The restaurant wasn't large; it was one of those hole-in-the-wall eateries hidden deep within the alleyways of the old street, known only to the locals.
The facade was mottled with age, and even the paint on the sign reading "Home-Style Cooking" was peeling off, yet business was ridiculously good.
Su Yu pushed open the glass door, which had developed a patina from years of use. A rich smell of oil and smoke, mixed with the 'breath of the wok' from high-heat stir-frying, hit him in the face like a heatwave.
The noisy chatter of people, the clatter of bowls and plates, and the shouting of waiters instantly washed away the desolation of the alley outside.
The landlady was tallying accounts behind the register. She looked up, saw Su Yu, and revealed a smile.
"Yo, Little Su is here. The usual spot?"
"Mn," Su Yu nodded. "Bringing a friend today."
"A friend?" The landlady's gaze moved past Su Yu and landed on Kiana behind him.
In that instant, the landlady's eyes lit up.
Although Kiana was wearing a somewhat ill-fitting T-shirt and athletic shorts, and that mess of white hair looked a bit 'alternative,' that face was simply top-tier.
Her skin was as white as a freshly peeled boiled egg, and her heterochromatic blue and amber pupils resembled expensive gemstones. Even without a trace of makeup, she exuded a refinement that made it hard to look away.
"Oh my, this young lady is truly pretty!" The landlady couldn't help but exclaim. "She matches you quite well... Girlfriend?"
Kiana was caught off guard by this straightforward, middle-aged-auntie style of gossip. Her body, already a bit cramped, stiffened instantly.
Her ears turned red with a whoosh, and she subconsciously wanted to shrink behind Su Yu.
Su Yu, on the other hand, was thick-skinned. He just smiled without answering, leading her with practiced ease through the crowded hall toward that small table by the window in the corner.
It was relatively quiet there, and the view was good, allowing one to see the dim streetlights of the old street outside.
Kiana followed behind him like a little tail afraid of getting lost.
When sitting down, she specifically adjusted the position of her chair, ensuring the distance between her and Su Yu was precisely controlled within the safe range of one meter.
The menu was handed over.
Kiana picked it up gingerly and flipped to the first page.
Then, she froze completely.
The densely packed names of dishes occupied three whole pages like soldiers lined up for inspection.
Red Braised Pork, Sweet and Sour Ribs, Boiled Beef, Dry Pot Chicken, Mouth-Watering Chicken, Spicy Chicken... just the ones with the character for "Meat" numbered in the dozens.
This didn't even count those cold dishes, soups, and dim sum that looked incredibly tempting.
Every picture was glowing; every line of text was seducing her salivary glands.
She had heard Mei say on the Hyperion before that Shenzhou is a nation that has carved "eating" into its DNA, and that just a single block of tofu could be made into a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.
Back then, she thought it was just Mei's exaggerated rhetoric.
Now, when this exaggeration became reality placed before her, the impact was simply greater than fighting the Herrscher of Thunder for the first time.
Too many.
So many that she had absolutely no idea what to choose.
Her gaze scanned back and forth across the menu.
She looked at the Red Braised Pork and thought it was good; she looked at the Sweet and Sour Ribs and thought that was fragrant too; then her soul was hooked away by the numbing spicy scent of the Boiled Beef being served to the next table.
She wanted to eat every single one; she couldn't bear to let any of them go.
But she only had one stomach, and her wallet... oh right, she was currently a freeloader, she had no wallet.
Kiana's brows furrowed tightly, her exquisite little face written full of seriousness.
It was as if she wasn't facing a food order, but a final operational meeting to decide the fate of humanity.
Finally, she gave up.
She raised her head and looked at Su Yu with a pleading gaze.
That look held a little bit of grievance, a little bit of helplessness, and a little bit of... gluttony.
Su Yu looked at her appearance and almost couldn't hold back his laughter.
One second ago she was a depressed girl who didn't want to live, and the next second, in front of delicious food, her true form was revealed, turning into a greedy little cat waiting eagerly to be fed.
This gap moe was simply foul play.
"Alright, stop struggling. Leave it to me."
He took the menu from her hand, took out a pen, and began to tick boxes skillfully.
"Red Braised Pork, a must-order. It's this place's signature dish, fatty but not greasy."
"Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, also a signature. You should like the sweet and sour taste."
"Dry Pot... that one is too spicy. Let's switch to Dry-Fried Shredded Beef, it goes well with rice."
"Add a Hot and Sour Potato Shreds to cut the grease, and a Tomato and Egg Soup to fill the gaps."
"Two bowls of rice. Large bowls."
He mumbled as he ticked the boxes, finally handing the menu to the waiter.
"Just these for now. We'll add more if it's not enough."
Then he turned to look at Kiana: "How about it? Can these dishes satisfy Miss Kaslana's stomach?"
Kiana quickly glanced at the names of the dishes he had recited. They were all hearty dishes, all meat.
She nodded vigorously.
Satisfied.
Very satisfied.
"My treat," Su Yu said with a smile. "Consider it an advance on your wages, or a celebration of our first successful 'partnership'."
Kiana did not refuse.
She had already learned to accept when she should accept.
While waiting for the food, Su Yu unconsciously took out his phone.
The screen lit up, and a red dot hung on the WeChat icon.
Clicking it open, it was a message from Kevin.
[Kevin Kaslana]: Finally finished overtime... I'm exhausted...
[Kevin Kaslana]: By the way, what was that 'saving a strange girl' thing you mentioned yesterday about? Is the person okay?
[Kevin Kaslana]: You kid didn't really pick someone up and take them home, did you??? I'm warning you, three years minimum prison sentence to start...
Su Yu was just about to reply when he caught a glimpse of Kiana out of the corner of his eye, tilting her head to look at his phone screen.
"Who are you chatting with?" she asked.
"Your counterpart in this world," Su Yu answered truthfully. "Named Kevin."
Kiana froze for a moment.
"...My counterpart?"
Her expression became a bit strange.
"Is it a man?"
"Yes."
"..."
Kiana fell into silence.
She was trying hard to digest this information.
Her counterpart.
Is a man named Kevin.
My ancestor has become my counterpart?
"And he's a corporate slave," Su Yu added, his tone carrying a hint of schadenfreude.
"Corporate slave?"
"It means a worker who is squeezed by work until they'd rather be dead, works overtime until the sky goes dark, and gets pitifully low wages," Su Yu explained.
Kiana digested this for two seconds.
"...Sounds more tiring than being a Valkyrie."
She evaluated.
Su Yu almost sprayed out the tea he had just sipped.
"Cough, cough... You're right." He wiped the corner of his mouth. "In a sense, it's indeed about the same. Bosses and the Honkai are alike; you can never defeat them all."
Kiana seemed to realize she had said a bit too much just now, and had exposed her true nature a little.
She coughed unnaturally and shifted her gaze back to the now-useless menu, pretending to study the pictures on it, feigning that the person who played the straight man just now wasn't her.
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