Chapter 209
7:00 PM. On the bustling campus of A University, the evening crowd was in full swing.
As night fell, the streetlights by the main gate flickered on one after another, illuminating countless young faces. It was just after the Lunar New Year, and many students had only just returned to campus. After a full day of classes, most were drained, craving nothing more than something—anything—to fill their empty stomachs.
Li Jiayi was one of them.
“I’m starving. Should we just make do with Third Cafeteria?” Li Jiayi clutched her growling stomach and looked at her roommate, Han Qiuqiu, suggesting wearily.
At the mention of “Third Cafeteria,” a new layer of despair crept into Han Qiuqiu’s eyes, already dulled from a whole day of advanced calculus.
“Heh… after a whole day of classes, you want me to go eat that abomination they call stir-fried spicy strips with watermelon? I’d rather die!!!”
Li Jiayi: “…” Fair point.
The cafeteria food was awful. The restaurants outside were too far, and food delivery during the dinner rush took a minimum of forty minutes—far too long to wait.
After a lot of back and forth, the two finally decided: forget it, let’s just head to the snack street outside the south gate.
“This snack street is seriously lacking in creativity. It’s always the same stuff—grilled skewers, stinky tofu, spicy hotpot. It’s all synthetic, artificially enhanced, and I’m so sick of it,” Han Qiuqiu grumbled.
“At least it’s something,” Li Jiayi sighed, shaking her head.
As they chatted, they arrived at the south gate.
Tonight, the south gate was unusually lively. Looking out, it was packed shoulder to shoulder, an impenetrable sea of people. On closer inspection, they realized everyone was lining up in front of a single food stall.
Li Jiayi and Han Qiuqiu were puzzled.
“Is there some kind of event going on?”
“What kind of stall could attract a crowd this big?”
Han Qiuqiu, stomach rumbling, looked at the never-ending line and started to lose heart.
“There’s way too many people. Maybe we should just—”
She never finished her sentence.
At that moment, they saw the vendor lift the lid of an enormous soup pot at the front of the food stall.
—In an instant, as the rising steam wafted into the air, a rich, fragrant aroma of chicken soup spread outward!
The south gate was a natural wind tunnel, and the scent of the soup was carried to every corner, brushing gently against everyone’s noses.
It was early spring—still chilly despite the changing season. People had just started shedding their heavy coats, only to be ambushed by an unexpected cold snap. As the evening wind brushed their faces and numbed their fingers and toes, the warm, savory scent of chicken soup conjured vivid fantasies in everyone’s minds: Right now, a hot bowl of fragrant chicken soup with a few plump, juicy wontons would be heaven on earth.
People began to stop in their tracks, instinctively searching for the source of that irresistible aroma.
Li Jiayi and Han Qiuqiu exchanged a glance.
That smell—without a doubt—was coming from that very food stall with the massive line!
In the next moment, their minds were made up.
“Should we queue?” Li Jiayi asked.
“Absolutely!” Han Qiuqiu said firmly.
So what if they were hungry? Waiting a bit was nothing. If they missed out on food that smelled this divine, she’d never forgive herself.
With their decision made, the two marched toward the stall and joined the buzzing, excited line.
At first, they hadn’t noticed anything strange. But now, standing in line, both Li Jiayi and Han Qiuqiu suddenly realized something… odd.
“…So. Many. Hot. Guys,” Li Jiayi whispered, eyes wide as she squeezed Han Qiuqiu’s hand in excitement.
Han Qiuqiu had noticed it too.
Yes, there were some regular students and workers in line, people like them—but the rest? They were impossibly good-looking men of all styles, standing out like stars in the crowd.
They looked around excitedly but didn’t dare say anything out loud. Inside, though, their mental commentary was going wild:
—That guy at the front of the line—simple white shirt, tall and elegant, with a face so handsome it could’ve come straight from a novel. And that beauty mark under his eye? Total male lead material!
—Next to him, the guy in the full-on suit with cold, piercing eyes? He looks like he runs a Fortune 500 company and crushes competitors for breakfast.
—Look over there! Those two brothers—one cheerful and cute, the other gentle and refined—straight out of a forbidden sibling romance plot!
—And that man on the right with a child in tow—he’s soft and beautiful, literal top-tier looks. He’s totally the gentle uke from an Mpreg novel. And the way he’s looking at the stall owner? Like he’s watching his precious son build a bright future!
—What’s with that guy in the post-apocalyptic cloak? Is he cosplaying?
—And those two in the back, both in long hair and Taoist robes with jade pendants on their belts—they look like they just stepped off a wuxia drama set!
What Li Jiayi and Han Qiuqiu didn’t know was that beyond the crowd already in line, more people were arriving, one after another. They were dressed in all sorts of outfits—ancient, modern, futuristic—as if crossing through time itself, stepping out of shimmering translucent doors into this world, all joining the line with gleaming eyes.
People from different dimensions studied each other curiously. But because they were all here for the same reason—to eat at Boss Jian’s food stall—they quickly struck up conversations:
“Hey, what world are you from? Here for Boss Jian too?”
“Bro, I’m a merc from the apocalypse timeline. Last time I missed out on porridge—still crying about it!”
“You missed out? Even with that many servings? Bro, get your skills up. Our world, ‘Genius Baby Is Only Three and a Half,’ has a hell mode reputation. We only get twenty roast ducks a day…”
“Hey, don’t even bring it up. We’re lucky to be standing here at all! Haven’t you heard? Just last night, this modern human world where Boss Jian lives received billions of tourist applications from other realms. It almost collapsed from the overload. Now they’ve restricted entry—anyone applying afterward can’t get in.”
“Heh heh, kind of embarrassing, but… I snuck in,” said a chubby man wearing bright yellow robes with a gourd of elixirs hanging from his waist, scratching his head sheepishly. “Couldn’t be helped, our Mountain and Sea Realm only got a few spots.”
“We snuck in too,” several others admitted, raising their hands timidly.
“Me too…”
Even though the Multiverse Management Bureau had already issued emergency travel restrictions, they couldn’t stop the unstoppable enthusiasm of Boss Jian’s fans. People from all across the realms used every trick in the book—crossing mountains and seas just to queue at his humble street stall. Even if they couldn’t get any food, just catching a glimpse of him in real life would be enough!
And so…
The line at the food stall grew longer and longer… and even more ridiculously long…
“…”
Li Jiayi looked behind her at the ever-growing line of people and patted her chest in relief. “Thank god we got in line when we did! Just a few minutes later and we wouldn’t have stood a chance!”
Han Qiuqiu was still curiously scanning the crowd.
So many distinct and vivid personalities—none of them looked like they belonged to the same world. Yet here they all were, obediently lining up at a simple street food stall.
What kind of magic does this stall have?
And the stall owner—who the heck is this person to pull this off?
The little flames of curiosity in their hearts flared even higher.
The line was too long, and most of the people in front were tall, broad-shouldered guys over 180 or even 190 cm tall. No matter how hard they craned their necks, Li Jiayi and Han Qiuqiu couldn’t see what was happening at the front of the stall.
Suddenly, Li Jiayi smacked her forehead, struck by an idea:
“Here’s the plan—you sit on my shoulders, I’ll lift you up, and you snap a pic of the stall owner, okay?”
Li Jiayi had always been athletic—she’d competed in national weightlifting competitions back in high school. Even now in college, she still hit the gym every week. Lifting Han Qiuqiu? No problem at all.
Han Qiuqiu, already itching with curiosity, agreed instantly.
So, Li Jiayi crouched down, and Han Qiuqiu climbed onto her shoulders.
Phone in hand, Han Qiuqiu raised it up and started observing through the camera:
In the bustling streetlight glow, the tricycle stall was bathed in warm yellow light. A huge pot of soup steamed furiously, golden droplets of oil glistening on the surface, dotted with seaweed and scallions. Plump wontons bobbed up and down in the broth, their translucent skins barely concealing the tender filling inside—just looking at them made your mouth water.
At the front of the stall stood an adorably fair little girl, running around helping out. Her mischievous eyes darted left and right, clearly plotting how to sneak a bite; beside her was a sturdy middle-aged man in simple clothes, quiet and reliable, silently handing out tea, utensils, and napkins.
Behind the stall stood a young man in a floral apron. His dark eyelashes drooped gently, his deep black-blue eyes calm and focused as he ladled soup while cheerfully chatting with customers.
Next to him stood a tall silver-haired man, strikingly handsome, who watched the crowd with a cool, lazy gaze, his gold-tinged eyes full of indifference. He stood like a silent guardian, and anyone with thoughts of cutting the line immediately reconsidered once they saw him.
The silver-haired man opened his mouth, speaking in a voice that was stiff and monotone, oddly mismatched with his dreamy looks:
“Hot and delicious chicken soup wontons. Ten yuan for new customers. Free for returning ones.”
At that, the stall owner burst out laughing, his eyes curving into crescents as he looked over and teased the silver-haired man about something.
Their eyes met.
“……!!!”
Something clicked in that moment. Han Qiuqiu gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth, then dug her fingers into Li Jiayi’s shoulders in a frenzy of excitement.
Li Jiayi: “???”
Han Qiuqiu was too overwhelmed to speak. All she could do was shake and furiously tap the camera shutter.
In her viewfinder, she captured it all clearly—
At dusk, amid the lively street food crowd, Hu Danggui blinked innocently while sneakily stealing a wonton. Niu Tou was helping usher customers. New and old faces lined the street, chatting in groups with friends and lovers, happily waiting their turn at the stall.
More and more customers from across the multiverse kept pouring in. Jian Yunlan and Taotie were overwhelmed with work, but even in the chaos, the moment their eyes met, both couldn’t help smiling.
In the middle of all the clamor and flickering lights, they exchanged a simple kiss.
The crowd erupted into wild cheers and applause!
Amid the laughter and whistles, Jian Yunlan and Taotie, fingers interlaced, shyly announced:
“Today’s wontons are all free. No limit. On the house.”
For a second, silence.
Then—BOOM! The crowd exploded:
“Aaaahhh yay!!! Long live Boss Jian!! Long live Lord Taotie!!!”
“Boss Jian, I’ll follow you forever—!”
“HAHAHAHA!”
“……”
The laughter of the crowd blended with the lights of the city, swirling gently with the evening breeze, drifting through alleys and over rooftops, across mountains and seas, beyond the edge of time and space.
It was the most ordinary of days.
—The End—
