Chapter 411: Chapter 411: Solidification Liquid

Xue Can immediately went to investigate the attack on Shen Lu that day.

It wasn’t exactly difficult. One look at the men in black and he knew they were from the Shadow Organization.

But that was as far as he could get.

Unlike a Mercenary Corps, the Shadow Organization was extremely tight-lipped. They disdained cooperation with outsiders, making it nearly impossible to dig up any information.

Before this, Shen Lu had actually been a little worried about going out.

Ironically, after surviving the assassination attempt, she felt much more at ease.

The experience had been terrifying, of course, but the system’s rewards were so effective that they essentially guaranteed she could get home in one piece.

Xue Can thought for a moment, then said with a serious expression, "Maybe you shouldn’t participate in the Kitchen King competition."

The Kitchen King competition was only a week away, and competing would take at least a full day.

The venue would be packed with all sorts of people; it would be a chaotic and extremely dangerous environment.

"No way. I’ve already signed up, so of course I’m going."

’I can earn tons and tons of reputation value.’

"Plenty of people sign up and then don’t show up. I think your safety is more important."

"I’ll think about it."

Shen Lu couldn’t be bothered to argue with Xue Can about why she had to participate in the Kitchen King competition, so she simply gave him a noncommittal answer.

But Xue Can wasn’t a fool. He saw right through her dismissiveness, and his brow furrowed even deeper.

"If you insist on participating, then starting today, I will have to be the one to protect you around the clock."

"Huh?" Shen Lu said, surprised.

"Among the corps members currently in the Imperial City, my Superpower Level is the highest. Ye Fan and Lin Zhou are still out on a mission and won’t be back anytime soon," Xue Can said, his tone grave. "Once the Shadow Organization accepts a bounty, they will hunt their target to the death. Since Boss Shen is unwilling to stay cooped up in her shop, we have no choice but to step up security."

Shen Lu’s lips twitched. After a moment of thought, she nodded. "Alright, but I’ll have to trouble you, Mr. Xue."

Xue Can grunted in acknowledgment, his face impassive.

To make protecting her easier, Xue Can proposed moving into the restaurant.

Fortunately, the staff dormitory had plenty of space. With several empty rooms, housing Xue Can was no problem at all.

Shen Lu left it to Cai Su to get Xue Can settled in. Xiao Lang was ecstatic, buzzing around Xue Can like a little honeybee.

"How long will you be staying, Brother Xue? Can you live here forever?"

"I want to sleep with you tonight, Brother Xue!"

"Brother Xue, I’ve been practicing everything you taught me. You haven’t checked my progress in so long. I’ll show you later."

"Brother Xue..."

A vein throbbed on Xue Can’s forehead. ’How could I forget about this annoying little pipsqueak?’

He pressed a large hand onto the boy’s head, a smile plastered on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. "You are going to shut your mouth for me now."

Xiao Lang’s eyes shone as he obediently complied.

Xue Can let out a breath and said in all seriousness, "Xiao Lang, remember this: a man doesn’t need to be so noisy. Got it?"

"But my mom says you should speak your mind. If you don’t, people won’t know what you’re thinking," Xiao Lang said, only half-understanding. "I like you, Brother Xue, so I want to talk to you more."

Xue Can was speechless.

’He’s... not wrong, is he?’

"I don’t want to know what you’re thinking, so you don’t need to tell me," Xue Can said mercilessly.

"But I want to," Xiao Lang said, tilting his head. "I’m just doing what I want to do. I’m not asking you to do the same, Brother Xue."

Xue Can stared at Xiao Lang for three seconds, fighting the urge to smack the kid.

’When did Xiao Lang get such a smart mouth?’

’He’s actually left me speechless.’

Shen Lu didn’t tell Fu Cheng about being attacked on her way home, wanting him to continue recuperating in the hospital in peace.

She still hadn’t sorted out her feelings for Fu Cheng, but one thing was certain: she didn’t want him to worry about her.

Fu Cheng seemed cool and self-possessed, but Shen Lu could clearly sense the frenzy beneath his icy exterior.

If Fu Cheng found out she’d been attacked, he would undoubtedly rush back without a second thought.

’But what good would that do?’

Besides, Shen Lu felt she could handle this herself.

’There’s no need to drag anyone else into something I can solve on my own.’

That night, Shen Lu used a Lottery Ticket and drew a vial of Solidification Liquid.

She glanced at the item description. It was a single-use consumable that, once drunk, would purify the body of impurities and slightly improve one’s physical condition.

Without a second thought, Shen Lu downed it in one gulp and lay in bed, quietly anticipating the results in the morning.

’I wonder if it’ll be like in the novels, where tons of black gunk oozes out of your pores until you look like you’ve been fished out of a septic tank.’

Shen Lu shuddered, then found an old sheet—one she no longer used but couldn’t bring herself to throw away—and wrapped herself in it. Better to be safe than to stain the new four-piece set she’d just put on her bed.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, a message arrived from Fu Cheng.

Fu Cheng: I was careless this time. I’ve already spoken to Doctor Wang and asked him to assign a different doctor for the records.

Shen Lu felt a small thrill of delight, a sweet smile curling her lips.

But she was still merciless with her words.

Shen Lu: Ahem, I never asked you to do that. Aren’t you afraid of making your old classmate angry, changing the doctor in charge of the records without so much as a word?

Fu Cheng: I only care if you get angry.

The grin on Shen Lu’s face was impossible to contain.

Shen Lu: LALALA, I can’t hear you!

Fu Cheng: Alright, stop messing around. You should get some sleep.

Shen Lu: Mmm, good night.

Fu Cheng: Good night.

After closing the chat window, Shen Lu was so happy she kicked her feet in the air a few times.

’Okay, maybe she was being a little unreasonable.’

’She wasn’t his girlfriend, yet she couldn’t stand seeing him get close to other girls.’

’He was the man she had worked so hard to save. Only she was allowed to touch him.’

Shen Lu huffed, feeling completely justified.

A week passed in the blink of an eye. Shen Lu successfully completed her new weekly mission. She offered dine-in service for three days, but had to close for the rest of the week due to terrible weather. Deliveries were also suspended, since her military-grade armored vehicle was rented out.

However, the vehicle would be returned in another two days.

Nothing particularly special happened during that time, except that her takeout chicken feet were selling more and more.

According to Bai Wanwan, she hadn’t been able to resist her craving and had brought a container of them to school, planning to eat them for lunch.

But her classmates discovered them, and the chicken feet were devoured in an instant. Afterward, a flood of students asked her where she’d bought them.

Bai Wanwan refused to tell them, but she couldn’t stop someone from eventually stumbling across one of Shen Lu’s videos online.

Most people were skeptical. How could a little shop in the Lower City District possibly make chicken feet that delicious?

But a few die-hard foodies, figuring it couldn’t hurt to try, sent their drivers to buy a couple of servings. Once they had a taste, they were hopelessly hooked.

For the next two days, she sold 550 pounds of the Lemon Boneless Chicken Feet and Tiger-Bone Chicken Feet *each day*, which was utterly exhausting for Shen Lu.

Luckily, that ordeal only lasted two days. Once Shen Lu’s weekly mission was complete, she changed the menu without a hint of nostalgia. She informed the chicken feet fanatics that the dishes were temporarily off the menu and that their return would be announced at a later date.

Furthermore, her large-scale material collection effort was already proving to be quite effective.

As long as the weather was decent, people would start showing up around five o’clock every afternoon to deliver materials.

The initial dozen or so people slowly grew to several dozen.

Every time Shen Lu finished collecting the materials, her reputation value would surge, increasing by at least half the number of people present.

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