getting nothing for overtime. Do you hear me?”
“Understood, sir,” Zi Han replied as he resumed scrubbing the dishes without daring to look at his boss.
The chef, however, did not seem too pleased. “It’s ‘chef’, not ‘sir’, you uneducated peasant!”
“Yes...yes chef. I will get the job done,” Zi Han stuttered, bowing his head in submission.
As the chef strutted off, muttering more insulting remarks, Zi Han could only curse at him inwardly, but he dared not speak up directly.
Zi Han was a lean, twenty-one-year-old college student who used to work as a dishwasher at ‘The Oriental Delights’ on the weekdays to supplement his meager income as a pizza delivery guy.
Every day after college, he would go straight to the restaurant and prepare for another round of humiliation as he worked the night shift. And the insults weren’t limited to the head chef, even the other chefs and waiters had started joining in on the fun.
“I wish you hadn’t left me all alone in this world,” Zi Han grumbled as he scrubbed and rinsed another greasy plate.
The reason behind Zi Han’s current predicament was the fact that he had been orphaned at an early age, leaving him to face the cruel world all by his lonesome.
He had grown up in an orphanage and was later sent to foster care, but instead of improving, his life had only gone downhill from there.
Now, at the young age of twenty-one, when most of his college friends spent the nights partying or gaming in the comfort of their home, Zi Han’s circumstances compelled him to work hard to pay his college tuition and afford the books he needed for the new semester.
Though Zi Han had a family now, his step-parents never treated him like their son. Instead, they only thought of him as a servant who was there to do their laundry, clean the house, and wash their dirty dishes.
To make things worse, once he turned eighteen, his stepfather demanded that he pay a hefty rent or pack his bags and find another place to stay. And although Zi Han would have liked to get away from that hellish house, finding accommodations in this city was difficult for a young man like him who had nothing to his name.
As Zi Han thought about his present condition while envying the lives of his affluent college mates, one of the waitresses entered the kitchen and called out to him.
“You have been working extra hard today. I guess you have finally learned your lesson,” she said.
Zi Han looked around and found Lisa, the head waitress standing behind him with a plate of unfinished pasta in her hand. Even though she was a beautiful blonde with hazel brown eyes and a pretty face, her nature contradicted her appearance.
Despite having joined on the same day as Zi Han, she always treated him like a lowly inferior. However, tonight, she sounded unusually kind.
“I...am sorry. I will finish my work on time,” Zi Han replied as he quickened his pace.
But Lisa stopped him. “You have been washing dishes for three hours now. Here, eat something. You must be hungry,” she said, placing a plate of pasta alfredo on the table. “The table returned it because they wanted their pasta without garlic. Enjoy,” she added with a smile before walking away.
Zi Han was surprised by her unusual kindness but thought it was probably because she was in a good mood. He naturally concluded it must have been due to her boyfriend.
Perhaps she was planning to clock out early tonight and go on a date with that handsome rogue who often picked her up after work.
Not thinking too deeply about it, Zi Han quickly washed his hands and started twirling the pasta around the prongs of the fork. His stomach had been growling for quite some time, and he could not wait to dig into the scrumptious meal before him.
As Zi Han took the first bite, the rich, creamy flavor tantalized his taste buds. It had been a long time since he had eaten anything other than canned tuna and instant noodles.
“So, this is what three-star food tastes like,” Zi Han mumbled to himself as he licked his lips in satisfaction. It was the first warm meal he had had in days, and it made him forget all about the previous insults.
He was about to take a third bite when Lisa broke out into peals of laughter, and the other chefs standing around her started chuckling and gossiping among themselves.
Zi Han suddenly felt self-conscious and turned away to a dim corner to enjoy his meal in peace when he heard their fishy whispers.
“I just dropped the whole plate on the floor. Chef Jenkins told me to throw it in the trash, but I thought why waste it when I can feed a stray dog,” Lisa chuckled. “Just look at that stupid oaf. You can literally feed him rotten leftovers, and he would relish it like an exotic delicacy.”
“What else can you expect from an orphan like him? I bet his step-parents feed him slop for breakfast and burnt breadcrumbs for dinner,” the youngest chef mocked. “You should really be feeding him more often. It’s like watching a pet dog wolf the food you dropped on the ground.”
Hearing this, Zi Han gagged and almost spat out the pasta he had just swallowed. He felt disgusted at the thought of wolfing down the dirty food.
“Oops! I think he just heard us,” Lisa sniggered.
Zi Han put his fork down and somehow tried to control his anger. His arm was trembling all over, and he could barely hold himself back.
“Hey, look. The dog’s starting to snarl,” one of the waiters called out. “Maybe he needs a little treat,” he taunted.
Zi Han turned to face them and snapped back, “Screw you! Screw you all!”
Lisa was about to continue the mockery when the kitchen door swung open, and the head chef rushed in. “What’s all this fuss about? Get back to work!”
Pushing past the crowd, the head chef cleared the way, and his eyes soon fell on Zi Han and his plate of half-eaten pasta.
“What the hell is this? Who gave you permission to eat during work hours? And how the hell can you afford that dish? I wanna know who is paying for this!” he demanded in a gruff voice.
“Lisa gave it to me. It was—”
“That’s a lie! Why on earth would I buy you a dish that costs five hundred Yuan!” she gasped. “The truth is he snatched it from the kitchen table before I could pick it up. In fact, he has been stealing food for quite some time now.”
“What?” the head chef thundered, glaring at Zi Han. “You dare steal food from my kitchen, you little pig?”
“She is obviously lying! Lisa dropped the plate on the ground and brought it back for me to force me to eat the spoilt food!” Zi Han snapped back.
“Would you believe that?” one of the waiters snickered. “This guy can make up all sorts of stupid stories.”
“Yes, chef, he is just trying to worm his way out of trouble,” Lisa said. “Do you think any man would eat the pasta someone just dropped on the ground?”
“I did not know that because...” Zi Han tried to raise his voice, but the head chef cut him off.
“Shut your God damn trap!” he reprimanded. “I take pity on your situation and hire you at ten Yuan an hour, and this is how you repay me?”
Zi Han lowered his gaze and turned silent. He knew no one would believe him over Lisa, so his best choice was to stay quiet and endure the rebukes like he always did.
“You are a pathetic liar, Zi Han!” the head chef shouted. “You don’t deserve to work here.”
“I did not...steal the food. I swear...” Zi Han’s voice trembled as he spoke, his eyes welling with tears. He had never been labeled as a thief before and it was embarrassing to have everyone staring at him as if he was some common criminal.
One of the younger chefs brushed past Lisa and whispered to the head chef, “This boy even tried stealing our best cheese last week, but I decided to leave him with a warning. I guess I should have informed you. It turns out he is a habitual thief.”
Zi Han was shocked to hear the lies. He could not believe everyone would just gang up on him like this when he was clearly a hardworking and honest boy.
“I swear, Mr. Roland...I never stole—”
“I said, that’s enough! You’re fired! Get the hell out of my restaurant this instant!” Roland thundered, pointing him toward the door.
Zi Han could not bear it any longer and he spoke up in a trembling voice, “Fine, I’ll leave. Just clear my payment, Mr. Roland.”
“Are you out of your mind, boy?” the head chef yelled, his eyes glaring at Zi Han. “You are lucky I haven’t decided to call the cops on you yet.”
“Yeah, as if they would arrest me for eating leftovers,” Zi Han retorted. “I just want my payment, and I’ll be out of your hair, Mr. Roland.”
Although Roland wasn’t the type of person to give in to demands, he knew this whole commotion was causing a hold-up, which in turn was going to slow down the night’s service. So, he finally relented and pulled out a crinkled hundred Yuan note from his pocket.
Flinging it at Zi Han, he grumbled, “Take it and get the hell out of here.”
Zi Han picked up the money from the ground and looked up at the head chef. “I have been working here for six hours every night for ten nights. That’s sixty hours in total. At ten Yuan per hour, my payment should be six hundred Yuan.”
“You are lucky I even spared a single Yuan on a thieving dog like you. If you don’t get out of my sight this instant, I’ll have you thrown out!” Roland growled. “Get lost, you freaking mongrel!”
Before Zi Han could get another word in, a gruff-looking guard approached him and prepared to grab him by the collar.
Realizing he was about to get in more trouble, Zi Han hastily pocketed the money and walked out the door.
He was unhappy with how things had gone tonight, but as he hit the street, a faint smile lit up his face.
It was going to be his two-year anniversary with his girlfriend in a few hours, and he had collected just enough money to buy her the pretty swimsuit she had been admiring last week in one of the shop windows.
Breathing a sigh, Zi Han reached into the pocket of his worn-out jeans and fished out his antique flip phone. He scrolled down his contact list till he finally found the name Miranda Wilkins (babe).
As he dialed her number, just hearing her phone ring made his heart flutter with joy. He could not wait to meet her and give her a surprise.
“Hello? Who the hell is this?” a hoarse, manly voice questioned from the other end of the line.
Zi Han thought he had dialed the wrong number and re-checked to see if he had made a mistake. But the name on his screen still read ‘Miranda Wilkins.’
“I’m Zi Han. Where’s Miranda?” he asked.
“Miranda’s right here in my arms. But she doesn’t know any Zi Han,” the guy on the other side scoffed. “Now fuck off and don’t disturb us. We’re in the middle of something.”
“What? Who are—”
Before Zi Han could ask anything else, the guy disconnected the phone, leaving Zi Han shocked and confused.
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