Chapter 174: I’ll Pay Double the Price
Li Qin had told her that mutations could be either benign or malignant, and that awakening a superpower was actually just one type of mutation. It was the first time Shen Lu had heard such a thing, and she had a nagging feeling that most people probably hadn’t, either.
After all, in the eyes of the general public, Superpower Users were the natural enemies of mutant beasts. Telling everyone that they shared the same origin, just with different mutational paths, would be a hard pill for a public with such deeply ingrained beliefs to swallow.
’It looks like if I want to investigate this further, I’ll have to find a way into the institute.’
Shen Lu couldn’t help but recall what Lin Zhou had told her about her pot of scallions.
He had said, "If Boss Shen takes this pot of seedlings to the Biological Research Institute, she could become a Third-level Researcher without any assessment."
’Li Qin is a Level 1 researcher, and she seems to have a pretty high status at the institute. If I can get in as a Third-level Researcher, could I get access to more core information?’
Shen Lu was very tempted.
The ringing of the welcome bell interrupted her train of thought. Shen Lu looked up to greet the day’s first customer.
"You’re Little Bei from the Gale Mercenary Corps, right?" Shen Lu narrowed her eyes, recognizing the newcomer.
Little Bei nodded with a cheeky grin. "That’s me, that’s me! Boss Shen, you actually remember me."
"Of course, I remember. You’re a regular here."
Shen Lu put her talent for smooth-talking to use, laying on the flattery thick.
In any case, anyone who came into the shop in this weather was a good customer.
Shen Lu greeted him warmly. "The food’s all hot and ready. Here, there’s a towel. It’s not too late to dry off before you eat."
Little Bei waved his hand, declining the towel. "It’s fine. It’s just a little rain, no big deal. Boss Shen, where’s the chief?"
"He should be in the staff dorm. Wait here, I’ll go get him."
Shen Lu knocked on the door to the staff dorm and only opened it after getting a response.
In the living room, Xue Can was watching TV with his legs crossed. Beside him, Xiao Lang was holding a horse stance with a puffed-out face and an extremely serious expression.
"Mr. Xue, Little Bei from your corps is here to see you."
"Okay, I got it."
Xue Can got up to leave, but Xiao Lang quickly called out to him, "Brother Can, are you coming back to teach me later?"
"No talking while you’re in a horse stance," Xue Can tossed out coldly before striding away on his long legs.
Xue Can and Little Bei discussed some matters in a booth. Only after they finished talking did they eat together.
Little Bei wolfed down his meal. A set of braised pork belly vanished in the blink of an eye.
He pushed his plate aside and continued with the spicy hot pot and braised snacks, his movements slowing down accordingly.
"Chief, did you really spend the night here yesterday?" Little Bei asked, waggling his eyebrows with a sleazy tone.
Xue Can shot him a cold glance. "Looking for a death wish?"
’Gossiping about me? The nerve.’
"I’m just asking. Why are you getting so worked up?" Little Bei lowered his voice. "Chief, I think Boss Shen is pretty great, way better than that Lei Li. You should put in some effort so we can start calling her sister-in-law soon."
Xue Can smacked Little Bei on the back of the head. "Shut up."
Seeing that he was genuinely angry, Little Bei timidly fell silent.
But Little Bei was still running his mouth in his head.
’Boss Shen is gorgeous and has a great body. She’s an amazing cook, and her food can even soothe one’s Spiritual Sea. Sure, she has a few little secrets, but in this day and age, everyone has secrets. It’s nothing unusual.’
’Honestly, Little Bei was all for Shen Lu becoming their sister-in-law.’
’For one thing, they’d be guaranteed a lifetime of delicious food.’
’Fighting and bleeding outside, then coming home to a fragrant, hot meal... Just thinking about that kind of life felt amazing.’
’Who doesn’t want a wife, kids, and a warm hearth to come home to?’
’Even if the chief didn’t want that, he sure did.’
’If the chief couldn’t win her over, he might as well give it a shot himself.’
’He wasn’t bad-looking, just a bit shorter than the chief. He didn’t have any nasty habits like gambling or soliciting prostitutes, and he earned a good amount. His prospects were considered pretty good in the Lower City District.’
Little Bei considered it from every angle. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. So, after finishing his meal, he asked Shen Lu for her contact information.
Before Shen Lu could answer, Xue Can, his face dark, dragged him away.
"Chief! Chief, wait! I haven’t gotten Boss Shen’s contact info yet!"
Xue Can turned a deaf ear, not stopping until they were a hundred meters away from Little Deer Cuisine.
"What do you want Shen Lu’s contact information for?"
Little Bei tugged at his clothes. "To build a good relationship, of course."
’That way, when you inevitably fail to win her over, it’ll be easier for me to step in.’
’Of course, he didn’t dare say that out loud. He was afraid Xue Can would beat him up.’
"That won’t be necessary." Xue Can’s gaze was sharp and cold. "For the upcoming collaboration with the Thunder Mercenary Corps, you’ll lead the team."
"Chief, don’t abuse your power for personal revenge!" Little Bei protested. "Besides, Lei Ting’s people specifically requested you to lead. If I go, they’ll definitely turn me away."
"Then we’ll pull out of the mission."
"We’d have to pay double the penalty for breach of contract! All the life-and-death work the brothers put in this month would be for nothing." Little Bei wondered, ’Did me asking for her contact info really set him off that much?’
"Chief, calm down. I really didn’t mean anything by it. I just thought I’d get Boss Shen’s contact info in case we needed to reach her for something urgent."
Xue Can pressed his lips together, realizing he had indeed lost control a bit.
’Why, though?’
A trace of confusion flickered through his mind. He turned and walked away quickly.
...
Shen Lu’s business was still dismal today. The only good news was that she had completed her daily quest, but there was no reward for completing it.
A lot of food was left over, which saved her the trouble of making dinner.
Shen Lu gazed at the drizzling rain, thinking to herself that it should probably stop in another two or three days.
Who would have thought it would last for a full ten days before finally stopping.
The day the sun came out, Shen Lu jumped for joy.
’This is great! This damned rain has finally stopped! I just have to spread the deodorant tonight, and everything can go back to normal.’
She had been doing quests every day for days on end with no reward. She’d gone numb from the repetition.
In her good mood, Shen Lu made a bold decision: today, she would add a seaweed and egg drop soup to the menu. It would be practically given away with every set meal as a celebration for the end of the rainy season.
Shen Lu spent the morning toiling away in the kitchen, cooking and filming videos. Once done, she edited them and placed the life-sized standees she’d gotten from Li Zexing on either side of the entrance.
It had been raining constantly before, so there were few customers, and she hadn’t put the standees out for fear of them getting ruined.
Now was the perfect time to display them.
By a little before eleven-thirty, a crowd had already gathered outside. The moment she opened for business, customers flooded in like a tide.
Most of them were regulars who had been craving her food for nearly half a month. They charged straight in, heads down, afraid they’d be too late to get a meal.
Another portion of the crowd were Li Zexing’s fans. They couldn’t walk past the life-sized standees at the entrance, and they surrounded them, snapping pictures. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
Someone even asked Shen Lu if she could sell the standee to them.
"Brother Xing’s merch is incredibly hard to buy. I’ve wanted this one for so long, but you can’t find it for sale anywhere."
"Boss Shen, where did you get these? And they’re both official! That’s amazing."
"Sell it to me, sell it to me! I’ll pay double!"
"Me, me, me! Boss, I’ll pay triple!"
...