Chapter Seventeen: The Street of Chinese Delicacies

“Luo Chen.”

“Luo Chen.”

“Get up already!”

Early the next morning, Luo Tianyi threw herself onto Luo Chen’s large bed, yanked off the blanket, and shook him vigorously.

Luo Chen opened his eyes in a daze. Wasn’t today the weekend? And since when did Tianyi ever wake up this early?

As for why there was a holiday right after just one day of classes, that was thanks to Luo Chen’s special leave-taking tactics—taking four days off from Monday to Thursday, attending class on Friday, and then having the weekend off again.

Did the original owner of this body ever actually consider studying hard?

After prying the little face from almost pressing against his, Luo Chen picked up his phone to check the time.

Only nine o’clock. Back to sleep.

He pulled the blanket over his head—he was determined to make up for all the lost sleep from Monday to Friday.

“Luo Chen, get up!”

Luo Tianyi, seeing her brother’s clear attempt to keep sleeping, puffed out her cheeks in indignation, grabbed his hand, and tried to pull him out of bed.

“Don’t make a fuss, Tianyi.” Luo Chen, eyes still closed, tugged her back with his left hand and pulled her into his arms.

A comfy, Tianyi-brand hug pillow. Perfect for more sleep.

Trapped in Luo Chen’s embrace, Luo Tianyi squirmed, but her efforts were so feeble that Luo Chen took it as nothing more than a tickle.

“Help! Yanhe!” After struggling to no avail, Luo Tianyi could only look pitifully toward the doorway where Yanhe stood.

“Yanhe?” Luo Chen sensed something was wrong and cracked his eyes open to see Yanhe standing at the door, an amused smile on her lips.

“Wait, Yanhe, why are you here?” Luo Chen asked, puzzled.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t go home last night and slept in Tianyi’s room?”

“That’s right. What’s strange about that?” Although Luo Tianyi felt a little embarrassed about inviting Yanhe to stay over, it wasn’t the first time.

“So… so that means—” Luo Chen suddenly felt a stab of jealousy. How could this be? He had never shared a bed with her. But who exactly was he jealous of? Yanhe for sleeping with Tianyi, or Tianyi for sleeping with Yanhe?

“Mmmph!” Luo Tianyi wriggled desperately in Luo Chen’s arms, making odd little noises.

Coughing awkwardly, Luo Chen hurriedly let go of his almost-suffocating sister, watching as she scrambled to sit upright.

Come to think of it, this was the first time Luo Chen had looked so closely at his sister—sky-blue dress, emerald eyes, long hair falling naturally by her cheeks. She radiated a fresh and lively energy from the inside out.

“All right, Tianyi, calm down. Let’s go out,” Yanhe said, seeing that Luo Chen was now fully awake. She grabbed Tianyi by the nape and dragged her out.

“No way, Yanhe! I don’t want to go. It’s just changing clothes—we’ve seen everything—ow!” Tianyi protested, flailing her arms as Yanhe lifted her, only to receive a firm bop on the head.

“Thank goodness for Yanhe,” Luo Chen said with relief as he watched Yanhe masterfully handle his unruly sister. Without this loyal friend, he might have gone mad by now.

Clearly, there was little hope for more sleep. Luo Chen had no choice but to get up, get dressed, and wash up. Thankfully he didn’t have the habit of sleeping naked, or today would have been a disaster.

After a quick wash, Luo Chen and Yanhe set out with the ever-energetic Tianyi in tow.

Qingshui City, one of Huaguo’s megacities, was perfectly situated along the coast. In this bustling metropolis, you could buy almost anything your heart desired.

“Tianyi, any plans for today?” Luo Chen asked nervously, fingering the bank card in his pocket.

“The food street! Of course, we’re going to the food street!” Tianyi’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she grabbed his hand.

“The food street?”

Qingshui’s famous food street was one of the city’s landmarks—a whole street lined with every imaginable Chinese delicacy. If a dish was famous anywhere in the country, you could probably find it here. Clean, strictly regulated, and famous among tourists, it was a culinary paradise for food lovers worldwide, often called the Chinese Food Street by enthusiasts.

Tianyi—or rather, the old Tianyi—had always been a regular here. For some reason, though, she hadn’t visited in over half a year.

Perhaps she knew her brother was struggling financially and was holding back for his sake.

Thinking of this, Luo Chen looked at Tianyi with a twinge of sadness, but seeing her beaming with joy, he changed his mind.

My Tianyi wouldn’t overthink things like that.

“All right, let’s go to the food street.” Whatever the reason, making a foodie wait half a year was on him.

But would the money really be enough?

Luo Chen thought about it—he had only 213.86 left in his bank card. Maybe there’d be some extra from video tips. If not, he’d have to mooch off Yanhe.

He wondered if his videos were getting popular yet. He had confidence, but knew these things took time, so for now, he’d have to make do with what he had.

“What’s wrong, Yanhe?” Tianyi, urging Luo Chen to hurry, noticed Yanhe lagging behind.

“I think someone was following us just now,” Yanhe said, uncertain.

“Someone’s following us?” Luo Chen turned to look behind them but saw nothing suspicious.

“Maybe I was mistaken,” Yanhe admitted, reconsidering.

“Who cares! Food street, food street!” Tianyi grabbed both of them and pulled them forward, her curiosity for food outweighing any hint of danger.

With Yanhe around, what was there to fear about being followed?

In a secluded corner of the sidewalk, two young men in their early twenties watched as the trio walked away, still bantering.

“Big bro, do we really have to sneak around like this? That kid owes us money. We could walk right up to them and what could they do?” Luo Yuan grumbled to his older brother.

“You know nothing. Dad told us to keep an eye on the kid and see if he has any connections. Once we know, they’ll figure out what to do. If you barge in now, how are we supposed to keep watch?” Luo Shen glared at his unreliable little brother.

“Isn’t your dad my dad too?” Luo Yuan muttered, annoyed at being lectured as if he were some fool.

“But where are they headed?” Luo Shen watched as Tianyi dragged Luo Chen and Yanhe into a side street. Wasn’t that…

“That’s the food street,” Luo Yuan recalled.

“The food street? They’re in the mood for that now?”

“Looks like our cousin isn’t short on cash. We’ll have to remind him of his priorities later.” Luo Shen watched the trio disappear into the distance, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes.