Chapter 8
Professor Wang came from a once-impoverished mountain village.
As a child, his family was so poor they couldn’t even afford an oil lamp. The only thing to look forward to was during the off-season when his father would take him and his siblings to the small river at the village entrance to catch freshwater shrimp.
Back then, there was no industrial pollution, and the river shrimp were plump and fresh. On lucky days, they could catch a good haul, and the whole family would finally enjoy a rare, satisfying meal.
One of Professor Wang’s most cherished childhood memories was those autumn nights, when the sky was painted with the glow of the setting sun. Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, he, his parents, and his younger siblings would sit around the table, feasting and chatting away.
On the table, the steaming, bright-red river shrimp were prepared two ways—half left simply boiled, the other half wrapped into delicate wontons by his mother. Those small, exquisite wontons nestled in a bowl of milky-white broth, releasing an autumn-exclusive fragrance that could make one’s taste buds tremble with delight.
Years later, the village prospered, his mother passed away from illness, and he and his siblings grew up, left home, and followed their own paths in life.
Professor Wang had tasted all kinds of delicacies over the years—from Michelin three-star restaurants to humble roadside stalls. Yet, he had never again found that one unforgettable taste from his childhood.
He never expected that, at a simple street stall just outside the university gates, that long-lost memory would be suddenly awakened.
As the umami of the river shrimp danced on his tongue, mingling with the rich aroma of shrimp oil and the soft yet resilient texture of seaweed, the drizzle brushed against his face under the streetlights…
In that moment, he was transported back over fifty years, to that distant autumn night—where time had passed, but his family still sat together, laughing, talking, and savoring a hard-earned meal.
“It’s back… It’s all back.”
Professor Wang felt his nose sting with emotion. He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of his eyes.
Then, a sudden wave of regret hit him.
If he had known it was this good, he should have bought ten, no—eight servings at least!
What if this young man stopped setting up his stall one day?
Wouldn’t that be a complete disaster?!
…At this moment, Professor Wang had completely forgotten how he had pitied Jian Yunlan earlier, assuming the young man was only running a food stall because he couldn’t afford college.
“What’s wrong with selling street food? Every profession has its masters,” Professor Wang muttered to himself. “All work is honorable! Who says running a food stall is inferior to getting a degree?”
Most importantly—if he could never eat Jian Yunlan’s wontons again, he might actually lose his mind.
By now, the line at the food stall had grown even longer, as more passersby eagerly joined.
Setting aside his emotions, Professor Wang immediately jumped back in line.
And, as fate would have it, his prized student, Han Lin, was also back in line—clearly reordering her second serving.
Han Lin stole a few glances at Professor Wang, breaking into a nervous sweat. She was terrified that he’d ask about her thesis progress or, worse, start an impromptu research meeting right here.
Professor Wang did look like he had something to say.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke, sounding casual: “Han Lin.”
Han Lin’s entire body tensed.
Help, help, help—if he asks about my thesis, I’m doomed.
How was she supposed to admit that she had spent the last two days lining up at food stalls instead of writing a single word?!
Professor Wang was famous for his three-question interrogation method:
“Did you read any papers today? What are your key takeaways? How much of your thesis have you written?”
Now, as he looked at her with a knowing smile, she braced herself—
“When does this food stall open every day? How many servings are available? How many can one person buy?”
Han Lin: “Professor, today I read a foreign journal article—”
…Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
Something about this three-question sequence felt… off?
Han Lin studied Professor Wang’s expression. After confirming several times that he wasn’t joking, she cautiously answered:
“Oh… The owner sets up shop at exactly seven every evening. There’s a limit of a hundred servings per day, and each person can only buy two.”
Professor Wang stroked his beard, nodding sagely.
Hmm… A hundred servings per day, only two per person…
It seemed… a strategic plan was necessary.
“Are you free tomorrow? Let’s have a short group meeting,” Professor Wang said.
The inevitable had arrived.
Han Lin paled. “…Oh.”
Then, in all seriousness, Professor Wang continued:
“We need to discuss the most efficient way to secure the maximum number of wontons.”
Han Lin: “……”
Han Lin rubbed her ears in disbelief.
For a second, she thought she must have misheard.
But Professor Wang had already begun speaking eloquently, laying out what he believed to be the most efficient strategy—how to ensure an orderly queue, how to maximize time utilization…
He truly had the demeanor of a seasoned scholar.
“Not just the advisors and PhD students—we should mobilize the whole group. Even the undergraduates should be encouraged to participate and actively respond to the call for hands-on practice.”
—If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was discussing some research project.
But in reality, he was just talking about how to buy the most wontons!
Han Lin felt a bit dizzy.
This world… seems to be falling apart.
Fortunately, both Han Lin and Professor Wang managed to get one of the last servings of wontons. Not long after they made their purchase, Jian Yunlan lifted the empty pot and announced:
“That’s it for today! All 100 servings of wontons are sold out. Thank you for your support! See you tomorrow at seven!”
A chorus of wails erupted from the crowd.
“Two days! I’ve been waiting in line for two whole days!”
“Boss, 100 servings are way too few…”
Li Yun and Tan Tingting, who had evening classes and couldn’t make it in time, were devastated. They chased after Jian Yunlan’s tricycle, their wide noodle-like tears streaming in the wind, crying out as they ran:
“Boss, I wish you happiness the next time we meet! Okay?! Your world will no longer have me in it!”
“Boss, how am I supposed to live without you?!”
“Boss, just take me with you! TT_TT!!”
The people who had successfully gotten their wontons: “…”
Eating wontons and getting free comedy—what a deal.
*
Professor Wang got a second serving of wontons but couldn’t bear to eat it.
Jian Yunlan wouldn’t be back until seven tomorrow, meaning he had to endure a full 24 hours until then.
It was going to be an agonizing wait.
After much deliberation, Professor Wang decided to save this portion for tomorrow’s breakfast.
…That was his first fatal mistake.
Since he had a meeting back at the lab, he stopped by the faculty lounge on the way and placed his packed wontons in the fridge, thinking he could microwave them in the morning.
…That was his second fatal mistake.
In his hurry, he didn’t put a label on the container, just left it in the fridge corner and rushed off.
…That was his third fatal mistake.
So, the next morning, as Professor Wang cheerfully stepped into his office under the morning glow, already savoring the thought of shrimp wontons melting in his mouth—
He was greeted by his lifelong rival, Professor Murong, happily devouring his wontons.
Professor Wang: “…”
Both Professor Wang and Professor Murong had been undergraduates at Beijing University, pursued direct PhDs, and stayed on as faculty. Their research fields were similar, they were of the same age, and they had always been in a competitive position.
On top of that, both were strong-willed—Professor Wang was upright and straightforward, while Professor Murong was aloof and sharp. Their offices were next to each other, so frequent clashes were inevitable.
Back when Professor Murong was promoted to full professor, Professor Wang secretly tossed a rotten banana outside his office door. And when Professor Wang won a national research grant, Professor Murong got elementary school kids to throw rotten eggs at his window.
Those past incidents had already passed, and Professor Wang had chosen to let them go.
But Professor Murong… actually dared to lay hands on his precious wontons!
“Those are my wontons!!!”
Professor Wang was furious, his eyes bloodshot, his entire being in a berserk state.
Professor Murong, holding the bowl of wontons, stood up and leisurely wiped his mouth. “What are you yelling for? Afraid people won’t know how loud you are? You’re not young anymore, still making a fuss.”
“This bowl of wontons is yours?” Seeing how agitated Professor Wang was, Professor Murong looked down at the wontons. “I thought my PhD student brought it for me.”
With that, he popped the last wonton into his mouth.
No sign of remorse whatsoever.
Professor Wang felt his heart bleeding and gritted his teeth. “Murong, you old scoundrel, I swear I’ll kill you!”
“It’s just a bowl of wontons,” Professor Murong said, puzzled by his reaction. “They’re not even that good.”
Of course, that was a lie.
To explain how things got to this point, we need to go back two days. Two days ago, Professor Murong noticed that his graduate students would become restless around seven o’clock, gazing longingly out the window as if their hearts were set on something.
Only after asking did he learn that they were craving the wontons from a street stall near the university gate.
Wontons? Could they really be that good? Good enough to distract them from coding?
Professor Murong scoffed at the idea.
Yesterday, his PhD student said they were going to buy some wontons and would bring him a portion if there were extras.
So, this morning, when he opened the fridge and saw the bowl of wontons, he naturally assumed his student had left it for him. His students might not be the most diligent researchers, but at least they were considerate.
Professor Murong didn’t like seaweed, nor did he enjoy drinking soup, so he picked through the wontons, discarded the seaweed, and poured out the broth.
—If Professor Wang knew he had not only thrown away the seaweed but also dumped the soup, he might have coughed up blood on the spot.
Such waste of a divine meal!
Feeling hungry, Professor Murong microwaved the wontons and started eating.
…And he had to admit, they were surprisingly delicious.
Professor Murong was an incredibly picky eater. He wasn’t fond of shrimp, but these shrimp wontons had thin, tender wrappers with a generous, flavorful filling. The shrimp was firm and juicy, rich with aromatic oils, and even after spending a night in the fridge, they still had an irresistible sweetness and freshness.
But after carefully assessing them, Professor Murong concluded that they weren’t that extraordinary.
Sure, they were good—but not to the point of obsession.
Seeing how heartbroken Professor Wang looked, Professor Murong finally gave him a way out.
“If you’re really that upset, I’ll go to Tang Yan and get you a serving of their seafood jade wontons. Will that do?”
Tang Yan was one of the top private dining restaurants in the city. Reservations were incredibly difficult to get, and their dishes were exorbitantly priced—national banquet-level delicacies.
He was already lowering himself this much. Surely, Professor Wang wouldn’t be so ungrateful?
Confirming that his wontons were truly gone, Professor Wang shifted from rage to grief. He looked at the empty takeout container in despair and muttered, “You don’t understand… haha… how could you possibly understand? These wontons… no high-end restaurant can compare…”
Professor Murong: “…”
This man has lost his mind.
Tang Yan’s wontons cost 188 yuan per bowl, handcrafted by top chefs using the finest ingredients and most exquisite techniques. And this street stall wonton was better than Tang Yan’s?
Professor Murong wasn’t buying it.
There was no point in arguing with someone who didn’t understand. Professor Wang coldly delivered his final words:
“The equipment your lab borrowed a few days ago—it’s time to return it. And don’t even think about borrowing anything from me in the future.”
Professor Murong’s face instantly darkened.
That equipment had taken him endless persuasion to borrow, and according to the project schedule, it would take at least a month to get results. It had only been five days!
Wang Jianhua, you old villain—I will never forgive you!
Ignoring Professor Murong’s grim expression, Professor Wang turned and left.
There was no time to mourn his loss. The most important thing now was ensuring he got wontons tonight.
After some thought, he sent a message in his students’ group chat:
[Everyone’s been working hard on research lately. Tonight, I’m treating you all—take a break, and let’s go to the university gate for some fresh shrimp wontons.]
If solo action wasn’t reliable, then he’d mobilize the masses!
Professor Wang’s students: “…?”
Meanwhile, Han Lin, who had already foreseen this, numbly typed a reply:
[Received.]
A string of other responses quickly followed:
[Received.] [Received.] [Received.]
Although everyone was confused, if the professor was doing this, there must be a reason!
And hey, if the professor was paying, why not?
*
Library.
Ning Sheng sat by the window, quietly reading.
Not far away, several senior and junior female students were trying to conceal their excitement, but they couldn’t help sneaking glances at him over and over again.
Running into the campus heartthrob at the library? How lucky were they?!
Bathed in the soft glow of sunlight filtering through sheer curtains, his exquisite features and that alluring tear-shaped beauty mark made him seem almost otherworldly—an absolute masterpiece of human perfection.
It seems that only the owner of the South Gate snack stall could rival him.
Lately, discussions about the campus heartthrob and the snack stall owner’s looks had flooded the university’s confession forum, yet no conclusion had been reached—both had their own kind of beauty.
Of course, Ning Sheng never cared about others’ opinions.
After being forced to work at the club by Gu Xingzhou for a few days, he had blacklisted him the moment he got paid for peeling shrimp—just enough to cover his grandmother’s medical expenses.
Now, he finally had time to focus on his studies and catch up on what he had fallen behind on.
He had heard that Gu Xingzhou was so furious that he threw a massive tantrum at Gu Corporation, even making it onto the entertainment news.
But for now, there wasn’t much Gu Xingzhou could do.
Though, who knew if he was secretly plotting something again?
That lunatic was capable of anything when pushed. Last time, at the lakeside villa, he had even handcuffed him to a chair—
Ning Sheng’s eyes darkened with a trace of disgust.
He shut his eyes, refusing to think about it.
After receiving the money last time, Ning Sheng had given 50,000 yuan to Ning Menglian to pay for their grandmother’s medical expenses. When he handed over the money, his mother looked at him worriedly. “Ah Sheng, where did this money come from? You didn’t… compromise yourself, did you?”
Ning Sheng hesitated.
…How could he say that he had earned it by peeling shrimp?
It just sounded too bizarre.
So, he dodged the question. “It’s clean money, don’t worry.”
But Ning Menglian looked even more worried.
At this point, even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he wouldn’t be able to clear up the misunderstanding.
As he was lost in thought, his phone suddenly vibrated—it was a message from Professor Wang.
Professor Wang was an old friend of Ning Sheng’s mother and also his mentor. Since his enrollment, Professor Wang had helped him immensely. Knowing Ning Sheng was talented but financially struggling, he had recommended him for various scholarships and research assistant positions, guiding him through numerous difficulties.
Ning Sheng was deeply grateful to him.
Within reason, he would always fulfill Professor Wang’s requests.
Because of his busy schedule and Gu Xingzhou’s harassment, he hadn’t had a proper meal in almost a week—just surviving on a few compressed biscuits each day. A sharp pain twisted in his stomach, and he pressed a fist against it, waiting for the pain to subside.
Cold and hunger—Ning Sheng had long been accustomed to them.
They didn’t scare him.
Nothing could break him.
However…
Ning Sheng opened WeChat and looked at Professor Wang’s message in silence.
“Fresh shrimp wontons?”
At some point, the word shrimp had started appearing in his life far too often.
It reminded him of a certain crazed second-generation heir.
That so-called Young Master Jian had also claimed to be running a food stall.
…Surely, it couldn’t be such a coincidence?
*
Multiverse Livestream Room
[Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. (Lights a cigarette)]
[The world has truly turned out in ways I could never have imagined. In the original novel, Professor Wang was such a selfless, highly esteemed academic giant. And now? He’s scheming like this over a bowl of wontons!]
[Slurp… Wontons… Are they really that good? When will the sensory-sharing system be activated so we, the esteemed audience, can taste them too? @Multiverse Livestream Official]
[Aaaah! Ning Baby is finally going to have wontons! My poor baby has been starving for days—please let Boss Jian’s food heal him!]
[New viewer here! First time watching the stream. Is this streamer worth following?]
[“Simple and pure, blue skies and white clouds, walking together all the way!” Handsome streamer online (Heart) engaging in (Heart) immersive storytelling (Heart) full of passion and tension! Follow now so you don’t get lost!]
Viewers who had been lured in by the same words before, only to discover the truth: …
What tension are you talking about?
Food-related tension?!
LMAOOO the coincidences are so funny