Divorced and Determined: The CEO’s Ex-Wife Fights for Love

Chapter 53 Terrifying Popularity, Overshadowing the Music Festival!

At Tianhong Plaza, the music festival hadn’t even started yet. The staff were still busy setting up and adjusting the equipment. The audience, eager to attend, had already filled the entire plaza. It was bustling, crowded, and full of excitement.

Nearby snack stalls, Snowman Ice City, and fruit stands were doing a booming business. Most of the people attending the music festival were young men and women, the prime customers for snacks and milk tea.

But the hottest spot by far was a stir-fried noodle stall on Linjiang Street. No one really knew why, but somehow, the line to buy noodles had grown incredibly long. The crowd waiting for their food was terrifying, with over 50 people in line!

The vendors selling fried skewers, spicy chicken, and stinky tofu next door were completely baffled. What was going on? They were selling popular, classic snacks—always in demand! How could they be outdone by a stir-fried noodle stall today?

Still, judging by the aroma, the noodles were really something. The young stall owner clearly had some serious cooking skills!

No, strong cooking skills! It seemed he was also frying up pork belly, and the smell was irresistible.

But seriously, who sells such a hearty dish like stir-fried pork belly at a street stall?

The people at the front of the line were seasoned customers, die-hard foodies with an impressive ability to devour meals. They made sure to order everything on Lu Qin’s menu. Especially the limited items like crystal cake, twice-cooked pork, and chicken tofu—those were absolute must-haves!

“So this is chicken tofu? It looks pretty good!” One customer said as they opened their container, and other curious people gathered around to take a look.

Inside the simple plastic box was a dish of tofu, smooth and white like jade, sitting in golden, fragrant broth. The presentation was excellent.

“Hurry up and try it—how does it taste?” Someone urged.

The customer swallowed hard and took a small bite while everyone else watched intently.

“It’s delicious! The flavor is really unique!” The customer exclaimed.

The broth was clear and fresh, like a spring from the mountains. The chicken tofu, with its pure white color, was tender, melting in the mouth with a lingering, exquisite taste. Unable to resist, the customer took a second bite.

“It’s incredibly tasty!”

Eating the chicken tofu, the customer felt like their soul had been elevated. Lu Qin’s cooking skills had reached their peak, and the dish was delicately rich, with a flavor that was hard to come by. This was a rare and extraordinary taste experience!

The expressions of the surrounding crowd said it all—they could tell it was good just by watching. Sure enough, anything made by Boss Lu was nothing short of amazing.

The customer finished their chicken tofu and, licking their lips, still craved more.

“Boss Lu, this chicken tofu is incredible! Can I get another portion?”

“You’re dreaming! It’s one per person!” Someone in line retorted.

“Exactly, you’ve already had yours. Move along, it’s our turn!”

“Hey, wait! I haven’t gotten my noodles and crystal cake yet!” The customer exclaimed.

As soon as the new dish, chicken tofu, made its debut, the crowd waiting in line grew even more excited.

“I want a chicken tofu too!”

“I’ve never had it before. I’m lucky to get to try it today!”

“I saw this on TV! It was on A Bite of Longguo—they said something about ‘eating chicken but seeing no chicken, eating meat but seeing no meat.’ It’s a complex dish to make, but when done right, it’s absolutely delicious!”

“Boss Lu is a genius! Everything he makes is top-tier!”

“Boss Lu is a legend!”

More and more customers gathered at Lu Qin’s stall, while the nearby vendors had fewer and fewer people. Customers from the Penguin group chat were showing up one after another. Meanwhile, the festival-goers, both men and women, suddenly noticed that there was a huge crowd gathered at one corner of the riverside street, and the atmosphere was electric.

“Look over there! There are so many people—could there be a celebrity?”

“Let’s go check it out!”

“Wait, it looks like it’s just a food stall. But wow, it’s really popular!”

As the crowd grew larger, more and more people gathered. To an outsider, it might seem like a celebrity or famous singer had just arrived on the scene. Meanwhile, Lu Qin continued stir-frying his signature twice-cooked pork in the wok, and the enticing aroma was driving the customers in line wild.

“Boss Lu, is it ready yet? I’m starving over here!”

“It’s done,” Lu Qin replied, packaging the twice-cooked pork.

“Let me help with the packing, Boss! You keep cooking—I’ve still got three orders of stir-fried noodles to pick up!” The customer paid by scanning the QR code, grabbed the twice-cooked pork, and then pulled out a container of their own white rice.

“Holy moly! Genius! You can’t eat twice-cooked pork without rice!”

“Hey, young man, can I buy a bowl of your rice? I’ll pay!”

“Boss Lu, I tried to recreate your twice-cooked pork at home after watching the video I filmed yesterday, but it tasted worlds apart!”

“Twice-cooked pork looks simple, but it’s actually very tricky!”

“Ever since I tasted Boss Lu’s twice-cooked pork, I can’t stomach it at any other restaurant!”

Under the bright sunlight, beside the riverside railings, a man took alternating bites of twice-cooked pork and white rice, drawing a crowd of onlookers. Some people even began drooling as they watched. Other street snacks like stinky tofu and spicy chicken skewers suddenly lost their appeal.

Word also spread that Lu Qin’s stall had refreshing iced mung bean drinks that were even better than the popular ‘Farewell My Concubine’ milk tea!

In no time, Lu Qin’s stall completely dominated the street’s business. His stall was so popular that it even overshadowed the upcoming music festival.

With just ten minutes until the performance was set to begin, the host had planned to do some audience interaction but found the crowd sparse. Confused, the host looked around and was stunned.

A massive group of people had gathered around a food stall, stretching all the way down the street. Even the cameraman shifted his focus, aiming the camera at Lu Qin’s stall.

Among the crowd were familiar faces—Mr. Luo Xi, Chen Dahai, Fang Ya, Song Xuanxuan, Ma Dejun, and the wife of Xingguang Kindergarten’s security guard—all waiting patiently in line.

Fang Ya had thought about cutting in, but seeing the sheer number of people, she quickly gave up, knowing it was impossible. Cutting in line would only result in a barrage of complaints from other customers.

At that moment, Shen Muyan, who was in the middle of a meeting, felt her phone vibrate twice. Glancing at it to make sure she wasn’t missing any important work-related messages, she saw that both Fang Ya and Song Xuanxuan had sent her the same photo.

In the photo, taken from above, a long, winding line of people was shown. Their anxious expressions were clear, and some even appeared to be salivating. The message of the photo was unmistakable—This place was on fire.

At the end of the line stood a humble three-wheeler food cart, where a handsome man was stir-frying noodles. This was the first time Shen Muyan had seen Lu Qin at work, cooking in public. He looked so focused, so dedicated. His movements were skillful, exuding an invisible charm that naturally drew people’s attention.

“President Shen?” Someone called out, breaking her concentration. For the first time during a meeting, Shen Muyan had lost her focus. Her flawless, stunning face briefly showed a flicker of change before quickly returning to her usual calm, as if nothing had happened. She resumed the meeting without a hitch.

Back at the music festival, a vibrant young woman wearing a white baseball cap, pink sunglasses, and red-green braided hair appeared in the crowd. She, too, had been drawn over by the irresistible scent coming from Lu Qin’s food stall. Being a true foodie, she couldn’t resist trying out whatever smelled good.

“Looks like I came to the right place!” She said to herself, scanning the long line. “This stir-fried noodle stall must be amazing if so many people are waiting!”

However, the line was ridiculously long, and she estimated it would take at least an hour to get to the front. Unwilling to wait, she stopped a man who had just bought his food.

With a sweet voice, she asked, “Hey, handsome, could you share some of your food with me?”

“What? Share with you? I waited almost half an hour for this! No way!” The man said firmly.

Undeterred, she tried again, this time pulling out her sincerest plea.

“Please, I really want to try it!”

“Want to eat it? Then get in line! Everything’s limited, so I can’t give you any!” The next customer snapped.

She sighed and decided it was time to pull out her trump card. Spotting a girl who had just bought her meal, she approached with a playful smirk. Lifting her cap slightly and lowering her sunglasses, she revealed her face.

The girl gasped, then her expression instantly turned to one of excitement and disbelief.

“Li Xue!!!”