CHAPTER 91: SPICE EATING COMPETITION

Lianwu Street was alive again.

Today marked the launch of a grand event: the Spiciest Noodle-Eating Competition in the entire province with a jaw-dropping reward of $100,000 and a luxury vacation to Hainan Island for the ultimate tropical escape.

Thanks to a genius marketing push from both Ruan Lihua, who handled the glamorous online advertising, and Luo Yanyu, who pulled strings with her extensive social network, the street was packed from end to end.

Crowds bustled through the alleys, the smell of stir-fried food, chili oil, and roasted skewers swirling in the air.

It was hard to believe this place had been a ghost town just a few weeks ago.

Children ran around waving colorful balloons with "Lianwu Street Revival!" printed on them, some chasing a man in a hot pepper costume who handed out free vouchers.

Elderly aunties held umbrellas as they haggled over fruit and traditional snacks, while trendy young influencers livestreamed the event, shouting over the crowd:

"We’re live from Lianwu Street, where the noodle-eating contest is heating up, literally! Stay tuned to see who survives the Inferno Noodles!"

People were queuing in front of every shop, drawn by a 20% discount on all purchases. The energy was infectious.

Laughter, excited chatter, and the occasional scream from someone accidentally biting into a ghost pepper dumpling filled the air.

But that wasn’t all, there was another prize dangling in front of the crowd like a golden carrot.

The Top Consumer—the one who bought the most across all Lianwu Street stores—would be rewarded with ten golden tickets, every purchase within the entire street would be free, and a fat cash prize of $100,000!

Of course, all this funding came from Zhao Yiming’s own pocket.

Not because he was feeling particularly charitable... but because the damned system said so.

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[You have completed: "Hero of Lianwu Street" Route!]

[And unlocked first quest from your route: "King Without a Crown"!]

[New Quest Available!]

[The Rise of Lianwu Street: Make Lianwu Street crowded again like it used to be!]

• Use platforms like Douyun or Blibli for digital marketing.

• Boost exposure with a competition!

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[New Feature Unlocked!] The Development of Lianwu Market

• Development: 0/100 → (Generates 0 AP)

• Tenant Satisfaction: 0/100 → (Generates $0)

• Customer Satisfaction: 0/100 → (Generates $0)

---

Standing near the competition booth, Zhao Yiming stared at the system notifications, hand in pocket, sipping a cold watermelon juice.

He sighed.

"Now I have three goddamn meters to worry about. Development, tenant satisfaction, and customer satisfaction? Am I running a kingdom or a shopping district?"

It was starting to feel the same.

He watched as two uncles competed in the first round of the spicy noodle contest, sweating bullets and slapping the table with their bare hands while their noses dripped into bowls of hellish red soup. Spectators roared in laughter.

"Come on, Uncle Chen, don’t give up now!"

"He’s turning redder than the chili!"

Somewhere in the crowd, he spotted Su Meilin manning a pop-up noodle booth, her hair tied up in a cute bun.

She gave him a thumbs up from a distance, mouthing: "Business is booming!"

Madam Ruan, of course, had arrived in a limousine and was now walking through the crowd in an elegant cheongsam, waving at fans like she was royalty.

Because damn, she looks hot as hell. Every time she walks, all eyes were on her.

The scene was perfect.

’Well,’ Zhao Yiming thought, hands on hips, ’I might not have a corporate title yet, but this? This is my kingdom.’

And looking at the sea of excited customers, joyful vendors, and children cheering in front of the noodle stage, he couldn’t help but smile.

"This is just the beginning," he muttered to himself, rolling up his sleeves.

After all, Lianwu Street was no longer a battlefield. It was his legacy.

At least for now and he didn’t know until how long Golden Earth would stop their blackmail.

Zhao Yiming was still basking in the energy of Lianwu Street’s revival when a familiar voice cut through the crowd like a knife.

"We have a problem."

He turned to see Luo Yanyu storming toward him, eyes sharp and jaw tight. She wasn’t smiling, and that alone told him this wasn’t some minor vendor spat over booth space.

"What happened now?" he asked, trying to finish the last of his juice, but she snatched the cup from his hand and tossed it into a nearby bin.

"Come. You need to see it yourself."

She grabbed his wrist and practically dragged him through the bustling crowd.

"It’s that damned Golden Earth again! What the fuck they actually want!" she cursed.

The moment they neared the welcome arch, Zhao Yiming heard the shouting.

And there they were.

Golden Earth’s thugs. The same old faces—greasy-haired punks, loud-mouthed goons in fake gold chains, and a man in a leopard-print jacket with sunglasses way too big for his face. All standing outside the arch, making a huge scene.

They were trying to push their way in, but Zhao’s hired bodyguards from Black Orchid—suited men standing like statues—had already formed a line.

"You can’t come in," one of the guards said, voice calm but firm.

The punk in the front, clearly the ringleader, barked back, "Why not?! You letting everyone else in, but we get stopped?! What is this?! DISCRIMINATION?!"

He turned toward the gathering crowd dramatically, clutching his chest like he was a misunderstood hero in a soap opera.

"Is it because we dress different?! You think we’re thugs, huh?! JUST BECAUSE OF OUR STYLE?!"

Some of the onlookers gasped. Others frowned. A few even pulled out their phones.

And the worst part?

An influencer in a skimpy cheongsam had already started live-streaming, her voice trembling with mock concern.

"OMG, guys, I think there’s some kind of unfair treatment going on at Lianwu Street! Like, they’re stopping people just because of how they LOOK?!"

Zhao Yiming stood there, jaw slightly open in disbelief.

’Are you kidding me right now? These bastards are really playing the victim card?!’

He glanced at Luo Yanyu, who folded her arms tightly across her chest, glaring at the punks like she was one second away from ripping someone’s throat out.

People were gathering fast. Phones were out. The noise was building.

And standing right in front of it all... was him.

’This is bad, that influencers will just keep talking like they know everything.’

Just as he was about to speak a sudden shout pierced the crowd.

"Everyone, start recording! I want this to go viral!"

Zhao Yiming’s eyes narrowed.

’Oh no, you picked the wrong place, wrong time, and the wrong bastard to mess with.’