The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland

Even though it wasn’t a milestone birthday for Bai Lei, he was likely just inviting close friends and family. Still, a street food like malatang was hardly refined enough for the occasion.

Bai Lei: It’s my birthday, my rules.

Shen Lu: I can bring the malatang machine, but not the ingredients.

Bai Lei: Fish balls? Can you just bring some fish balls? Yours are the best. I can’t find any as good as yours anywhere else.

Bai Lei: [PleadingKitten.jpg]

’Trying to act cute?’

That wouldn’t work on Shen Lu.

’She was a cold, heartless woman.’

Shen Lu: The ingredients are a definite no. I can lend my skills, at most. You’ll have to provide the ingredients to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

If one of the guests got sick after eating, there would definitely be an investigation. Shen Lu knew she couldn’t withstand that kind of scrutiny, so she nipped the possibility in the bud.

Bai Lei wheedled for ages, but Shen Lu remained completely unmoved.

Bai Lei: Alright, then can I request specific dishes?

Shen Lu: Sure. I’ll see if I know how to make them.

The two of them went back and forth about the menu for another hour before finally settling on one cold appetizer, four hot dishes, and a dessert from Shen Lu.

The Bai Family had their own professional chef, so Shen Lu being responsible for six dishes was plenty. Making fifty servings of each would be more than enough to keep her busy.

Shen Lu: Marinated meat platter, braised pork belly, mouth-watering chicken, spicy crayfish, garlic spare ribs, and pumpkin cakes. How does that sound for the six dishes?

Bai Lei: Perfect. Will you need to come a day early?

Shen Lu: Mhm, some dishes need to be prepped ahead of time.

With the conversation finally over, Shen Lu yawned, feeling a bit drowsy.

Remembering she hadn’t used today’s Lottery Ticket yet, Shen Lu mentally commanded, ’Lottery.’

[Congratulations, Host, you have drawn a prize from blind box #333: Free Utilities Privilege.]

[Free Utilities Privilege: Any shop under the Host’s name will have its water and electricity bills waived. Within the normal range of use, no fees will be charged. Usage exceeding this range will be billed at 30% of the standard rate.]

Shen Lu was happy for a moment. Free utilities would cut down on her business expenses, which was pretty good. But she quickly asked the system a question.

Shen Lu: "So, does this privilege also apply to the utilities for my apartment?"

[Yes, it does.]

Shen Lu: "That’s more like it."

She and Fu Cheng didn’t use that much water or electricity, but every penny counts. Better to save where you can.

Before falling asleep, Shen Lu’s thoughts turned to Zeng Xiaodao.

She wondered how he was doing in that illegal underground clinic.

She checked her hidden quest’s progress. It was still at 6%, unchanged.

’Oh well. Life and death are decided by fate, and wealth by heaven. I’ve done all I can. Whether he lives or dies is up to his own luck now.’

Shen Lu scrolled through some short videos for a while and came across several reports about the explosion at the pharmaceutical company.

The pharmaceutical company’s losses were severe, and the police were working around the clock to investigate the attackers. A reward was being offered to any citizen who came forward with information, pending verification.

Shen Lu expressionlessly scrolled through the comments. Most citizens were furious with the attackers.

—Those goddamn bastards! What the hell were they thinking, bombing a pharmaceutical company? Don’t they know that’s where nutrient liquid is made? Now that they’ve blown it up, what if it delays production?

—It has to be those rebels. Seriously, I don’t get it. What the hell are they even rebelling against?

—When the titans clash, it’s us little guys who get crushed. Just you wait, the price of nutrient liquid is definitely going to skyrocket.

—I think it was definitely those lowlifes from the Lower City District.

—The commenter above is right. If you ask me, why can’t we just kick out all those dregs from the Lower City District? They’re parasites on the Imperial Capital Survival Base, completely useless drains on society.

—What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t paint everyone with the same brush, okay!

—Yeah, seriously! Go back three generations, and who *wasn’t* from the Lower City District?

...

The comments devolved into pointless bickering. Shen Lu scoffed and closed the app.

’I wonder what organization Zeng Xiaodao is working for. First he bombed the kitchen at Cao’s Noodle House, and now he’s bombed a pharmaceutical company. What’s next? Is he going to bomb Lan Palace, where the Royal Family lives?’

’It’s only been a short while since I last saw him, but Zeng Xiaodao has changed so much.’

’He’d gotten so bold it was shocking.’

Shen Lu shifted position and sighed softly. ’This hidden quest is pretty tough,’ she thought. ’Of course, that’s partly because I’m not really trying my hardest to investigate it.’

’Can I really complete this quest?’

’Looking at it another way, if the quest is this difficult, the reward must be incredible!’

’Ugh, I’m done thinking about it. Overthinking is pointless and just causes more stress.’

...

「Upper City District, New Star Company.」

Qin Shuangshu sent the information he’d dug up to Li Zexing.

Qin Shuangshu: This is all I could find. By the way, have you looked at the new script?

Li Zexing: 1

Qin Shuangshu: Stop replying with ’1’! Use actual words!

Li Zexing: I’ll read it when I have time.

Qin Shuangshu was at his wit’s end. He nagged Li Zexing a little more, reminding him to read the script and strike while the iron was hot by filming more projects.

After finishing the report, Li Zexing tapped his screen and muted notifications from Qin Shuangshu.

’His agent was great and all, but he was just too damn talkative.’

’Honestly, for a grown man, he sure had a lot of crap to say.’

"Shen Lu?" Li Zexing murmured the name, lost in thought. "Is that the girl I saw yesterday?"

Li Zexing opened a web browser, typed the two words "Shen Lu" into the search bar, and a photo of her quickly appeared.

"It really is her."

Li Zexing narrowed his eyes, intrigued.

He still remembered Shen Lu—the girl who’d been switched at birth with Shen Lan.

’I didn’t expect her to be so loyal. She didn’t abandon Fu Cheng, even under those circumstances.’

’Most people would have just cut a burden like Fu Cheng loose.’

’Not only did she stick by Fu Cheng, but she also used her amazing cooking skills to go from running a street stall to opening her own little restaurant.’

’With that kind of character and capability, it’s no wonder she had the guts to smash a cake in Shen Lan’s face, clear her name of all the slander, and then just walk away without a care in the world.’

The search results for Shen Lu also included some videos. Li Zexing clicked on them curiously and saw they were all promotional clips she had filmed for her food stall and small restaurant.

Li Zexing wasn’t much of a foodie, so the videos didn’t particularly stir his appetite.

Still, he decided to take a trip to the Lower City District the next day. For one, he had to complete the task his cousin had given him. For another, he wanted to meet Shen Lu in person.

The next day, Li Zexing put on a careful disguise and left in his family’s most nondescript car.

Lin Xin brought out the sandwiches she’d made just in time to see the car pulling away. She gave her husband a puzzled look. "Honey, did someone borrow your car?"

Li Long: "No, that was Ze Xing."

"Ah Xing?" Lin Xin’s eyes widened. "He left so early? I hadn’t heard he was filming anything lately."

"Leave him be. He’s not a three-year-old."

"Then what about the sandwiches I made?" Lin Xin fretted. "They’re Ah Xing’s favorite, and they’re best when they’re fresh."

"They’re my favorite, too," Li Long said, pulling his wife onto his lap. He took a huge bite of the sandwich she was holding. "Your sandwiches are the best in the world, honey!"