Getting Rich Running a Stall in a Dog-Blood Story [Gourmet]

1.

Shi Lingyu had just poured all her savings into opening a restaurant when she was transported into an old-school melodramatic novel.

This novel was a greatest-hits collection of melodrama: wealthy heirs and stand-ins, fake heiresses and real heiresses, competing suitors, the amnesia trope, a CEO with stomach problems, a battle over the family fortune...

It had every kind of drama imaginable.

System 818 told her that all she had to do was buckle down and work. Her jobs would include, but not be limited to:

Being the best friend of the CEO's substitute for his unattainable first love, and spending all the money the substitute got from him.

Being a random classmate of the real and fake heiresses, and getting them to claw each other's eyes out.

Being the CEO's on-call doctor, treating his anorexia and stomach problems.

Being the CEO's mother's all-purpose assistant, solving every problem.

Being the star lawyer at a law firm, making a friendly appearance as the consulting attorney in the inheritance dispute.

And so on. If she helped the original story reach its happy, everyone-gets-together ending after all the melodrama was over, she would receive a huge reward.

System 818 was confident. "Don't worry, they're all minor side-character roles. You can handle several at once, and we can provide inter-world items so you can do them all simultaneously..."

Before it could finish, Shi Lingyu swatted it away and let out a shriek like a startled marmot.

Aaaah! What happened to my huge restaurant? The place I spent all my savings and five years' wages on?

There's no way I'm working for someone else. Not in this lifetime.

Ignoring the System's shrieking in her ear, Shi Lingyu set her mind on starting over by selling food from a street stall.

She was determined to win back everything she'd lost.

2.

A new food stall opened outside Tuo Si International School.

Thin, crispy guokui flatbreads, golden and fragrant egg burgers, and stir-fried rice noodles loaded with ingredients and full of wok hei.

At first, the young masters and ladies from the elite school would walk by, mouths watering.

Yet they would still say haughtily, "What's so good about street food? It looks filthy. Come on, I'll treat you to that new Michelin-starred place."

Then, when no one was looking, they'd disguise themselves from head to toe and sneak over to order everything on the owner's menu.

The System crackled with excitement: "Ah! The fake heiress! Oh, the real heiress is here too. Quick, tell them there's only one portion left and make them fight over the food!"

"Isn't that the CEO's first-love substitute? She loves this pancake so much. Let's make it ridiculously expensive and drain her wallet."

"Isn't that the CEO with stomach problems and anorexia? Quick, let's make him some nourishing pumpkin and millet porridge."

"What luck! We ran into the CEO's mother too. Hurry, take Madam to a Sotheby's auction and bid on the biggest pink diamond!"

Shi Lingyu ignored the System's excited sparks and gave the real and fake heiresses a portion of stir-fried noodles each.

What do you mean, there's only one portion? She can make two portions in a single wok. Only an idiot would turn down a chance to make money.

She sold the first-love substitute a pancake for five yuan, and gave her regular customer an extra egg.

Raise the price? No way. Her business depended on repeat customers. A good reputation mattered.

"Your luosifen, extra spicy. Here you go." Who sells millet porridge at a street stall? Isn't the whole point of street food to have something exciting?

The CEO cheerfully said, "Add a fried egg too."

Shi Lingyu took a basket of vegetables from the CEO's mother, then spent five minutes arguing with her over whether three yuan could be rounded down.

The System did a full Thomas somersault in midair, then collapsed onto a floor that wasn't there.

It's over. This stubborn task-taker has thrown the plot completely off course. There's no way she'll finish the mission.

The System was close to tears.

3.

Who would have thought that, in the end, Shi Lingyu would still bring everyone to a happy, everyone-gets-together ending?

The real and fake heiresses stood with their heads together, whispering and making plans to go try the new dishes at Shi Lingyu's restaurant.

After seeing the CEO recognize his first love's true nature and go through a painful romantic downfall, he realized the substitute was his true love. Now he was being unreasonable and insisting that a three-month-old fetus could already move.

The CEO's mother's vegetable garden was lush and green. She excitedly told Shi Lingyu she was going to raise ten more chicks.

Everything was peaceful, and warmth was everywhere.

Meanwhile, Shi Lingyu happily counted the zeroes in the reward the System had given her, already thinking about taking over the neighboring storefront too.

The System thought so hard it nearly short-circuited.

Wait, how did this turn into an HE ending?

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