[What would you like to eat?]
This was the automatic response of the female stall owner as long as it was someone who was a customer at the stall.
Dai Yuxing said: [I would like a plate of baked scallion-stuffed sesame biscuits, a basket of Nanxiang’s Xiaolongbao, and a cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea.]
She seemed to know how patient the female stall owner was as she ordered the three items, which the fleeing ghost stall clearly could not make, with a faint smile on her face.
1Then, she looked at the signboard hung on the fleeing ghost stall, and her smile slowly faded away. She muttered softly to herself: [Do I need to tell a story… Give me a moment.]
On the screen, Dai Yuxing took out her mobile phone. She smiled and said: [Indeed, this is a ‘dead zone’.]
Following which, she took a small handgun from her waist pouch and fired a shot into the sky. She continued looking at the female stall owner as she did so. It was as if she would immediately stop what she was doing if the female stall owner told her to stop.
However, the female stall owner did not move, nor did Ren Suo behind the screen—he was very curious to see what would happen next.
A gunshot rang through the air, and bright sparks were seen as the flare left the barrel of the gun. The ‘whizz’ of the flare as it moved through the air at a speed faster than sound could be heard. Then, suddenly, three meters above the fleeing ghost stall, the flare exploded into extremely blinding streaks of white light.
Ren Suo’s perspective on the screen followed that of the female stall owner, and since she was inside the fleeing ghost stall, she was naturally unaffected by the blinding light. On the other hand, the lady from the Countermeasure Division was staring at the sky. She immediately gasped in pain as she covered her eyes and shook her head. She shouted: [Ahhhh, my eyes!]
1… She spoke in dialect in such a domineering tone.
More than ten seconds later, Dai Yuxing finally regained her senses. She looked at the small revolver in her hand and sighed, then kept it back into the waist pouch. Looking around, she smiled and asked: [Can I go out first and come back to eat later?]
[…] The female stall owner was speechless. It seemed that it was the first time encountering such a question, and there was no corresponding reply to the question in her automatic reply database. After a moment of silence, she asked: [Is this what you really wanted to say?]
Dai Yuxing was stunned.
Then, she sighed and replied: [No.]
She looked at the female stall owner and continued: [It’s strange. Ever since I sat down, the only thing that I want to do is to talk to you. I simply do not feel like leaving this seat. Is this the power of the Heavenly Palace? Is this the power of the Food Goddess?]
The female stall owner could not answer such questions, and ‘best brother’ Ren Suo had to take over the conversation: [You have to embrace what you truly desire. Only by saying what you wish would you be able to enjoy the delicious flavors you are yearning for.]
Dai Yuxing smiled bitterly and said: [I still have to perform my responsibilities as a member of the Countermeasure Division… I will surely be scolded when I return.]
[Although… I am already used to it.]
Dai Yuxing rested her head on her arm, looking like an elementary school student taking a nap on the dining table. She said softly:
[My parents divorced when I was six.]
[As it was my father who had an affair, I stayed with my mother. Although she was very busy at work, she never once cut me any slack in terms of my studies.]
[Perhaps it was because I saw my father leaving me, I was so scared that my mother would leave me too. For the next ten years after that, I would do anything for my mother. Whatever she asked me to do, I did…]
[I attended dance lessons, piano lessons, as well as tuition classes, and I excelled in all of them. As long as I could see my mother smile, I would be completely satisfied…]
Ren Suo thought, “It doesn’t sound like she is lacking fatherly or motherly love…”
Dai Yuxing continued: [Later on… I went to university.]
[That was the first time I lived apart from my mother, and I was both extremely excited and scared at the same time.]
[I also deserved a period of my youth which I could reminisce, so I joined university clubs as well as the student union, ran for the position of class chairperson, and participated actively in various competitions. I even met a boy whom I fancied…]
Ren Suo was neither sad nor happy as he recorded down what Dai Yuxing said. He felt that this was going to be a huge challenge: How should he analyze the ‘inner world’ of this girl who is already leading a blissful life?
[… It was after that when I stepped into the abyss.]
Dai Yuxing wriggled her head in her arms, as if she wanted to throw something in her head away, but she was still retelling her past:
[Whenever I distributed the tasks that the college and the school assigned to the classes among the other student committees, they always told me that they were busy and asked me to help them instead… and each time, I smiled and agreed.]
[Once, my roommate was talking on the phone all night and I was not able to fall asleep, but I did not complain about it. When I got up the next morning and accidentally hit the chair, my roommate immediately started complaining… I smiled and apologized.]
[During a competition, my other team members came up with outrageous, unrealistic ideas. I clearly had better ideas than them, but when they asked me what I thought of their ideas… I smiled and agreed with them.]
[The Student Union always organized dinners and loved to toast. I hated the smell of alcohol, but whenever someone came to me to toast… I smiled and drank it all.]
[My friend told me that the guy looked ordinary but was actually a very pleasant person. She asked me for his WeChat ID and even asked me if I liked him… I smiled and said no.]
[When we were taking our graduation photos, I knew many people, and they would all return my greetings cordially… but no one knew that it was my birthday that day.]
Dai Yuxing paused for a long while before continuing: [Later on, I Awakened and joined the Countermeasure Division. Just like in university, there were both good and bad people in the Countermeasure Division, but…]
[I am still me, Dai Yuxing.]
She did not continue saying much about her experiences in the Countermeasure Division, but that one line seemed sufficient to sum up her life thus far.
Dai Yuxing lifted her head from her arms, and two streaks of tears were already running down her cheeks; her entire face was covered in tears.
[The Countermeasure Division believes that you, the Food Goddess, are able to prevent the food stall from being discovered, and indeed, that is true. There is no mobile phone reception here, and the signal flare was unable to get out either.]
Dai Yuxing wiped the tears on her face and smiled again: [I can’t believe that I met you, the Food Goddess, just after two days being on duty. It seems my luck isn’t that bad after all.]
Before the female stall owner had the opportunity to ask, Dai Yuxing took the initiative and said: [Do you still remember the couple you received in Hong Kong? The guy contacted the Countermeasure System on his own accord and retold his encounter with the food cart and the old corpse of a ghost in great detail. He even took the initiative to cooperate with the government for an examination of the changes to his body.]
[Not to mention that the ‘rainy night butcher’ turned himself in the next day, so the Countermeasure System also took notice of your existence.]
Ren Suo completely did not expect that the yellow-haired teenager had such a strong sense of social responsibility.
Dai Yuxing continued: [We also know that, later on in Manhattan, you met Zach. His actions that night were all exposed to the intelligence agencies of many nations. The following day, the New York Police Department also had a record number of people turning themselves in.]
[The Countermeasure Division no longer doubted your existence. Based on preliminary statistics, there were two deductions about the patterns of your appearance: firstly, you would appear in large cities with extremely large populations, and secondly, you would appear in areas in city centers that would be secluded at night, such as in parks. As such, we were scheduled to be on duty in the parks at night, so that we could meet you.]
Dai Yuxing smiled and said: [Although I am an Awakener who is one of the core members of the Countermeasure Division, I am rarely needed. The true core members would not have had to participate in such tasks, where we would have to wait it out. Nonetheless, when I was asked if I could take on the night duty at the park, I agreed, although the reversal of night and day was extremely unbearable for me.]
[However, being able to meet you, the Food Goddess, I think that this is the last favor that fate is giving me.]
Dai Yuxing looked at the female stall owner and said in dialect: [Would I be a cowardly weakling if I pin all of my hopes on you?]
Silently, the female stall owner pushed a plate of baked scallion-stuffed sesame biscuits and a basket of Nanxiang’s Xiaolongbao to Dai Yuxing and handed her a cup of milk tea.
The female stall owner simply said: [Don’t force yourself to smile anymore.]
Dai Yuxing pursed her lips, and she instantly burst into tears. The beads of tears dripped into her milk tea, then she gulped it down again.
[It’s hot.] She could not help but stick out her tongue and smiled. Then, she picked up the Xiaolongbao and baked scallion-stuffed sesame biscuits and began eating them.
When she finished eating and drinking, she showed absolutely no signs of hostility and Ren Suo was relieved—he had searched online just now and found that Dai Yuxing was a so-called ‘pleaser’. As such, the ‘meal’ he gave her was also out-of-the-ordinary:
The seasoning [Confidence] certainly had to be added, and he also added half a spoon each of [Rebel] and [Anger], as well as two spoons each of [Courage] and [Passion].
After adding plenty of different seasonings, Ren Suo was not certain if it would work either.
However, Dai Yuxing gasped suddenly and took out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe her face. She said: [Sorry for being rude in front of you, Food Goddess.]
After wiping her face clean, a smile emerged once again on Dai Yuxing’s beautiful face.
It was not a fake smile that only involved the muscles at the lips to maintain it, but one which revealed her two rows of white teeth. It was an unrestrained, happy smile, as if she was hugging a panda as she rolled around on the hillside.
She asked: [Thank you. Can I ask you a question?]
The female stall owner did not respond. Dai Yuxing blushed, and mustered her courage to ask:
[Is it alright if I like you?]
Behind the screen, Ren Suo blinked. He wondered if it was time for him to start learning how to cook…
It turned out that if one could cook well, one could capture the hearts of both men and women?!
[What would you like to eat?]
This was the automatic response of the female stall owner as long as it was someone who was a customer at the stall.
Dai Yuxing said: [I would like a plate of baked scallion-stuffed sesame biscuits, a basket of Nanxiang’s Xiaolongbao, and a cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea.]
She seemed to know how patient the female stall owner was as she ordered the three items, which the fleeing ghost stall clearly could not make, with a faint smile on her face.
1Then, she looked at the signboard hung on the fleeing ghost stall, and her smile slowly faded away. She muttered softly to herself: [Do I need to tell a story… Give me a moment.]
On the screen, Dai Yuxing took out her mobile phone. She smiled and said: [Indeed, this is a ‘dead zone’.]
Following which, she took a small handgun from her waist pouch and fired a shot into the sky. She continued looking at the female stall owner as she did so. It was as if she would immediately stop what she was doing if the female stall owner told her to stop.
However, the female stall owner did not move, nor did Ren Suo behind the screen—he was very curious to see what would happen next.
A gunshot rang through the air, and bright sparks were seen as the flare left the barrel of the gun. The ‘whizz’ of the flare as it moved through the air at a speed faster than sound could be heard. Then, suddenly, three meters above the fleeing ghost stall, the flare exploded into extremely blinding streaks of white light.
Ren Suo’s perspective on the screen followed that of the female stall owner, and since she was inside the fleeing ghost stall, she was naturally unaffected by the blinding light. On the other hand, the lady from the Countermeasure Division was staring at the sky. She immediately gasped in pain as she covered her eyes and shook her head. She shouted: [Ahhhh, my eyes!]
1… She spoke in dialect in such a domineering tone.
More than ten seconds later, Dai Yuxing finally regained her senses. She looked at the small revolver in her hand and sighed, then kept it back into the waist pouch. Looking around, she smiled and asked: [Can I go out first and come back to eat later?]
[…] The female stall owner was speechless. It seemed that it was the first time encountering such a question, and there was no corresponding reply to the question in her automatic reply database. After a moment of silence, she asked: [Is this what you really wanted to say?]
Dai Yuxing was stunned.
Then, she sighed and replied: [No.]
She looked at the female stall owner and continued: [It’s strange. Ever since I sat down, the only thing that I want to do is to talk to you. I simply do not feel like leaving this seat. Is this the power of the Heavenly Palace? Is this the power of the Food Goddess?]
The female stall owner could not answer such questions, and ‘best brother’ Ren Suo had to take over the conversation: [You have to embrace what you truly desire. Only by saying what you wish would you be able to enjoy the delicious flavors you are yearning for.]
Dai Yuxing smiled bitterly and said: [I still have to perform my responsibilities as a member of the Countermeasure Division… I will surely be scolded when I return.]
[Although… I am already used to it.]
Dai Yuxing rested her head on her arm, looking like an elementary school student taking a nap on the dining table. She said softly:
[My parents divorced when I was six.]
[As it was my father who had an affair, I stayed with my mother. Although she was very busy at work, she never once cut me any slack in terms of my studies.]
[Perhaps it was because I saw my father leaving me, I was so scared that my mother would leave me too. For the next ten years after that, I would do anything for my mother. Whatever she asked me to do, I did…]
[I attended dance lessons, piano lessons, as well as tuition classes, and I excelled in all of them. As long as I could see my mother smile, I would be completely satisfied…]
Ren Suo thought, “It doesn’t sound like she is lacking fatherly or motherly love…”
Dai Yuxing continued: [Later on… I went to university.]
[That was the first time I lived apart from my mother, and I was both extremely excited and scared at the same time.]
[I also deserved a period of my youth which I could reminisce, so I joined university clubs as well as the student union, ran for the position of class chairperson, and participated actively in various competitions. I even met a boy whom I fancied…]
Ren Suo was neither sad nor happy as he recorded down what Dai Yuxing said. He felt that this was going to be a huge challenge: How should he analyze the ‘inner world’ of this girl who is already leading a blissful life?
[… It was after that when I stepped into the abyss.]
Dai Yuxing wriggled her head in her arms, as if she wanted to throw something in her head away, but she was still retelling her past:
[Whenever I distributed the tasks that the college and the school assigned to the classes among the other student committees, they always told me that they were busy and asked me to help them instead… and each time, I smiled and agreed.]
[Once, my roommate was talking on the phone all night and I was not able to fall asleep, but I did not complain about it. When I got up the next morning and accidentally hit the chair, my roommate immediately started complaining… I smiled and apologized.]
[During a competition, my other team members came up with outrageous, unrealistic ideas. I clearly had better ideas than them, but when they asked me what I thought of their ideas… I smiled and agreed with them.]
[The Student Union always organized dinners and loved to toast. I hated the smell of alcohol, but whenever someone came to me to toast… I smiled and drank it all.]
[My friend told me that the guy looked ordinary but was actually a very pleasant person. She asked me for his WeChat ID and even asked me if I liked him… I smiled and said no.]
[When we were taking our graduation photos, I knew many people, and they would all return my greetings cordially… but no one knew that it was my birthday that day.]
Dai Yuxing paused for a long while before continuing: [Later on, I Awakened and joined the Countermeasure Division. Just like in university, there were both good and bad people in the Countermeasure Division, but…]
[I am still me, Dai Yuxing.]
She did not continue saying much about her experiences in the Countermeasure Division, but that one line seemed sufficient to sum up her life thus far.
Dai Yuxing lifted her head from her arms, and two streaks of tears were already running down her cheeks; her entire face was covered in tears.
[The Countermeasure Division believes that you, the Food Goddess, are able to prevent the food stall from being discovered, and indeed, that is true. There is no mobile phone reception here, and the signal flare was unable to get out either.]
Dai Yuxing wiped the tears on her face and smiled again: [I can’t believe that I met you, the Food Goddess, just after two days being on duty. It seems my luck isn’t that bad after all.]
Before the female stall owner had the opportunity to ask, Dai Yuxing took the initiative and said: [Do you still remember the couple you received in Hong Kong? The guy contacted the Countermeasure System on his own accord and retold his encounter with the food cart and the old corpse of a ghost in great detail. He even took the initiative to cooperate with the government for an examination of the changes to his body.]
[Not to mention that the ‘rainy night butcher’ turned himself in the next day, so the Countermeasure System also took notice of your existence.]
Ren Suo completely did not expect that the yellow-haired teenager had such a strong sense of social responsibility.
Dai Yuxing continued: [We also know that, later on in Manhattan, you met Zach. His actions that night were all exposed to the intelligence agencies of many nations. The following day, the New York Police Department also had a record number of people turning themselves in.]
[The Countermeasure Division no longer doubted your existence. Based on preliminary statistics, there were two deductions about the patterns of your appearance: firstly, you would appear in large cities with extremely large populations, and secondly, you would appear in areas in city centers that would be secluded at night, such as in parks. As such, we were scheduled to be on duty in the parks at night, so that we could meet you.]
Dai Yuxing smiled and said: [Although I am an Awakener who is one of the core members of the Countermeasure Division, I am rarely needed. The true core members would not have had to participate in such tasks, where we would have to wait it out. Nonetheless, when I was asked if I could take on the night duty at the park, I agreed, although the reversal of night and day was extremely unbearable for me.]
[However, being able to meet you, the Food Goddess, I think that this is the last favor that fate is giving me.]
Dai Yuxing looked at the female stall owner and said in dialect: [Would I be a cowardly weakling if I pin all of my hopes on you?]
Silently, the female stall owner pushed a plate of baked scallion-stuffed sesame biscuits and a basket of Nanxiang’s Xiaolongbao to Dai Yuxing and handed her a cup of milk tea.
The female stall owner simply said: [Don’t force yourself to smile anymore.]
Dai Yuxing pursed her lips, and she instantly burst into tears. The beads of tears dripped into her milk tea, then she gulped it down again.
[It’s hot.] She could not help but stick out her tongue and smiled. Then, she picked up the Xiaolongbao and baked scallion-stuffed sesame biscuits and began eating them.
When she finished eating and drinking, she showed absolutely no signs of hostility and Ren Suo was relieved—he had searched online just now and found that Dai Yuxing was a so-called ‘pleaser’. As such, the ‘meal’ he gave her was also out-of-the-ordinary:
The seasoning [Confidence] certainly had to be added, and he also added half a spoon each of [Rebel] and [Anger], as well as two spoons each of [Courage] and [Passion].
After adding plenty of different seasonings, Ren Suo was not certain if it would work either.
However, Dai Yuxing gasped suddenly and took out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe her face. She said: [Sorry for being rude in front of you, Food Goddess.]
After wiping her face clean, a smile emerged once again on Dai Yuxing’s beautiful face.
It was not a fake smile that only involved the muscles at the lips to maintain it, but one which revealed her two rows of white teeth. It was an unrestrained, happy smile, as if she was hugging a panda as she rolled around on the hillside.
She asked: [Thank you. Can I ask you a question?]
The female stall owner did not respond. Dai Yuxing blushed, and mustered her courage to ask:
[Is it alright if I like you?]
Behind the screen, Ren Suo blinked. He wondered if it was time for him to start learning how to cook…
It turned out that if one could cook well, one could capture the hearts of both men and women?!
