The snack shop wasn’t too far away, so Qin Yi and Qin Ran didn’t drive. Qin Yi carried Qin Ran on his bicycle and pedaled slowly toward the shop.
The streets were nearly empty—only a few early-morning exercisers and sanitation workers. Most shops hadn’t even opened yet.
It was Saturday. Normally, food stalls would have been set up by now, but today, there were only a handful. Along the way, Qin Yi endured Qin Ran’s sleepy complaints.
The snack shop was right across from No. 2 High School, with the Lin Family Talent School behind it. The closer they got, the more students they saw, along with parents dropping off their kids for classes. Some had come early to grab breakfast. The crowd made cycling difficult, so they dismounted and walked.
Just as Qin Ran said they were almost there, a car honked behind them. They moved aside as a white sedan passed and stopped in front of the snack shop. A tall young man stepped out of the passenger seat, walked to the entrance, and shouted something inside—Qin Yi couldn’t make out what.
Unlike other shops with their doors still shut, this one was open, with students coming and going.
Qin Yi recognized the delivery guy from yesterday stepping out. The tall man exchanged a few words with him, then they went to the trunk, pulled out two suitcases, and unloaded several cardboard boxes.
While they worked, another young man—stern-faced—got out from the driver’s seat. He opened the rear door, leaned in, and spoke softly. Though his expression remained cold, his features softened slightly.
Qin Yi wondered if the person inside was his Fang’er. Then another car honked—not a polite warning like before, but a long, arrogant blare, as if announcing its presence. Students nearby glared and cursed.
Annoyed, Qin Yi pulled Qin Ran further aside. But this car stopped right in front of them. A delighted voice called out, “Yi-ge! Finally found you!”
Qin Yi frowned. Qin Ran gasped, “Xiao Rong-jie? What are you doing here? Looking for my brother?”
“Exactly! You two missed my birthday party, and your parents had no idea where you went. I asked Xiao Fei-ge, and he said Yi-ge went to the countryside. Figured you tagged along, so I drove out to find you. Ugh, no highways here—took me a whole day! Got lost too. Just found you now.”
After her long explanation, Ji Xiaorong turned to Qin Yi. “Yi-ge, checking household registrations isn’t some secret mission. Why not tell your parents? They were worried.”
Qin Yi gave her a cold glance. “Unnecessary.”
“You could’ve told *me*, at least. I’d have passed it on.” She ignored his indifference.
He didn’t even bother replying this time, turning his attention forward—just in time to see a girl with a ponytail pause at the shop’s entrance before disappearing inside.
Then Qin Yi saw the shop’s sign and froze. He dropped his bike and sprinted toward it.
The sign read: **”Cai Xing Foodie.”**
Those four characters hit him like a bolt of lightning.
In the other world, Lin Fang’s courtyard had been named **”Cai Xing Yuan.”** The first two characters on the sign matched exactly. Even the floral patterns around the words mirrored Lin Fang’s favorite Cai Xing paintings. The handwriting, the art—Qin Yi was certain: this was Lin Fang’s work.
He rushed to the door but stopped short. Just inside stood the cold-eyed young man from earlier, glaring at him like an ice blade.
Qin Yi felt the hostility radiating off him. The stare snapped him back to reality—this wasn’t the world where he could act recklessly. He wasn’t royalty here, just an ordinary cop with no power or wealth.
Since arriving in this world, he’d grown to understand Lin Fang’s caution in the other one—one misstep, and you’d be labeled an outsider. Qin Yi had always been coldly rational. He reined in his urgency and met the man’s gaze with equal frost. “Quite the welcoming committee you’ve got.”
The man didn’t respond, just kept staring. The students inside, previously chatting and laughing, fell silent. Some even looked ready to bolt.
“Ah, Officer Qin! You’re early. What can I get you? I’ll put in your order right away.”
The delivery guy from yesterday suddenly stepped between them, smiling at Qin Yi. Then he turned and whispered, “Sun-ge, what’s the big idea? You’re scaring the kids.”
The man—Sun Siyuan—finally broke eye contact and walked out the back door without a word.
The delivery guy turned back, all smiles again. “Officer Qin, don’t mind him. He acts like the whole world owes him money. So, what’ll it be? We’ve got buns, dumplings, wontons, rice porridge, fried dough sticks, soy milk, tangyuan, fermented glutinous rice soup, spicy broth—all the usual student breakfast stuff. Plus some cold side dishes. Anything sound good?”
“Wow, this kid’s got a silver tongue. Too bad we don’t know if the food’s any good.”
At Ji Xiaorong’s snide remark, Qin Yi coldly ordered, “One bowl of wontons, one spicy broth, two steamed buns.”
He’d only ordered for two—wontons for Qin Ran, broth and buns for himself. Ji Xiaorong wasn’t included.
“Got it—one wontons, one spicy broth, two buns!” The guy called the order toward the back, then gestured. “Feel free to sit anywhere. Mostly students here in the mornings, so no fancy rules.”
The shop was spacious—about 150 square meters—filled with tables of various sizes, all sanded smooth and lightly varnished to show the natural wood grain.
Qin Ran looked around, disappointed. No chairs with backs—just stools and benches. She’d hoped to nap a little after being dragged out so early.
After seating Qin Yi and his sister, the guy turned to Ji Xiaorong, who stood awkwardly. “Ma’am, what can I get you?”
“Ma’am? Do I look that old to you? Learn some manners!” Already upset at being ignored by Qin Yi, Ji Xiaorong snapped at the first available target.
The guy just grinned. “What should I call you, then?”
Ji Xiaorong sneered. “You’re just a delivery boy. If you can’t even address customers properly, your boss must be an idiot to hire you. No wonder business is bad.”
A nearby student girl cut in sharply, “Hmph. You don’t like ‘ma’am’? Should we call you ‘miss’? Oh wait, that term’s got *other* meanings these days, especially for someone from the big city like you.”
Another girl chimed in, “How about ‘comrade’? Nice and traditional.”
A boy laughed, “Nah, that one’s got baggage too!”
“Then what? ‘Sweetie’? That’s for dads. ‘Auntie’? Oh, but she hates ‘ma’am,’ so that’s worse.”
“How about ‘beauty’ or ‘pretty lady’? That’s what they say in fancy places.”
“Pfft—’beauty’? Yeah, right.”
The high school seniors, forced to attend weekend makeup classes in the cold, were already irritable. Ji Xiaorong had walked right into their line of fire.
As they jeered, Qin Yi had already pulled Qin Ran to a corner table. His mind was on the ponytailed girl—was it Lin Fang? He didn’t spare Ji Xiaorong a glance. Qin Ran looked worried but stayed put under her brother’s grip.
“Spicy broth and buns—who ordered these?”
A girl came from the back carrying a tray. The delivery guy took it to Qin Yi while she smiled apologetically. “The wontons need another minute. Please wait a bit.”
Then she turned to Ji Xiaorong. “Sister, I’m nineteen, so you must be older. Hope you don’t mind me calling you that. What would you like?”
Humiliated by the students and abandoned by the Qin siblings, Ji Xiaorong bit back her rage—she didn’t want to lose face in front of Qin Yi. Taking the offered olive branch, she forced out, “Little sister, do you have sandwiches? And hot milk.”
The girl smiled apologetically. “Oh, you prefer Western breakfast? Sorry, we don’t serve that here, but I can call for delivery. It’ll only take a few minutes. Sugar in your milk?”
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