Chapter 6 – The Job Offer
About an hour after Chen Xing and the others left the restaurant, Shan Hongxi, the media operations manager at the Baifu branch of Guangzhou Restaurant, was going through the day's reviews and comments across various platforms.
This was part of his daily routine before clocking out.
When he got to Dianping, one particular new review caught his eye.
It wasn't the writing itself that grabbed his attention, he had managed media operations for Guangzhou Restaurant for six years, and high-quality reviews were nothing new. Every month, there would be posts from influencers with over ten million followers, and their writing was often more polished than this one.
What drew him in were the photos.
Wenchang chicken, red-spotted grouper, olive and snail soup…
The dishes in the photos gleamed with a luscious oil sheen that practically radiated flavor. Just looking at them stirred up an inexplicable hunger.
Shan Hongxi, who hadn't eaten dinner yet, heard his stomach growl.
He could tell the pictures were taken with a phone, not technically impressive, but they had an unexpected charm. Despite the average image quality, the photos had the power to stimulate the viewer's appetite. That alone made them stand out to him.
Licking his lips, Shan Hongxi turned away from the screen.
"Hey guys, come take a look at these photos."
"What's up?"
"It's almost the end of the day. I was napping so well…"
Someone who had just woken up didn't catch what Shan said and started packing up to go home, but a few others walked over to stand behind his desk and check out the enlarged images on his computer.
"That's our Wenchang chicken, right? Looks pretty good."
"Check out these two as well," Shan said, clicking his mouse.
Up popped the photos of the olive snail soup and the grouper.
There were actually a couple more dishes in the review, but they were under 100 yuan each and not among the restaurant's signature items, so he didn't bother with them.
The floor manager commented, "These look really nice. Almost like food videos with added effects, except I don't think these were edited. The resolution's a bit low, definitely shot on a phone?"
Shan Hongxi nodded, zooming out. "These were taken by a customer who dined here earlier. I personally think they're quite good. Since we're revamping the menu, how about we see if this person is willing to help us shoot some new dish photos?"
"He's a photographer?"
"How should I know? But the results speak for themselves."
The floor manager thought for a moment. It wasn't a bad idea, hiring a photographer for food photos wasn't that expensive anyway. And honestly, these photos looked so good he was getting hungry just looking at them.
Even the guy who had just woken up wandered over.
His name was Bu Yongfeng, 53 years old, and the restaurant's head chef.
He was one of the most skilled culinary experts in the company. His job wasn't to work the kitchen daily but to mentor other chefs and personally cook only for VIP guests. His status was elite.
"Oh? You're looking at dishes? That must be Song Jin's work. He loves plating grouper like that."
Shan Hongxi addressed him directly. "A guest took these photos. They really bring out the appeal of the dishes, so we were thinking about inviting him to shoot a full set for the new menu."
"Then invite him," Bu Yongfeng said without hesitation. "It won't cost much to get a batch of photos like that. If the rest are as good as these, what are we waiting for? We've been talking about changing the menu for a month now. Let's finally get moving."
Shan Hongxi nodded in agreement and began searching for the reviewer's contact info on Dianping.
---
At the airport.
Chen Xing looked around like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time, eyes wide, head turning.
The terminal was enormous, bustling with people. Locals, foreigners, everyone.
As he walked, he heard at least three different languages: Japanese, English, and Russian.
He wasn't totally sure about the Russian, but it had that rolled, guttural sound. Not many countries spoke that way, it was probably Russian.
Counters for various airlines were lined up neatly in rows, dozens of them. The gates were hidden within the huge hall, so unless you looked carefully, you'd have no idea where to go. Following the information on their tickets, they found the China Southern Airlines desk and got in line for check-in.
Standing behind Chen Xing was a young woman, about 27 or 28. She was stunning, with the polished elegance of a corporate drama heroine. Even her perfume smelled amazing.
It was worlds apart from the cheap, overpowering scents he'd smelled on others before.
So as they inched forward in line, he kept sneaking glances back.
Not that he was the only one. Every guy around, including Zhou Peng ahead of him, was doing the same.
Then, out of nowhere, the woman looked right at him.
Their eyes met.
Chen Xing smiled, lifted his phone, and asked, "Want to add me on WeChat?"
She raised an eyebrow. "How old are you, kid?"
Kid?
Chen Xing looked down at himself. He was definitely taller than her.
Then again, for a woman, she was quite tall. In heels, she had to be at least 175 cm.
"I'm 19," he said.
"So young. Same age as my little brother."
She pulled out her phone too, about to open her QR code, when Chen Xing's phone rang.
"Sorry, one second."
He checked the screen. It was an unfamiliar number, local to Guangzhou.
He picked up and waited for the caller to introduce themselves.
"Hello, this is Shan Hongxi from Guangzhou Restaurant's media department. Am I speaking with Mr. Chen Xing?"
"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"
"It's like this, we saw your review of our restaurant. We're really glad you enjoyed the food, and we also loved the photos you posted. May I ask, are you a professional photographer?"
Chen Xing thought about the system's info.
His natural talent had always been photography, though he'd never tapped into it. But the beginner's gift package had given him a specialized photography skill tailored to that talent.
So technically speaking, yes, he was a photographer, probably better than many veterans.
"I am," he said.
"Wonderful. Our restaurant is preparing to update our menu. We have a range of traditional Cantonese dishes and new dim sum items that need professional photos. If you have time, we'd love to invite you to do a photo shoot for us."
Photo shoot?
The word flashed through Chen Xing's mind.
In photography circles, this kind of job, "booking a shoot", was common. Many top-tier photographers had started out this way.
And this was Guangzhou Restaurant, a huge brand. Surely they wouldn't be stingy about payment, right?
He felt a flicker of excitement. This was a rare opportunity to earn money through skill, not endless labor in a factory, but real work with visible results.
But there was a snag…
"Thanks for the offer, but I didn't bring any gear on this trip, and I'm already at the airport preparing to head home."
As soon as Shan heard that Chen was at the airport, he quickly replied, "Please, if you can spare just one day, we'll provide the equipment, DSLR cameras, right? We have them at the restaurant. If you're willing, we'd love to meet in person and discuss."
Well, that solved the gear problem.
But could the flight be refunded?
Zhou Peng noticed Chen had finished his call. "Who was that? Are they asking you to stay?"
Chen nodded. "Remember how I posted those food pics from Guangzhou Restaurant on Dianping? They saw them and want me to shoot photos for their new menu. I'm thinking of giving it a shot. Can we refund the ticket?"
"That big-name restaurant wants you to take pictures for them?" Zhou Peng was stunned. "Are they nuts?"
Quan Jing frowned. "Sounds suspicious… Could be a scam."
(End of Chapter)