The Programmer Turns the Tables and Goes on a Culinary Rampage

When Chen Yu pressed Enter for the last time, the code on the screen seemed to turn into a black bird, flapping out of the monitor and pecking away the last of his patience. At that moment, he didn't know whether he was a programmer driven to tears by his boss or an ordinary person bent under the weight of life.

During the days he was trapped in his cubicle, his youth was scalded again and again by hot water like instant noodles, leaving behind only a dry, silent bowl. After quitting, he wandered aimlessly through the streets, like a pot of overcooked porridge, sticky, bitter, and going nowhere. Yet when he was at his most miserable, fate stuffed a “Random Food System” into his head, as if offering a slice of cheesecake to a drowned dog.

He began setting up food stalls in the city's overlooked corners: outside amusement parks, beside public restrooms, and near benches in parks late at night. Food sprang from his fingertips, its aroma twining around passersby like vines and stopping them in their tracks. Souls once burned by reality found the rhythm of their hearts again in a bite of sweetness or a spoonful of spice.

But behind every comeback lurked an invisible price. He traded loneliness for popularity and dignity for applause, even doubting for a time whether he was merely the System's puppet. And as the city began to depend on his cooking, a question quietly emerged: if life is a dish, how much pain must we use for seasoning to create true happiness?