Transmigration of the Famous Cyber Star-Chapter 28: Midnight Snacks

Last chapter for tonight. Do add us to your reading list if you are enjoying this novel so far. Enjoy!

TL’s Note: So, to those who don’t know, midnight snacks are what people in China eat sometimes if they stay up late. It’s usually most prevalent in bigger cities, and people eat… Let’s say, almost ANYTHING for midnight snacks.

Liu Man didn’t stay in the dorm that night and rode the subway home by herself. Tomorrow, she still had to face the Wang family with her mother.

There was still some distance between the subway exit and her house. At this time, it was usually time for midnight snacks. There were lots of crowds hanging around the restaurants on the street.

Liu Man smelled the scent and paused her footsteps near a shop that sold Sha Xian snacks.

Yu Zhan was walking his dog and coincidentally walked past this shop. In fact, he had seen a familiar silhouette from far away, staring at the Sha Xian snacks restaurant. It was a very cold day, but it seemed as if she couldn’t even sense the cold wind. She was raising her head and studying the menu on the window, feeling indecisive.

“You haven’t eaten dinner yet?”

Yu Zhan’s question almost made Liu Man jump out of surprise. She turned her head to see a person and a dog standing beside her and was unaware of how long they’d been there.

Liu Man truly felt awkward, “No, no. I’ve already eaten.”

Yu Zhan laughed lightly, “Then you’re feeling hungry again?”

“Not really…”

Liu Man hadn’t even filled her stomach. That bowl of ramen which had cost a hundred and fifty RMB was too little. Except for the small bits of noodles which had become gone within just a few mouthfuls, were a few slices of meat, a few shrimps, and a few slices of fish. Liu Man didn’t have a huge appetite but still felt hungry after that bowl of ramen.

She didn’t dare to order anything else, since she didn’t have that much money in the first place. She had to use that thirty-thousand RMB to pay the debt with her mother.

So, now she was feeling hungry when she saw the Sha Xian noodles, but she was also worried that it would be wasted if she couldn’t eat it all.

Yu Zhan laughed as he asked her, “You want to have some midnight snacks?”

“Mm.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Noodles.”

“This restaurant serves a lot in a dish. You wouldn’t be able to finish it all, and you’re also afraid to get fat.”

“Mm.”

Sometimes, she felt as if Yu Zhan knew exactly what she was thinking and had telepathic superpowers.

“Then, let me accompany you.”

Yu Zhan said and entered the restaurant without seeing Liu Man’s reaction. He asked the owner if he could bring the dog in, and took Paul in after being given permission. He then looked back at her. He was standing under the lights, and she was standing under the shadows. He smiled and said,

“Why are you still standing there?”

Liu Man froze as she stared into his eyes. In her memories, only Liu Chenyu had looked at her with a similar expression. That kind of expression told her; they would be able to tolerate all of her capriciousness. If Liu Chenyu provided her with love from a father, then what was Yu Zhan to her?

“A bowl of beef noodles.”

Yu Zhan told the owner while standing before the cashier.

“That would cost ten RMB.”

Yu Zhan took out his phone and was ready to pay, but Liu Man scanned the Alipay QR code on the wall before he did.

TL’s Note: Alipay is a big online paying platform in China. With it, if you scan a QR code, you can practically buy anything you want in China as long as you have the money in your online banking account.

“Ten RMB collected from Alipay,” The Bluetooth boombox beside the owner automatically announced.

Yu Zhan laughed lightly and didn’t argue with Liu Man about the payment issues. He told Liu Man, “Find a spot and sit down.”

Sha Xian snacks weren’t usually made for midnight snacks. They didn’t include barbeques, nor did they include hotpots. Compared to other restaurants, this shop was very empty. A lot of people only came in to order take outs of fried rice or rice-flour noodles.

There were lots of empty spots, and Liu Man randomly picked the nearest one to sit down on. Yu Zhan sat across from her while Paul cleverly squatted beside him. Paul was huge, so he was taller than the table even if he squatted. His domineering head was constantly turning around, for he was glancing over this unfamiliar environment with curiosity.

“Whoa, is that a husky?”

A girl who came out of nowhere went straight up to Paul. She looked as if she wanted to pet him but didn’t dare to do so.

“He’s an Alaskan, not a husky,” Yu Zhan corrected her, “You can try petting his chin. He’s tame and doesn’t bite.”

The girl reached out her hand and discreetly touched Paul’s chin. When she saw that Paul did not reject her, she became braver and lightly rubbed the fur on his chin.

“His fur is so soft, and he’s so cute!” She exclaimed and couldn’t resist but pet him some more. Paul cooperated with her by raising his jaw, so it would be more convenient for her. He also closed his eyes as if he were enjoying it all, which made him look very intelligent.

“Bro, what’s the difference between an Alaskan and a husky?” The girl asked Yu Zhan.

“Just look at their statures. Huskies aren’t this big in size. You can also look at their forehead, if their forehead is in an ‘M’ shape, then they would be an Alaskan.”

The girl examined the dog’s head, “Oh yeah, you’re right! His forehead is in an ‘M’ shape.”

Yu Zhan laughed as he asked her, “Are you a dog-person?”

The girl nodded her head enthusiastically and said with a bitter tone, “My dad doesn’t let me keep one though.”

The owner, who was still standing beside the cashier, said sulkily, “We still have to care for our business, what time to do we have to care for a dog?”

“I can care for the dog myself,” The girl turned her head to refute.

“Unless you don’t go to school. Right now, you have to put your schoolwork in first place. Don’t think about random things every day.”

So, she was this shop owner’s daughter.

The girl frowned somberly.

“You’re still young, and you should be happy every day. Stop being so sad. I have a pet clinic near this restaurant, and you can come to visit whenever you have time. My dog will always be in the clinic,” Yu Zhan assured her.

The girl heard his statement, and her eyes instantly glowed. She then answered in a worried tone, “Really? But, won’t I affect your business?”

“Of course not. To be honest, Paul’s always very lonely when I work.”

“So, your name is Paul,” The girl touched the dog’s head, and Paul nudged her palm.

“What’s your name?” Liu Man asked her.

“I’m called Lu Lingling. I’m an eighth grader at Middle School Forty,” The girl introduced herself, “My parents own this Sha Xian snacks restaurant. They’ve been working here at the capital city for a dozen years. They came to the capital city long before I’ve been born.”

TL’s Note: In China, there’s this weird thing where they sometimes name public schools in numbers. Middle school number one would be the best one in the city, and as the number gets bigger, the school probably wouldn’t be so good.

“Are you guys on winter break?” Liu Man asked.

“Yeah, we’ve been on break since last week, which is why I’m helping my parents with the business now.”

Lu Lingling stared at Liu Man and felt as if she was becoming more and more familiar. She tried to recall in her mind if she saw this pretty girl somewhere. Was she one of the customers who had come here before? Had they ever met somewhere?

As if a bell rang in her mind, she suddenly realized something and said with a shocked tone, “You are… You are that girl on Tik Tok!”

“What is Tik Tok?” Yu Zhan was completely clueless. He was always busy at work, and even if he had time, he would usually walk his dog or exercise, or sometimes play video games with friends. He usually never checked those social media platforms for entertainment, and so he never installed Tik Tok. He didn’t know about that video Liu Man was on, which was very popular on Tik Tok now.

“Bro, aren’t you her boyfriend? How come you don’t even know about this? You’re not fulfilling your duties,” Lu Lingling berated him.

Yu Zhan modestly accepted her criticism, “It is, indeed, my problem. I’m not caring for her enough,” He said, then glanced at Liu Man, his eyes filled with teasing. Liu Man was just about to clarify that they weren’t a couple when Yu Zhan said to her, “Do you have the video? Can I see it?”

“Yes, it’s on my phone. Let me go and find it,” Lu Lingling rushed into the kitchen and came back with a phone within a moment, “See? I’ve even liked and kept it in my album,”

Lu Lingling opened the video in front of Yu Zhan, and the sound of Coco’s “Thinking About You” rang in the small restaurant.

“Oh, oh. This one,” Yu Zhan was there during the video, and he wasn’t that surprised to see this video. Most of his attention was put on the 3 million likes of the video and everyone’s comments.

“I didn’t expect to see you in real life during the evening, when I’ve only just watched the video during the morning. It’s like I’m in a dream, sis. You look even better in person!” Lu Lingling looked at Liu Man, then looked at Yu Zhan. She really thought they looked great as a couple.

Credits: Sydney & Kathrien