Chapter 107

Ke Zhenyu closed the door to his room, waiting for Ji Wei and the others to come and apologize.

But after waiting for half an hour, no one knocked on the door. Even Bai Ye, who was usually the most obedient, didn’t come.

He paced around the room, feeling stifled. But if he just went out like this, he would lose face.

Just then, he smelled the layered aroma of hot pot wafting in—first the spicy scent of red oil, then the fresh numbness of Sichuan peppercorns, and finally the smell of cooked beef.

Every molecule in the air was tantalizing his taste buds, and he couldn’t help but swallow.

Wait, where was the hot pot coming from?

He couldn’t resist pushing the door open and walking to the top of the second-floor staircase. He discovered that, at some point, a line had started to form outside the shop.

Although the line wasn’t long, it was something that had never happened before.

He watched quietly for a while.

***

Ji Wei and the others were running around in a frenzy. Xiao Chi and Zhao Yue were in charge of the hot pot in the backyard, while he and Bai Ye were still handling the cashier and packaging. They didn’t even have time for lunch.

But then another problem arose: they were running out of ingredients.

“Is that all the ingredients in the fridge?” Zhao Yue asked, running into the shop from the backyard.

Bai Ye nodded and said apologetically, “Sorry, I bought the usual amount. I didn’t expect so many customers today.”

“Then we’ll have to go to the supermarket again.” Zhao Yue looked at the line of twenty-odd people with a headache.

Ji Wei opened a drawer and found the supermarket’s phone number. “I’ll call and ask if they can deliver. You go back to work.”

At noon, there weren’t many customers in the shop; the backyard hot pot was the busiest.

“Alright then.” Zhao Yue headed back to the yard.

Ji Wei put on his headphones and, while packaging, dialed the number for the largest supermarket in St. Lawrence. “Hello, do you offer home delivery? We can cover the shipping costs.”

A soft female voice came from the phone. “Excuse me, what items would you like to order?”

Ji Wei quickly estimated in his head and replied, “We need twenty kilograms of beef, ten cans of sandwiches, five kilograms of green shrimp…”

He listed everything in one breath, but the voice on the other end became apologetic.

“Except for the salmon, which is out of stock, we have all the ingredients you need. However, our supermarket does not offer free delivery for small orders. You will need to pay 3% of the order amount as a fee for manual picking and refrigerated transport.”

Three percent?

That was not a small number.

[That’s too expensive. The funds are already tight. They spent half of it on renovations yesterday, and now they have less than seventy thousand dollars.]

[Charging a thousand dollars for a delivery of just a few hundred meters? This supermarket is a bit of a rip-off.]

[The main problem is that everyone is tied up right now. If someone were free, they could just go buy it from the next street over.]

[A smaller supermarket should be much cheaper.]

“I’ll think about it, thank you.” Ji Wei hung up the phone.

“How was it?” Bai Ye asked.

“They want to charge over a thousand dollars for the delivery fee,” Ji Wei sighed.

“There’s no other way.”

Just as Bai Ye finished speaking, Ke Zhenyu’s voice sounded in front of them. “What do you mean there’s no other way? Isn’t it just buying groceries?”

“Senior Ke!” Bai Ye looked at Ke Zhenyu in shock. “Weren’t you in your room?”

“Am I not allowed to come out?” Ke Zhenyu said irritably.

Bai Ye was speechless. “…No, that’s not it.”

Every other time, they had to beg and plead for Ke Zhenyu to come out. Today, he had actually changed his ways and come out of his room on his own!

[That old man finally did something good.]

[See, you can’t indulge the old man disease.]

[+1, What to do if Old Man Ke is always sick? Just beat him up and he’ll be fine.]

[Hahahahaha, is the person above a devil?!]

“One is more wasteful than the next. Spending over a thousand dollars just like that.” Ke Zhenyu grumbled as he pushed a small cart towards the shop entrance. “Without me watching, who knows what this shop would be like.”

Bai Ye took a sip of his goji berry water with a straight face, clearly used to it. Remembering that this was Ji Wei’s first time, he quickly explained, “Senior Ke is just a bit talkative.”

[What did talkative people do wrong! To be lumped in with Old Man Ke.]

[The problem with Old Man Ke isn’t that he’s talkative, it’s that he’s talkative and has a foul mouth.]

[Hahahaha, seeing everyone’s complaints makes me feel better. I’m going to screenshot this and enjoy it on Weibo repeatedly.]

Ji Wei felt that being told off a few times was nothing compared to spending over a thousand dollars.

It was quite a bargain.

He said politely to Ke Zhenyu, “Thank you, Senior Ke.”

Ke Zhenyu’s steps faltered, but he quickly continued towards the shop entrance.

[Sob sob sob, Weiwei even said thank you to him. Our Weiwei is an angel.]

[Cub Wei, don’t pay any attention to Old Man Ke.]

[Old Man Ke, be a decent person.]

Ke Zhenyu couldn’t carry everything by himself, so he had to make two trips to bring back all the food he had purchased. As soon as he returned, he started chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Of course, his mouth didn’t stop while he was chopping, either criticizing Zhao Yue for being too slow with serving or Xiao Chi for using too much dish soap when washing the dishes.

The customer traffic also kept increasing.

One thousand seven hundred people,

Two thousand one hundred people,

Two thousand eight hundred people…

By three in the afternoon, they had completed the mission!

Ji Wei’s phone buzzed with a notification that the mission was complete.

—Congratulations to the guests for completing the daily mission. Reward: Palace Museum Tea!

It seemed they really would have to renovate the second floor into a tea room.

Ji Wei glanced at the kitchen. Of course, that was on the condition that Ke Zhenyu agreed.

“We actually completed the mission today,” Bai Ye’s tone revealed a hint of disbelief.

This was the first time he had ever completed a mission.

He was so excited that he started taking money much faster.

“Normal.”

Ji Wei was still thinking about how to persuade Ke Zhenyu to build a tea room.

The way he frowned slightly in thought appeared as calm confidence in Bai Ye’s eyes. Bai Ye couldn’t help but think that with Ji Wei around, they might be able to complete missions from now on, and maybe even The Forbidden City’s Little Shop‘s ratings could return to their peak.

But the latter was clearly wishful thinking, and Bai Ye himself chuckled at the thought.

After closing the shop at six, there were still some ingredients left in the fridge. Zhao Yue suggested that everyone have hot pot together to celebrate the successful completion of the mission, and everyone unanimously agreed.

Except for Ke Zhenyu.

He sat in his chair, neither nodding nor shaking his head.

Zhao Yue packed the remaining vegetables into a wooden basket and walked towards the yard with a cheerful expression. “Senior Ke, you asked me this afternoon if we completed the mission? Let me tell you, we actually did!”

“That’s going too far,” Xiao Chi said, tugging on Zhao Yue’s sleeve.

Only then did Ke Zhenyu’s expression soften a little.

“If Senior Ke hadn’t let us do our thing, could we have completed the mission?” Xiao Chi added.

[Hahahahaha, the way Xiao Chi said that.]

[Old Man Ke’s face immediately darkened.]

[This is probably what they mean by ‘the world has long suffered under Ke’.]

Ji Wei and Bai Ye were busy in the backyard and didn’t hear their conversation.

Zhao Yue and Xiao Chi brought in the dishes. Ji Wei and the others set the bowls and chopsticks. The four of them sat down to eat. Ji Wei asked, “Is Senior Ke not eating?”

Zhao Yue and Xiao Chi glanced at each other and answered in unison, “He’s probably not in the mood to eat.”

The moment Bai Ye heard this, he understood. It was probably Zhao Yue who had poked Ke Zhenyu’s glass heart again.

What kind of deep and fiery environment was he living in?

His sorrow didn’t last long. After scalding a thin slice of beef with his chopsticks, he was fully revived.

“So delicious.”

He picked up another slice of beef and swirled it in the boiling red broth. The moment it entered his mouth, the numbing, spicy, and savory flavor spread from the tip of his tongue to the root.

[Welcome to A Bite of the Forbidden City’s Little Shop. I’m going to go make a bowl of instant noodles first.]

[Bai Ye, does your agent know you’re eating like this? He was just praising you on Weibo yesterday for only eating cucumber slices for dinner.]

[As a Zhao Yue fan, I’m glad the show only records once a week.]

[Ahhhhhhh, is Weiwei’s hot pot base really not going to be sold online?! Don’t stop me from spending money!]

To Ji Wei’s surprise, Ke Zhenyu also came.

Ke Zhenyu sat down at the table naturally and picked up his bowl and chopsticks.

The cheerful atmosphere at the table instantly cooled down. Everyone silently picked up food.

Not speaking, just eating quietly. Actually, this was quite nice.

Bai Ye comforted himself.

But soon, he discovered he was wrong.

Although Ke Zhenyu was the oldest among them, his appetite was by no means inferior to the young people’s. He picked up food at a speed that was like a whirlwind. A plate of meat had just been dropped in, and he had already snatched it all up with a few flicks of his chopsticks. He immediately joined the fray, not wanting to be left behind, and the atmosphere gradually became white-hot.

[Old Man Ke: No matter how angry I am, I can’t be angry at my own stomach.]

[Hahahaha, I suggest everyone go watch his live broadcast replay. He was originally stuck to the bench, but when he smelled the hot pot, he came over.]

[I can’t take it anymore. Watching them eat so heartily makes me want to eat too.]

After all the ingredients were finished, everyone was still not fully satisfied.

Ji Wei was a bit full and stood up to clear the bowls and chopsticks.

“Where did you buy your hot pot base?”

Suddenly, Ke Zhenyu called out to him.

Ji Wei was stunned for a moment. “My uncle at home made it.”

Ke Zhenyu stammered, looking like he wanted to say something but was hesitating.

Ji Wei asked tentatively, “I have a few packs left. How about I give them to you?”

Ke Zhenyu’s eyes lit up, and he was about to agree—

Ji Wei slowly said, “But there’s one condition.”

“Open up the second floor as a tea room.”

Bai Ye was a little impressed by Ji Wei’s courage. Once Ke Zhenyu made a decision, not even nine bulls could pull it back. If he said he wouldn’t allow the second floor to be renovated, there was probably no chance of changing his mind.

Who knew that Ke Zhenyu would nod his head so quickly.

Bai Ye was speechless. Senior Ke, your character has collapsed!

Ji Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been sure before, but now he was certain that Ke Zhenyu was a hidden foodie, just with a fierce appearance and way of speaking.

[Holy crap, is this what they call conquering the world with food?!]

[Aww aww aww, I’m really so curious about the taste of the hot pot now. To be able to persuade Old Man Ke, it must be exceptionally delicious. At his age, what hasn’t he eaten?]

[Me too! I want to go to the Forbidden City’s Little Shop next episode. Anyone want to team up?]

[I want to, but my plane ticket is stopping me.]

***

When Meng Hao walked out of the school gates, all the muscles in his body tensed up.

He was being followed.

“Boss, what’s wrong?” Panghu couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t bother me.” Meng Hao walked into an alley alone.

He was prepared. Lin Yiqiu was not someone to be trifled with.

The evening self-study session ended at ten o’clock. The alley was empty except for him and his long shadow. Gradually, more than ten other shadows appeared on the ground. He stopped walking.

“Isn’t it funny? A little punk from Xicheng District wants to be a hero?” the leader said slowly from behind him.

He wasn’t prepared to fight back.

The disparity in numbers was too great. There was no point in fighting back; he would only get beaten more severely.

“I heard you have a widowed mother,” the man sighed.

“Don’t touch her.” Meng Hao’s lips tightened into a straight line.

“That’s not for you to decide. A few of my brothers haven’t tasted a widow yet. I wonder if she’s any good.”

Meng Hao’s hands clenched into fists. He bent down and picked up an iron rod from the ground.

Only the dead pose no threat.

The man was still talking, unaware that danger was quietly approaching.

For someone like him, there was no future to speak of anyway.

He had only been having a beautiful dream for a short while.

He turned around, expressionlessly swung the iron rod, and was about to bring it down on the man’s head when the rod was easily stopped by a hand.

Huang Bo easily snatched the iron rod from his hand and said seriously, “Your life is more important than theirs.”

The next second, the police cars arrived.

The police loaded this long-time roaming group onto the police cars, and a case would be opened to investigate them for organized crime. They also promised to give Huang Bo a reward for his report after the case was established.

After the others left, Huang Bo took Meng Hao to his car. As if sensing Meng Hao’s thoughts, he said, “You don’t have to worry about your mother. I’ve transferred her to a hospital under the Lu family’s name. To make it convenient for you to visit, I’ve rented a place for you next to the hospital.”

Meng Hao said haltingly, “How much is it in total?”

“It’s quite expensive,” Huang Bo said as he drove. “You’ll have to get into a prestigious university and find a good job. Otherwise, I’ll be hounding you for money every day.”

Meng Hao was silent for a while before saying, “Thank you.” He suddenly asked, “Are you really just a butler?”

“I’ve been taking care of A-Xing for over ten years.” Huang Bo recalled carefully. “No, it’s been over twenty years.”

“What about your family?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“They’re dead,” Huang Bo said lightly.

“I’m sorry,” Meng Hao said, looking up.

“It was many years ago. I’ve forgotten about it myself.” Although Huang Bo said this, his tone still became somber.

Finally, he slowly said four words: “Peace is a blessing.”

Even though it was just four simple words, Meng Hao could hear the cruelty hidden behind them.

Meng Hao thought of his mother on her sickbed and also said, “Peace is a blessing.”

“What will happen to Lin Yiqiu?” he asked, looking out at the dark window.

“A-Xing said he’ll have a little trouble.”

In the moonless night, one old and one young, one asked and one answered.

***

Shengjing, Minghua Hotel.

Lu Shenxing sat at his desk, reading tomorrow’s script. Ying Guanxiao brought him a bottle of soda water.

Lu Shenxing didn’t like to be disturbed when he was reading his script, so Ying Guanxiao placed the water on the table and prepared to leave.

But just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly saw a small doll, not even as tall as his palm, on Lu Shenxing’s desk.

The little doll, just like Lu Shenxing, was holding a small book and reading. It even had a tuft of unruly hair on its head. It was completely fluffy and looked incredibly soft, making one want to pinch it uncontrollably.

It was cute…

But since when was Lu Shenxing interested in this kind of thing?

He couldn’t help but secretly take a picture and post it on Weibo along with the opening ceremony photos as a work photo.

[Agent Ying Guanxiao] Filming for “Becoming King” has begun. Director Li is a very dedicated director, and the actors we’re collaborating with are also excellent. I believe that with everyone’s hard work, we can definitely bring a good work to the audience [Image].

Not long after he posted it, he received many replies.

[Xingzhi] Looking forward to “Becoming King”.

[Frost and Snow Day] Ahhhhhhh, so excited.

[Won’t Change My Name Until I Get into Tsinghua] But I still hope brother doesn’t stay up all night reading the script. It’s not good for his health.

He replied to a few of them.

When he returned to his room and washed his face, he checked his phone and saw that he was trending.

Ying Guanxiao couldn’t help but be a little surprised. He always posted original, unedited photos. If he had known it would trend, he would have edited it nicely.

However, everyone’s attention was clearly not on whether it was edited or not, but on the… little doll in the last picture.

[Lu Wei Forever and Ever] The little doll with big eyes, light-colored pupils, and a pair of pear dimples, isn’t that Weiwei?! Film Emperor Lu is quietly reading his script, and little Weiwei is also quietly reading at the table. Ahhhhhhh, what kind of divine love is this!

[My Shipped CP Got Married] Aww, I’m going to die from the sweetness. Are you trying to keep CP fans from sleeping by posting this kind of picture at night! Please post more.

[Black Pepper Steak] AWWWSL, a palm-sized little cub! I’m going to melt from the cuteness.

[Bamboo Leaf Branch] Ahhhhhhh, I just want to scream. Why is Lu Wei so sweet! I only regret that I got into this ship late.

Ying Guanxiao looked at the picture and fell into deep thought. What did single dogs do to deserve this?

He would definitely get out of being single this year.

Probably… maybe.

***

By the time Ji Wei saw this Weibo post, it was already the next evening.

He had returned from St. Lawrence, attended a day of classes at school, and only got back at ten at night.

He was originally very sleepy, his eyelids constantly fighting to stay open, but once he got into bed after washing up, he was no longer sleepy.

He opened his phone to browse Weibo. The number one trending topic was Lu Shenxing’s Becoming King.

He thought there was new material and clicked on it with renewed spirits, only to find that everyone was discussing Lu Shenxing and his little doll.

The moment Ji Wei saw the picture, his face flushed red.

He wanted to exit Weibo and pretend he hadn’t seen it, but he couldn’t bear to. He secretly saved the picture.

He got out of bed and opened his suitcase.

From the suitcase, he took out a soft, life-sized body pillow.

He placed the pillow, which was a head taller than him, on the bed, covered both himself and the pillow with a blanket, and, as if possessed, took a picture.

He sent it to Lu Shenxing.

[Ji Wei] Good night.

A few minutes passed.

No message.

He suddenly felt annoyed and wanted to retract the message, but it had been more than two minutes and he couldn’t.

Just as he was about to stuff his phone under his pillow, Lu Shenxing replied.

[Lu Shenxing] Good night.

There was also a photo.

He clicked on it—

The handsome man was half-lying on the bed, reading a script, with a little Weiwei in little dinosaur pajamas sleeping beside him.