The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland

Bai Lei gave a silly grin. He had lost all interest in the meteor shower tonight.

"Sis, I really wish I could go back to the Imperial City right this second."

Bai Wanwan shot him a look. "You just behave yourself. As it happens, Shen Lu needs our help with something. Go take care of it."

Taking his sister’s order, Bai Lei eagerly trotted off to call the manager of their family’s plantation.

Half an hour later, he gave Bai Wanwan an OK sign, indicating that everything was taken care of.

Bai Wanwan sent Shen Lu a message: "I’ve handled everything for you. All the ingredients will be delivered to your storefront at eight o’clock tomorrow morning."

Shen Lu, who was sitting by Fu Cheng’s bed, glanced at the message and unhurriedly replied, "Thank you."

Seeing her unreadable expression, Fu Cheng thought she must have received some bad news.

Fu Cheng said, "I can have someone send more ingredients tomorrow. Don’t worry too much."

’Although he didn’t understand why Shen Lu refused to raise her prices, insisting on going against the Lower City District’s Commerce Association, he believed she had her reasons for doing so.’

’And he just had to do everything in his power to support her.’

Shen Lu looked up and smiled sweetly. "There’s no need. Bai Wanwan just messaged me. She said the ingredients I need will be delivered tomorrow morning, so we’re set for the next few days."

Fu Cheng asked, "Is she... trustworthy?"

Shen Lu leaned back gently in her chair. "She also wants to connect with my ingredient supplier. Even if she can’t be trusted, she’ll find a way to handle the task I gave her."

Fu Cheng carefully observed Shen Lu’s expression. "If you feel uncomfortable," he said, "you can talk to me about it."

Shen Lu pursed her lips.

’When she first realized the Bai Family Siblings had approached her because of the food that could heal the Spiritual Sea, Shen Lu had felt a little hurt.’

’She had naively thought it was her own charming personality that had drawn them in.’

’But several days had passed now, and that feeling had faded.’

’Relationships were always built on a tangle of mutual interests. Wasn’t her own willingness to engage with Bai Wanwan also because she could be helpful in certain ways?’

’Besides, the Bai Family Siblings hadn’t done anything malicious to her so far.’

’As long as she remained cautious in their future interactions, there was no reason they couldn’t be ordinary friends.’

Shen Lu’s gaze shifted, landing on Fu Cheng.

’In this world, at this moment, Fu Cheng was probably the only one who cared for her wholeheartedly.’

’After all, their fates were intertwined; they would prosper or perish together.’

’It was just... tonight, the female lead was supposed to arrive in this world. The plot would kick off, the gears of fate would begin to turn, and Fu Cheng—destined to become the great villain of the novel—would he still treat her as he did now?’

Fu Cheng keenly sensed the look in Shen Lu’s eyes changing again and again as she stared at him—heavy, searching, bewildered, fearful...

’Did I say something wrong?’

’Why, in the span of a single minute, had her eyes filled with so many different emotions?’

A strange panic seized him. Fu Cheng forced himself up, struggling to sit straight, and reached out to grab Shen Lu’s hand from the armrest.

"I... will stay with you. Forever."

’I’ll do everything I can to protect you, too.’

’So don’t be afraid. Don’t be bewildered. And please, stop looking at me with that heavy, searching gaze.’

’He would never, ever betray her.’

Shen Lu snapped back to her senses. The palm covering the back of her hand was rough with scars, radiating a dry warmth.

"You’re recovering so well," Shen Lu said with a smile, gently pressing on Fu Cheng’s shoulder to help him lean back against the pillow. "And you’re able to say more and more words."

She had indeed been thrown into turmoil by various matters, but Shen Lu was exceptionally good at cheering herself up.

’Things started out so miserably for me, but look how well I’m doing now.’

’So what if the female lead shows up? It’s not like we have any conflicting interests. We can just live our own lives. Who knows, maybe I can even ride her coattails later on.’

’In fact, it’s a good thing the female lead is coming. As the protagonist, all sorts of drama will constantly revolve around her. Once everyone’s attention is on her, I’ll become less conspicuous by comparison.’

’Keep a low profile to stay safe, lie low to live long. Shen Lu was a firm believer in this philosophy.’

As for what would become of Fu Cheng in the future, Shen Lu had no idea.

’But right at this moment, Fu Cheng was still firmly on my side, wasn’t he?’

Fu Cheng stared intently at Shen Lu. The young woman’s face was serene, as if she wore an impenetrable mask that prevented anyone from reaching the real her deep inside.

Fu Cheng felt a sense of defeat.

He also hated his own helplessness.

It was getting late, so Shen Lu washed up and went straight to her bedroom.

Before going to bed, she checked her personal panel.

[Name: Shen Lu

Popularity Value: 34,131

Missions: 1. Upgrade the scale of the food stall

2. Investigate the truth of the expired nutrient liquid (Progress: 40%)

3. Recruit one new employee]

These last few days, her business had been better than ever, even though she only needed to buy a portion of her ingredients from the System Mall. As a result, her popularity value had seen excellent growth.

Shen Lu was very satisfied with this.

When her gaze passed over the progress bar for investigating the truth of the expired nutrient liquid, Shen Lu felt a headache coming on and wanted to rub her temples.

The progress on that thing was stuck again.

She really didn’t have the time or energy to investigate it; the shop alone was enough to keep her busy.

She really wished someone could help her with this mission.

Fortunately, this mission had no time limit, so she could investigate after resolving the crisis at her stall.

As for the mission to recruit a new employee, that would be completed this month, so she didn’t have to worry about it.

In fact, after observing and working with them for the past few days, Shen Lu was quite satisfied with all four of her probationary employees.

Xin Yu wasn’t skilled or particularly talented, but he had a cheerful personality and always kept the work atmosphere harmonious.

Deng Ying was meticulous, hardworking, and eager to learn, providing excellent support to Cai Su with prep work.

Shu Meng could always stir-fry vegetable dishes to be exceptionally delicious, something even Shen Lu couldn’t match. Meanwhile, Song Zhigao was an employee whose overall skill set was both remarkably well-rounded and exceptionally high.

He was a man of few words but was very perceptive. She felt he had great command over the back-of-house, like a truly seasoned head chef.

Sometimes, when Shen Lu looked at Song Zhigao, she got the feeling she must have stepped in some unbelievable good luck.

Some things you could just sense, even if no one said them aloud.

With Song Zhigao’s level of skill, he could easily find a decent job in the Upper City District if he had a pass, let alone in a Lower City District stall.

’So why on earth did he apply for a job at her stall?’

The salary she offered was good for the Lower City District, but it couldn’t possibly compare to the Upper City District.

Shen Lu felt an indescribable wariness toward Song Zhigao. Even though she scanned him every day with the Good and Evil Judgment Device and saw the white heart above his head, she couldn’t shake her suspicions.

’Oh well, I’ll just keep observing him.’

’A fox will show its tail eventually, one way or another.’

Shen Lu rubbed her hands together and sent a superstitious prayer to all the gods and buddhas in the heavens.

"Okay, no jinxes, Amitabha Buddha, all you Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, you have to bless me and let me draw what I want! This faithful believer is willing to offer ten years of the Shen Family’s lifespan in exchange for an increased defense level for my stall!"

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