“Heh heh...”

The young man heard Brian Cooper say the price was correct and thought to himself, No wonder there’s not a single customer—he must think people are idiots. 188 for a plate of egg fried rice? Seeing Brian Cooper looking at him like he was the fool, he turned and left. I’d rather wait in line elsewhere than be treated like a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

Brian Cooper was cursing in his heart too. How is this price expensive! The ingredients are imperial supply—ordinary people couldn’t get them anywhere else but here. If he could, he’d say it was the legendary Xiangshui rice, but the reality is, how would he have imperial supply rice? That’s not something he could explain, so Brian Cooper could only hold it in.

The sign hanging at the door did its job—more people came. This time, a man in business attire walked in, a briefcase tucked under his arm, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking every bit the elite professional.

This elite man was a white-collar worker from the office building behind the street. Despite his successful appearance and easy job, earning tens of thousands a month, he was strictly managed by his wife. He handed over his salary every month and only got 200 yuan as pocket money. Usually, he went home for lunch, but since his wife was on a two-day business trip starting last night, she gave him an extra 200 for lunch. So here he was, eating out.

But the elite man, who hadn’t eaten out at noon for a long time, forgot how crowded restaurants could get at lunchtime. It was hard to find a quiet street, and this place seemed to have the fewest people. Although there was no signboard, it did say it served egg fried rice, so he walked in without hesitation.

Once inside, he found the environment quite nice—few chairs, few people, only the owner, with green plants blooming on either side. The decor was simple and tasteful, the tables were natural wood color, much better than those greasy, dirty-looking ones elsewhere.

Seeing the elite man looking around with a satisfied expression, Brian Cooper felt confident enough to ask, “Here for egg fried rice?”

“You only have egg fried rice?” the elite man asked, sitting on a clean high stool.

“Yes, and the price list is on the wall,” Brian Cooper replied calmly.

The elite man turned to look. First, he noticed the words “price list” were written in calligraphy—bold and powerful, very well done. Then he noticed the price of the egg fried rice, and was immediately shocked.

“188? Rubles or yen?” The elite man hadn’t expected they’d accept foreign currency here. He wondered if they took RMB. Judging by the owner’s appearance, maybe he was Japanese, so he asked.

“The price list says RMB. We don’t accept foreign currency here,” Brian Cooper replied calmly.

“188 RMB?” The elite man calmly raised his hand to adjust his glasses.

“What? Can’t afford 188?” Seeing the elite man stand up, Brian Cooper deliberately put on a “if you can’t afford it, don’t eat” attitude.

“Who says I... Right, I can’t afford it.”

The elite man first looked indignant, then his momentum faltered, and he quickly walked out of the shop, as if Brian Cooper was running some kind of rip-off joint.

As he walked, he thought, If my wife finds out I spent 188 on a plate of egg fried rice, she’ll skin me alive. He quickened his pace at the thought.

All this left Brian Cooper speechless. Weren’t there supposed to be plenty of fools in the world, but not enough swindlers? Heaven, you lied to me!

Chapter 12: Bizarre Rules

David Clark was driving while talking on the phone via Bluetooth. The streets were crowded at noon, so he had to watch the road carefully while also giving directions, multitasking with practiced ease.

“Monkey, turn left up ahead. I’ll be waiting for you two at the shop entrance.” Seeing they were almost there, David Clark gave the final directions and carefully drove into the small street.

“Hey, I’m telling you, you dragged us all the way out here—if the food isn’t good, you’d better be ready to call me grandpa!” On the other end, stuck in traffic, Monkey was out of patience and could only hope that the place David Clark found was really worth it.

“Don’t worry, just hurry up and bring Alex with you.” David Clark parked the car, saw Brian Cooper had already come out, waved at him, and then hung up.

Monkey and Alex, who were looking for the street, exchanged a glance.

The two of them had met in a foodie group that David Clark had joined. Everyone was always recommending good food, so they often went out to eat together. David Clark had hit it off with them these past two days, and of course, good things had to be shared with good friends. As for whether this was a trap, David Clark would never admit it—after all, the egg fried rice really was super delicious, except for those rules.

“You really think there’s such amazing egg fried rice?” Monkey, true to his name, was skinny with long arms, but his face was decent and his short hair made him look energetic. He was the first to speak.

“Maybe.” Alex replied nonchalantly, looking like he hadn’t woken up yet.

Monkey glanced at the bleary-eyed Alex. “Don’t tell me you didn’t sleep again last night? Still got a cold?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Focus on driving, we’re almost there.” Alex ran a hand through his hair, his tall frame slouched in the passenger seat. He glanced at the road ahead and gave a reminder.

“Like I need you to tell me. Don’t fall asleep, we’re almost there.” Monkey made a stylish turn into the small street, looking left and right for David Clark’s car.

“There it is.” He drove up and parked right next to David Clark’s car, the two cars so close they almost touched, but not a scratch—clearly a parking pro.