The elevator light flickered back on with a pop.
Lu Chen blinked. The elevator resumed its descent, and that mechanical beep from earlier felt like nothing more than a hallucination. He glanced down at his phone—it had already shut off automatically, his face etched with "misfortune" reflected on the black screen.
"Auditory hallucination," he muttered to himself. "Makes sense, though. Wife ran off with the boss, lost my job, house has to be sold, and the elevator even blacked out—hearing weird stuff in your head at a time like this is probably just a normal stress response, right?"
The elevator stopped at the first floor, and the doors slid open slowly.
Lu Chen dragged his suitcase out, still adjusting to the lobby lights when a small figure darted toward him.
"Brother-in-law!"
Lin Xiaoyu barreled into his arms like a little cannonball, her ponytail brushing his chin. The girl had just turned twenty-two, but she only came up to his shoulders, wearing a cartoon cat sweatshirt and jeans, with a bulging backpack slung over her shoulders and tears still streaking her face.
You scared me to death!" Xiaoyu looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "The call cut off suddenly, and I thought you…"
"Thought I'd do something stupid?" Lu Chen forced a bitter smile. "Don't worry—it's not worth it for people like them."
He wasn't entirely sure if he meant it. Just a moment ago in the elevator, there had been a few seconds where he truly felt his life was over. Not even thirty, and he'd accomplished nothing—marriage and career both in ruins, with barely enough money in his bank account to last three months.
"Sister she…" Xiaoyu bit her lip. "I saw her WeChat Moments this afternoon. She was at some fancy restaurant with that bald guy—what's his name, Wang? And she posted a photo of a new bag."
Her voice trembled with anger as she went on. "I called her to ask, and she had the nerve to say she was 'chasing a better life.' Mom and Dad are even taking her side, saying Mr. Wang has good conditions! I'm so mad!"
Watching the girl's indignant expression, the chill in Lu Chen's heart faded a little.
"Did your parents know you ran out?"
"Yeah, I told them I was coming to find you." Xiaoyu puffed out her chest. "They didn't agree, so I snuck out. Besides, I'm a junior in college now—I don't have many classes, and I can support myself with the illustration part-time jobs I take."
She patted her backpack. "My clothes, laptop, drawing tablet—everything's in here. Brother-in-law, wherever you go, I'm going with you!"
Lu Chen froze.
The girl had always been clingy to him. Lin Xue had been the "princess" of the family, doted on by their parents, while Xiaoyu was the overlooked second child. Back when Lu Chen was dating Lin Xue, every time he went to her house, he'd always bring an extra small gift for Xiaoyu—help her with her homework, listen to her talk about fun things at school.
After they got married, Xiaoyu still came over to their house for meals often. Lin Xue always found her annoying, but Lu Chen had enjoyed the liveliness of having an extra sister around.
He just never thought that at a time like this, the only person standing by his side would be this young sister-in-law.
"Xiaoyu," he chose his words carefully. "I don't have a job right now. I'll probably have to rent a really cheap place, and the conditions will be terrible. If you come with me…"
"I'm not afraid!" Xiaoyu cut him off, her eyes shining. "Brother-in-law, I believe in you. You're way better than that bald guy! All he has is money, but you… you can cook!"
Lu Chen was amused by her reasoning. "Since when is being able to cook a big advantage?"
"It's a huge advantage!" Xiaoyu said seriously. "Sister just doesn't get it—your braised pork is the best in the world! That bald guy can buy her bags and take her to the Maldives, but can he make her a bowl of hot plain noodle soup?"
Her words made Lu Chen's nose tingle.
"Let's find a place to stay first," he said, pulling his suitcase. "Tonight… we'll stay at a motel."
As they walked out of the community, the evening wind made them shiver. Lu Chen pulled out his wallet—327 yuan and fifty cents in cash, and a bank balance of 31,400 yuan. The divorce agreement said Lin Xue would take half the savings, around 15,000 yuan.
The remaining 16,000 yuan would have to cover rent, living expenses, and he had no idea when he'd find a new job.
"Brother-in-law," Xiaoyu said softly. "I have 2,000 yuan in pocket money. We can use that first…"
"No need," Lu Chen shook his head. "Keep your money. Tomorrow I'll find a day labor job that pays daily."
Just then, his stomach gurgled loudly, completely out of place.
He hadn't eaten a thing since noon. That box of chestnut cake was still back in the "battlefield" with his ex-wife and boss—just thinking about it made him feel ironic.
Xiaoyu giggled. "I'm hungry too. Brother-in-law, let's get something to eat first, okay?"
There was a small noodle shop with a faded sign on the corner, but steam was drifting out from the crack in the door, carrying an inviting aroma.
They walked in. The landlady, a woman in her fifties, was watching a family ethics drama on TV.
"Two bowls of plain noodle soup," Lu Chen said.
"Add eggs?" The landlady didn't look up.
"…Yes, add eggs."
The noodles were served quickly. Clear soup, thin noodles, a few chopped green onions, and a golden-fried egg floating on top. It was simple food, but when the hot steam hit his face, Lu Chen suddenly felt that living might not be so bad after all.
Xiaoyu ate greedily, slurping loudly, with oil stains on the corner of her mouth.
"Brother-in-law," she mumbled with her mouth full. "What do you plan to do next?"
Lu Chen poked the egg in his bowl with his chopsticks. "Find a job first. I've been in operations for five years—I have experience. I should… be able to find something, right?"
He didn't sound convinced. Getting fired from his previous company under the guise of "downsizing," how would he explain his reason for leaving to his next employer? He couldn't exactly say "because my boss slept with my wife."
Xiaoyu blinked. "Actually, I think you could start your own business, brother-in-law."
"Start my own business?"
"Yeah!" Xiaoyu put down her chopsticks and gestured excitedly. "You cook so well—opening a snack shop would definitely work! The pancake stand behind our school is said to make tens of thousands of yuan a month!"
Lu Chen smiled bitterly. Starting a shop wasn't that easy—rent, renovation, equipment, ingredient costs, health permits… everything cost money. His entire savings now were 16,000 yuan. What could that even do?
But looking at Xiaoyu's expectant eyes, he didn't have the heart to pour cold water on her.
After finishing the meal, Lu Chen paid the bill—thirty-four yuan for two bowls of noodles with eggs. When he walked out of the shop, only a little over 200 yuan was left in his wallet.
They found the cheapest motel nearby, eighty yuan a night. The room was so small you could barely turn around, the bed sheets were faded white, and the air smelled musty.
"Xiaoyu, you sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the floor," Lu Chen said, putting down his suitcase.
"No, no! I'll sleep on the floor!" Xiaoyu insisted. "You have to look for a job tomorrow…"
They argued for a while, and finally reached a compromise—they'd split the bed, with the suitcase separating them in the middle.
After turning off the light, the room fell quiet. A little light seeped in from the street lamp outside the window, revealing the mottled water stains on the ceiling.
"Brother-in-law," Xiaoyu whispered in the dark. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"For sister. She went too far. You were so good to her…"
Lu Chen fell silent for a moment.
"Xiaoyu, there's no right or wrong in relationships. Your sister chose the life she wants, and I… I can only respect her choice."
"But she shouldn't have lied to you! She shouldn't have been with that bald guy…" Xiaoyu's voice trailed off, choked with emotion.
Lu Chen sighed. "Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."
The room fell quiet again. Lu Chen stared at the ceiling, his mind a mess. Job, rent, divorce proceedings, property division… a pile of problems tangled up like a mess of thread.
After an unknown amount of time, just as he was drifting off to sleep—
Ding!
[System activation successful!]
[Welcome, host Lu Chen, to bind the "Gourmet Heritage Resurrection System"!]
Lu Chen sat up abruptly.
It wasn't a hallucination!
He clearly "saw"—not with his eyes, but directly in his mind—a faint golden translucent interface:
[Current Status: Novice]
[Mastered Dishes: 0]
[Heritage Points: 0]
[Help Others Quests: 0/10]
[Newbie Gift Pack: Pending Collection]
Below was a line of small text: This system is formed from the residual soul of an ancient god of cooking. Its purpose is to find a person with a pure and kind heart to inherit the essence of Chinese cuisine. Note: All inheritances can only be unlocked by "helping others through food." The way of cooking begins with the heart.
Lu Chen froze for a long time, then pinched his thigh hard.
It hurt.
This wasn't a dream.
"System?" he tried asking in his mind.
[Present.] The mechanical voice replied.
"What… are you?"
[This system is formed from the residual consciousness of Yuan Mei, an ancient god of cooking. It has been detected that the host meets the inheritance conditions: retaining kindness even after being betrayed by close relatives, not forgetting to take care of others in distress, and possessing basic cooking skills. Do you accept the inheritance?]
Countless online novel plots flashed through Lu Chen's mind. A cheat code? A plug-in? Could such good luck really happen to him?
"What happens if I accept? What if I don't?"
[Accept: You will embark on the path of inheriting the god of cooking's legacy. The system will assist the host in mastering the essence of various cuisines, but corresponding quests to help others must be completed. Reject: The system will unbind, and the host will continue on their current life path.]
Lu Chen glanced at Xiaoyu, who was sound asleep beside him. The girl wasn't sleeping well, her brows furrowed, hugging her backpack tightly.
He remembered what Xiaoyu had said earlier while eating noodles: "Opening a snack shop would definitely work!"
He also thought about how over the years, every time Lin Xue had complained about him being poor and useless, the only person who would praise him, saying "Brother-in-law's cooking is better than a restaurant's," was this silly girl.
And then there was the pitiful amount of money in his wallet, and the job that was nowhere to be found.
"I accept," he said in his mind.
[Contract established.]
[Newbie Gift Pack being issued…]
[Obtained: Basic Knife Skills Experience (Heritage Level), Golden Egg Fried Rice Recipe (Entry Level), 1000 Yuan Startup Fund (already transferred to the host's bank card).]
Lu Chen froze, then quickly pulled out his phone and turned it on. Sure enough, a bank text message popped up: 1000.00 yuan has been credited to account ending in 3472. Current balance: 16400.00 yuan.
A thousand yuan wasn't much, but with this extra money, he could at least hold on until next month.
[Newbie Quest Released: Within three days, earn sincere praise from 10 strangers with "Golden Egg Fried Rice" (0/10). Quest Reward: Unlock "Warm Heart Porridge" recipe, +10 Heritage Points.]
Egg fried rice?
Xiaoyu's words from earlier suddenly popped into Lu Chen's mind: "Opening a snack shop would definitely work!"
An absurd idea gradually took shape.
Maybe… he really could give it a try?
[Reminder: The system has detected a suitable business location nearby. West City Night Market, stall for transfer, fully equipped, monthly rent 1500 yuan. Would you like to view details?]
Night market? Setting up a stall?
Before Lu Chen could react, Xiaoyu suddenly rolled over beside him and mumbled in her sleep:
"Brother-in-law… egg fried rice… extra green onions…"
He looked down at the girl's sleeping face, then at the faint golden system interface in his mind.
Outside the window, the sky was turning light.
A new day.
Maybe the first day of a whole new life.