The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland

Riding in the Dog Hero replica sports car, Shen Lu once again witnessed the marvels of high technology.

Although the rain had lightened considerably after noon, the torrential downpour had overwhelmed the city’s sewer system. The Imperial City’s Upper City District was no exception, and the floodwater on the streets was a meter deep.

After all, the Upper City District’s sewer system dated back to before the new century. Renovating it wasn’t as simple as one might imagine. Besides, the system usually worked fine as long as it wasn’t dealing with extreme weather.

Shen Lu watched as Bai Wanwan’s car drove into the floodwater, transforming from a car into a boat in half a second.

To be more precise, the wheels changed shape and function, transforming from rolling tires into constantly oscillating paddles.

’Advanced technology is truly incredible,’ Shen Lu marveled inwardly.

Fifteen minutes later, Shen Lu and Bai Wanwan arrived at the entrance of New Star Company. The floodwater wasn’t as deep here, and the car’s onboard AI automatically detected the change in driving conditions, reverting the paddles back into wheels.

Steel plates had been laid out at the entrance of New Star Company, allowing pedestrians to avoid stepping in the water. Shen Lu and Bai Wanwan entered without any trouble, identified themselves at the front desk, and took the elevator to the seventh floor.

The seventh floor housed the artists’ lounges. Shen Lu went from door to door until she found Li Zexing’s nameplate on the one at the very end of the hall.

Just as she was about to knock, Bai Wanwan suddenly grabbed her.

"Hm? What’s wrong?" Shen Lu asked.

"I... do you think this lipstick color is okay? Should I change it?"

"Your lipstick color?" Shen Lu frowned. Bai Wanwan immediately took the hint and pulled a tube of brick-red lipstick from her purse.

"There’s nothing wrong with your lipstick. You, on the other hand, are the one with the problem." Shen Lu held her hand down. "Bai Wanwan, didn’t you say you had something urgent to do? Why did you follow me up here?"

"..." Bai Wanwan was a bit flustered, but she forced herself to remain calm. "It wasn’t that urgent. Alright, since my lipstick is fine, go ahead and knock. We shouldn’t keep him waiting."

Shen Lu narrowed her eyes. "You didn’t just follow me here to meet your idol, did you?"

She’d had her suspicions back in the car. Seeing as she had bought a Dog Hero replica sports car, it seemed perfectly reasonable to think she was a fangirl of Dog Hero.

Having been found out, Bai Wanwan grew slightly indignant. "And what if I am?!"

"Not at all. You could have just told me," Shen Lu said with a shrug, patting her arm. "Don’t be nervous. Li Zexing just has two eyes and a nose like anyone else. Nothing special."

Before the words were even out of her mouth, the door clicked open. The very same "nothing special" Li Zexing, with his two eyes and a nose, appeared with a deadpan expression on his face.

"Boss Shen is right. I really am nothing special."

’He’d known the moment they arrived outside. When they just kept dawdling instead of coming in, he decided to open the door himself. He never expected to walk in on Shen Lu describing him.’

’Yes, it was true that a normal person has two eyes and a nose, but his were perfectly proportioned and handsome. What part of that wasn’t special?’

The color drained from Bai Wanwan’s face. She stammered, trying to smooth things over, "N-no, that’s not it! Brother Xing, you’re exceptionally handsome! Shen Lu was just talking nonsense."

Shen Lu rubbed her nose, a bit embarrassed. "Yeah," she said guiltily. "I was just talking nonsense."

Li Zexing shot them a glance and said flatly, "Come in."

Hanging their heads, the two of them obediently entered the lounge.

Li Zexing’s lounge was about eighty square meters. It was furnished with a sofa set, and two scripts were spread open on the coffee table. One wall was covered entirely in mirrors, while another was adorned with his movie stills. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows stood two clothing racks hung with various outfits.

It was the first time either Shen Lu or Bai Wanwan had been in an artist’s lounge, and they looked around curiously.

Li Zexing only had an assistant with him when he was filming; he was usually on his own. That meant he had to play host himself.

"What do you want to drink? I have juice and cola."

’Listen to that! Just listen!’

’The Upper City District really is on another level. Just look at what people drink here!’

’Juice and cola.’

’It’s nothing like the Lower City District, where getting served low-quality tea is considered VIP treatment.’

Shen Lu composed herself and asked for a cola.

Bai Wanwan wanted a cola too, but she worried it would make her burp. ’How could I possibly burp in front of Brother Xing? That would be so unladylike!’ So, she asked for juice.

Li Zexing took a bottle of juice and a can of cola from the fridge, placed them on the coffee table, and leaned back into a single armchair, looking relaxed.

Instead of reaching for her cola, Shen Lu pushed the bag she was carrying toward Li Zexing. "I made you some afternoon tea. I hope you like it."

She took out the food container, removed the nano-freezer device, and the ice cream egg waffles immediately returned to their freshly made state.

The sweet aroma of the egg waffles mingled with the savory scent of the marinated snacks. Li Zexing’s nostrils twitched, and he uncrossed his legs.

’This afternoon tea... actually looks pretty good.’

Li Zexing tried a bite of the marinated snack first, and his brow furrowed.

’It tastes good, but it has no effect on my Spiritual Sea.’

He looked up at Shen Lu, his gaze probing.

Shen Lu took a sip of the icy, tingling cola. The bubbles from the carbonated drink exploded in her mouth, bringing an indescribable sense of joy.

She closed her eyes in pleasure. She wasn’t usually a big fan of sodas, but drinking one every now and then was quite a kick.

When she opened her eyes and found Li Zexing staring at her, she tilted her head in confusion.

"Don’t you like it? Or is it not to your taste?"

’That can’t be right. I tasted everything while I was cooking. Maybe it’s the ingredient quality. It’s true they aren’t as good as the ones from the System, but the food is still pretty tasty.’

Li Zexing didn’t answer. Instead, he tried the ice cream egg waffle and took a sip of the lemon black tea.

’How strange.’

’Except for the egg waffle, everything else is just ordinary food. Only the egg waffle has the power to soothe the Spiritual Sea.’

’And even its effect is diminished.’

’What’s going on here?’

"With such heavy rain and the streets all flooded, how did you get here from the Lower City District?" Li Zexing asked.

"Bai Wanwan picked me up yesterday and took me to the Bai Family estate," Shen Lu explained briefly. "She invited me to cook a few dishes for Bai Lei’s birthday celebration."

Out of the corner of his eye, Li Zexing glanced at the girl in the luxurious dress sitting nervously beside Shen Lu. He had a vague impression of Bai Wanwan, but not much.

"So that’s how it is. No wonder you said you couldn’t come see me for a couple of days."

’Alright, that confirms it. The ingredients for this afternoon tea must have come from the Bai Family’s kitchen. No wonder some of it has no effect, while the rest is so weak.’

’It seems that if I want the real deal, I’ll have to go to her shop.’

’This must be one of Fu Cheng’s rules, right? Forbidding Shen Lu from taking the special ingredients out of her shop at will?’

Li Zexing’s imagination ran wild as he connected the dots, attributing everything to Fu Cheng.

After all, Shen Lu’s background, while peculiar and humble, was clean. He had investigated her and found nothing out of the ordinary. Fu Cheng, on the other hand... although the Fu Family had abandoned him, he still had a mysterious maternal family—a family whose very name made the powerful elites of the Imperial City turn pale.