Snack Street, Huo Yuhao's Grilled Fish

On the balcony, the freshly washed clothes swayed gently on the rack, the water droplets falling from the hems like the passage of time.

It was nearing evening.

Su Ling woke up, shaking his head slightly to dispel the lingering grogginess.

He pulled on his freshman uniform and gave his hair two quick swipes, resulting in a perfect wolf-cut mullet.

Hearing the rustling, Wang Dong exited her meditative state and opened her eyes to look over.

"Are you heading out?"

"Yes, going to get something to eat."

"That works out perfectly, I'm hungry too. Let's go together."

Su Ling straightened his collar, glanced at his shoulder, and chuckled, "You washed it very clean. Let's go, my treat—consider it a reward."

"Yay! I want two portions!"

Watching Su Ling's sharp, well-defined profile, Wang Dong felt a surge of delight. She tidied herself up briefly and followed him out the door.

They arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria.

The doors were tightly shut, with a notice posted to the side.

Wang Dong walked up to take a closer look, then rolled her eyes in speechlessness, "What is this? Why is the academy cafeteria undergoing renovations at a time like this!"

"Forget it, Su Ling, let's head outside the academy. I heard there's a food street out there."

Wang Dong returned to Su Ling's side, looking rather helpless; they had spent the entire day running in class, and she really didn't want to walk any further than necessary.

"Fine," Su Ling nodded.

The two walked side by side toward the academy gate.

Along the way, Wang Dong chattered on, complaining incessantly.

"Su Ling, you have no idea how twisted that old hag Zhou Yi is. The first lesson was just running training—a full hundred laps! And in the afternoon, we even had to run while wearing iron vests for extra weight. It exhausted me to death."

"And that twisted old hag is always threatening to expel students. She doesn't give anyone a second chance; she just kicks them out without a word of explanation!"

"What about Huo Yuhao?" Su Ling asked, interjecting.

Currently, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong held a mutual dislike for one another, so the plot from the original story where Wang Dong took the initiative to help him would not occur.

Su Ling was curious: without Wang Dong's help, could Huo Yuhao rely on his own efforts to remain at Shrek?

"Him? He's a tough nut to crack, I'll give him that. He ignored the strain on his body and forced himself to finish all the laps. He ended up covered in injuries. If that old witch Zhou hadn't called over a healing-type teacher, that idiot probably would have been crippled."

Hearing this, Su Ling smiled and said, "Although Huo Yuhao's talent is mediocre, his character is tenacious and his perseverance is astonishing. Even I fall short in that regard."

This was the truth. Although the Huo Yuhao of the original story was a Child of Destiny with numerous cheats and opportunities, his eventual achievements were inseparable from his own hard work.

Su Ling acknowledged his perseverance.

"Pfft, with his level eleven soul power, what good is perseverance? He probably won't even pass the freshman assessment in three months."

Wang Dong disagreed, thinking Su Ling was only speaking well of Huo Yuhao because he was his lackey. In her eyes, that idiot wasn't worth a single strand of Su Ling's hair.

Thinking of this, she scanned Su Ling up and down, her tone turning slightly sour.

"Tsk tsk, come to think of it, someone is quite charming. On the very first day of class, two pretty female students specifically sought me out to ask about you, and one of them even transferred from the class next door."

Listening to Wang Dong's snide remarks, Su Ling laughed and waved a hand, not bothering to be modest.

"That is, without a doubt, true."

Su Ling's base model was already excellent, and with the passive bonus of his Charm Aura, his attraction to the opposite sex went without saying—he was born with a natural favorability buff.

"Ugh, so narcissistic..."

Wang Dong rolled her eyes and pouted.

But she had to admit, whether it was his looks or his personal charisma, even she couldn't find a single flaw in Su Ling, let alone the other girls on the Douluo Continent.

Su Ling was essentially a walking male succubus!

No way, I laid claim to Su Ling first! A guy this outstanding will definitely be surrounded by beauties in the future! I'm the daughter of a God King; how could I ever share a husband with other women!

Watching Su Ling's sleeves flutter as he walked with a brisk, confident stride, Wang Dong's pink-blue eyes flickered, and the corners of her mouth curled upward slightly.

Shrek Academy East Gate.

Su Ling and Wang Dong arrived here side by side.

A scent of cumin and the smoky aroma of street food wafted toward them. Su Ling looked out to see the road outside the East Gate crowded with vendors, their cries filling the air.

"Wow, it smells so good!"

Wang Dong's eyes lit up. She abandoned Su Ling and dashed excitedly toward a barbecue stall, beginning to point out what she wanted.

Seeing this, Su Ling took a few Gold Soul Coins from his Sumeru Ring and walked over to her.

"Here, take these. You decide what you want and buy it yourself; I'm going to look around."

"Mm-hmm, go ahead, go ahead."

After parting ways with Wang Dong.

Su Ling strolled leisurely, his gaze sweeping over the stalls on both sides from time to time as if he were shopping.

Seeing Su Ling's gaze fall upon them, the vendors immediately began to shout excitedly, doing their utmost to promote their delicious goods.

In their eyes, Su Ling was wearing a Shrek uniform, looked handsome, and possessed an elegant temperament; he was clearly someone who wasn't short on money.

A few senior Shrek sisters running their own stalls even offered free samples, acting incredibly enthusiastic and claiming they just wanted to get to know him.

Su Ling smiled and shook his head in polite refusal; he didn't like owing favors, even trivial ones like these.

Moreover, Huo Yuhao was selling grilled fish right now, and in the original plot, Jiang Nannan would appear as well.

He wanted to see this so-called "Number One Beauty of the Outer Court" for himself, and secondly, to taste the Huo Yuhao grilled fish that had been famous for ten thousand years.

It didn't take long for Su Ling to find Huo Yuhao.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao was grilling fish intently, while Tang Ya was busy helping him shout for customers while eating a piece of grilled fish herself. A long line had formed in front of the stall.

Seeing this, Su Ling civilly joined the back of the line.

A thick, rich aroma drifted through the air, stimulating everyone's taste buds; Su Ling could even hear the occasional sound of people swallowing their saliva in the queue.

Sure enough, Huo Yuhao's grilled fish lived up to its reputation.

People kept arriving, drawn by the scent, and there was no shortage of repeat customers who returned to the back of the line after finishing their first fish.

The line soon reached Su Ling.

"Yuhao, two grilled fish, please."

Hearing a familiar voice, Huo Yuhao, who had been looking down at the grill, paused and jerked his head up.

"Big Brother Su Ling!"

Huo Yuhao exclaimed in surprise, and Tang Ya, who was enjoying her meal nearby, also looked over at the sound.

"Junior Su! It really is you!" Tang Ya's face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly pulled Su Ling to the side.

"Given our relationship, do you really need to queue for grilled fish? Right, little Yuhao?"

"Mm-hmm." Huo Yuhao nodded repeatedly in agreement, feeling a wave of regret inside; how could he have not noticed?

He had actually let Big Brother Su Ling wait in line at his own grilled fish stall—he, Huo Yuhao, was truly a fool!

"Hehe, there's no need for that. Business is business; I can't take the back door just because we know each other. That would be unfair to the other customers. Yuhao, here, two grilled fish."

Su Ling smiled and handed over two Gold Soul Coins.

"No need, Big Brother Su Ling, I'll treat you. You've helped me so much, how could I possibly take your money?" Huo Yuhao waved his hands repeatedly.

"One thing at a time. If you don't take the money, I won't have the face to come to your stall anymore." Su Ling feigned displeasure.

"But Big Brother Su Ling, the grilled fish is only five copper coins each; two Gold Soul Coins is way too much."

"It's fine. Keep it with you; just deduct the cost as I eat. Take it."

Seeing that he couldn't sway Su Ling, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to accept the money, a sense of warmth rising in his heart.

He lowered his head and began to grill the fish, his expression focused; he was going to make the most delicious grilled fish for Big Brother Su Ling!