25: Chapter 25 The Store Managers' Stories (Part 4): Google Girls

On the day the store in San Francisco opened, Google Girl—real name Chen Yao—stood at the entrance, staring for a long time at the glass building across the street.

That was the place where she once interned.

Google.

The world's top technology company.

Eight months ago, she was still an intern there, wearing plaid shirts every day, carrying coffee, squeezing through the crowds, terrified that someone would discover she didn't understand anything.

Eight months later, she stood across the street, the manager of a fried chicken shop.

She looked down at herself—not a plaid shirt, but a T-shirt printed with a fried chicken pattern, with words written on it:

[The Boss Is More Miserable Than You · San Francisco Branch]

She smiled.

The newly hired employee next to her—a Chinese-American guy named Kevin—leaned over and asked, "Sister Yao, what are you looking at?"

Chen Yao pointed to the building across the street: "I used to intern there."

Kevin was stunned: "Google? Then why didn't you keep working there?"

Chen Yao thought for a moment and said seriously, "Because they didn't want me."

Kevin fell silent.

Chen Yao smiled and patted his shoulder: "Let's go in, we're open."

The first day, over thirty people came to the store.

The second day, over fifty.

The third day, a line started forming at the door.

Chen Yao stood behind the counter, frying chicken, handling the register, greeting customers, so busy she didn't have a moment to rest.

But she couldn't help but look outside.

In the Google building across the street, countless people went in and out every day. Wearing plaid shirts, carrying coffee, rushing about, exactly the same as she used to be.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, someone suddenly walked into the store.

Chen Yao froze.

It was her former mentor—a white guy named Mike, a senior engineer at Google.

Mike stood at the entrance, looking at her with a somewhat complex expression.

Chen Yao subconsciously stood up straight, just like every time she saw him before.

"Mike..."

Mike walked over, looked at the store's decor, and then at the T-shirt she was wearing.

"You really opened a fried chicken shop?"

Chen Yao nodded.

Mike was silent for a second, then asked, "Do you still hate us?"

Chen Yao was taken aback: "Hate what?"

Mike said, "That we didn't offer you a full-time position back then."

Chen Yao was silent for three seconds.

Then she smiled.

"I don't hate you. I really wasn't good enough back then. My coding was slow, I didn't dare to speak in meetings, and I was afraid of getting fired every day."

Mike listened without speaking.

Chen Yao continued, "But things are different now."

She pointed to the store behind her: "This store, I call the shots. The employees are hired by me, the chicken is fried by me, and the customers are retained by me."

She looked at Mike and said seriously, "I'm not an intern here."

Mike stared at her for a long time.

Then he smiled.

"Give me an order of fried chicken."

Mike sat in the store for the whole afternoon that day.

He ate three orders of fried chicken, drank two sodas, and watched Chen Yao bustle about, greeting customers, training new employees, answering phone calls, and doing the accounts.

When he left, he stood at the door and said one thing to Chen Yao:

"Back when you were with me, you didn't dare to speak loudly."

Chen Yao nodded.

Mike said, "Now that you're here, the whole street can hear you."

Chen Yao was stunned for a moment.

Mike smiled and patted her shoulder: "That's pretty good."

He turned and left.

Chen Yao stood at the store entrance, watching his back disappear into the crowd.

Then she turned back inside to continue frying chicken.

A week later, a group of special guests came to the store.

Seven or eight young people, all wearing plaid shirts and carrying backpacks—it was obvious they were from Google.

The leader was Kevin—not the Kevin from her store, but another Kevin, her former colleague.

Kevin looked at her, a bit embarrassed: "We heard you opened a store and wanted to come try it."

Chen Yao raised an eyebrow: "Don't you eat at the cafeteria every day?"

Kevin scratched his head: "We're tired of the cafeteria."

Chen Yao smiled.

She fried a portion of chicken for each of them and served it.

They sat in the corner, eating and chatting.

Chatting about Google, about former colleagues, about who got promoted, who jumped ship, who got laid off.

Chen Yao listened and suddenly felt—

Those things seemed very far away from her now.

After sending them off, Chen Yao squatted at the store entrance—imitating Lin Feng—looking at the Google building across the street.

Kevin—the Kevin from her store—leaned over and squatted beside her.

"Sister Yao, your former colleagues all seem to envy you."

Chen Yao was stunned: "Envy me?"

Kevin nodded: "They're at Google, working overtime every day, eating at the cafeteria, getting scolded by the boss. You're in your own store, doing whatever you want."

Chen Yao was silent for three seconds.

Then she smiled.

"Seems like it."

Kevin continued: "And your fried chicken is much better than their cafeteria food."

Chen Yao turned to look at him: "You've eaten at the Google cafeteria?"

Kevin shook his head: "No. But it definitely can't be as good as what you fry."

Chen Yao smiled.

It was the kind of smile that rippled from the bottom of her eyes.

In the evening, Chen Yao called Lin Feng.

When Lin Feng picked up, his voice was languid: "What?"

Chen Yao was silent for a second, then said:

"Boss, I discovered something today."

Lin Feng: "What thing?"

Chen Yao said: "I don't hate Google anymore."

Lin Feng didn't speak.

Chen Yao continued: "I used to think that them not wanting me was my fault. Now I think—it wasn't my fault, it just wasn't a good fit."

On the other end of the phone, the corners of Lin Feng's mouth curled up.

"And then?"

Chen Yao smiled: "And then I want to thank you."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow: "Thank me for what?"

Chen Yao said seriously:

"Thank you for letting me know that the place I fit in isn't Google, it's a fried chicken shop."

Lin Feng was silent for three seconds.

Then he said:

"Chen Yao, do you know—"

Chen Yao waited.

Lin Feng said: "The place you fit in isn't a fried chicken shop. It's a place where you call the shots."

Chen Yao was stunned.

Lin Feng continued: "The fried chicken shop is just the beginning. In the future, you can do whatever you want."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yao stood at the store entrance, staring at that line of text for a long time.

[The Boss Is More Miserable Than You · San Francisco Branch]

She suddenly wanted to add a line of text.

[But You Can Call The Shots]

[Chapter 25 End]