Chapter 2
Li Yun stood beside the pot, eagerly waiting.
Meanwhile, Tan Tingting, after getting Jian Yunlan’s permission, raised her phone to snap a few pictures of him. The more she looked, the more delighted she became.
—He’s way too good-looking! No matter what angle, he looked amazing!
As she took more pictures, Tan Tingting couldn’t help but feel regretful. Someone this handsome should be crushing it in the entertainment industry—why was he out here running a food stall, ripping people off?
Yes, in Tan Tingting’s mind, Jian Yunlan was absolutely overcharging.
After all, who in their right mind would sell a bowl of wontons for thirty yuan?!
Maybe he was deliberately using this as a gimmick, planning to go viral on social media, attract face-loving fans, and milk them for money with overpriced offline sales.
Besides, when it came to street food, Tan Tingting had more trust in middle-aged vendors with honest, hardworking faces. They had that experienced, time-honed feel.
Before long, another person was drawn in by the rich aroma of chicken soup.
It was one of the security guards at the school gate. He had been on duty with an empty stomach and hadn’t even eaten dinner yet.
“Boss, how much for the wontons?”
“Thirty yuan per serving, available in chicken soup or dry sesame sauce,” Jian Yunlan answered as usual.
According to the Culinary God System’s valuation, a serving of his wontons should be priced in the triple digits at minimum. With top-tier ingredients, precise cooking techniques, and impeccable craftsmanship, these wontons were essentially priceless. If he set up shop in a wealthy neighborhood, he could probably sell them for a thousand yuan a bowl, and people would still buy them.
Even with the higher-than-average price, he wasn’t worried about a lack of customers.
The security guard was stunned by the price.
Thirty yuan for a bowl of wontons?!
But the aroma was simply irresistible—there was no way he could hold back!
“I’ll take a chicken soup one.”
Skeptical but tempted, the security guard paid and waited.
Just then, Li Yun’s wontons finished cooking.
With a practiced hand, Jian Yunlan scooped up ten delicate wontons with a strainer and placed them into a bowl. Then, he lifted the lid off the pot of broth and ladled a generous spoonful of steaming hot chicken soup over them, finishing with a sprinkle of chopped green onions.
A fragrant mist rose as the rich scent of the broth spread through the air.
The golden soup shimmered with a thin layer of aromatic oil, garnished with seaweed and fresh scallions, making it look even more mouthwatering. But what truly caught everyone’s attention were the wontons themselves—
Small, firm, and perfectly shaped, the wontons floated gently in the broth, their delicate tails trailing behind them like clouds. The translucent wrappers were so thin they were nearly see-through, revealing the tender pink filling inside. As the hot broth cascaded over them, they looked almost too tempting to eat.
How could the wrappers be rolled so thin yet not break during cooking?
The owner of a nearby handmade bracelet stall watched in confusion.
He had a relative who ran a breakfast shop that once sold wontons, but making handmade wontons was too difficult and not worth the effort. The filling could be managed, but the wrappers were a nightmare—either they were too thick, making customers complain, or they were too thin and tore apart in the boiling water, turning into a messy soup of meat and dough scraps.
Because of this, his relative had given up on handmade wontons and switched to selling fried dough sticks and soy milk instead.
That’s why most chain restaurants nowadays used machine-made wontons—they all tasted the same, filling but unremarkable.
But these wontons… anyone could tell at a glance that they were handmade. The shape, the texture—there was no way mass-produced wontons looked this good or had wrappers this thin.
“Here’s your chicken soup wontons,” Jian Yunlan said, handing a disposable bowl to Li Yun. “Be careful, it’s hot.”
Li Yun eagerly accepted it.
The warm bowl radiated heat, comforting against her hands, while the freshly cooked wontons sent waves of delicious aroma straight to her nose.
Her stomach grumbled loudly.
She carefully blew on the soup a few times, then took a small sip.
The warm broth trickled past her lips, flowing smoothly down her throat.
—And then, an explosion of umami filled her mouth!
This was a broth that had been simmered for a full eight hours, rich and deep in flavor, perfectly balanced in saltiness. Unlike the artificial taste of store-bought soup, this one had no trace of MSG—only the pure, concentrated essence of chicken bones and meat, infused with fragrant oil and scallions.
With just one sip, the warmth spread through her empty stomach, making her want to sigh in satisfaction.
It was unbelievably delicious.
Li Yun couldn’t help but gulp down several mouthfuls of soup before finally picking up her spoon. She gently scooped up a wonton and brought it to her mouth along with some chicken broth.
The freshly cooked wonton was still quite hot. Li Yun hissed softly, blowing on it a few times, then carefully bit through the thin, translucent wrapper.
Li Yun: “!!!”
The wrapper had just the right amount of elasticity—thin but not fragile. As she bit down, the rich, savory filling burst out. Jian Yunlan had carefully selected premium tender pork, and its juices had been locked in by the wonton wrapper. Now, all that deliciousness flooded her mouth.
The deep umami of the slow-simmered chicken broth blended seamlessly with the rich, fatty aroma of the pork. The slight sweetness of corn kernels balanced out any greasiness, making each bite both flavorful and refreshing.
Li Yun chewed slowly, savoring the taste. The moment she finished one wonton, she immediately reached for another, unable to stop herself.
“It’s so good—too good!”
Her heart surged with excitement as she ate.
—After enduring an entire day of grueling classes, nothing could have been more comforting than this bowl of top-tier wontons on the street.
Nothing in the world could be more healing than this!
“Boss, you’re a lifesaver, wuwuwu…” Li Yun mumbled between bites, her eyes misty with tears of joy.
Tan Tingting: “…?”
“No way,” Tan Tingting sniffed the air suspiciously, half-doubting. “You’re probably just starving. Anything would taste good right now.”
Li Yun continued scarfing down her food. “No, it’s really that good! This is the best wonton I’ve ever had in my life!”
Tan Tingting’s curiosity was piqued. “Then let me try a bite.”
But Li Yun immediately hugged her bowl protectively and turned away, shielding it from Tan Tingting.
Food-guarding mode: activated.
Tan Tingting: “…”
Meanwhile, the security guard’s wontons were also ready. Unable to wait any longer, he took a big bite. The heat burned his mouth, turning his face red, but he refused to spit it out. Instead, he fanned his mouth with his hand, hissing as he tried to cool it down.
After finishing a few wontons and taking a sip of the unbelievably rich broth, the exhaustion from his shift completely vanished. He felt instantly refreshed, his entire body brimming with energy!
With a big thumbs-up to Jian Yunlan, the security guard scanned the payment code and transferred another sixty yuan.
“Boss, give me two more servings—I’m bringing some back for my coworkers!”
“Got it!”
Watching his customers enjoy the food, seeing their fatigue melt away after a long day—nothing could be more satisfying.
This was the dream he hadn’t been able to fulfill in his past life. Now, standing at his little street stall, watching people be healed by his cooking, Jian Yunlan felt like he was floating in a dream.
Despite his happiness, his hands didn’t slow down. He skillfully scooped up another twenty wontons and dropped them into the boiling water.
Li Yun and the security guard’s reactions had drawn even more attention. Combined with the lingering aroma of chicken broth in the air, the growing crowd of passersby couldn’t resist their curiosity.
Among them were mostly university students from the School of Computing and the School of Mechanical Engineering, as well as some campus staff and even a few working professionals passing by.
Thirty yuan per bowl was a bit pricey, but still within an acceptable range.
In the blink of an eye, a line had formed in front of the wonton stall. People craned their necks like mushrooms sprouting after rain, eagerly peering at the two large pots.
“Boss, one chicken soup wonton for me!”
“Two over here!”
“One chicken soup wonton—no scallions. I already scanned the payment.”
“…”
At a nearby handmade bracelet stall, the owner was starting to get annoyed. He primarily sold to female college students, and this time of the evening was usually his busiest hour. But now, all the students had been drawn away by Jian Yunlan’s food.
He had once sold grilled sausages at this exact spot, but business had been terrible.
Was it possible that the students here just preferred wontons?
After debating for half a minute, he decided to “analyze the competition”—by buying a bowl of chicken soup wontons for himself.
The moment he took a bite, he was instantly convinced.
Holy crap—this is amazing!
Without hesitation, he packed up his stall and sat down beside Jian Yunlan’s food cart. Forget waiting for the wontons to cool—he shoveled them into his mouth, one after another.
No wonder this guy was making money!
Similar to him, the other customers who had just received their wontons went from initial skepticism to complete immersion in the bliss brought by the delicious food.
“Wuwuwu, how can this be so good?”
“Just the chicken broth alone is worth more than thirty yuan, and yet the wontons are even better!”
“After eating these wontons, I can never go back. I won’t be able to stomach those mass-produced frozen ones ever again…”
“Everyone, don’t push—take your time!” Jian Yunlan called out. “There’s enough for everyone.”
More and more people gathered around the stall. Exclamations of delight echoed through the crowd, along with the hissing sounds of people happily trying to cool down their scalding hot wontons.
Tan Tingting was starting to feel restless.
Could it really be that good?
There was no way so many people were just pretending, right?
Meanwhile, Li Yun had already finished her entire bowl in record time, licking the last drops of broth clean. Not a single bite had been spared for Tan Tingting.
Not only that—after finishing, Li Yun swiftly walked to the back of the line and queued up again.
“This won’t do, I have to try it too.”
Determined, Tan Tingting joined the line behind Li Yun.
If she was going to get ripped off, so be it. But seeing everyone’s reactions, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight without trying these wontons.
However, things didn’t go as planned.
She hadn’t been in line for long when Jian Yunlan lifted the lid of the broth pot, took a glance, and announced to the crowd:
“The chicken soup wontons are sold out. Only sesame sauce wontons are left.”
Many people had been drawn in by the enticing aroma of the chicken broth. Upon hearing that it was gone, some looked visibly disappointed.
But—nobody left the line.
They had waited this long. Whether it was chicken broth or sesame sauce, they had to have a taste!
“Boss, I’ll take one serving of the sesame sauce wontons.”
Tan Tingting regretted not getting to try the chicken broth wontons that Li Yun had raved about, but she still scanned the payment code and paid.
She wasn’t sure if the sesame sauce ones would be any good.
She wasn’t particularly a fan of sesame sauce—she usually only dipped into it when eating hot pot. Most of the time, she preferred broth-based wontons.
“Alright,” Jian Yunlan replied with a gentle smile.
His eyes curved like crescent moons, and the aloofness brought by his stunning looks was softened by the warmth in his expression. A gentle, down-to-earth aura surrounded him.
“Ah!”
“He looks even more handsome when he smiles!”
A few small squeals erupted from the crowd.
Quite a few female university students had already eaten dinner, but they still lined up—drawn in purely by Jian Yunlan’s beauty. They just wanted to stand a little closer to him and admire his godly face.
Even Tan Tingting found herself swooning under the assault of his looks.
Although she still doubted his cooking skills…
But damn, he was way too good-looking!
Even in a simple floral apron, his fluid, elegant movements as he dropped wontons into the pot and packed up orders were mesmerizing. There was an effortless grace to him—poised and refined, yet completely at ease.
But soon, Tan Tingting didn’t have time to be dazzled by his looks anymore.
Thin-skinned, plump wontons were drizzled with a smooth layer of sesame sauce, topped with a bit of fragrant sesame oil and fresh scallions. After giving them a good mix with chopsticks, Jian Yunlan sprinkled a final touch of glistening white sesame seeds before handing them to her.
Tan Tingting picked up a wonton with her chopsticks, hesitantly placing it in her mouth.
The first thing she noticed was the rich, velvety texture of the handmade sesame sauce. The blend of sesame and peanut flavors was thick and fragrant, coating the delicate, silky wonton wrapper in an intoxicating aroma.
As she bit down, the juicy pork filling and sweet bursts of corn melded seamlessly with the nutty sesame sauce. The flavors were so exquisite that she found herself reluctant to swallow.
Tan Tingting: “…”
Tan Tingting: “Holy shit!!!“
Unlike the light, comforting warmth of the chicken broth, the sesame sauce had a deep, bold richness—intense but perfectly balanced. The wontons tasted even smoother and silkier against its creamy texture.
Even as someone who didn’t usually care for sesame sauce, Tan Tingting was completely blown away.
She had no time for words—she just kept eating, one wonton after another.
Why had she been so dumb before?!
As she ate, she mentally scolded herself. Why had she assumed Jian Yunlan was only getting by on his looks?
With skills like this, he could dominate any food scene!
If only she had lined up earlier—then she could have had three servings each of the chicken broth and sesame sauce wontons.
Many other customers had also received their sesame sauce wontons and, just like Tan Tingting, devoured them ravenously.
“The sesame sauce is amazing too!”
“Boss, did you make this sauce yourself? The store-bought ones aren’t even a thousandth as good as this.”
“Give me two more servings—I need to bring some back for my roommates!”
Seeing how popular the sesame sauce wontons were, many customers who had already eaten the chicken broth ones—though full—couldn’t resist their cravings and joined the back of the line again.
But before even half of the long queue was served—
“Sorry, all 100 portions of wontons are sold out,” Jian Yunlan said after checking the bottom of the pot. “I’ll be back here at 7 p.m. tomorrow—hope to see you all again!”
After making the announcement, he seemed a little reluctant himself.
Feeding so many happy customers—it was truly fulfilling!
But happiness was fleeting. The God of Cooking System strictly set the daily limit at 100 servings—no more, no less. Once sold out, he had to pack up and leave.
Otherwise, he would gladly sell wontons all night long.
After cleaning up his food cart, Jian Yunlan hopped onto his tricycle and rode away, turning back three times before finally disappearing from sight.
Behind him, customers who had waited in line for so long—only to miss out—cried out in despair:
“Boss, don’t goooo—wuuwuuuwuuu!”
“If the wontons are gone, at least let me lick the pot clean…”
“You better keep your word—I’ll be here on time tomorrow! You have to come!”
*
Multiverse Livestream Platform
Inside a livestream room titled “Outside Jing University’s Main Gate…”, the online viewer count displayed: 503 people.
As the first day of streaming came to an end, many other streamers had already exhausted all their tricks to make contact with the two protagonists of Paranoid Possession.
For example, in the neighboring stream, a streamer with max-level luck had miraculously picked up protagonist Ning Sheng’s lost wallet at the entrance of Jing University’s Computer Science Department—and had even exchanged a few words with him.
Although Ning Sheng had responded with cold indifference, at least they had talked!
That alone sent that stream’s popularity soaring past 10,000 viewers, attracting several wealthy donors who started throwing rocket gifts.
Ning Sheng had a strong, aloof personality—the classic untouchable “flower on the high mountain” type. Due to childhood trauma, his mind was entirely consumed by coding and research, indifferent to everything else. Paranoid Possession had been run several times, yet even after a whole month, many challengers still failed to get Ning Sheng to remember their names.
Meanwhile, in Jian Yunlan’s livestream room—
[Bro, seriously?]
[You said you were setting up a food stall… and you actually did it?! Bruh.]
[Other people: camping out, staging “coincidental” encounters, and striking up conversations. Him: grocery shopping, cooking, and selling wontons (._.)]
[But damn, those wontons look amazing. Is this a delicacy exclusive to urban realms? As a resident of an interstellar realm who only drinks nutrient solutions, I’m crying with envy. QAQ]
[== The platform has a rule: if a streamer’s story progression rate doesn’t reach 15% within a week, they’re disqualified. And after an entire day, this guy has made zero progress. He’s doomed.]
[Noooo, don’t get eliminated!!! Where else am I supposed to find such a gorgeous man to admire?!]
[Praying for a miracle…]
