Xiao Ning, the "Lab Rat"

Xiao Yan unexpectedly ran into his cousin Xiao Ning after returning to the Xiao Clan from Ruyi Zhai.

Seeing the paper-wrapped package in Xiao Yan's hands, Xiao Ning looked at him disdainfully and said in a sarcastic tone.

"Cousin Xiao Yan, even with Shop Owner Xiao's pastries helping you, how far can you possibly cultivate? You should learn how to do business instead. Heh heh."

Xiao Ning let out one last mocking laugh, brushed past Xiao Yan, and walked away.

Xiao Yan said nothing. He merely glanced back at Xiao Ning, gave a derisive snort, and returned to his room to cultivate.

Although his current strength could not compare to Xiao Ning's, diligence could make up for shortcomings.

If others put in one part effort into cultivation, he would put in ten. If others put in ten parts effort, he would put in a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand. He refused to believe that he would remain weak.

Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Yan ate the pastries and entered a cultivation state.

Xiao Ning was in an excellent mood today. After eating the Peach Pastry and Honeyed Shortbread, both his Dou Qi and physique had improved. Moreover, he vaguely sensed that if he continued at this pace, he would soon break through to the Dou Zhe realm. When the Coming-of-Age Ceremony arrived, he would definitely make Xiao Yan lose all face.

After arriving at Ruyi Zhai, he greeted Xiao Cheng.

"Shop Owner Xiao, I'm here to buy pastries."

Xiao Cheng had just been debating whether to add Cream Cake to the menu. However, considering that his shop still needed to draw more customers, he simply placed the finished Cream Cake inside a Glass Cover as advertisement.

Inside the Glass Cover, the cake's cream would not dry out, and the fruit would not lose its flavor, so he left it there.

As for the Cream Cake's price, he had asked Xiao Dian. The lousy system had said that since it was a pastry he had made himself, he could set the price as he pleased. Then there was nothing more.

This made Xiao Cheng realize that he had assumed Xiao Dian set the prices for every pastry it made. It turned out that he could price pastries he innovated and made himself, while only system-produced pastries were priced and sold by the system.

In the end, Xiao Cheng wrote on the wooden board: Cream Cake, one thousand Gold Coins each. Note: Must be reserved one day in advance; the preparation process is complicated.

He also stated the special condition that anyone wishing to buy a Cream Cake had to make a reservation.

Furthermore, to keep himself from spending the entire day making cakes, he added another rule: only three cake reservations would be accepted each day.

Just as he finished dealing with this matter, Xiao Ning arrived.

"Xiao Ning, you're here. What would you like?"

"Let me see. Eh! Shop Owner, you have a new pastry? It looks quite beautiful, like a work of art. How much is it?"

Xiao Ning suddenly spotted the Cream Cake inside the Glass Cover and could not help exclaiming in surprise.

"Look at the wooden board. Remember to read the conditions at the end."

"Oh, oh, understood."

When Xiao Ning saw the Cream Cake's price on the wooden board, his brows twitched, but he said nothing.

He continued reading the conditions. When he saw the reservation requirement, he was surprised for a moment, but once he read the explanation afterward, he understood everything.

After reading the conditions, Xiao Ning stood where he was, rubbing his chin as he pondered. More precisely, he was struggling over whether to reserve a Cream Cake or buy some Honeyed Shortbread instead.

"Honeyed Shortbread or Cream Cake, Cream Cake or Honeyed Shortbread, Honeyed Shortbread, Cream Cake... ah!"

Xiao Ning's head was spinning as he muttered the names of the two pastries.

Watching Xiao Ning agonize over whether to buy the Cream Cake or other pastries, Xiao Cheng could not help smiling.

I have nothing to say about this guy. He really is a bizarre rich fool.

After considering it for several minutes, Xiao Ning slapped his hand and said.

"Reserve a Cream Cake for me. Here are one thousand Gold Coins. I'll be generous this once. I'm going all out."

Xiao Ning's expression of heroic sacrifice left Xiao Cheng both amused and exasperated.

He could not help saying.

"I'm telling you, Xiao Ning, this Cream Cake has excellent effects. Don't worry, you definitely won't lose out."

Xiao Cheng gave Xiao Ning a mysterious smile, but inwardly, he was thinking about fleecing him once again.

"I trust that Shop Owner Xiao won't let me lose out. Then give me another ten pieces of Peach Pastry and three jin of Honeyed Shortbread."

Seeing Xiao Ning spend so lavishly, Xiao Cheng was overjoyed. He called him an idiot in his heart while amiably handing him the paper package of wrapped pastries.

Xiao Ning happily left the shop and returned to the Xiao Clan.

Watching Xiao Ning's retreating figure, Xiao Cheng said helplessly.

"So there are people in this other world who are dumb and rich too. Society really is going downhill. What does that have to do with me?"

The first person to reserve a Cream Cake had appeared. Xiao Cheng had originally planned to go to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for making the Cream Cake, but Master Gu Ni arrived at that moment.

Xiao Cheng was also rather surprised. He had just been about to seek out someone from the Mittel Auction House, yet the man had come to him himself. What a coincidence.

"Shop Owner Xiao, has business been well lately? Miss Ya Fei is very concerned about your shop."

Gu Ni spoke respectfully.

"Business has been fine. By the way, thank you for helping me out."

He also took the opportunity to thank Ya Fei.

"No need to be so formal. After all, cooperation between our Mittel Auction House and Ruyi Zhai is beneficial to both sides."

Gu Ni said with a smile.

"That's true. As it happens, I also want to cooperate with you, though the pastry involved won't be one from my shop. It's a new pastry I developed yesterday."

"Oh, a new pastry?"

"Yes, this Cream Cake inside the Glass Cover." Xiao Cheng gestured for Gu Ni to come closer and take a look.

Gu Ni stepped closer to the Glass Cover and was immediately surprised. This Cream Cake looked beautiful and was truly pleasing to the eye.

"I wonder what sort of cooperation Shop Owner Xiao has in mind?"

Xiao Cheng snapped his fingers.

"Then I'll get straight to the point. I'll provide two Cream Cakes every seven days. If I'm busy, I might provide only one. You can auction them with a starting price of one thousand Gold Coins, but you must purchase my Cream Cakes at the original price."

Gu Ni thought for a moment before asking suspiciously.

"Does this Cream Cake have any effects?"

Xiao Cheng shook his head.

"I don't know what effects the pastries I make myself have either, but they should not be bad."

Gu Ni nearly toppled over. Was he really this casual about it?

Wiping away nonexistent sweat from his forehead, Gu Ni smiled awkwardly and said.

"I'll have to return and discuss this with Miss Ya Fei first. I'll be leaving now, then."

"I see. Take care. I won't see you out."

After Gu Ni left, Xiao Cheng smiled helplessly and thought.

Miss Mittel Ya Fei will probably agree. As long as the Cream Cake's effects are discovered, word will surely reach the Mite'er Family in the Imperial Capital soon. Then I can begin deeper cooperation with the Mite'er Family.

But that was only his own speculation. He did not know whether Ya Fei would agree, so he would simply let things take their course.

Seeing that no one else was coming, he returned to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for the Cream Cake.

After all, making a Cream Cake took quite a long time.

Unfortunately, he did not know what miraculous effect the Cream Cake would have. Poor Xiao Ning became the first lab rat to try it.

Still, Xiao Cheng was confident that it would not kill anyone. Ahem.

What Xiao Cheng did not know, however, was that this single Cream Cake would allow Xiao Ning to soar in a single step and advance into a Two-star Dou Zhe.

Of course, that happened later.