At first, they weren’t curious about this seemingly difficult woman, but then two people emerged from the crowd behind her.
One of them was someone they recognized!
A few people immediately gasped, forgetting what they were doing, and shouted,
“Ruan Nian!”
At the sound of this almost screeching shout, the others turned around.
When they saw Ruan Nian walking in, a wave of excited screams broke out.
It really was Ruan Nian!
The big star, Ruan Nian!
Why was she here?
Was she recording a show? |
Was she filming a drama?
Ruan Nian squeezed in, and when she saw the environment, she had a bad feeling.
But she maintained her image and greeted everyone with a smile, saying,
“Hello, sorry to disturb everyone.”
One of the people waiting for the elevator was a fan of Ruan Nian.
She was so excited that she covered her mouth and nodded repeatedly, saying,
“Nian Nian, don’t worry! You’re going to shoot a short drama, right? We know that for this kind of villain role in short dramas, it’s really tough, but you can do it! You go ahead, go ahead!”
The production team was puzzled.
What short drama?
Then Li Xunxi realized.
Wait, what did she mean by saying it’s hard to play a villain role?
Was she talking about Li Xunxi?
Li Xunxi was furious,
“What do you mean? Are you saying I’m arrogant?”
The fan of Ruan Nian was stunned, not knowing why the actress hadn’t left character.
She scratched her head in confusion.
At this moment, the director of their group arrived and immediately felt that the sky had fallen.
“Sorry, sorry, we’re filming a show, and we’ve disturbed everyone’s normal work. Apologies, but we’ll need to clear an entire elevator to go up. Sorry about that.”
The director smiled apologetically, but Li Xunxi wasn’t planning to let it go easily.
She glared at the fan of Ruan Nian and then looked away, seemingly rolling her eyes.
“Clueless, speechless.”
The onlookers were confused.
Huh?
Isn’t this a variety show, not a domineering CEO short drama?
So, this person wasn’t acting as a villain?
Was she really like that?
The fan of Ruan Nian was stunned.
Then, feeling wronged, she wondered why she was being blamed for something.
She had just been waiting in line when this woman barged in, complaining and picking on everything.
Ruan Nian didn’t even look at her.
Slightly awkward, she turned her gaze back to Li Xunxi, starting a conversation with her, even calling her
“Xunxi Jie.”
Ruan Nian often helped fans, but that was to maintain her image.
She wasn’t about to fight with Li Xunxi over something this trivial.
Li Xunxi’s temper was one that would make anyone who clashed with her regret it.
When the elevator arrived, Li Xunxi, seeing others crowding around Ruan Nian, gave up her spot without hesitation and entered.
The photographers followed her into the elevator.
Ruan Nian also followed, and her fan watched the elevator disappear, frozen.
After the elevator went up, someone in the crowd suddenly whispered,
“Is that Li Xunxi and her brother?”
Only then did the surrounding people start to whisper among themselves.
“Yeah, I think they’re the ones who were really popular recently. Li Xunwen and Li Xunxi, they were on some show together? Their sibling interactions were super fun and great, which made them attract a lot of fans?”
Seeing the three of them, people realized they were the stars of the popular show
“The Four Seasons of the Aristocracy.”
But was this the same group of high-profile contestants?
Their interactions were supposed to be heartwarming and impressive, and yet…
Their conduct was just this bad?
After going up and seeing the environment, Li Xunxi, already in a bad mood, really lost it.
Her frustration was written all over her face as she stood at the door, looking at this ordinary little restaurant.
It felt like everything was going wrong today.
Everyone noticed Li Xunxi’s bad mood, and no one dared to say anything.
Ruan Nian, still trying to improve the atmosphere, said,
“Xunxi Jie, I think this place is actually quite nice. The view from here is great, and we can see the river too.”
Li Xunxi didn’t listen to her and directly walked ahead into the restaurant.
Ruan Nian was left standing there, stunned for a moment, her face showing a bit of awkwardness.
However, after seeing the camera aimed at her, she felt slightly better inside.
Well, let Li Xunxi stir things up, she would gain sympathy points once the show airs.
Meanwhile, the fan who ran into Ruan Nian felt uneasy and uncomfortable.
How could her idol behave like this?
She had always admired Ruan Nian, but now, seeing her act like this, it felt so off.
Ruan Nian was the one who had eagerly grabbed the elevator, without considering the people already waiting in line, and even when the arrogant guest said something, Ruan Nian didn’t seem to react, as if nothing was wrong.
After leaving the building, the fan received a message from Ruan Nian’s fan club, saying that Nian was participating in a show in this building, opening a restaurant, and her sales figures were important.
They encouraged fans from nearby cities to visit and help her achieve her sales goals.
[Really? Nian is opening a restaurant in Haishi? Does that mean I can eat dishes made by Nian herself?]
[Wow, I’m so lucky to be in Haishi! I can interact with Nian face-to-face!]
[Wait, is this the show with Gu Zhaoping? I hope Gu Zhaoping isn’t bullying her.]
Some fans hesitated.
Although it had been clarified online that Gu Zhaoping hadn’t hurt Ruan Nian, and the rumors about Gu Zhaoping’s car accident were fabricated, they still couldn’t fully trust it.
Being a fan of Ruan Nian, they had long been accustomed to the image she had created, intentionally or unintentionally.
Even if Gu Zhaoping hadn’t directly harmed her, she still had ways of using soft power.
A young lady from a wealthy family certainly had methods to manipulate people—did it always have to be physical?
Couldn’t she subtly undermine Ruan Nian instead?
The fan group quickly organized and planned to help Ruan Nian complete her sales task by visiting the restaurant.
They were even given specific spending quotas for each group.
[Everyone, remember not to reveal we’re from the fan club! Act like we’re just strolling nearby and stumbled upon this restaurant, then got attracted by the promotion and the dishes, and happened to run into Nian. Be really surprised, okay?]
[Make sure to praise Nian’s dishes. If she doesn’t show up, compliment the owner. Say the dishes are amazing and ask for a reward for the chef. When the next group comes, say you were referred by a friend.]
[Got it!]
[Got it!]
The fan who had met Ruan Nian in the elevator felt complicated.
She was usually an active member of the group, and being in Haishi, she would’ve been excited to join such an event and support her idol.
But now, after seeing the messages, she felt uneasy and a bit cynical.
Serving the young lady?
It seemed like Ruan Nian was indeed serving the “young lady,” but was it really Gu Zhaoping?
The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like the well-educated and capable Li Xunxi was even more difficult to serve than Gu Zhaoping!
She felt extremely uncomfortable.
After walking out of the building, she aimlessly walked down the street, and not far ahead, she saw a new restaurant opening.
Huh? Wasn’t this place closed yesterday?
The restaurant had just put up their custom sign.
“Chuan-flavor Light Meals?”
Gu Zhaoping found it quite fresh.
Light meals were usually low-calorie dishes, but turning Sichuan cuisine into a light meal?
Sichuan cuisine was known for its strong flavors and spicy dishes—how could it possibly be light?
She was curious, so she walked closer and saw that the sign even said
“Low-calorie Mala Hotpot.”
Well, now she was really interested.
A low-calorie mala hotpot?
She had to try it.
The fan entered the restaurant and noticed it was very clean and bright inside.
There weren’t many customers yet, possibly because it wasn’t mealtime.
She might be the first customer.
She scanned the QR code to check out the menu, and then she froze.
What else besides low-calorie mala hotpot?
Sichuan-style Longli Fish Set?
Pepper Chicken Shreds with Konjac Noodles?
Sour and Spicy Konjac Cold Noodles?
There was a huge poster on the wall that mentioned reducing red oil and fats, using natural spices for flavor, and choosing low-fat, high-protein, and high-fiber ingredients to increase satiety.
It also used buckwheat noodles and brown rice instead of refined carbs.
Looking at the menu, there were dishes like: Less-oil Boiled Fish?
Low-fat Mapo Tofu?
Cold Shredded Chicken?
Low-calorie Kicking Beef?
She was a bit shocked.
Weren’t these all traditional Sichuan dishes?
People trying to lose weight or control calories typically avoided these, but they had been reworked into healthier versions?
She started having some doubts.
She knew that when classic recipes were altered to be healthier, they often ended up tasting terrible.
She was hesitating now.
She had already been in a bad mood today, and if the food didn’t taste good, it would be even worse.
But at that moment, she lifted her eyes and saw a young man come out from behind the kitchen curtain.
He seemed to have heard the sound of a customer entering and looked surprised, a bit embarrassed that he had come out late.
He leaned his head inside and called,
“Zhaoping Jie, Liang Jie, our first customer is here!”
Hearing that familiar magnetic voice, the fan was suddenly shocked.
Who is this?
The young man was tall, with sharp features and a chiseled side profile.
He wore an apron, having taken off his jacket while working inside.
He had on a t-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and his slightly muscular arms made the apron tighten around him.
The perfect “younger husband” vibe—
Her pupils shrank—
Chu Yanze!?
Chu Yanzhe and Ruan Nian have a very popular pairing, and she’s quite familiar with it!
The fans from both sides often get into arguments.
Recently, they’ve been getting into a heated debate because of their performance in the first episode of a show.
Chu Yanzhe and Ruan Nian seemed like strangers, not taking care of her at all, and even let Gu Zhaoping boldly question Ruan Nian about faking an injury without stopping it.
Recently, a lot of people in their fan groups have been criticizing Chu Yanzhe, saying he’s ungrateful, asking if he just wanted to separate from Ruan Nian after their pairing became popular.
This was the person she had just felt upset about!
Then she heard footsteps coming from inside.
A beautiful young woman in her twenties walked out.
She didn’t have the usual celebrity air.
Her hair was neatly pinned up, no stray strands, looking sharp and clean.
She wore gloves, as if she had just been cooking.
Liang Zhiwei’s face showed some surprise.
They had just finished setting up the store today, and it was going to officially open tomorrow.
Right now, she was adjusting the recipe in the kitchen.
She hadn’t expected anyone to come in yet.
“Hello, customer!”
Liang Zhiwei greeted energetically, which gave her more confidence about tomorrow’s opening.
The girl’s pupils shrank.
This was Liang Zhiwei?
The rival of Ruan Nian, the one that fans hated the most, the one who rose to fame by copying Ruan Nian?
At this moment, Chu Yanzhe walked over with the order menu, standing in front of the customer, placing the menu on the table and asking,
“Sorry, our app isn’t fully ready yet, would you like to order from me?”
…What?
With such a handsome face and such a pleasant voice right in front of her, this was overwhelming. Was this supposed to help her order?
Ruan Nian’s fan stared at him, then watched him seriously write the menu.
It took her a while to snap out of it.
Wait, they must have just filmed that show!
She froze, realizing that their fan group had already been unhappy about Chu Yanzhe’s team division and had protested multiple times.
But who would’ve thought she would run into Chu Yanzhe’s team’s restaurant?
Wait, doesn’t that mean—
Just as this thought crossed her mind, she heard some noise.
It turned out there was a ladder in the corner, and someone was standing on it.
The person was tall and slim, wearing a shirt tucked into pants, with her jacket taken off.
She was putting up a poster on the wall.
She was brushing glue on the wall when she heard the sound, stopping for a moment, then turned her head and looked down.
Her hair was tied up, and she wore frameless glasses.
From the side, you could only see her sharp nose, which had a bit of an aggressive look.
With every move, her waistline was quite obvious, and her legs were long and neat.
She simply said,
“Welcome.”
Her attitude wasn’t overly warm, but with her sharp, cold face and strong aura, it was striking.
Yet, she was standing there carefully putting up a poster, and even though her words were brief, it made the fan sitting there feel a bit flustered and even a little honored.
At this moment, Chu Yanzhe asked,
“Would you like to order anything?”
Oh my God.
Who could resist this?
She quickly snapped back to reality and frantically started pointing at several dishes on the menu.
Liang Zhiwei knew that today’s revenue wouldn’t count, but she was still happy to see someone try the food, especially her newly improved recipes.
She was excited to get some feedback.
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