Chapter 208
[Loading “Real World” dimension…]
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……
The morning sun streamed through the curtains, casting mottled light on the narrow single bed.
In a small apartment in an urban village, Jian Yunlan groggily opened his eyes. His nose caught the smell of damp mildew and a pungent oily smoke. It was as if something had burned, and the smell was far from pleasant.
His phone vibrated urgently by his side, the buzzing growing faster and louder, almost like a deathly summons.
Jian Yunlan yawned, reaching for his phone on the bedside table as a habit. The screen lit up, showing a dozen unread work messages, most of them from the project team leader…
Wait, project team leader?
Such a strange term.
Jian Yunlan’s sleepiness suddenly disappeared, and his eyes widened as a sheet of paper slowly floated down. It was a resignation letter, with the words “Resignation Application” written in bold black letters.
Looking at the date on the calendar, Jian Yunlan’s pupils shook:
—”Is this… the day I got laid off in my last life?!”
Even after all this time, he still clearly remembered that day. He had already written his resignation letter, but before he could hand it in, he received the notice that the entire project team had been laid off. His previously stable life was instantly disrupted. As people would later say, that day was the day the “wheel of fate started turning.”
After being laid off, he became a food blogger, until that car accident, when his soul was chosen by the Multiverse Live System, and he entered the book challenge, starting his food stall journey, meeting Taotie, Hu Danggui, and Niu Tou…
“Could it be… all of this was just a dream?” Jian Yunlan stared blankly at the familiar apartment, phone, and surroundings, confusedly rubbing his head and muttering to himself:
“I never had a car accident, and I never entered some book world to sell food. Was all of this just a fantasy before I collapsed from overworking?!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a pop-up window suddenly appeared in front of him:
[Introduction: The “Real World” is the world where you truly live, where the joys and sorrows of countless people unfold. He, Jian Yunlan, is the arrogant food stall owner who controls the food lifeblood of the world; he, Taotie, is the proud and stubborn ancient beast; he runs, he chases, but can’t escape… ]
[Would you like to view the full information about the “Real World”? Yes/No]
Almost as a reflex, Jian Yunlan swiftly clicked ‘No.’
System: “…” Not unexpected!
Jian Yunlan had already closed the screen, and with a whoosh, he sat up in bed, his eyes glowing.
It wasn’t an illusion!
The system existed, and Taotie was real. So everything he had experienced was definitely not a dream—this was great. But… where were Taotie and everyone else?
Jian Yunlan touched the bed beside him, only to realize that there was a pillow he didn’t remember on his narrow bed, and the blanket beside him had sunk down, still warm, as if someone had been lying next to him not long ago.
On the bedside table, there were two photos. The first one was taken at the Oblivion Platform, where Jian Yunlan and Taotie were kissing. It looked surprisingly beautiful, almost like a movie still.
The second photo was taken at Jian Yunlan’s family villa, where he was busy with a tricycle. Niu Tou was helping, Hu Danggui and Taotie were sneaking bites of food, and the housekeeper and other servants were happily laughing, gathering them together.
Jian Yunlan happily flipped through the two photos several times:
“When were these taken? I don’t really remember.”
Before he could think much more about it,
Suddenly, there was a loud clattering noise from the kitchen, as if someone was about to tear the whole house down! Along with the noise came a strange… smell of food?
Jian Yunlan quickly threw on a jacket and left the bedroom. What he saw was—
In the orange glow of the evening light, a tall, silver-haired man was wearing simple home clothes and a flower-patterned apron that was too small for him. His long silver hair was tied into a ponytail, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscular arms.
Taotie was holding a spatula, looking serious as if he was cooking. If one ignored the wreckage of the kitchen behind him, resembling the aftermath of a hurricane, the scene could almost be considered pleasant to look at.
…But Jian Yunlan couldn’t do that!
Furthermore, the pan Taotie was holding contained something he had been frying, but it was so burnt that it had turned into a complete mess, emitting a smell that could rival that of chemical weapons.
Jian Yunlan gasped. “Lord Taotie, what are you doing???”
Seeing Jian Yunlan, Taotie’s ears immediately turned red, and the beast-like man awkwardly said:
“I saw you were still asleep and it’s almost evening. I thought you must be hungry, so out of the kindness of my heart, I decided to make you dinner.”
He proudly handed the charred mess in the pan to Jian Yunlan. “Human, look, I made this. Doesn’t it look delicious?”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
Well, it doesn’t look good at all.
…But seeing Taotie’s proud expression, Jian Yunlan bit back the sarcastic comment that was rolling around in his stomach, and after a brief hesitation, he didn’t say anything.
However, it was precisely in that one second of hesitation that disaster struck!
—Boom!!!
A massive explosion sounded from the stove beside them. Another pan on the stove had caught fire, and blue-green flames leaped up, sending a jolt to anyone watching.
The mushroom cloud rising from the stove sent a gust of air towards Taotie’s pan, scattering the burnt “food” into ashes. The dust storm-like mess covered Taotie’s head and face.
The handsome silver-haired man instantly looked like a coal miner just back from the field.
Jian Yunlan: “…”
Taotie: “…”
The whole apartment fell into a heartbreaking silence.
In that silence, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Jian Yunlan glanced at Taotie, then slowly walked over to open the door—
A well-dressed butler, with his voice reaching before his body, cried out in joy as he rushed in and hugged Jian Yunlan:
“Young master! My young master! You really came back to life! Your handsome, dark-skinned, white-haired man is alive too, aaaaah!!!”
There were also Aunt Wang, the driver Xiao Li, and other servants from Jian Yunlan’s family villa, all wiping away tears. They confirmed Jian Yunlan was unharmed and immediately began speaking excitedly:
“I told you, young master and Lord Taotie are lucky and won’t have anything happen to them.”
“I made a paper man to pray for young master…”
“Wait, making a paper man is a curse, right??!!”
A large group of people quickly streamed into the small apartment.
“Forget about that! Help the master clean up the house, we’re moving!” Hu Danggui, in a green Daoist robe with her hair in a bun, stood in front, hands on her hips, giving orders. “Butler, help young master move the TV. Aunt Wang, tidy up the bedroom’s important items. Niu Tou, you—”
Hu Danggui’s instructions suddenly stopped.
…Niu Tou stood at the corner of the crowd, carefully studying the returned Jian Yunlan and Taotie. His eyes were filled with tears, but he wore a goofy, honest smile, rubbing his nose as he tried to hold back the tears.
“Mr. Jian and Lord Taotie are okay, that’s great, really great,” Niu Tou said softly, sniffling.
After a moment of stunned silence, Jian Yunlan hurried over and gave Niu Tou a big hug.
Taotie, seeming somewhat reluctant, eventually gave in and walked over to hug Niu Tou as well.
“Ughhh!!!” Niu Tou could no longer hold back, joyful tears streamed down his face, and with his wide arms, he embraced both of them. “You’re both okay, this is great, really great, I can finally rest easy…”
Seeing this scene, Hu Danggui’s eyes immediately reddened. The little girl sniffed and walked up, wanting to join in the hug.
But she was too short. No matter how much she tried to stand on her tiptoes, she could only reach the three people’s thighs, looking more like a hot water kettle being carried by Niu Tou.
Hu Danggui: “……”
Tears, suddenly flowing.
Hu Danggui, along with Niu Tou, began to cry loudly: “Ughhhh!!!”
Jian Yunlan was both amused and helpless, pulling Hu Danggui up and finally stopping her tears.
“I want a hug too,” the butler said, not willing to be left out, as he rushed toward Jian Yunlan, tears streaming down his face. “Young master, my young master!”
“Ah? Me too,” Aunt Wang said, wiping her tears. “I don’t understand young people’s things…”
“Why are you talking so much? Just hug him!” someone shouted.
So, Aunt Wang, Xiao Li the driver, and many other people joined in the reunion hug.
In the narrow little apartment, so many people huddling together in a group looked somewhat ridiculous, like some strange magic was being cast or a wrestling match was taking place. Everyone was looking at each other, faces streaked with tears, not particularly graceful, which made everyone burst out laughing.
In the midst of laughter and tears, they confirmed each other’s presence.
They were a family.
“……”
The servants from Jian’s family villa worked quickly, packing everything Jian Yunlan needed to pack in just a few minutes. The things to be thrown out were tossed aside, and the packed suitcases were loaded into several Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches that had been driven over.
These luxury cars, though impressive in appearance, were not practical for packing, as they could carry very little. Luckily, the butler had foreseen this and brought many cars, so in the end, everything was loaded.
The sight of these luxury cars in the urban village, especially for a move, drew curious looks from onlookers, some of whom pulled out their phones to film videos.
The appearance of Taotie and Jian Yunlan sparked a new wave of exclamations.
“Why are these two so handsome?!” “Are they filming a variety show…?” “Wow, I’ve never seen so many luxury cars in my life.”
When Taotie saw the Lamborghini, his eyes lit up. He walked over confidently, shoved Jian Yunlan into the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and then climbed into the driver’s seat with a look of eager anticipation.
Jian Yunlan had a bad feeling and, shivering, asked:
“So, where are we going?”
“Of course, to the Jian family villa,” Taotie said, flashing a handsome smile. The next second, he slammed the gas pedal to the floor.
The Lamborghini shot forward like a rocket!
Jian Yunlan: “Ahhhhhhh—”
Jian Yunlan’s scream echoed in the wind, lingering for days, never fading.
“Young master is also having a loving moment with Lord Taotie today,” the butler said, wiping away tears in the Porsche beside them.
“…” Hu Danggui twitched her mouth.
Is this really a loving moment?
“……”
In any case, despite the chaos, everyone safely arrived at the Jian family villa.
The butler bowed and opened the door, announcing:
“Young master, from now on, this is your true home!”
In the glow of the sunset, Jian Yunlan saw every detail of the villa clearly: the floor-to-ceiling windows, Roman columns, crystal chandeliers, the winding staircase, and the outdoor garden…
Everything was exactly as he remembered.
Taotie stood next to Jian Yunlan, holding his hand. Hu Danggui, Niu Tou, and the other servants from the Jian family villa stood by the door, all smiling at Jian Yunlan, waiting for his reaction.
Looking at the Jian family villa in the sunset and then at the familiar people, Jian Yunlan felt a surge of warmth and emotion rising within him, ready to burst out—
Finally, Jian Yunlan could no longer suppress his excitement and decided to take action right away!
He walked to the outdoor garden and rolled out the ultimate food cart system reward.
He hopped onto the tricycle, hung up Hu Danggui’s lotus lantern, and invited Niu Tou and Taotie to join. With a bright smile, he said:
“Thank you all for helping with the move. Now, I can finally pursue my dreams without any hesitation.”
“I don’t want to hold back or hide anymore. Now, I’m going to—Set up my stall!”
