The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland

This time, Li Zexing came to Little Deer Cuisine without any disguise, even wearing his signature silver Biting Inhibitor.

The moment he appeared, all eyes were drawn to him.

After all, his movie had just been released two days ago, and the buzz surrounding it was at its peak.

Seeing the lead actor suddenly appear in their midst while they were still discussing the plot created a sense of the movie coming to life. It was hard not to get excited.

"It’s Dog Hero!"

"Li Zexing! It’s Brother Xing!"

"He’s even more handsome in person than in the movie! Ahhh, he’s looking over! He’s looking over! He must be looking at me!"

"Bullshit! He’s looking at me, okay? Why would Brother Xing ever look at an ugly hag like you?"

"Brother Xing! Brother Xing, I’m your fan! Can we get a picture together?"

Fans who caught wind of his arrival quickly swarmed the area. Just as they were about to rush him, Princess Ruoxin stepped out of her car. She planted herself firmly at Li Zexing’s side, glaring daggers at the young women who were about to pounce.

Princess Ruoxin’s guards appeared right behind her, aiming their weapons at the crowd.

The cold glint of the weapons quickly sobered up the frenzied fans. They all stopped in their tracks, utterly resentful.

’Damn it, why is Princess Ruoxin here too? With her around, no one will be able to get close to Li Zexing.’

Li Zexing had counted on exactly that, which was why he’d swaggered into the Lower City District. He entered the shop and looked at the perfectly calm Shen Lu.

"Boss Shen, we meet again."

"Mr. Li, Princess Ruoxin, welcome. Please follow me." Shen Lu led the two of them to the booth seating area.

One was a person of noble status, the other had a massive following. She couldn’t very well let them sit in the fast-food section; the quieter booths were much more suitable.

Princess Ruoxin gave the shop a critical once-over and even had a guard wipe down the seat before she sat.

’It’s acceptable, I suppose. For a small shop in the Lower City District, the decor is passable. The hygiene seems decent, too—no filthy stains, and the air smells fresh.’

’But why does this owner look so familiar?’

’Ah, I remember now!’

’She’s that fake young miss from the Shen Family, the one who was switched at birth. What was her name again? Shen... something?’

’Whatever. It doesn’t matter if I can’t remember. She’s not someone worth remembering anyway.’

Shen Lu couldn’t neglect such distinguished guests. She took out the leftover tea leaves from last time, brewed a pot, and brought it over with two cups.

Just then, after a great deal of internal struggle, Shen Lan finally trudged inside.

Even though she knew Li Zexing was toying with her, she couldn’t just turn around and leave.

In her current position, she had no way of approaching Princess Ruoxin directly. She had to go through Li Zexing as an intermediary.

Shen Lu and Shen Lan came face-to-face in the waiting area. Shen Lu’s eyes narrowed, and she spoke first.

"Miss Shen, here for a meal?"

Shen Lan lifted her chin proudly. "I came with Princess Ruoxin."

’Otherwise, you couldn’t pay me to set foot in this dump!’

Shen Lu caught her implication and discreetly rolled her eyes.

’She wished Shen Lan would just stay away. Given the bad blood between them, there was no way Shen Lan would leave a good review after eating her food.’

’She’d probably give me zero stars on the spot.’

’She’s definitely just here to drag down my shop’s satisfaction rating.’

’Tch! What bad luck.’

Unfortunately, since the other woman had already announced she was with Princess Ruoxin, Shen Lu couldn’t exactly chase her out.

Plastering on a fake smile, Shen Lu led Shen Lan to the booth. After setting down the teapot and teacups, she went back to fetch another one.

Princess Ruoxin slanted a look at Shen Lu, her tone imperious. "Where is the menu?"

Shen Lu put on her customer-service smile. "I’m sorry, but our little shop hasn’t introduced made-to-order stir-fry dishes yet. We only have set meals. Currently, you can choose from the Red-Braised Pork Set, the Kung Pao Chicken Set, our selection of braised delicacies, or malatang."

The moment Shen Lan heard this, she saw her chance to cause trouble.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you suggesting Princess Ruoxin eat the same food as those lower-class citizens? This is a great disrespect to the Royal Family!"

’Let’s see you talk your way out of that accusation. You must be sweating buckets now, right, Shen Lu?’

Shen Lan snickered to herself, feeling smug.

Shen Lan’s fawning made Princess Ruoxin feel quite pleased. ’She’s right,’ the princess thought. ’I’m a princess. Since birth, my food, clothing, and everything I use have been a cut above even the daughters of the wealthiest families. It’s absurd to expect me to eat such low-class fare here.’

Shen Lu shot a sideways glance at Shen Lan, grumbling internally. ’Forget a princess. Even if God himself came down, if there’s no stir-fry, there’s no stir-fry!’

She waited a moment, wanting to see how Li Zexing would react.

But Li Zexing just lowered his head to sip his tea, looking for all the world like he was just watching a play unfold.

Shen Lu’s eye twitched. ’Great. He brings people here to eat, and when they start causing trouble, he doesn’t say a single word.’

Shen Lu let out a light chuckle, easing the tense atmosphere.

"As a citizen of the Imperial City, I would never dream of slighting Princess Ruoxin." The young woman’s voice was gentle as she first clarified her respectful position. "It’s just that this is a small-scale operation. Our daily ingredients are ordered in advance and have already been prepared into the dishes we offer. Even if I wanted to cook a proper meal for the three of you, I’m afraid I have the will but not the way."

Seeing Shen Lan about to jump in, Shen Lu quickly cut her off. "Besides, I’m sure that Princess Ruoxin, as a member of the Royal Family, came to the Lower City District because she wanted to experience the daily lives of its citizens. To see for herself if life for the people here is improving under the President’s leadership. Am I right?"

’Anyone can play the accusation game.’

’If Shen Lan was going to pin a label on her, then she would just pin one right on Princess Ruoxin.’

Any fool knew there was a huge gap between the Upper City District and the Lower City District. Shen Lu was certain that even if she went to great lengths to cook a feast, Shen Lan would still find a million things to complain about.

’So what if she tied this meal to matters of state?’

As long as Princess Ruoxin had an average person’s intelligence, she would know exactly how to respond.

Princess Ruoxin understood the implication in Shen Lu’s words.

She gave Shen Lu a long, hard look, sizing her up from head to toe.

’She certainly has a sharp mind.’

Now that Shen Lu had put it that way, she couldn’t very well keep insisting on a specially cooked meal.

’If this is about observing the people’s welfare, then of course I have to eat the same food as everyone else. That’s the only way it would be convincing.’

Although that wasn’t her intention at all when she came, but... Princess Ruoxin stole a glance at Li Zexing.

’But Brother Ze Xing wouldn’t like a girl who makes unreasonable scenes, would he?’

’He’s the great hero who saved the world in his movie. I can’t act like a picky, spoiled little princess.’

Princess Ruoxin cleared her throat. "That’s right. I came to the Lower City District to see what your daily lives are like. There’s no need to prepare anything special. Just bring us one of each of the items you mentioned."

Shen Lan: "Huh? Princess Ruoxin, you..."

Li Zexing leisurely finished his cup of tea. Nudged by Li Zenan’s incessant prompting, he finally stood up.

"Just do as the princess says." He took a step toward Shen Lu. "Is it convenient for me to go up? I need to see Fu Cheng."

Shen Lu didn’t answer right away. Only after checking with Fu Cheng did she nod. "I’ll take you upstairs."

"I want to go too!" Princess Ruoxin scrambled to follow, uneasy about Li Zexing being alone with another girl.

Shen Lan chimed in, "Princess Ruoxin, I’ll accompany you."

’I don’t want to be left here all by myself. How awkward.’