A middle-aged man, who had just entered the restaurant, had his eyes light up upon smelling the aroma. He walked directly over and asked, "How much is a bowl of noodles?"
"I'm sorry, this is something I made for my cub, not from the restaurant."
Lu Mingming nodded apologetically and proceeded to arrange the tableware for the little tiger one by one, even putting a new bib around its neck.
The little creature had woken up when Lu Mingming arrived. It proudly raised its head, waiting for Lu Mingming to come to its side. It had no doubt about Lu Mingming's victory.
The noodles on the table emitted a fragrant aroma. Finely shredded wood ear mushrooms and chicken were placed on the bright white noodles. The soup was dotted with a few drops of clear oil, making it look very appetizing. The surrounding customers wished they could ignore the heat and grab a chopstickful of noodles to stuff into their mouths.
Unfortunately, no one dared.
Lu Mingming picked up a chopstickful of noodles, carefully blew on it to cool it, and offered it to the little tiger's mouth. The little creature, which usually gobbled it down in one bite, shook its head and refused today. Its soft, furry paws pushed against Lu Mingming's hand. Confused, Lu Mingming only understood the little tiger's intention when the chopsticks were turned towards her own mouth – it was worried she was hungry and wanted her to eat first.
Lu Mingming's eyes were filled with gentleness and relief. She didn't refuse the kind gesture and took the first bite.
The noodles were very chewy and smooth. The shredded chicken, as a side dish mixed with the noodles, added a bit of resilience. The rich chicken broth scalded her tongue. Lu Mingming blew on it, then picked up another mouthful of noodles and offered it to the little creature's mouth. "You're still young, you can't go hungry. I already ate in the kitchen."
Upon hearing this, the little tiger finally relaxed and accepted Lu Mingming's feeding.
The onlookers showed no signs of dispersing. More customers entering the restaurant were drawn in, and they came forward one after another to ask what was happening.
"Did you smell that? I bet it's something made by a top-tier animal caretaker, called shredded chicken soup noodles."
"Does anyone actually eat chicken? It's stinky and fishy! You guys are so boring, I feel like throwing up just smelling that."
The onlookers, who hadn't witnessed Lu Mingming's earlier conflict with the caretaker, quickly expressed their doubts after their initial remark: "Could it be that the boss hired someone to promote it?"
Those who had been watching the entire process from the beginning complained indignantly, "Promote what? Can you find a mid-level or high-level animal caretaker on Xingfu Planet to take a look?"
The man snorted, "A bunch of ignorant people. What's so good about a bowl of lousy noodles? Back in the day, I ate all sorts of delicacies on the main planet!"
Seeing that the crowd in the back was about to start arguing, the animal caretaker walked out of the kitchen. He had clearly composed himself. Even though he was supposed to have lost the bet, he didn't show any obvious signs of disappointment.
The animal caretaker frowned and reprimanded, "Sir, please do not cause trouble in the restaurant."
The man continued to pick a fight, "Oh, you really think you're the best restaurant on Xingfu Planet? You're trying to kick me out now? Do you believe I'll give you a bad review on the reservation list?"
Other customers booed him together, "Go away, go away! If you don't like the food, go find a high-end star-rated hotel on the main planet yourself."
Seeing this, the man was about to argue further, but was interrupted by a loud female voice from the entrance: "What's going on? I rarely come to inspect the shop, and I didn't expect it to be so lively. Those who are here to argue and make noise, hurry up and leave. Don't interfere with the owner's business."
Lu Mingming looked up and met a pair of gentle eyes, with charming features and sparkling with a starry brilliance, exuding extreme tenderness, as if they were the clouds of the horizon shattered.
The woman had neat short hair, fiery red lips, and wore a distressed denim skirt. She was tall and slender, with a sharp and handsome appearance, and her exposed arms were covered with firm and smooth muscle curves. Behind her, she swayed a thick tail, very much like a lion's tail.
She squeezed through the long queue, an air of laziness inexplicably gracing her face. A mocking smile played on her lips, and she boldly stopped in front of the table. Her gaze met the man's for a moment, until he, unable to withstand the mental pressure, sheepishly averted his eyes.
"Hello, I'm Jasmine."
Jasmine? Lu Mingming recalled that she had a loyal viewer who was also called Jasmine. It couldn't be that coincidental, right?
Subconsciously dismissing this possibility, Lu Mingming put aside her thoughts and replied friendly,
"Hello, my name is Lu Mingming."
Jasmine heard the familiar name. Without revealing any emotion, she glanced at the little tiger again. On the surface, she appeared calm, but inwardly she was secretly clapping with joy.
Initially, she wasn't sure if the animal caretaker was referring to that streamer. Now that she saw the person in real life, she finally felt relieved. Unfortunately, it wasn't the right time to reveal their relationship.
"Is there anything I can help you with? I am the area manager for this district and am here to inspect the shop today."
Lu Mingming couldn't help but wonder if it was her imagination, but the woman's tone felt much gentler and carried an inexplicable sense of closeness.
"Nothing much, I was just making a bowl of shredded chicken soup noodles for my own little one."
What are shredded chicken soup noodles? The stream hadn't featured this dish!
Jasmine subconsciously glanced at the tabletop. The little tiger, having just finished grooming, looked up and met her gaze. Its icy blue eyes were like ancient, unmoving glaciers. Jasmine involuntarily trembled slightly, not daring to move, and fearing that her unease would be detected, she stiffly turned her head back.
Usually, in the live streams, Jasmine hadn't felt the little tiger's peculiarity so intensely. She only knew it was an extremely rare hybrid white tiger and once thought this little tiger was both pitiful and fortunate. Seeing it today, reality had completely overturned all of Jasmine's perceptions.
Based on her years of experience in the military, this little tiger's mental power was even stronger than that of her S-class instructor! It was a powerful and suffocating pressure. If faced directly, it would surely be an insurmountable mountain! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Jasmine had only experienced this level of terrifying power when she secretly looked up during military exercises, attempting to spy on the heir of the Alliance – Tangyuan was definitely not an ordinary little tiger. So, what was its purpose in staying by Mingming's side so peacefully?
Jasmine coughed lightly, feigning her discomfort, and quickly changed the subject. She secretly resolved to tell Lu Mingming about this dangerous matter as soon as possible.
"It's indeed very well done. If I hired you for my company and offered you a salary of one million per year, would you be willing?"
A million annual salary was definitely a satisfactory compensation for an animal caretaker without a qualification certificate.
A million?!
Lu Mingming, who currently had only a meager thirty thousand in savings, was greatly surprised. She tentatively replied, "Does your company desperately need animal caretakers? But I don't have a qualification certificate, and I don't have much time at the moment."
Even though she was politely refused, Jasmine wasn't angry, as she hadn't held out much hope in the first place.
Jasmine took out a silver card from her personal space. The phone number and optical brain ID were made of special materials, allowing Lu Mingming to contact her private number at any time.
"Let's add each other as friends. If you need help in the future, you can come to me."
"Thank you for your kindness, but for the time being, I will continue to live freely with my little cub."
Lu Mingming took the silver card and hugged the little tiger, scratching its chin playfully with her fingertips. The little creature couldn't help but emit a purring sound, which made Jasmine's eyes turn green with envy.
She had experienced this feeling in the live streams and knew how comfortable it was!
Damn it, if only she wasn't old, and even if she transformed into her beast form, she wouldn't resemble a cub. She would have pretended to be an injured little one and run to Lu Mingming's side to enjoy it.
At this moment, Jasmine did not realize that later, someone would indeed do just that and succeed.
"It's okay, we can chat normally."
Jasmine showed her goodwill to the greatest extent possible, and Lu Mingming felt it. Therefore, she had a very good impression of the other party. After all, Lu Mingming didn't have any female friends in the interstellar world yet!
After happily bidding farewell to Jasmine, Lu Mingming took the little tiger home via the light cable.
After washing up, Lu Mingming took out the silver card from her bag and searched for the ID on her optical brain. A very formal dark blue page popped up. A profile picture of a jasmine flower was marked with a yellow V. The certification column read: Jasmine, Leader of Group D, Alliance Official Military.
Lu Mingming rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't mistaken, then immediately patted the little tiger's paw beside the pillow, exclaiming in surprise, "Jasmine is actually from the Alliance officials! Have I just met a big shot?"
A big shot? Isn't someone of my caliber more of a big shot?
The little tiger's face showed incomprehension. Its eyes were fixed on the certification column, and its expression gradually became serious. This woman had seen him. She hoped she wasn't foolish enough to expose his identity.