Chapter 57
“Boss Jian, the purpose of hiring you this time is for you to set up a stall outside the summer camp…”
A business-like voice spoke in Jian Yunlan’s ear.
Who was talking?
Jian Yunlan struggled to open his eyes.
His blurry vision slowly cleared, and she found herself in a minimalist office.
A middle-aged man with glasses sat behind the desk, hands clasped, speaking rapidly:
“As you know, we are a high-end, fully enclosed summer camp, training the best Alpha students from top universities worldwide.”
“For example, our star student this year, Fu Changfeng, has already received offers from multiple prestigious overseas universities before the camp even closes…”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
For a moment, Jian Yunlan thought he had crossed into a new dimension.
—Wasn’t he just setting up a spicy hotpot stall last night, enjoying a hot pot meal, and then falling asleep in his own villa?
Why did he wake up in this completely unfamiliar office, listening to someone talk about a summer camp?
Just as he was confused, a mechanical voice echoed:
[Ding! The Chef God app’s voice assistant is now online. Your daily stall assistant~]
[I will now explain your new task.]
With the voice assistant’s explanation, Jian Yunlan gradually understood the situation.
He was supposed to run a stall in front of Lotus Pond Community for a week.
But for some reason, despite not completing a full week, the Chef God System had already considered the “stall in front of Lotus Pond Community” task as completed last night!
Jian Yunlan was left utterly bewildered.
What was the reason for the task being marked as completed early?
His spicy hotpot stall!!
He hadn’t even had the chance to inform his customers.
This time, not only would the customers who couldn’t get their hotpot be disappointed, but Jian Yunlan was also on the verge of breaking down.
The Chef God System ignored Jian Yunlan’s breakdown and continued:
[After completing your task ahead of schedule, the Chef God system immediately assigned a new task and skipped the transition narrative~]
This was why Jian Yunlan woke up in an office.
Moreover, this task was more challenging—
The task was to set up a stall selling fried chicken every day from 4 AM to 5 AM outside a summer camp called Longteng Summer Camp.
At first glance, it seemed similar to the previous task.
But with the explanation from the camp director and the Chef God System, Jian Yunlan slowly caught on to the key point.
“Your primary task isn’t just to set up a stall, but to use the stall to attract students who sneak out of the camp late at night and catch them in the act!”
The bespectacled camp director slammed his fist on the table, angrily puffing his cheeks.
…Yes.
As a fully enclosed summer camp, Longteng Summer Camp had always been strict with its rules. However, more and more students had been sneaking out at night, only to return nonchalantly during the day.
Without rules, there could be no order.
To correct this misconduct, the director came up with a brilliant plan:
Hire a food stall owner as a “spy” to set up a stall outside the camp’s walls late at night.
At first glance, it would seem like just a food stall, but in reality, the stall owner would work in tandem with the teachers to identify the list of students sneaking out.
A Food Stall Version of Werewolf.
“We hope you can set up your stall for one hour every day, with no limit on the number of servings. After selling three portions, you’ll need to move to a different location. The two locations should be at least one kilometer apart.
“…The goal is to capture as many students sneaking out over the walls as possible.”
At this point, the principal paused, took a sip of tea, and looked up at Jian Yunlan with a thoughtful expression.
This “food stall strategy” had been suggested by a young teacher in the camp.
The principal, himself, had always looked down on street food stalls, including the one in front of him—this young man seemed quite handsome, so why would he choose to run a food stall?
—Probably from an average background with no notable culinary skills.
The principal shook his head in his mind.
People from good families don’t usually become chefs; it’s obvious. This young man probably couldn’t afford college and ended up dropping out to set up a stall.
As for those with real culinary skills, they were already snatched up by top restaurants. So, why would they end up selling street food and making little money?
The principal himself never ate at street food stalls—only high-end restaurants. But he knew that students of this age liked unhealthy snacks.
Running a food stall wasn’t hard—just deep-fry some food, add some seasonings, and voilà! Students would love it.
If the principal weren’t so busy, he might have even considered setting up the stall himself and acting as a “spy.”
He snapped out of his thoughts, adjusted his glasses, and turned to Jian Yunlan:
“Boss Jian, do you have the confidence to complete the task?”
Jian Yunlan hesitated, his gaze drifting: “Uh…”
This whole setup felt so elaborate.
He just wanted to run a simple food stall!
Seeing Jian Yunlan’s hesitation, the principal was a bit surprised.
—They were offering him a generous salary—20,000 a month, which was likely more than this young man could earn from a stall in several months.
And he was still hesitating?!
Jian Yunlan said, “Thanks for the offer, but this kind of thing…”
Before he could finish, the mechanical voice from the app sounded again:
[Main task accepted. It cannot be canceled midway~ Exiting has a chance of being hit by a dump truck~]
Jian Yunlan: ?!?
It seemed like the Chef God System had detected his inner thoughts.
The system paused, then decided to sweeten the deal, adding:
[As a reward, after this task ends, you’ll be granted the ability to run a stall for three days and nights, with no restrictions.]
Jian Yunlan: !!!
A bright smile spread across Jian Yunlan’s face as he enthusiastically shook the principal’s hand: “I’m confident I can complete the task!”
The principal lightly returned the handshake: “Then, we’re counting on you, Boss Jian!”
“Looking forward to working together.”
Both smiled.
The principal picked up the car keys:
“Oh, by the way, Boss Jian, where do you live? I can give you a ride; it’s on my way. You don’t have to take the tricycle…”
His voice carried a hint of sympathy.
Looking at Jian Yunlan, the principal remembered the street vendors he had seen under the scorching sun, riding their tricycles.
It wasn’t easy to make a living, he thought, so he might as well help.
Just then, a loud honking noise came from outside.
Both turned toward the sound—
A flamboyant convertible Lamborghini pulled up. The driver, a handsome guy with silver hair tied in a high ponytail and slightly tanned skin, took off his sunglasses and lazily said to Jian Yunlan, “All set? Get in.”
Jian Yunlan nodded and waved to the principal: “My employee’s here to pick me up. I’ll take my leave now.”
He buckled his seatbelt.
The Lamborghini sped away.
The principal stood there, staring at the car keys in his hand, deep in thought.
After a long moment, the principal covered his face.
Some students, passing by from a distance, noticed him and wanted to greet him, but upon seeing his expression, they hesitated to approach.
The students couldn’t help but whisper:
“Feels… like the principal might be turning into Mo Mo…”
*
Inside the Lamborghini, Jian Yunlan curiously looked at the driver, Taotie: “When did you get your driver’s license?”
Taotie, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Jian Yunlan’s gaze, turned his head with his ears reddening: “What driver’s license?”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
Taotie: “…?”
Taotie curiously fiddled with the dashboard, then stepped on the accelerator.
The high-performance sports car immediately shot up to 150 miles per hour.
Taotie smirked: “You humans and your gadgets, they’re quite fun.”
Jian Yunlan: “…Save me—!”
Twenty minutes later.
Jian Yunlan stormed into the Jian family villa, shaking the butler’s shoulder: “Butler, for the next fifty years, do not let that guy, Taotie, come within a mile of the garage!!!”
Hu Dangui, who was lounging on the sofa reading comics, tilted his head: “Taotie’s in trouble again, huh?”
The butler nodded: “Understood, young master, I’ll make sure.”
—Ah, fifty years, such a romantic vow~
The butler sighed, holding his face.
After a short rest and a quick lunch, Jian Yunlan began preparing for his food stall.
Although it was a bit of a shame that he couldn’t set up a spicy hot pot stall…
But fried chicken!
He could still do that.
This task was time-limited with no set number of servings or price requirements. Jian Yunlan planned to price it at 10 yuan per serving, since it was for students and he couldn’t make it too expensive.
Because he had to move to a new spot after selling three portions, like a guerilla war, Jian Yunlan decided to go light on the setup and not bring Taotie or Hu Dangui along on the first day.
…It definitely wasn’t because the ride with Taotie had given him psychological trauma.
As for the fried chicken, Jian Yunlan skimmed through the recipe provided by the system and decided to start with the simplest, most basic fried chicken wings and legs.
Marinating the chicken was crucial.
That’s why, despite many street vendors’ fried chicken looking similar, the taste could vary wildly.
Jian Yunlan carefully cut the chicken wings that had been soaked in blood water, wiping them with paper towels to remove excess moisture for better marination.
In addition to the usual seasonings like ginger, garlic, pepper, bay leaves, and sugar, Jian Yunlan also added a large bowl of pure milk.
The milk would make the chicken more tender and remove the chicken smell.
He placed the chicken wings and legs in the fridge to marinate, as the longer they soaked, the more flavorful they would become.
Jian Yunlan then prepared the batter, and the rest of the time was spent modifying the tricycle with the butler and servants.
The tricycle used for the hot pot stall was, of course, not the same as the one for the fried chicken stall.
Since the stall would open at 4 AM, Jian Yunlan let the meat marinate while he took a nap.
The sky was dark, and the night was deep.
At 4 AM, Jian Yunlan rode the tricycle to the entrance of the Longteng Summer Camp.
…I have to say, opening a stall at 4 AM is really an eerie time!
The night was still, and the whole city was asleep when Jian Yunlan set up his food stall and quietly began frying the chicken.
He first heated the oil and waited for the temperature to rise.
Fried chicken typically needs two rounds of frying, with the final high-heat minute being the key to crispy and delicious chicken.
Jian Yunlan used a slotted spoon to lower several chicken wings and legs into the hot oil, slowly frying them to shape…
Tiny bubbles constantly rose from the oil as the chicken wings and legs gradually turned a tantalizing golden color.
At this eerie hour, would there even be any customers?
For the first time ever, Jian Yunlan had doubts about whether his food stall business would succeed.
Not far away.
Jiang Wolong, halfway over the wall, rubbed his eyes and rubbed them again:
“Wait… It’s 4 AM, why is there a fried chicken stall here??”
*
Let’s rewind to 7 PM.
At the entrance of Lotus Pond Community, a huge crowd was waiting for that familiar figure to appear.
The square-dancing aunties had finished their dance early, put away their fans, and lined up seriously. Fitness enthusiasts held barbells while waiting. The Lu family, Lu Ling and Song Jing’an with their child, were cuddled together, looking into the distance.
Yu Ming, now an Alpha, stood at the front of the crowd with his beautiful muscles, his eyes shining with hope.
The time passed, second by second…
The crowd, once full of anticipation, gradually turned anxious.
“Where’s Boss Jian? My Boss Jian, where is he???”
“Please, oh please, don’t joke with me, bring Boss Jian back! I’ll do anything…”
“If Boss Jian doesn’t come back…”
“Shut up!”
The speaker was glared at furiously.
Don’t spread such unlucky rumors!
Yu Ming’s gaze remained bright, as if no gossip could shake him.
He believed that Boss Jian would return.
—Don’t underestimate the bond between him and Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot!
Boss Jian, you’ll come back, right?
Yu Ming gazed into the distance, his beautiful black eyes gradually misting up…
*
In the Multiverse Live Room.
[Boss Jian set up a fried chicken stall just like that??]
[I feel so sorry for the residents of Lotus Pond Community. I can’t imagine the pain of gaining and losing something like that (smashing the floor). And Boss Jian only set up a stall there for three days!]
[Is it just me or does it feel like Yu Ming is about to go dark?]
[The last person who went dark is already killing people in the Wanjie dimension to get someone back @Ning Sheng]
[Fried chicken, so delicious, want to eat it, slurp slurp, give me fifty!]
[Longteng Summer Camp… Boss Jian, be careful, don’t end up like those streamers who got eliminated by Fu Changfeng earlier]
[4 AM, what kind of eerie time and place for a food stall is this?]
[I’ll bet one dime that Boss Jian won’t sell a single piece of fried chicken today]
[I’ll bet two dimes]
[Oh my, I can’t believe Boss Jian is having a day where his fried chicken doesn’t sell, what a waste, sob sob…]
*
At 4 AM, at Longteng Summer Camp, on the outer wall.
Jiang Wolong was halfway over the wall, hanging on it, staring intently at the small food stall with warm yellow lights in the distance.
…A food stall at this hour? Is this real?!
From far away, Jiang Wolong saw the oil pot rising with fine bubbles, slowly frying something. The sizzling sound was so tempting.
Fried chicken? Skewers? Sausages?
Jiang Wolong stared, transfixed.
“Boss, what’s going on, stuck on the wall?”
Seeing that Jiang Wolong had stopped moving halfway up the wall, the two guys below urged him impatiently: “Hurry up, our gaming time is coming soon.”
“Yeah, hurry up, or Old Xu will catch us.”
Old Xu was their headmaster and instructor, who was very strict. If they got caught sneaking out at night to play games, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Oh… Oh.”
Jiang Wolong slowly climbed down the wall.
Excited for the upcoming game, Lin Feng and Cui Hu chatted as they walked:
“Hey, let’s play a couple of brawls to warm up.”
“My specialty is Yasuo, it’s great for ranking!”
“New skin…”
After spending a week in the fully enclosed summer camp, unable to use their phones or go online, and with days filled with tough physical training and studies, they were all close to losing their minds.
Then, the news quietly spread among the students in the camp—between 4 AM and 5 AM, the duty teacher took a break, making it the perfect time for climbing the walls. Plus, there were several spots where they could easily get a boost. For Alpha types like them, climbing out was a breeze.
As soon as they heard the news, the trio of Jiang Wolong, Lin Feng, and Cui Hu immediately decided to give it a try today.
And sure enough, they made it out safely!
A beautiful tomorrow awaited them!
Once they climbed out, they set their sights on the nearby internet café. Lin Feng and Cui Hu walked fast, and after a while, they realized Jiang Wolong wasn’t keeping up.
They turned around and saw Jiang Wolong standing next to a food stall, eagerly waiting.
Lin Feng and Cui Hu: “?”
…A food stall?
Like Jiang Wolong just moments ago, they rubbed their eyes and rubbed them again, thinking they were dreaming.
At the food stall.
Jiang Wolong eagerly pointed at the fried chicken: “Boss, give me one order of fried chicken, how much?”
Jian Yunlan smiled slightly: “10 yuan per serving, two pieces of chicken wings and legs.”
The first customer had arrived, and at that moment, Jian Yunlan was pulling the chicken wings and legs out of the oil, which had just finished its first round of frying.
He allowed the chicken to cool slightly before increasing the oil temperature, waiting for it to reach a rolling boil.
—Only 10 yuan for two pieces of chicken wings and legs, that’s so cheap!
Jiang Wolong was taken aback.
He didn’t know much about food stalls and couldn’t tell much about the quality, but the stall in front of him not only had a handsome owner, but the cooking equipment and pots looked clean.
Jiang Wolong recalled a saying he had seen online:
“Youth setting up food stalls may not guarantee great taste, but they guarantee cleanliness.”
“Boss, why are you setting up a stall here at this late hour?” Jiang Wolong couldn’t help but ask.
He thought about it and could only come up with one reason.
Regular late-night food stall competition was too fierce, and the owner might not have the best cooking skills, so he resorted to setting up a stall at 4 AM to stand out…?
Someone like him, a big foodie, would definitely fall for it!
Jiang Wolong patted his growling stomach.
After eating camp food comparable to military training meals for several days and now being the hungriest in the middle of the night, how could Jiang Wolong resist the temptation of fried chicken?
Even if the fried chicken was so bad it could bring tears to the gods, he would still eat it without changing his expression.
“Is it… because the regular stall hours can’t compete?” Jiang Wolong scratched his head. “Don’t worry, my standards are really low.”
Upon hearing this, Jian Yunlan gave him a meaningful glance but didn’t say anything.
Just then, Lin Feng and Cui Hu turned around and walked back, glaring at Jiang Wolong: “Boss, remember we agreed to start gaming at 4:30, right?”
Jiang Wolong awkwardly scratched his head: “Wait a minute, it’ll be quick, I’ll be right there.”
The two of them were a bit impatient as they waited nearby.
Having been roommates for a few days, they knew Jiang Wolong’s nature—he was a good person, but he was always greedy for a good meal.
“Come on, hurry up!” they urged Jiang Wolong.
“Just a minute, I’ll double-fry it for a minute,” Jian Yunlan said, knowing they were in a rush.
At this moment, the oil temperature had reached a boil. Jian Yunlan took the fried chicken out and dropped it back in for a second fry.
With the sizzling sound of hot oil, the chicken gradually took on a tempting golden sheen, and its crispy golden skin swelled up…
A rich, mouth-watering aroma began to spread.
Lin Feng and Cui Hu, who were standing farther away, hadn’t smelled it yet.
But Jiang Wolong, who was standing by the pot, immediately caught a whiff of the delicious scent—
Specifically, Jiang Wolong couldn’t quite describe it.
The scent was the authentic fried food smell, one that immediately made you think of hot, crispy fried chicken.
But it was slightly different from the smell of fast-food fried chicken joints…
The aroma became even more intense and domineering.
The smell continuously invaded Jiang Wolong’s nose, and he felt as if his very soul was being pulled out of his head by this fragrance, causing his mind to go into a tangled mess!
Before his brain could fully process what was happening, his mouth had already spoken:
“Boss, I realize one serving isn’t enough… Give me two servings? No, make it three!”
Jian Yunlan raised an eyebrow slightly.
According to the stall rules, he was required to move to another location once he sold three servings.
He still wanted to stay here a bit longer. Finding a good spot for the stall wasn’t easy.
“Limit of one serving per person,” Jian Yunlan said flatly.
“One serving isn’t enough…” Jiang Wolong looked at the golden fried chicken in the oil, saliva already dripping down.
Earlier, he thought one serving with two pieces of chicken wings and legs was plenty. Although he had a big appetite, if the fried chicken tasted bad, he’d struggle to finish it.
But with the combined visual and olfactory stimulation, he now thought that just one serving was too little!
Jiang Wolong looked towards Lin Feng and Cui Hu, who were waiting nearby, and a plan formed in his mind.
“Boss said one serving per person, but I want three. How about I take your spots, you guys buy for me?” Jiang Wolong asked them.
Lin Feng and Cui Hu were eager to start gaming and didn’t really care about fried chicken.
It was only someone like Jiang Wolong who would get so excited about eating fried chicken at a street stall at an odd hour…
They rolled their eyes and waved their hands dismissively: “Fine, fine, take our spots, we’re not as greedy as you.”
Jiang Wolong immediately relayed the news to Jian Yunlan.
Jian Yunlan: “…”
It was what it was.
Soon, the minute-long second fry was over, and the fried chicken was done.
Jiang Wolong’s eyes were locked on the fried chicken, not even willing to blink for a second. He probably didn’t even realize how intense his gaze was—
The freshly fried chicken, with its golden crispy coating, was enveloped in a mist of steam rising from the hot oil, glistening under the light.
As the chicken was lifted from the oil, it made a delightful crackling sound as crumbs fell away—so tempting.
What was even more surprising was the aroma.
From the moment it was double-fried, the chicken began releasing its fragrance, and as it came out of the pot, the rich scent exploded and spread out in all directions!
The scent aggressively filled the air, the pure aroma of fried chicken, the tender chicken meat, and the rich oil fragrance sweeping over everything—
The aroma even passed through the high wall and drifted into the nearby dormitory building.
Inside the dormitory, many students were deeply immersed in sweet dreams when suddenly, the air was filled with a strong, delicious fried chicken smell!
They sat up in shock.
The students opened their eyes wide, instinctively searching for the source of the smell, anxiously roaming the dormitory, as if starving ghosts had reincarnated:
“Do you guys smell that strong fried chicken scent?”
“I smell it too, I thought I was just hallucinating from hunger.”
“It’s not a hallucination, it’s real! This smells amazing! Where is the fried chicken??”
…Even students in the farther dormitory buildings could smell it, and of course, Lin Feng and Cui Hu, who were standing nearby, were no exception.
In fact, they were closer, directly hit by the full force of the fried chicken aroma, and they were barely holding onto their human form at this point.
Just a second ago, they were impatiently waiting with their arms crossed, only wanting Jiang Wolong to hurry up and buy the fried chicken so they could head to the internet café.
But in this second, they instantly changed their minds—
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, it smells so good.”
“How can fried chicken smell like this?”
“This smells better than every piece of fried chicken I’ve ever eaten combined…”
“I didn’t expect the boss to have such good taste. Let’s go, with such an amazing scent, we should buy a serving too and try it.”
Cui Hu, who normally didn’t care much for fried chicken, occasionally ate fast food when they hung out, but didn’t really have strong feelings for it, now found himself intrigued by the irresistible smell.
At this moment, both Jiang Wolong and Lin Feng were staring at the fried chicken stall with hungry eyes, taking slow zombie-like steps as they moved closer—
“Fried chicken, hehe… Boss, we’d like one serving each.”
Jian Yunlan awkwardly pointed to Jiang Wolong: “One serving per person. He already took your spots.”
In an instant, both of them clenched their fists.
The next second, Lin Feng and Cui Hu’s green, menacing gaze locked onto Jiang Wolong and the fried chicken in his hands.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wolong was blissfully enjoying the freshly fried chicken, unaware that he was being stared at with murderous intent.
The golden, crispy outer shell, the plump chicken meat, and that irresistible aroma…
Jiang Wolong couldn’t hold back any longer. He picked up the chicken leg and took a bite.
“Damn!”
He jumped from the heat, quickly blowing on it. Though it was hot, it tasted so damn good!
At first, he hadn’t had high hopes for this mysterious late-night fried chicken stall.
—but the taste of the fried chicken was beyond his expectations.
The golden, crispy shell crunched loudly between his teeth. While the shell was so crisp, the chicken inside was tender and juicy. When he bit into it, hot juices spilled out…
The chicken had been thoroughly marinated, and the tender meat was chewy. The flavorful juices burst with a slight spiciness.
The crispy shell, tender and juicy chicken meat, the more he chewed, the more delicious it became, leaving him savoring every bite and craving more.
In the midst of this perfect taste, Jiang Wolong’s mind drifted far away…
When his mind returned, he was holding a chicken bone, reluctantly sucking on it.
Even the bones tasted good.
Beside him, Lin Feng and Cui Hu were glaring at him with murderous intent.
The next second, they lunged!
