"Sorry, but I only serve hand-pulled noodles and braised pork rice here, and we don't open in the morning. We open at eleven."

Upon hearing the shop wasn't open until eleven, several elderly men and women showed a bit of disappointment on their faces.

"You're not open in the morning? Then we'll come back for lunch."

"We also wanted to see the cat inside; it really looks charming."

"Exactly, I've been looking at it for a while now. Its fur is shiny, its body looks good, and it's very spirited—clearly well-cared-for..."

"That cat mustn't be cheap, young man?"

Lin Xu couldn't help but smile wryly.

Unexpectedly, these elderly people were all pet lovers.

"This is a stray cat I found; it didn't cost me anything."

As he said this, he unlocked the door. Dundun, who was playing with a bottle cap behind the door, abandoned it and trotted over to Lin Xu, opening its little mouth and meowing,

"MEOW—WOO—"

Lin Xu bent down to rub its big head,

"What's the matter, Dundun? Are you hungry? I'll cook you some meat in a bit."

The elderly people were instantly charmed.

"Oh my, what a cute little guy."

"His name is Dundun, right? He does look nice and sturdy."

"Such an adorable little cat was actually a stray; that's so pitiful. Luckily, he met a kind-hearted young man like you."

Just then, Boss Hu arrived on his electric tricycle, delivering vegetables.

Seeing him, the elderly gentlemen didn't bother Lin Xu any further.

"What do you sell in your shop? Hand-pulled noodles, right? We'll come try them at noon and take another look at little Dundun."

Boss Hu parked his tricycle at the entrance and started moving the vegetables and meat into the shop.

The meat and vegetables he needed every day now filled a whole tricycle, which made Lin Xu feel somewhat embarrassed to have Boss Hu deliver them.

"It's only right; the more you buy, the more I earn... Oh my, when did you get such a beautiful cat? It looks really spry."

Lin Xu said with a smile,

"I picked it up last night. We hit it off, so I decided to keep it."

Boss Hu wanted to rub Dundun's head but hesitated, worried that his greasy hands would dirty the little one's fur.

"Does this little guy eat meat? Whatever meat it eats, just grab it from my stall later."

Lin Xu cut a piece of tenderloin and put it in a pot. While it cooked, he said,

"For now, he's only eating tenderloin and fish. I haven't fed him anything else yet. I'll see how he does with these for a while."

The system didn't provide any recipes either.

Just eating meat like this, won't he get hyperlipidemia?

After moving all the vegetables and meat into the shop, Boss Hu rode off. Lin Xu changed into his chef's uniform, tied on an apron, and began preparing the ingredients needed for the day.

Dundun jumped onto a dining chair at the kitchen entrance, squatting there and gazing intently at the pot where the meat was cooking, like a greedy child.

Once the meat was cooked, Lin Xu took it out, sliced it while it was still hot, and let it cool until it was cool enough to touch. He then placed it in a prepared cat bowl near the cashier's desk.

Dundun immediately trotted over, tasted a piece of meat from the bowl, and then began to devour it voraciously. While eating, it made satisfied grunts, which sounded incredibly soothing.

Lin Xu also prepared a bowl of water for him. Then he entered the kitchen and continued his work.

As time went on, the employees gradually arrived for work. Every person who came in was attracted by Dundun's chubby appearance and couldn't resist cuddling him heartily until Dundun found a chance to escape.

Passersby were also drawn by his presence. Most people would come in and ask what food was served, what time the shop opened, and so on. Some even expressed a desire to pet the cat, and there were even those who wanted to buy him, but Lin Xu refused them all.

He could never bring himself to sell this little kitty he had managed to spirit away from the system.

At nine-thirty, Shen Jiayue slowly pulled up to the parking spot in front of the shop in her customized BMW X1.

Thanks to the power of money, a vehicle customization that would normally take over half a month was completed in just a few days. The car's exterior looked no different from a standard X1, but the headlights, suspension, airbags, wheel hubs, engine, gearbox, and even the onboard computer had all been upgraded.

After getting out of the car, Shen Jiayue locked it and rushed into the store.

"Dundun... My Dundun!"

She picked up Dundun and started fussing over him enthusiastically, frightening the little fellow so much that he hid in Lin Xu's arms.

"Haha, hiding in his arms is useless because even he will get thoroughly tousled by me!"

Shen Jiayue, like a teenage demoness, cuddled and fussed over Dundun before taking out a cat carrier, placing Dundun inside, and taking the little guy for a check-up.

Not long after Shen Jiayue left, Song Tiantian, who had been seeing off customers at the door, suddenly said,

"Why do I feel like the shop has become a lot emptier without Dundun?"

Lin Xu had noticed the same thing. When Dundun was around, it wouldn't be long before someone was drawn in by the little guy and would push open the door to come inside. But after Dundun left, everyone passing by was in a hurry; not a single person stopped, let alone came into the shop.

No wonder he was priced at 888,888; the effect was so noticeable, it truly justified the price. Thinking this, he started looking forward to that special prop, Heartless Iron Hand.

The Divine Artifact for attracting wealth was so powerful.

Heartless Iron Hand's item must be pretty good too, right?

「At the same time.」

At the entrance of the Fishing Platform State Guesthouse, Wu Kexin was holding a smartphone for live streaming, greeting fans in the chat room,

"Hello everyone, it's Xinxin here, and today I'm back with another shop exploration live stream. I'm taking you to a unique shop—it's very famous, almost everyone knows about it, but not many customers ever go. What kind of shop is it? Let's find out!"

It was still a bit early, and there weren't too many people in the live stream room yet. But as soon as Wu Kexin turned around and aimed the camera at the grand entrance of the Fishing Platform State Guesthouse, the live chat instantly exploded with comments:

"Oh my! The Fishing Platform State Guesthouse?"

"Can you just waltz in there? Host, are you going to get caught?"

"After watching the teaser last night, I knew Xinxin was up to something, but this is huge!"

"This is even more thrilling than the last time she explored a scenic spot."

"Since her comeback, Xinxin's entertaining stunts have just been escalating."

At that moment, Mr. Gao stepped into the live stream camera's view. Unlike his usual attire of colorful T-shirts and shirts, today Mr. Gao was dressed in a chef's uniform embroidered with the national emblem and wearing a chef's hat, looking much more serious.

"Hello, everyone. I am Gao Peisheng, a retired chef and the master of your lifelong adversary..."

When he said this, the online friends all laughed, not expecting Mr. Gao to play along with such a gag.

"I started working in the kitchen of the Fishing Platform State Guesthouse at eighteen and have served as an assistant chef, chef, Head Chef, and Executive Chef. After retiring, I was rehired as a senior consultant for the Dining Department of the Fishing Platform. Today, I will take Host Wu on a tour of the place where I worked for more than half a century..."

After the introduction, Mr. Gao led Wu Kexin towards the entrance, and the exploration live stream officially began.

「Meanwhile,」

In the West Fourth Ring Villa, Han Shuzhen, who had the day off, planned to organize an afternoon tea. Feeling her hairpin wasn't quite right, she went to look for a better one in her daughter's room, only to find two boxes of Black Sugar Shakima.

Why is this girl hiding snacks again? And eating such high-sugar, high-calorie sweets—isn't she afraid of getting fat?

Director Han thought as she pinched a piece of Shakima and popped it into her mouth. The crispy and soft texture instantly perked her up.

Wow, this Shakima is really delicious.

Thinking of the snacks needed for the afternoon tea, Director Han immediately sent a message to her daughter,

"Yueyue, where did you buy the Shakima in your room? Can you help Mom buy some? Aunt Zheng and her friends are coming over for tea this afternoon, and I plan to let them try it too."

Shen Jiayue, at the pet hospital, saw the message, and her lips curved into a slight smile. She replied,

"That Shakima is only available in limited quantities daily; you'll need to pay extra to get some..."

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