sinovels Chapter 40 Protecting the Best Little Bunny
Chapter 40 Protecting the Best Little Bunny
Night had fallen, and the noise had gradually subsided.
In a corner of the old street, a pink bedroom filled with anime posters, from Cardcaptor Sakura to Natsume's Book of Friends, and various related merchandise, is bathed in soft light.
"Ugh... Waaah... Where's my wife...?"
The bulging tuft of silk in the center of the bed stirred, and then a small hand reached out, making a few gestures in the air like a blind man touching an elephant, before finally hugging a life-sized anime girl body pillow.
Lin Xiaoyu opened her eyes groggily, her long eyelashes fluttering, and she rubbed her head against the pillow like a little kitten. She had thought that after staying up all night to finish that illustration order, she would feel dizzy and sore all over after catching up on sleep, but she didn't expect to wake up feeling more refreshed than ever before.
She found it really amazing.
"Hehehe..." Lin Xiaoyu rolled over, hugging her pillow, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her face. "Could it be that the little bunny bun had a 'healing buff' this morning? This sleep quality is definitely thanks to that little bunny bun!"
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"
Thinking of the delicious breakfast, Lin Xiaoyu felt her mouth watering again. The rich, juicy flavor of the meat was so appealing that even after a good night's sleep and a period of "calm," she couldn't help but scratch her toes under the covers.
"Hiss—I'm so hungry..."
Hunger arrived as expected, like an invisible pair of tiny hands scratching at her stomach.
Lin Xiaoyu struggled to climb out of her warm bed, her messy black hair resembling a bird's nest. She shuffled to the kitchen in her pink pig-themed slippers. As a seasoned "homebody lazybones," going downstairs to find food was out of the question; there was no way she would ever voluntarily go downstairs after nine o'clock at night.
"I've chosen you, Old Altar Pickled Cabbage!"
She skillfully tore open the instant noodle lid, poured in boiling water, and then casually grabbed the tablet computer next to her and pressed it onto the lid.
The waiting time always felt long. Lin Xiaoyu sank into the soft gaming chair, sprawling like a boneless person, and casually picked up her phone to turn on the screen.
"Huh? What's this?"
In her notification bar, she was surprised to find that Lin Muyuan, a blogger she was particularly following, had updated his blog at noon today.
"Lin Dada, who's known for not posting a single word for half a month... oops, I mean, not a single post, actually posted something today?"
Lin Xiaoyu curiously bit her nail, then quickly tapped her fingertips.
The next second, her eyes widened instantly, and a photo of a wooden signboard with the words "Human Fireworks" was reflected in her pupils. Wasn't this the one from this morning? Should she double-check? She immediately perked up.
She scrolled down and saw a picture of a bunny, and then she was absolutely certain.
"Wow! It really is the boss's shop!" Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but exclaim softly, sitting up straight. "'God'? My God, Lin Da actually gave such a high evaluation! Is this still the aloof and sarcastic Lin Muyuan I know?"
"Haki Yuan, you've fallen for it too."
She went back and read the sincere tweet word by word. When she got to the paragraphs describing the appearance and taste of the bunny-shaped steamed buns, Lin Xiaoyu nodded and muttered to herself, "Right! Right! I think they're super delicious too! The owner's skills are truly divine!"
When she scrolled to the comments section, the rows of neatly written "God" characters and the frantic inquiries from netizens about the address and travel tips filled Lin Xiaoyu with a strange sense of pride.
"Hehe, no wonder it's the shop I spotted at first sight! I was the first one to eat here! This place is going to be a hit! I really need to step up my game now." She rubbed her face against the cushion again, thinking of Mengmeng's adorable face, and felt a sweet warmth in her heart. "The boss and Mengmeng must be so happy now."
As she scrolled through the comments, Lin Xiaoyu noticed a QR code appearing in the comments section.
[Protecting the Best Little Bunny Buns - Foodie Support Group]
"Pfft... Are you guys serious about this group name?" Lin Xiaoyu complained, but her hands were faster than her brain, and she immediately took a screenshot and scanned the QR code.
Since it was a newly created group, there were only a few dozen people when Lin Xiaoyu joined. But in the few seconds she was stunned, the number of people skyrocketed, one hundred, two hundred... all of them were the "deeply infected" patients mentioned in Lin Muyuan's posts.
At this moment, the group admin spoke up.
The group owner's online name is: "[Rice Bucket on the Strings]".
This is Lu Ming.
"Rice Bucket on the Strings": "Hello everyone! I created this group for no particular reason. First, I was truly healed by Boss Chen today. I'm so grateful to him; not only were the steamed buns delicious, but even the complimentary osmanthus cake was heavenly. I'd feel guilty not to help promote it. Second, something this delicious is bound to become a hit, so we need to share! The Boss only makes a limited batch of 100 per day—the competition is fierce! If anyone goes and finds it sold out, quickly let us know in the group so we don't all go for nothing. Third… the atmosphere at lunchtime today was so warm! I love making friends, and group members are friends too!"
Lin Xiaoyu, who was drinking water, almost spat it out when she saw this passage.
"Osmanthus glutinous rice cake? And there are complimentary pastries?"
Lin Xiaoyu's hand holding the phone trembled slightly, her eyes wide with shock: "Huh? Why didn't we get it this morning? Waaah—I feel like I missed out on a fortune! It hurts so much!"
She grabbed the instant noodle fork on the table and slashed it hard in the air twice, as if the fork could pierce the pastry she couldn't see.
Without a moment's "mourning" for Lin Xiaoyu not getting any pastries, the next person in the group to appear was someone called "Photographer Xiao Wang," who posted a video.
The video shows Lu Ming carrying a guitar and singing "Rice Fragrance" in the middle of the crowd.
The diners in the video sway gently to the rhythm, their faces beaming with pure, healing smiles. In the background, Chen Feng leans against the kitchen doorway, smiling, while Mengmeng waves her little hand happily.
"Ahhh—this is so heartwarming!"
Lin Xiaoyu watched the video, her entire body twisted into a pretzel in her gaming chair. Clutching her hair, she let out a long, mournful cry: "Help! Why did I have to sleep! Why did I have to stay up all night to finish my draft! I missed the live performance!"
She watched as those who had participated in the chorus in the group chat frantically recalled the details of the afternoon:
Flower Clam: "You guys didn't see it, when Lu Ming was playing and singing, the guy next to me was crying and eating at the same time, it was an amazing scene."
Cactus: "That's not even the most amazing thing. The most amazing thing was when we were leaving, everyone spontaneously cleared away the dishes and wiped the tables. When I saw the boss's childhood friend, 'Brother Qiang,' he was completely dumbfounded. That expression could make me laugh for a year, haha!"
Videos kept appearing one after another, including a candid shot of Chen Feng busy in the kitchen, and Mengmeng making all sorts of funny faces while sitting at the cashier like a delicate figurine.
Lin Xiaoyu watched all this. Seeing these strangers spontaneously clearing the table and responding to the kindness, she couldn't help but smile, her lips curving upwards in a deep grin.
"That's wonderful..." she murmured softly, her fingertips lightly touching the cute face on the screen. "Good people should be rewarded."
Although she was so envious she wanted to punch the wall, and although the instant noodles in front of her suddenly didn't taste so good anymore, the emotional value of being surrounded by tenderness filled her heart completely.
Lin Xiaoyu is a sensible person. Although she has a carefree personality, she is very perceptive.
She saw someone in the group saying "the boss treated us to osmanthus cakes," but she didn't jump out to show off that she and her best friends had been treated to steamed buns by the boss that morning, nor did she mention that she had given Mengmeng the drawing. She didn't want to make things difficult for them.
"If these crazy fans knew that the boss was so easy to talk to, wouldn't they break down the store door? We have to save the boss some trouble."
She chuckled, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she pulled Su Su and Yuan Yuan into the group chat all at once.
Little Fish doesn't want to draw anymore: "Everyone! Big news! I'm planning to get up at six tomorrow to stake out the spot! Nobody stop me, I'm going to get first place!"
After sending the message, Lin Xiaoyu looked at the note on the wall that read "Getting up early is the root of all evil" and suddenly found it a little funny.
Before, when she was going to school or work, she would have preferred to postpone her alarm a thousand times over; sleeping even a second longer was a tribute to her bed. But now, the thought of that warm orange light tomorrow morning, that sweet, childlike voice calling out, "Sister, you're here!", and that bunny-shaped steamed bun that could lift one's soul by a single bite…
"Ah—I'm actually starting to look forward to tomorrow!"
Lin Xiaoyu grabbed the noodles that had become a little soggy and ate them in big mouthfuls, her mind filled with anticipation for tomorrow.
"Boss, Mengmeng, see you tomorrow!"
The girl's clear voice echoed in the pink room.
She's made up her mind; she'll get up early tomorrow!