Chapter 65
In the Multiverse live-streaming room.
[Uh…]
[The plot here for Boss Jian has totally spiraled out of control ==]
[Help, this is so funny ahhhh]
[Never imagined Boss Jian’s own food would fight against itself… I really want to see the faces of the diners when they discover the truth…]
[Fu Changfeng has already been conquered by Boss Jian’s food, but why hasn’t the plot progression gone up?]
Many viewers voiced the same confusion.
Yes.
On the plot resolution leaderboard in the “Dark River Bright Light” section, the day Yu Ming was fully cured and split into an Alpha in Boss Jian’s live stream, his rank soared to the top, becoming the first without competition.
But in the following days, the plot resolution in Boss Jian’s live stream began to decline strangely.
By now, it had dropped from first place to the top ten, and it was becoming harder to even stay within the top ten.
Although he had been in contact with Fu Changfeng and even conquered him with food, why hadn’t the resolution increased?
[@Multiverse live-streaming room. Is there a hidden agenda? Some backdoor operation? Bring back Boss Jian’s achievements. User [Gu Xingzhou] sent a rocket launcher x1 to streamer [Jian Yunlan].]
[Gu, I know you’re anxious, but don’t panic XD]
[+1, I have a guess…]
[Although Fu Changfeng was impressed by Boss Jian’s food, it only helped prevent Fu from “discovering that he’s a transmigrator and eliminating him,” but it hasn’t pushed the plot towards a happy ending.]
[The next key plot point is coming up soon.]
Yes.
In the few days Boss Jian had been seriously setting up a stall, most streamers had been preparing for the next plot.
— That plot was the forced marking.
[I remember, was it Fu Changfeng and Yu Ming in the small woods or somewhere? Both fell into their heat period, and Fu Changfeng forcibly marked Yu Ming, right?]
[Wait, didn’t Yu Ming split into an Alpha? Can he still be forcibly marked?]
[Of course, there are AA relationships nowadays. Even an Alpha can be marked, becoming a subordinate to another Alpha (sigh). Yu Ming is still destined to be trapped like a canary in a cage.]
[???]
In the “forced marking” plot, Fu Changfeng actually had suppressants in his pocket, but he chose not to use them.
… He wanted Yu Ming to belong to him.
Since his ideal was out of reach, he would pull Yu Ming down and let their fates intertwine forever, sinking together in the dark river.
Many viewers then realized the problem.
In a dramatic transmigration challenge, success or failure is what defines the hero.
No matter how clever the operations were during the strategy, no matter how moving or impressive the plot development was… as long as the ending couldn’t be changed, once the challenge was over, the timeline of the dramatic story would reset to the starting point, and all the efforts would be in vain.
The way to resolve the “forced marking” plot was for both Fu Changfeng and Yu Ming to proactively use suppressants. Many transmigrators were working towards this goal.
Based on Jian Yunlan’s current progress, it seemed unlikely.
Lying in the proctology ward, the inverted Hotpot Guy, hooked to an IV, was twitching with anxiety: “Help, help!”
… The nurse walked in and gave him another sedative.
Hotpot Guy’s eyelids slowly drooped, but his eyes were filled with tears.
After all these years, he was finally seeing a streamer heal Yu Ming.
Would it all be in vain?
Viewers watched Jian Yunlan’s plot resolution ranking steadily drop and were left speechless:
[Wait, does this mean Boss Jian is doomed??!!!]
… The forced marking plot point was tonight.
*
At midnight, in Longteng Summer Camp, Building No. 3.
Many people’s beds were glowing.
Though the dormitory building appeared quiet, many were frantically typing away below, defending the fried chicken boss’s position.
Liu Qin was one of them.
He slammed his phone screen repeatedly while engaging in a fierce battle with the spicy hotpot side on the forum, all the while editing photos—he had taken a picture of salt-crusted chicken yesterday. Although it was a bit blurry, it was enough to show the charm of the dish with just a little touch-up.
In his brief moments of free time, Liu Qin asked Fu Changfeng beside him, “Brother Fu, how’s everything on your side?”
In this conflict between the spicy hotpot side and the fried chicken side, Fu Changfeng was one of the leaders of the fried chicken side. With his iron-fisted approach and strong leadership, he had led the fried chicken side to charge forward, catching their opponents off guard.
Including the “challenge letter,” which was also organized by Fu Changfeng.
By now, many from the spicy hotpot side had responded to the provocation:
[Bring it on, who’s afraid of who?!]
[We’ve made it clear, no fried chicken stall will ever shake our spicy hotpot side, give up already]
[Yeah, Boss Jian is the supreme authority, all other food stalls are trash (middle finger)]
Liu Qin gritted his teeth in frustration.
Hmph, let’s see who’ll be crying when you actually get to the fried chicken stall!
“Brother Fu? What do you think?” Liu Qin couldn’t help but ask again.
But at this moment, Fu Changfeng didn’t answer.
The room was silent.
Liu Qin blinked in surprise and looked sideways—
In the heavy night, Fu Changfeng had his eyes lowered, his gaze fixed on his phone, with his lips slightly pursed and no hint of a smile.
The light from the phone screen cast a glow on his profile.
What could have captured Fu Changfeng’s attention like this?
Liu Qin couldn’t help but glance at his screen but saw nothing unusual—only the screensaver showing.
The screensaver image was a photo of the young man Yu Ming and Fu Changfeng together. The young man was smiling happily, holding a cup of milk tea, while Fu Changfeng looked at him fondly out of the corner of his eye.
Looking at Fu Changfeng’s deep eyes, which hid an unspeakable expression, Liu Qin understood.
So that’s what it was!
“Brother Fu must be lost in thoughts about his little childhood friend, unable to extricate himself,” Liu Qin thought to himself, “So deep and affectionate… It seems that even fried chicken and spicy hotpot can’t separate their love.”
Indeed.
Fu Changfeng was from the fried chicken side, while Yu Ming was from the spicy hotpot side.
Once close childhood friends, now they were enemies in the grand battle between fried chicken and spicy hotpot, fighting for their respective ideals and beliefs.
But despite the great divide between them, Fu Changfeng still couldn’t resist being drawn to Yu Ming…
It’s a love-hate relationship, so ship-able!
Liu Qin couldn’t help but wipe his drool, forcing himself to snap back to reality and re-engage in the verbal battle.
Meanwhile, in the tranquil moonlight.
Fu Changfeng’s gaze lingered on that photo for a long time.
In his pupils, countless unspeakable emotions settled—despair, complexity, gloom, and an unspoken longing, all buried in the gentle moonlight.
The viewers in the Multiverse live-streaming room were stirred.
[Ahhhhh, he loves him so much!]
[So ship-able!]
[After Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot crashed the plot, the Fengming ship has completely turned into a one-way street, but it’s still so ship-able…]
[Wuwuwu, Fu Changfeng’s look at Yu Ming, no matter the time or space, will always be like this, silent but full of endless love.]
In the world of melodramatic novels, Fu Changfeng and Yu Ming’s fanbase was one of the largest. Unlike the pure forceful love mode of stories like Obsessive Possession, the bond between Fu Changfeng and Yu Ming was deep. They had grown up together as childhood friends, and even though their relationship had turned tragic later on, the feelings between them were real.
Moreover, Fu Changfeng’s possessiveness over Yu Ming was incredibly strong!
No matter when, Fu Changfeng would always indulge Yu Ming and give everything to him. In the past, because of Yu Ming’s obsession with spicy hotpot, Fu Changfeng had even been jealous of Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot for a long time.
In short, in everyone’s hearts, no matter how chaotic the plot got, Fu Changfeng’s love for Yu Ming remained unchanged.
For instance, at this moment, Fu Changfeng was looking at Yu Ming’s photo, reminiscing about the past…
But if someone looked more closely, they would notice:
Fu Changfeng’s gaze wasn’t entirely focused on Yu Ming.
—To be more precise, rather than looking at Yu Ming in the photo, it seemed like he was carefully, melancholically, and silently…
Looking at the cup of milk tea that Yu Ming was holding.
If someone looked even more carefully, they would realize that the milk tea wasn’t any kind of milk tea sold in stores. It was a homemade one, carefully blended, with handmade toppings, a unique milk tea.
Fu Changfeng’s gaze lingered on that cup of milk tea for a long time.
After a while, he closed his eyes.
He sighed lightly.
*
At 3:30 AM.
Led by the aunties from the square dancing group and supported by the gym-goers, along with a few high school students and some police officers after their shifts, a group of people marched grandly toward the entrance of Longteng Summer Camp.
They were here for the challenge!
Everyone wore matching red-and-gold cultural t-shirts with the bold characters “Boss Jian’s Spicy Hotpot, Number One in the World!”
The customers from Lotus Pond Community walked confidently, their expressions determined.
As they walked, they cheered each other on:
“Today, we’ll show them how deeply we love Boss Jian’s Spicy Hotpot!”
“Yes, a mere fried chicken stall—don’t even mention one, even a hundred of them, we’ll never give in.”
“Heh, that’s right, a hundred cheap fried chicken stalls can’t compare to one bowl of Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot!!!”
On the other side, the customers of Longteng Summer Camp had also gathered.
Under the leadership and organization of the principal and teachers, students who had been won over by fried chicken, holding fried chicken-themed dolls and folding fans, no longer had to sneak around.
They proudly walked out through the front gate, encouraging each other as they went:
“Fried chicken people, fried chicken spirit, the fried chicken boss is our treasure, our lifeline!”
“Who cares about Hetang Community’s spicy hotpot? It’s nothing compared to our fried chicken—pure, elegant, and unpretentious.”
“Let’s greet the fried chicken boss with our best appearance, we can’t let those heretics surpass us!”
At the entrance of Longteng Summer Camp, the two groups unexpectedly came face-to-face.
In an instant, it felt like the sky had sparked with thunder!
Between the fierce stares of the fried chicken and spicy hotpot sides, the air seemed to crackle with electricity.
The trio of Jiang Wolong, Lin Feng, and Cui Hu stood firm, shoulder to shoulder, staring fiercely at the other side’s family of three.
On the other side, Song Jing’an and Lu Ling, the married couple, stood with their daughter, Song Shixia, who was wearing a crown. The family of three, like battle-hardened warriors, stood just as strong under the intense gazes of the trio!
“We, the Wolong Fengchu Flying Tiger Trio, who dares challenge the fried chicken boss?!” The trio bowed their fists.
“Hmph, we stand tall and fearless, the spicy hotpot army of Boss Jian, the Song family soldiers!” Song Shixia, with her sweet voice, said, her red headscarf fluttering in the wind.
Xiao Xiao led a group of female Alphas, exuding strength and elegance, like female eagles stretching their powerful muscles under the moonlight.
Opposite them, Duan Qiongzhi and Wang Dajian were also warming up. Looking at Xiao Xiao and the others, their eyes filled with a sense of admiration for heroes and the determination to defend the spicy hotpot with their lives!
Xiao Xiao’s expression softened as she clasped her hands together: “You are all rare heroes… why not join us and follow the fried chicken boss, turning away from the sea of suffering?”
“Little girl,” Duan Qiongzhi shook her head helplessly, a cold smile in her eyes, “The one who should turn away from the sea of suffering is you, who has never tasted Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot. Because you’ve never tasted the highest level of deliciousness, you treat all this trash as treasures!”
Xiao Xiao fumed: “You—”
And of course, Principal Lao Xu, with a group of teachers on duty, many of whom were older, with gray hair but eyes filled with undying passion for fried chicken.
Opposite them, a group of square dancing aunties, dressed in yoga pants and holding large floral fans, had already set up in formation and started dancing. Their eyes were fiery and manic, their bodies twisting as their arms waved in a seaweed-like pattern… This dance was titled, Impression. Spicy Hotpot!
Under the spell of this maddening dance, Lao Xu and the others couldn’t help but spit blood: “You, you’re attacking us. The spicy hotpot side is truly despicable and shameless…”
The aunties smiled confidently: “Hmph, shameless fried chicken side, your spirit is so fragile, one blow and you’ll crumble!”
At the front of the two groups stood Fu Changfeng and Yu Ming.
On the left, Fu Changfeng stood tall and graceful, his phoenix eyes soft yet holding a hint of affection as he gazed at Yu Ming.
On the right, Yu Ming stood upright, like a soldier at attention. Now taller, he no longer had to look up to his older brother. His eyes, bright like stars, stared back at Fu Changfeng without missing a beat.
They had been each other’s companion since they were five or six years old. They were each other’s closest family, partners, and friends.
Fu Changfeng’s gaze toward Yu Ming was still full of tenderness and indulgence. As they faced each other, it didn’t feel like a confrontation; the atmosphere was oddly warm.
“Xiao Ming, even the stars and the moon in the sky, I would be willing to pick them for you,” Fu Changfeng said.
“Brother…” Yu Ming’s eyes were filled with complexity.
It seemed like he wanted to say something but hesitated, his words caught in his throat.
The audience in the live stream room exploded with excitement once again: “!!!”
[Damn, I never expected to ship them in Boss Jian’s livestream]
[Our FengMing CP is so real, I’m shipping them hard, this doesn’t look like a fight at all =333]
[He spoils him so much, Brother Fu said he’d do anything for Mingming!]
But some of the more observant viewers, looking at this warm scene, felt a sense of discomfort.
‘Even the stars and the moon in the sky, I would be willing to pick them for you’… But not long ago, Fu Changfeng was hiding his fried chicken leg and refused to share it with Yu Ming, wasn’t he?!
Could it be that they were mistaken?!
Or could it be that Fu Changfeng’s calm demeanor now is because he doesn’t know that ‘Fried Chicken Boss’ and ‘Boss Jian’ are the same person?
Perhaps he didn’t see Yu Ming as a threat to the fried chicken, which is why…
The viewers shook their heads and quickly dismissed that disturbing thought.
Anyway.
The two groups stood face-to-face, eyes locked in fierce glares, tension thick in the air.
“Three, two, one—”
The offline showdown between the fried chicken faction and the spicy hotpot faction officially began!
Then—
Everyone quickly pulled out their phones and began typing furiously.
…Yes.
Although it was supposed to be an offline battle, after all, this is a law-abiding society, and there were real police officers in the crowd. They couldn’t actually engage in a real-life fight, that would land them in jail.
The most important thing was to avoid tarnishing the reputation of the Fried Chicken Boss/Boss Jian!
Especially for the patrons of Longteng Summer Camp, who had an even heavier burden to bear because they still had to wait for Fried Chicken Boss to open his stall at 4 o’clock.
After much deliberation, the two groups reluctantly compromised, deciding that this offline battle would… be conducted face-to-face, but online.
Let the typing begin!
It was, in a way, a cyber brawl.
For this showdown, both sides had specially created a group chat and set it up with different nicknames and profile picture colors to divide the factions. Red avatars were for spicy hotpot, and gold avatars were for fried chicken.
Everyone typed quickly, and the messages in the group rapidly scrolled, quickly reaching a fresh 99+.
[Fried chicken, fried chicken, fried chicken, even the King of Hell would say fried chicken is the best! That crispy skin, the tender juiciness inside, the crunch of the shell, and the soft chicken inside… Fried Chicken Boss is the god who takes fried chicken to the ultimate level!]
[Spicy hotpot is the number one in the world, okay? Your fried chicken doesn’t even deserve to carry Boss Jian’s hotpot!]
[No proof, huh? If your hotpot was really so good, why did the boss stop setting up his stall? It’s because it wasn’t delicious enough and had no future (smirking)]
This last comment hit the hotpot faction hard.
Everyone’s eyes turned bloodshot.
They could handle any kind of attack, but the sting of “Boss Jian stopped setting up his stall” was an indelible scar in their hearts…
Hotpot patrons typed through their tears:
[It’s like you guys are implying that Fried Chicken Boss really wants to set up a stall, right? Isn’t it your principal who brought in an undercover spy to catch the students who jumped over the wall? I bet they won’t be around much longer.]
[You can’t say that! Fried Chicken Boss… Fried Chicken Boss won’t leave QAQ]
[Anyway, your fried chicken isn’t even good (flipping the bird) lol, looks like it’s full of additives. Our hotpot is made from the finest beef bones carefully selected by Boss Jian, and the spicy oil is homemade. Can your fried chicken compare?]
[Haha, laughing to death. Our fried chicken is made by Fried Chicken Boss himself, and the oil is a mix of high-quality rapeseed oil and lard. Your hotpot is probably made with gutter oil!]
Messages flooded in, a sea of red and gold. The spicy hotpot and fried chicken factions were locked in a fierce online battle.
As they typed furiously, they occasionally looked up, glaring angrily at each other.
Suddenly, a message from a stranger with a blue avatar appeared among the sea of red and gold, standing out like a sore thumb:
[Um… have you all never thought that the Fried Chicken Boss and the Spicy Hotpot Boss might be the same person?]
Everyone froze for a moment.
Even the scrolling arguments in the chat stopped.
The air remained still for a while.
“Pfft—”
A suppressed laugh broke the silence.
Liu Qin could no longer hold back and started laughing out loud, clutching his phone and laughing uncontrollably: “Hahaha, someone actually said that the Fried Chicken Boss and the Spicy Hotpot Boss are the same person.”
This laugh stirred up a huge reaction.
Both the fried chicken faction and the spicy hotpot faction couldn’t help but laugh, and the atmosphere turned lively.
“Hahahahahaha, oh my god, this is hilarious, how could that be possible?”
“One person? How could they be the same person??!”
“This is really funny, I’m crying from laughing.”
Previously, the fried chicken and spicy hotpot factions were at odds, but now they seemed to have synchronized, turning their attention toward the newcomer, a user named ‘Happy Little Blue.’
[@Happy Little Blue, are you delusional?]
[Exactly, from the way Boss Jian makes hotpot, he’s at least been a master for twenty years. How could he stoop to setting up a fried chicken stall and lower his status like that?!]
[Who’s the one making sarcastic comments here? (Angry) How can our fried chicken be lowering its status? Being a Fried Chicken Boss is a national treasure, okay? Your ‘Boss Jian’ just sounds like a shameless scoundrel trying to ride on the hype!]
[Fried Chicken Boss is so noble, if he ever met that Boss Jian, I bet he wouldn’t even look at him, heheh:))) They’re not even on the same level!]
[This is too funny.]
[@Happy Little Blue, to be honest, the Lotus Pond community and the Longteng Summer Camp are so far apart, spanning almost half of A City. How could a food stall owner possibly set up shop in both places within a week…?]
Jiang Wolong, laughing so hard he almost fell over, typed between his laughs:
[+1, I, Jiang Wolong, am putting this on record—if the Fried Chicken Boss and the Spicy Hotpot Boss are the same person, I’ll eat my phone!]
[I’ll join you in eating one!]
[Let’s eat the phone, who’s scared, anyway, they could never be the same person.]
At this point, Happy Little Blue stopped responding.
Just as everyone thought that Happy Little Blue had been convinced and was about to leave the group in defeat, something unexpected happened.
—“Eating the phone… well, that’s unnecessary.”
A warm and clear voice rang out in everyone’s ears.
With a hint of a smile.
Everyone froze.
Since this offline showdown was being conducted online to avoid things getting out of hand, everyone had been silently typing on their phones, not saying a word. Therefore, this sudden voice stood out sharply.
And that voice… was oddly familiar…
In that instant, as if by some telepathic connection, everyone stopped what they were doing at the same time.
Their fingers froze mid-typing as they looked up in unison, following the sound—
A familiar tricycle slowly came into view.
Jian Yunlan smiled slightly, bringing the vehicle to a stop:
“Spicy Hotpot, Fried Chicken, both for ten yuan each!”
