They ate Eric Bennett's cooking for the first time back when it was just average home-style fare, but now, as his grinding progressed, so did his cooking skills.

Eric Bennett is already at a mid-level among excellent chefs.

This is the level of skill you’d find at many famous snack stalls and old eateries in Beijing—solidly middle of the pack.

It’s only been a month or two, but Emily Foster and Anna, who often come over for meals, feel like the home-cooked food gets tastier every few days, always improving...

So they truly admire Eric Bennett's talent for cooking.

When Emily Foster carried the vegetables to the kitchen, Anna grabbed a bottle of cold Coke, opened it, and said seriously, “Brother Bennett, have some Coke, thank you.” Eric Bennett was surprised, “So formal?”

Anna sighed, “Samantha has started staying out all night occasionally this past month, and sometimes she complains that Honglingjin Bridge is too remote, saying if she’s going out, she’d rather go to Shichahai or somewhere like that.”

“Adults, we all get it—she’s a little rich girl.”

“If Emily and I keep being this incapable of supporting ourselves, we’ll either be lucky enough to find a boyfriend to take care of us, or go home and get married. But we’re not willing to go back, so maybe we’ll end up like Samantha.”

“She really used to ignore all those customers who invited her out for drinks or late-night snacks.”

Eric Bennett was stunned for a few seconds, took a sip of Coke, and said, “Everyone chooses their own path as an adult.”

So many girls who lost their way started out thinking they’d just model, just have a drink with customers, sing a song, and never do anything else...

And it’s true, in the original timeline, before Emily Foster committed suicide in the winter of 2008, the boyfriend she found was just a bartender at a bar—a very ordinary young drifter in Beijing.

Anna glanced toward the kitchen, suddenly gave Eric Bennett a quick hug, then let go in a hurry and smiled, “Really, thank you, Brother Bennett. Emily and I looked into it—at normal companies, for salespeople like us, during the internship period of a few months, aside from a daily base salary of thirty, how could there possibly be commissions?”

“I worked nine days for a base salary of 450, which is already high. Without commissions, there’s no way to survive.”

“I’m not as pretty as Emily, and my machine assembly rate is much lower, but after splitting the rent, I can still get by, and I get to mooch meals often.”

“If Samantha leaves, I’ll definitely help you chase Emily even harder.”

Eric Bennett started coughing right away. He hadn’t made it clear he was pursuing anyone, but nobody was stupid—whether at work or in daily life, he always showed a little extra care and attention when he was with them.

After coughing, he could only laugh, “You’re all good girls. We’re all drifters in Beijing, it’s not easy for any of us, so we help each other out.”

It’s good now—so many little fairies in the years to come...

Suddenly, Anna said, “By the way, you selflessly teach your old classmates all kinds of machine assembly knowledge and skills, even business stuff... Aren’t you afraid they’ll cut you out and go solo?”

She was talking about Brian Carter and Lauren Harris.

They’d been working together for about a month. She and Emily Foster compared themselves to Brian Carter—it was like the difference between rookie salespeople and top closers on the same team.

Some things are obvious to those who can see.

Brian Carter brought in three big deals in just over a month, nearly thirty thousand yuan. Even a fifty-fifty split meant each got fourteen or fifteen thousand.

She and Emily Foster split thirty percent, which meant just a few hundred, barely breaking a thousand.

Eric Bennett shrugged with a smile, “It’s fine, we’re all friends. They even said they landed another big deal, still for an internet café, though it’s an unlicensed one for now... but it’s not small.”

At this point, Eric Bennett said seriously, “Honestly, I thought they’d cut me out and do this unlicensed internet café deal on their own.”

Anna stared blankly at Eric Bennett, who looked completely calm. “He helped me get started, helped me find my footing in this city. I have to pay him back.”

“The sooner I pay him back, the more at ease I’ll feel.”

Anna thought for a few dozen seconds, then suddenly understood. “Loyal, principled. But it seems like you don’t see assembling computers as that important a business, Brother Bennett.”

Chapter 11: Every Day Is a New Scene

It was when Eric Bennett, Emily Foster, and Anna were cooking together.

At a decent-sized restaurant near Honglingjin Bridge, in a private room, Brian Carter, Lauren Harris, Adam Clark, Ryan, and Emily Thompson were also gathering for a meal.

Everyone clinked glasses. The little Christmas reindeer blinked and said, “Lauren Harris, your boyfriend’s hit it big—fifteen thousand in just over a month! My god, that’s way more than my annual salary.”

“But why didn’t you invite Eric Bennett today? Isn’t he your boss?”

With that, Brian Carter, Lauren Harris, and Adam Clark all looked shocked, and Ryan slapped the table. “Yeah, where’s Mr. Bennett? Off chasing girls?”

“Man, I heard he hired two fairy-like employees, but last time you said, Brian Carter, those two only worked a few days all month? Not even ten days? Hilarious.”

“That guy really goes all out to chase girls.”

Brian Carter hurriedly poured drinks and raised his glass. “Enough with the nonsense, let’s drink! I’m treating you and still can’t shut you up?”

At this, Brian Carter shot a resentful glance at Lauren Harris, and a hint of guilt flashed across Lauren Harris’s face.

Adam Clark, meanwhile, grinned as he poured drinks. “Emily, we were never that close with Eric Bennett anyway. Four years of college, we were just acquaintances.”

“After graduation, we figured we’d have even less reason to keep in touch. Who knew we’d stumble onto such a lucrative opportunity?”