Chapter 366: Boss? Goddess?

In a brief pause while plating a stir-fry, Shen Lu glanced at the order. It was for twelve dishes in total.

Deng Ying had told her it was the man who came to eat with Mo Bei yesterday. He had brought a few new faces with him this time.

‘Old customers bring new ones, and those new customers bring even more. At this rate, my specialty stir-fries are going to be a huge hit.’

Shen Lu picked up her pace. She gutted a fresh fish and put it on the grill, then quickly stir-fried the last dish for Bai Wanwan’s order. Just as she finished packing it, a man claiming to be the Bai Family’s driver arrived to pick it up.

Shen Lu took a peek. Yep, he looked exactly like the photo Bai Wanwan had sent.

She handed the two large bags of food to the driver, reminding him to be careful and make sure they didn’t tip over and spill everywhere.

After giving her instructions, Shen Lu went back to the kitchen to cook. Juggling two or three woks at once, she served the dishes at an incredible speed. In less than half an hour, everything was ready except for the grilled fish, which needed a little more time.

Shen Lu had Deng Ying serve the food while she kept an eye on the fish.

She had just sat down for a moment when Deng Ying ran in, flustered.

“Boss, more people are here to order from the menu.”

“Hm? Didn’t you tell them the booth area isn’t serving customers today?”

“I did, but they said with so many empty tables, it makes no sense for you to not be doing business.”

“I’ll handle it. You watch the fish, don’t let it overcook.”

Shen Lu stood up and walked out of the kitchen.

In the booth area, besides the table of customers who were already eating, four or five men had taken over another table, laughing and roughhousing as if no one else was around.

One look and you could tell these guys were from the Upper City District. They carried an air of arrogance, and the occasional glance they cast around the shop was filled with disdain and criticism.

Huo Qian walked over to her side and whispered, “Boss Shen, all four of them are Superpower Users. The one in red is a Third-level Superpower User, and the other three are Second-level Superpower Users.”

“Okay.”

“Wu Jun isn’t here. I’m afraid I can’t take them on by myself. Should I notify the boss?”

Huo Qian’s Superpower Level was also Third Level. She wasn’t afraid of the Superpower User in red, but she could only handle one person. The other three would be a problem.

With Wu Jun at the hospital with Fu Cheng, he wasn’t at the shop. Huo Qian thought it best to call for backup.

“No need. They’re just a few small-time punks.”

Shen Lu was completely unconcerned. Forget a few Second and Third-level Superpower Users; even a Level 10 Superpower User wouldn’t be her match within her domain.

Shen Lu strode toward the four men. Still worried, Huo Qian sent a message to Xue Can, telling her boss to hurry over and play the hero saving the damsel in distress.

“Gentlemen, I’m sorry, but we’re short on ingredients today. I’m afraid we can’t offer you proper service. I apologize for making you come all this way for nothing.”

“We’re not picky eaters. Just serve whatever you’ve got. What, does a customer have to teach you how to run a business?” the man in red said sarcastically.

Shen Lu was sure of it now. They weren’t here to eat; they were here to cause trouble.

‘But have I offended anyone recently?’

‘Could it be President Pan?’

‘Or Shen Lan?’

‘Or maybe Xie Mei has recovered and has time for revenge now?’

Shen Lu sized up the four of them again. They weren’t old, maybe eighteen or nineteen. Judging by their clothes, they didn’t seem like kids from wealthy families.

Shen Lu’s scrutiny infuriated them. The man in red slammed the table, stood up, and was about to start cursing and throwing punches.

The commotion was loud enough for the customers at the other table to hear. Just as they were about to get up and intervene, something strange happened.

SWOOSH. The four troublemakers vanished.

Shen Lu calmly straightened the chairs they had knocked askew, then turned to the customers who had stood up and smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, did we disturb you?”

“Not really…” Mao Guangjian scratched the back of his head and sat back down, looking a bit dazed.

Shen Lu brought over a plate of cut fruit to help them calm their nerves and kindly reminded them that the shop had limited ingredients and could only serve three tables of customers per day for now.

“Only three tables?” Mao Guangjian was surprised. “Isn’t that a bit too few?”

“We’ll gradually increase that in the future.”

“Can I make a reservation then? I’ll be coming to eat tomorrow, just the two of us.”

“Sure, no problem. I’ll put you down.”

“We’ll order our food when we get here.”

“Okay.”

As soon as Shen Lu walked away, Yang Fei immediately threw an arm around his neck. “You punk, you’re not trying to ditch us to get a private meal with the boss, are you?”

Mao Guangjian feigned composure. “Get lost. It’s none of your business.”

“How is it not my business? The boss is my goddess too! You think you can have a private meal with my goddess? No way!”

Shen Lu hadn’t gone far and heard their conversation crystal clear.

‘Boss? Goddess?’

‘But they’re not from the Gale Mercenary Corps.’

Xue Can came running in a hurry and grabbed Shen Lu’s arm. “Are you okay? Where are those troublemakers?”

Standing by the back door, Huo Qian frantically tried to signal Xue Can with her eyes.

‘Good heavens, she hadn’t expected Shen Lu to handle it so quickly. She’d gotten them out of the shop in the blink of an eye.’

When the men first found themselves teleported to the street, they were furious and were about to storm back in to settle the score.

But they quickly came to their senses and ran off, a look of lingering fear on their faces.

‘To get rid of them so quickly, precisely, and ruthlessly, the person must be a top-tier master.’

‘Someone they stood no chance against.’

‘They were lucky to escape with their lives, merely being driven away. If they had been ungrateful and continued to cause a scene, they might have been killed.’

When Huo Qian saw the men run off, she had quickly sent a message to Xue Can telling him not to come.

But Xue Can hadn’t seen it. As soon as he heard from Huo Qian that Shen Lu was in trouble, his only thought was to get there as fast as he could, terrified that something would happen to her.

“Hm? Did Huo Qian tell you?” Shen Lu asked.

Xue Can didn’t deny it. “Don’t blame her. You… you’re our client. When she runs into someone she can’t handle, it’s natural for her to tell me.”

“It’s fine, I drove them out. I just don’t know who sent them to cause trouble. If you have time, Mr. Xue, could you help me look into it?”

It’s easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to defend against an arrow in the dark. Shen Lu wanted to know who her enemies were so she could be prepared.

“Sure, I’ll investigate it for you,” Xue Can agreed without hesitation.

“Why don’t you sit for a while, Mr. Xue? I’ll have Deng Ying get you a cup of tea. It’s still busy in the kitchen, so I need to get back.”

She just had to finish grilling the fish and pack it up, and then all three of today’s table orders would be complete.

Seeing that it was almost noon, she had to hurry.

Xue Can nodded and found an empty seat in the booth area. Deng Ying quickly brought over a cup of tea and a small dish of dried fruits.

“The boss told me to ask if you’re hungry, Mr. Xue. If you are, I’m afraid you’ll have to buy a boxed meal. The booth area is only serving three tables of guests a day right now, and all the spots are filled.”

“Only serving three tables?” Xue Can hadn’t heard Shen Lu mention this before. “That few?”

“The boss says ingredients are limited, and besides, there are only two of us. We can’t handle too many customers.”

“Alright, I understand.”

A short while later, the Bai Family’s driver returned to pick up the packed meal. Shen Lu was busy stir-frying the dishes for the boxed meals, so she had Deng Ying hand it over.

As she cooked, Shen Lu mused to herself that she should probably change up the main dishes for the boxed meals. No matter how delicious the same four dishes were, people would eventually get tired of them.