Chapter 52: "Do you want to go back to the Upper City District? I can help you.
The mother had no choice but to buy it.
She irritably thrust the egg waffle into her son’s hands. "Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you know! If you get sick from eating this, go find your grandmother!"
The little boy giggled, revealing a gap in his front teeth. He took a big bite of the egg waffle—OMPH!—and was on cloud nine.
"This is so yummy!"
As she watched the mother and son’s retreating figures, the System’s voice rang in Shen Lu’s mind.
[DING DONG. Detected sales: Mint Water 50/50, Egg Waffles 40/40, Malatang 40/40, Fried Rice 20/20, Fried Noodles 20/20, Marinated Delicacies 10/10. Task complete. Reward: one Lottery Ticket.]
Bingo!
’The task is finally complete.’
There weren’t many ingredients left, but no matter how much remained, she would close up shop at 3:30 PM sharp.
Anything that didn’t sell, she could eat herself, give away, or store in the System Warehouse to sell the next day.
The Bai Family Siblings arrived, disguised as usual. Bai Wanwan quickly placed her order, grabbed the food container, and left without a backward glance.
Bai Lei rubbed his nose, looking helpless about his sister’s behavior.
"The usual?" Shen Lu asked.
"Yep. And my sister’s mint water, put it in the thermos too."
Shen Lu took Bai Lei’s huge food container and thermos, packing his order with precise movements.
After paying, Bai Lei just stood there holding the food container and thermos, not moving. Shen Lu gave him a strange look.
"What is it? Something else? You know the rules here—there’s a purchase limit."
"No, it’s not that." Bai Lei pulled down his mask. "It’s me. I’m Bai Wanwan’s brother, Bai Lei. Do you remember me?"
Shen Lu’s expression remained neutral; she wasn’t surprised that Bai Lei had revealed his identity.
After all, since she already knew Bai Wanwan’s identity, the only boy who would call her "sister" was Bai Lei.
But since they didn’t want to expose themselves, she had no intention of forcing the issue.
"I remember."
"Can we talk somewhere quieter?"
People were always coming and going in front of the small stall, so it wasn’t a good place to talk.
Shen Lu couldn’t figure out his intentions, so she activated the Good and Evil Judgment Device. ’Let’s see if his intentions toward me are good or evil.’
A heart immediately appeared above Bai Lei’s head. It was a very pale pink, almost indistinguishable from white; you had to look closely to tell the difference.
Shen Lu glanced at Cai Su, who was squatting and washing dishes. The heart above her head was a brilliant, almost glaring red.
She scanned the passersby; most of their hearts were white, though some were gray or pale pink.
The display was a little tiring on the eyes, so Shen Lu turned off the Good and Evil Judgment Device and agreed to Bai Lei’s request.
Leaving Cai Su to watch the stall, Shen Lu and Bai Lei walked a short distance to the entrance of an alley.
"Alright, what is it?" Shen Lu didn’t want to waste time and cut straight to the chase. "What new trouble is your sister trying to stir up?"
"It’s not my sister, it’s me." Bai Lei’s gaze was searching. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the Shen Lu standing before him now felt like a complete stranger. "Do you want to go back to the Upper City District? I can help you."
Shen Lu raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on her face. "You’ll help me? As I recall, we don’t really know each other, do we?"
"Of course, I wouldn’t be helping for free." Bai Lei smiled. "The food you make is delicious. I can partner with you to open a shop in the Upper City District. I’ll handle all the paperwork, and I’ll be responsible for the store and funding. All you have to do is run the storefront."
In other words, Shen Lu would only have to show up, and Bai Lei would handle all the other tedious details.
Shen Lu’s expression didn’t change. "And what’s the catch for such a good deal?"
"You don’t want to stay in the Lower City District forever, do you? With your current abilities, it’s impossible to return to the Upper City District anytime soon. You might be able to wait, but what about Fu Cheng? He’s so seriously injured. Can you bear to watch him die without treatment?"
Bai Lei figured Fu Cheng must be quite important to Shen Lu. Otherwise, how could one explain why, after being kicked out of the Shen Family and living in such dire conditions, she hadn’t abandoned the dead weight that was Fu Cheng?
’It must be love!’
With this line of reasoning, he was certain he had found Shen Lu’s weakness. In his mind, he was already applauding his own superior negotiation skills.
"Who says I can’t bear it?" Shen Lu really wanted to laugh. ’Others might not know, but how could I not?’
Even if she didn’t take care of Fu Cheng, Fu Cheng wouldn’t die.
"Also, if I’m not mistaken, were I to agree to this partnership, you’d take at least seventy percent of the profits. Plus, I’d have to provide the ingredients and train the staff. How would that be any different from just working for you?"
"But you’d be able to return to the Upper City District and gain the protection of the Bai Family." Bai Lei looked at her earnestly. "Don’t you need that?"
"No, I don’t." Shen Lu refused without a second thought.
"Think about it, Shen Lu. You have no idea how much danger you’re in right now to be able to refuse me so easily." Bai Lei raised his wrist. "Let’s exchange contact info. You can find me if you need anything."
Shen Lu looked at the watch on his wrist, knowing it wasn’t a real watch but something called a Light Brain.
It was similar to the smartphones from her original world, only more intelligent, more advanced, and more convenient.
Everyone in the Upper City District had one, but in the Lower City District, less than half the population could afford even the most basic model.
The original owner of this body had one, and it was still on her wrist when she was kicked out. But by the time Shen Lu woke up, it had already been stolen.
"My Light Brain is gone. I can’t exchange contact info."
Bai Lei glanced at her wrist. It was indeed bare, with no Light Brain in sight.
"Alright, well, just think it over."
In truth, Bai Lei also wanted to ask where Shen Lu got the ingredients for her stall and why they had the effect of calming one’s Spiritual Sea.
But he held back.
Because Shen Lu seemed very wary of people, and he figured she wouldn’t tell him even if he asked.
Back in the car, Bai Wanwan asked him impatiently, "How did it go? Did she agree?"
"She didn’t."
"She didn’t agree? How is that possible? Did you not explain it clearly?"
"I made it very clear." Bai Lei threw up his hands. "She said she doesn’t want to go back to the Upper City District, that she can bear to watch Fu Cheng die without treatment, and she even claimed her Light Brain is gone so she couldn’t exchange contact info."
"It must’ve been your attitude. She’s the most difficult person I know."
"Sis, if you know her so well, why didn’t you go yourself?"
Bai Wanwan snorted. "You don’t know shit."
’Why would the victor grovel before the vanquished?’ Plus, with Shen Lu’s bitchy attitude, she would definitely assume she was being given charity and would probably say something sarcastic.
Why should she have to put up with that kind of humiliation?
When Shen Lu returned to her stall, Bai Lei’s words were still echoing in her mind: "Shen Lu, you have no idea how much danger you’re in right now to be able to refuse me so easily."
’Danger?’
’I haven’t felt safe for a single day since I transmigrated here.’
But Bai Lei’s words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
For the moment, Shen Lu couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so she decided to put it aside.
’Whatever comes, I’ll be ready for it. There’s always a way over any hurdle.’