Chapter 4 Free Meal Ticket

• Hayden’s tone was stern and Tina was gloating. Christopher, on the other hand, seemed extremely calm—he remained stoic and instead watched the video quietly.
• He saw himself in the video and it was full of recordings of him on his mobile phone while he was in the kitchen. Besides that, based on the timeframe, the videos were all captured during working hours.
• At this point, he finally understood what Thomas meant by accepting his fate.
• “Hayden, I don’t understand!” Christopher had long anticipated the cause of this entire incident, but he still pretended not to understand anything and he even changed the way he normally addressed Chef Woods to calling him by his name.
• “Don’t understand?” How dare he! Almost immediately, Hayden was furious when he heard that Christopher addressed him with his name directly. After touching his shiny forehead, he questioned, “Don’t the contents of the video explain themselves?”
• “Using your phone during work hours! Are there any employees like you? You’re such a loafer. You only take your salary from the restaurant, but you don't pull your weight! Why would the restaurant need a parasite like you? That’s it. I don’t want to say any more to you. Christopher Yard, this is an official notification that you’ve been fired!” Hayden pointed at Christopher’s nose and cursed.
• Fired?!
• Christopher froze upon hearing that word.
• However, his surprised expression was swiftly replaced by a calm and collected one. In fact, he had long expected something like this to happen.
• In reality, Hayden’s main purpose was not to drive out Christopher, the so-called parasite, for the sake of the restaurant, but it was only because he was unable to stand Tina’s ex-boyfriend dangling under his nose every day.
• Violating the company's rules and regulations? They’re all merely excuses!
• In the past three years, while he was with The Serenade, although he was just a kitchen porter and did all of the insignificant work such as cutting potatoes and washing the dishes, he worked earnestly; that video of him using his mobile phone was just a lousy excuse to fire him after all.
• From nine to ten in the morning and two to three in the afternoon—when the restaurant is in off-peak hours and there is no business at all—what's wrong with using my phone? Hayden Woods, you even hid in the office and watched pornographic movies!
• Why don’t you call yourself a parasite too?
• Fine!
• With a sneer, Christopher looked coldly at Hayden and Tina. It seems that you are not going to spare me at all, huh?
• Seeing that Christopher had remained silent all this while, Hayden got even more arrogant. At once, he raised his head to look down at Christopher condescendingly and threatened him, “You should just do as I say. Grab your stuff and get lost! Don't embarrass us and yourself anymore. Otherwise, your salary for this month will be forfeited too. You hear me?”
• “Haha!” Christopher lowered his head and began laughing loudly and hysterically. His laughter sent goosebumps all over Hayden and Tina’s bodies; even Luna couldn't help but look up at him.
• In an almost icy tone, he said, “Wow, Hayden Woods. I am indeed incomparable to you when it comes to bullshitting! I am a parasite who does nothing except for taking a salary, huh? Man, don’t you find it extremely ridiculous coming from you? We both know the real reason why you want to drive me away, but I won’t say this out loud cause it’s too damn embarrassing. You can’t bear to see me, right? I, too, can’t bear to see the both of you sickos! Fire me? No, I f*cking quit!” After saying this, Christopher slammed the door and walked away.
• Bang!
• The sound of the door slamming on the door frame was so loud it shocked Hayden. He angrily said to Luna, “Ms. Sears, look at the quality of the employees these days!”
• Luna left it at that. However, something did flash through her soft eyes as she watched Christopher leave.
• It was July and the weather was hot, but Christopher felt cold inside. He broke up with Tina a day ago. On top of that, he became unemployed ten minutes ago. He recalled Hayden telling him to grab his stuff and get lost, but honestly, there weren't many things there for him to pack up, aside from the chef's robe that he had worn for more than three years that he was reluctant to hand back in. Well, since he quit his job, he had no choice but to take it off.
• After changing out of his robe, he folded it neatly and put it back in the locker. As he turned and prepared to go outside, Hayden walked over with Tina in his arms.
• Can’t they stop haunting me everywhere I go?
• “Aw, are you too sad to let go?” Hayden looked askance at Christopher and said in a strange way, “Hmm, who was the one who pretended to be tough in front of Ms. Sears just now? Even going so far as to get all worked up and saying that you quit? What a joke! Are you even qualified to say that?”
• As soon as he said that, Hayden's expression changed again before he turned to ask Tina, “My dear, how did you even fall in love with this man in the first place? You shouldn’t have ever!”
• “I don’t even know!” Tina merely spread her hands and shrugged while pretending to be innocent. “When I was in college, I thought he had good looks so I just dated him. Who knew that he would turn out to be such a loser after graduation. I was even with him for three years—what a big loss!"
• “A big loss indeed!” Hayden nodded in agreement. “But, it doesn't matter now, you lost out when you were with him, but with me, you won’t.”
• As he said this, he chuckled again. Just then, he placed his wrinkled face on Tina’s cheek and said, "My dear, you see; I bought you the cosmetics and even the bags you wanted. Tonight…”
• Hayden didn’t finish his sentence, but it was obvious what he actually meant.
• “You dirty little flirt!” Tina of course understood what Hayden was trying to say. She smiled flirtatiously and poked Hayden’s forehead with her index finger, showing no signs of rejection.
• “Alright then!” After the successful courtship, Hayden was as excited as a baboon who was about to mate. “We'll meet at nine o'clock tonight at the Four Seasons Hotel. See you there, rain or shine.”
• “Okay!” Tina nodded coyly.
• “Hehehe!” Hayden laughed satisfyingly. He was excited—extremely so.
• He took away Christopher’s job, stole his girlfriend away, and even brought her along to show off in front of the poor man—a great feat he hadn’t managed in many years.
• On top of that, he was going to climb into her bed today. How could he not be excited!
• After adjusting his pants, Hayden thought to himself, Should I just devour the bottle of Viagra that I have been hiding in my drawer tonight? So that my ‘power’ can last longer. I want to show Tina what a real man is!
• Seeing how obnoxiously affectionate Hayden and Tina were and even how they were talking about such intimate things without hesitation in front of him made Christopher clench his fists in anger.
• It had been three years—three whole years—where he had spent so much time and energy on Tina, yet he had never even touched this woman's hand, let alone kiss her.
• And now?
• For just a few bags and some cosmetics, she would throw herself in another man’s arms. Is she really so materialistic?
• If that’s the case, then what am I to her? Was I just a spare tire that she could kick away whenever she wanted? Or was I simply a free meal ticket?