Chapter 1: Setting up a stall! Making money!

Su Xiaonuan looked at her baby face in the mirror and sighed.

Standing at 1.56 meters tall, with naturally curly brown hair, big, bright eyes, and wearing a loose hoodie with a cartoon cat print... you could easily mistake her for a high school student.

In reality, she has a very strong fist and can beat ten high school students.

Just yesterday, she said goodbye to the Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) ring where she had poured out countless drops of sweat, and felt empty inside.

What do I want to do in the future? I don't know.

Lying down? I'd like to, but my wallet won't allow it.

Just as she was worrying, a cold, mechanical voice exploded in her mind without warning.

[Ding! Suitable host detected. 'Hunter of Sins Gourmet Food Encyclopedia System' is binding... Binding successful!]

[Received 1 Upgradeable All-Purpose Food Cart (Already parked in the open space downstairs)]

[New Player Task: Within 24 hours, successfully set up a stall near People's Park in the city center and sell 10 Supreme Jianbing Guozi (Chinese crepes). Initial starting capital: 50,000 yuan.]

[Task Reward: 100 Merit Points. Unlocks the complete recipe and preparation process for 'Supreme Jianbing Guozi'.]

[Mission Failed: All of the host's existing culinary talents will be revoked, and the host's weight will randomly increase by 5-10 kilograms.]

Su Xiaonuan was stunned.

She looked at the 50,000 yuan suddenly added to her mobile bank account, then peeked down at the seemingly ordinary three-wheeled food stall downstairs, her feelings a complex mix that was hard to describe.

Wait, what's with this system? Forcing people to set up stalls? And the penalties for failure are so vicious? Taking back cooking skills is one thing, but what's with the weight gain?!

She disagrees!

Resistance was futile.

Then the system interface popped up right in front of her, and a cold countdown began to tick: 23:59:59.

Fine, you win.

Su Xiaonuan ground her back teeth, pocketed the 50,000 yuan "start-up capital," and rushed to the wholesale market to purchase all kinds of ingredients required by the system: premium wheat flour, farm-raised eggs, branded cooking oil, and various seasonings and ingredients that looked expensive.

The system didn't completely wash its hands of the matter; it poured all the knowledge about "Supreme Jianbing Guozi" into her brain.

The perfect ratio of batter, the secret recipe for sweet bean sauce, the precise frying temperature for the crispy crust... all of this made her dizzy, yet inexplicably she felt... it actually tasted pretty good?

As evening falls, the city lights begin to twinkle.

The intersection next to People's Park gradually became lively, with white-collar workers leaving work, elderly people taking a stroll, and students laughing and playing, filling the area with a vibrant atmosphere.

Su Xiaonuan's little tricycle was timidly squeezed between a shoe repair stall and an old lady selling socks, looking particularly inconspicuous.

A small blackboard was hanging on the front of the vehicle, with the words "Jianbing Guozi, 8 yuan/serving" written crookedly in chalk.

Wearing the cartoon apron, she took a deep breath and began her first ever hawking.

"Um... Jianbing Guozi, delicious Jianbing Guozi..." The voice was soft and delicate, as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and was instantly drowned out by the noisy crowd.

As expected, no one paid any attention.

Su Xiaonuan was a little frustrated and picked at her fingernails.

I've never been this nervous before, not even during a competition.

【Please operate actively, host! Neglecting your duties will trigger a penalty mechanism!】The system coldly warned.

Just then, three slovenly figures swaggered over, their lewd eyes scanning her stall and her body.

The leader was a blond-haired man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Hey little sister, new here?" The blond-haired guy blew a smoke ring and tapped the tricycle's sideboard with his finger. "Don't you know the rules? This area is under my protection."

Su Xiaonuan raised her head, a hint of panic flashing in her big eyes: "Wh...what rules?"

"Protection fee!" A short, fat henchman chuckled. "One hundred a day, and I'll keep you safe. Otherwise..." He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.

Normally, Su Xiaonuan's fists would have already made intimate contact with their faces.

But having just retired and now bound to a broken system, she just wanted to keep the peace.

She took out her wallet and whispered, "I haven't made a single sale today, could you give me a discount..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" The blond-haired man slammed his hand on the car door impatiently, startling the old man repairing shoes next to him. "One hundred, not a penny less! I'll give you a discount since you're young, but you have to pay for a month first!"

Three thousand yuan? Why don't you just rob someone?

Su Xiaonuan's eyes turned cold for a moment, but she quickly lowered her gaze again, slowly opening her wallet as if counting money.

The blond-haired man smugly approached and reached out to take the money.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the banknote—

"oops!"

Su Xiaonuan seemed to have accidentally tripped over the handlebars, cried out in surprise, and fell forward in a seemingly weak and powerless manner, her elbow "just right" hitting Huang Mao's stomach.

"Ugh—!" Caught off guard, the blond-haired man's eyes bulged out instantly, his stomach churned, and he knelt down clutching his stomach, retching incessantly.

"Big Brother!" The two henchmen were taken aback.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Su Xiaonuan stood up straight, her face full of "panic" and "innocence," her little hands waving repeatedly.

"You son of a bitch—" the short, fat henchman cursed and reached out to grab her.

Su Xiaonuan seemed to shrink back in fear, her foot slipped, and the thin heel of her high heel (don't ask why she wore high heels while setting up a stall, it's just the system's initial equipment) "precisely" stepped on the toes of another follower.

"Agh!!!" The screams were comparable to those of a pig being slaughtered.

At the same time, she frantically tried to grab something, and her elbow, seemingly unintentionally, slammed into the nose of her short, fat follower.

"Crack!" A soft, crisp sound.

"Ouch! My nose!"

In the blink of an eye, in less than three seconds.

The three thugs lay on the ground in various bizarre positions, crying and wailing.

Su Xiaonuan stood there, covering her mouth with her little hand, her eyes wide open, as if she was stunned by what she saw. Her baby face was full of helplessness: "W-what happened to you? Are you okay? Should we call an ambulance?"

The commotion here finally attracted attention.

A tall man in a black jacket, who had just finished get off work, happened to pass by and frowned.

His eyes were sharp; he immediately recognized the three as local thugs, but... why were they lying on the ground? And what about the stall owner who looked terrified?

He strode over, flashing his badge: "Police. What's going on?"

His voice was deep and powerful.

Su Xiaonuan looked up and her heart skipped a beat.

The man was very tall, at least 1.85 meters, with broad shoulders, long legs, deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and a taut jawline. He exuded a cold and righteous aura.

The identification document reads: "Criminal Investigation Division, Municipal Public Security Bureau, Lu Zheng."

Oh no, I just set up my stall and the police showed up? Will the system register my mission as a failure?

Lu Zheng's gaze swept over the three people groaning on the ground, finally landing on Su Xiaonuan with a scrutinizing look: "Did you do this?"

Su Xiaonuan shook her head vigorously, her voice soft and tearful: "It wasn't me! It wasn't me! Officer, they just suddenly fell down! Maybe...maybe the ground was too slippery?"

Lu Zheng: "..."