Translator: Sy
Chapter 31: The Marshal to the Rescue
Ever since he sent Zhang Zhining off, Lin Ning noticed that his cat seemed to be getting busier and busier, running off during the day almost daily now. He had no idea what sort of business a kitty like Xizai would have to attend to. Rat catching? But they were in the Interstellar era now. Rats didn’t even exist.
But Xizai never once returned home late. Lin Ning was pretty satisfied with how quickly it learned its lesson after that last fiasco, and so got into the habit of bragging to the System about how well-raised his precious little kitty was.
The System listened in guilty silence. It was hard to believe how slow its Host was when it came to catching onto things, and now they’d reached an awkward point in time where it had no idea how to break the news to Lin Ning. Anyway, the Host couldn’t hold anything against it as long as it kept its mouth shut.
Lin Ning gnawed on a biscuit, staring at the Path of Food’s official Interstellar account. Zhang Yiming told him they’d be posting news on the reality program today. Lin Ning was excited.
Even though there’d been rumors about this Interstellar food program wafting around the past few days, nobody seemed particularly intrigued, and the comment sections seemed a little destitute. It was only natural that a food program wouldn’t make it big… probably barely enough to fill in the program schedule, even. No way a celebrity would want to splash in a pool the size of a teacup.
Lin Ning waited for what seemed like forever. He came up from the comment section over and over again with nothing worth gold. He sighed. In his past life, food programs were the light of his life. He loved nothing more than talking to people about food. No one was even willing to give him the time of the day now. It was a little lonely here.
When ten fifteen rolled around, Lin Ning refreshed the page again. This time, a thread started by the Path of Food’s official account popped up.
[ThePathOfFood]: There are only two things we can never betray: love and food. This summer, join us on our journey on the Path of Food. Introducing food history specialist @ProfessorGu and our first ever special guest @ZhangYiMing. We have one more special guest we’ve yet to unveil, so let’s wait for the good news. Hint: any special guest the director himself invites is someone we KNOW you’ll love!
Short and sweet, as they say.
Although the Path of Food seemed to be gathering dust just a moment ago, the fact that it was launched by a gold-plated entertainment company was really something, and the prospect of celebrities under the company guest-starring on the show wasn’t entirely impossible. That, in return, meant there were still a fan or two and the algorithm camping out under the account’s page.
And the fruits of all that camping they reaped tenfold.
!!!
They saw that. Were they going crazy? Or was the program crazy? Zhang Yiming hated appearing on reality shows! Wasn’t he the type to reject invitations like these whenever he could? These past few years, the amount of guest appearances he’d made had been painfully small. Zhang Yiming wasn’t just an actor, after all – he was a Starlight Entertainment high-ranker, too. If he didn’t want to participate in a show, who was his manager to stop him? Word was, even his fans wanted to, they couldn’t mass-stream programs their Film King appeared on because there was barely anything out there to mass-stream… W-was the Path of Food for real?
Like bees, they swarmed to Zhang Yiming’s Interstellar account and found a re-post of the Path of Food’s thread with a comment underneath.
[ZhangYiMing]: Looking forward to seeing you and the amazing food this summer! Expect a very special guest coming your way.
!!!
Everyone went crazy, the fans of Starlight and the Film King especially. This was a cause for celebration. If only they could tell the whole universe about it. The Path of Food and Zhang Yiming were trending in minutes.
Their attitude towards the program did a full 180. At this point, it didn’t matter if the Path of Food turned out blander than water – they were determined to support it to high heaven. Come on! If the Film King himself was willing to appear in a program like this, it had to be a huge deal!
Lin Ning was having the time of his life watching the commotion unfold. Internet users sure were gifted.
[Sisters! I think Zhang Yiming’s really gonna appear on a show this time!!! AAAAAAAA how long has it been since he’d last appeared on a program? I don’t care! Even if this turns out to be a pile of shit, I’ll be with the Film King every step of the way!!!]
[OMG same sis! Wherever the Film King goes, I follow. I’m promoting the crap outta the Path of Food! I’m losing my shit rnow!]
[Hey, friends, I have a really crazy idea I’m not sure I should be sharing… I think I might know who that mysterious guest Zhang Yiming was talking about, and I’m freaking out so much now I think I might DIE BUT I SWEAR I KNOW WHO IT IS!]
[I think I’ve guessed it, too, sweetie. My hands are SHAKING. I am SWEARING on my pride as the Film King’s no.1 fan! The only person who’s gotten close to the Film King lately and is a food-related personality is Lemon Kitchen!!! I’m going crazy. I could die happy now. I love Lemon Kitchen.]
[I didn’t notice it at first, but after reading your comments, that totally makes sense. And if you read the Film King’s comment, boiii– they really might be inviting Lemon Kitchen!!! If that’s true, no wonder Starlight’s promoting this show so much! There’s no way this isn’t blowing up.]
[Frfr. It makes total sense. Back when the Film King first started rewarding Lemon Kitchen I knew there had to be something behind the scenes…. Even though the Film King’s been bumped down a rank by Cheng Ji…]
[Aaa let’s GO Path of Food! You’ve got to get Lemon Kitchen! I wanna see what his real face is like. I bet he’s super hot!!! Just thinking about Zhang Yiming and Lemon Kitchen cooking together makes me so happy I might faint!]
The users examined the posts word for word, digging up any evidence they could find that Lemon Kitchen was that mysterious special guest. In a moment, the tag #ZhangYiMingLemonKitchen made its way up the trending page, and people were crowding around the Film King’s comment section for more details.
And it seemed as if Zhang Yiming wanted to crank up the heat. He didn’t make an official reply but did something else so surprising that he might as well have thrown a brick at his fans– he started Rewarding Lemon Kitchen on Shine! Ever since his first rank had been overthrown by ChengJi, the Film King’s account stayed dormant. Everyone thought the Film King had lost interest in a Rewarder’s high and stopped for good. But now he was skyrocketing his Rewards, swiping the number one spot from under ChengJi’s feet, snuggly back in his spot.
Their eyes were about to fall out. Only a hundred Aircraft Carriers – the reward of the highest value – could be given once each time, and the Film King had been Rewarding Lemon Kitchen for a while now. All everyone could do was sit and watch, the flashing chains of Rewards leaving them speechless.
T- This was unbelievable!
And they were only just begging him to enlighten them moments ago! Now he went and gave the other person in the rumor ten million Rewards… Was this how the world of the rich operated? Damn, that’s badass!
OH! But they loved it! Shipping them was not for naught! Of course the Film King wouldn’t let anyone take over his precious number one spot! He was pampering Lemon so much!
Every fangirl went crazy @-ing their idols. Not accepting candy this sweet was a straight-up crime! Anyone participating in the Path of Food now, even if just for a cameo, would have nothing to lose and everything to gain with the Film King and Lemon Kitchen backing them up.
[My brothers and sisters, try harder! We can’t lose to the Film King!!! We’ve gotta give Lemon Kitchen all the hype as we can!]
[AGGHH even though Lemon Kitchen hasn’t given an official reply, this has to be true. I swear, if Zhang Yiming really does invite Lemon Kitchen, I’ll be his fan for the rest of my life!]
[Yessss! I’ve always hated Nutrient Doses. If Lemon Kitchen comes on TV, I’ll do free advertising for the show’s production company every day for as long as I live!]
[I’m going crazy! The moment I hear anything remotely related to this news I can’t stop thinking about Lemon Kitchen’s face… I’m on my knees! I know I’m into lookism, but I swear, even if Lemon doesn’t look good I’ll still love him as much as I do now!]
[I’m stanning Zhang Yiming. Now I’m his and Lemon Kitchen’s hardcore fan. The Film King sure knows how to do fanservice! Not only is he showing us good food, but he’s also giving us the opportunity to peek at Lemon Kitchen’s real face–– ]
*
Things felt a little surreal to Lin Ning as he watched the thousands of comments pilling up in his Shine account. Was he… famous?
Lin Ning chomped on his final piece of sandwich biscuit. He licked his lips. [System, do you think this counts as a counterattack?]
The System eyed the sheer amount of Faith flowing into its treasury and nodded its non-existent head: [Right on! You’re the best, Host. I always knew you’d be amazing. If we work together, I bet we’d make even more Faith!]
[What’re you up to, System? I hear you gulping…]
The System started, then stammered, [No, you don’t… I’m just happy, y’know? I’m not that tasteless.]
Oh, god! The Host’s sixth sense was way too sensitive!
Lately, his income has been overwhelming. Shine Livestreams switched to dividing the livestream profits 50/50 which, when combined with the huge Rewards Lin Ning had been receiving, led to a bank account swelling with numbers that were petrifying large. And Lin Ning was slowly turning into a money-counting machine – watching the numbers shoot up was a danger to his heart.
To be honest, he was getting a little numb. Sure, he was happy, but he didn’t feel the same rush he used to when he first began receiving Rewards. Once the money hit a certain point, it just felt the same.
The cat was scooped up so it could look at the screen, too. As it watched Zhang Yiming’s name overtake its own on the Rewarders’ List, it tasted blood. To make matters worse, it seemed as if everyone on the Internet was shoving the news up its face. Its little cat face darkened.
It squinted, stretching out its claws in annoyance. It really wanted to scratch something now. Hard. But it was sitting on Lin Ning’s lap, so that was out of the question. Resentfully, the cat retracted its claws.
“Oh, yeah! I remember sending ChengJi a private message asking him if he had anything he wanted to eat…” Lin Ning’s mind clicked, but ChengJi hadn’t replied.
“… Fine. I guess all tycoons are busy people,” he mumbled. “Li Chengyan’s amazing, though. I wonder what he’s up to now.”
Lin Ning pinched Xizai’s pink paw beans, then ruffled the kitty’s fluffy face. “I wonder if the marshal misses Xizai– you’re so adorable, I bet he does… Huh?”
The cat’s cold, stoic face broke, and it couldn’t help but seem a little pleased with itself. Its tail curled around Lin Ning’s pale wrist and its two ears perked up slightly.
Lin Ning hugged Xizai as he channeled his power into it. He’d started to take it as a sign that Xizai wanted power whenever it got unnaturally friendly around him. Beneath the cage of green glow, the cat closed its eyes, its tail tightening its curl over Lin Ning’s wrist. The rampaging power always calmed down under Lin Ning’s touch.
*
Waiting sucked. At least, to Lin Ning, it sucked. Chu Yunqi hadn’t contacted him in a while. Lin Ning wondered if anything had happened to him.
As he fretted, his tablet rang. It was a file from Zhang Zhining.
Zhang Zhining: [Here’s the information you wanted. We’re lucky I know some guys who know the Jiang family. Feel free to reach out if you need anything else. I may be a little tied down at the moment, but this is no biggie.]
Lin Ning studied the file after thanking him.
The Jiang family was famous throughout the galaxy. Its current head, Jiang Ying, was a well-known figure among the elite. He and his first wife’s seemingly perfect marriage was a facade, but together, they had their first son, Jiang Tong. After their divorce, he married his second wife not long after. She was a beauty, soft and gentle as water, and together they had Jiang Feng.
The two brothers were almost the same in age. But the gentle Jiang Tong could never hold a candle to his younger brother, Jiang Feng. He was mild, quiet, and painfully mediocre. The mediocre eldest son of the Jiang family who carried out his duty as dictated by the family, although he wasn’t particularly outstanding in his job either.
Jiang Feng might’ve been the younger brother, but he was gifted the moment he was out of his mother’s womb. He stood out in every single thing he pursued and had an extremely attractive face, and so was spoiled rotten by Jiang Ying. Although Jiang Feng was extraordinary, he had no interest in managing his father’s company. The moment Jiang Feng expressed an interest in debuting as an idol, Jiang Ying poured even more attention on ending the family business to his eldest son.
The head of the Jiang family figured that his eldest son was better suited for taking over the family business, so Jiang Ying had a marriage arranged for his eldest son a few years later. Jiang Tong’s fiance was the precious daughter of a wealthy family friend. They were well-matched in both social and economical status, so the two tycoons merged as one.
But not long after their betrothal, Jiang Tong left behind a will and killed himself. Police investigations concluded that Jiang Tong had committed suicide by slitting his wrist. Every single piece of footage they found on security cameras showed he was alone the whole time. The main suspects were initially Jiang Feng and the fiancee, but one was on a different planet participating in a variety show while the other was hosting a birthday party on a different planet, so both alibis cleared their names quickly.
Lin Ning bristled.
At the same time, his photon tablet rang. Lin Ning rushed for the door the second he glanced at the tablet.
“Meow–” Xizai leaped onto Lin Ning’s shoulder, as if wanting to go out with him.
Lin Ning put the cat back down. “Good boy. I’m going to meet someone, so wait here. No going out!” Then he patted the kitty’s fluffy little head before sprinting out the room.
As the lock clicked behind him, the cat hopped onto the balcony and eyed the ground far below him. It swished its tail and jumped.
*
Lin Ning ran, reaching the riverside quickly. The streets were bustling with activity, the cars rushing by like a stream. He was anxious now, unaware of the person trailing behind him. He came to a stop at the crossroads. Cars rushed by, forcing Lin Ning to a stop. He glanced at the time and address, heart racing.
If he didn’t hurry, Chu Yunqi was going to die.
Suddenly, a huge truck swerved in Li Ning’s direction. Lin Ning registered the blaring horn, and the pedestrians’ screams, but his legs were still weak from his earlier sprint. He froze. His legs turned to putty. The deafening horns tore at his eardrums. The truck coming closer and closer, almost face-to-face with him.
“Be careful!”
“Get out of the way!” People screamed.
By the time the truck was less than a meter away, Lin Ning’s mind had already buzzed and shut down. There was nowhere to go. He shut his eyes, bracing himself for the pain.
Damn. Do I really have to transmigrate again right when I’m getting rich? Or am I gonna die for real this time? He thought.
In the darkness, the pain he’d anticipated never came.
BOOM! A crash erupted by his ear, as if something large smashed into the wall beside him. Lin Ning went deaf. The silence following the ring in his ear scared him.
He opened his eyes. Before him stood Li Chengyan, one arm held against the truck. Miraculously, the truck stopped. In fact, the hood of the truck the man had touched caved inwards into a dip, the vehicle completely wrecked.
The marshal had a cold and sharp gaze. He glared at the man in the vehicle steadily but softened as if noticing that Lin Ning was staring. Those dark pupils stared back at Lin Ning as the two faced each other.
“Thank you.” Lin Ning forced a smile through his blanched face. He could hardly keep the calmness on his face, panic cracking between the seams, as if he’d topple over with the slightest gust of wind.
It could’ve been because the man in front of him was inhumanly strong, or that he was Xizai’s other owner, but, at that moment, Lin Ning chose to place all his trust in his savior.
Li Chengyan’s mouth moved as if wanting he was speaking. He looked a little panicky himself.
Lin Ning’s mouth fell open. He tried to read Li Chengyan’s lips but to no avail. He tapped his ears, then shook his head helplessly.
Li Chengyan glowered.
The people on the street could not believe what they saw. A man rushing out from nowhere, arms thrust outward out to stop a truck… That might’ve been possible for a member of the special forces, maybe… But seeing that in real life was something else.
“That’s some scary strength! That man’s amazing!”
“Is he alright…?”
“Hey, doesn’t he look a little familiar…?”
“My god, he does look familiar! Isn’t… isn’t that the marshal?!”
“!!!”
