Chapter 58: Illusions, Mushroom Poisoning

During the meal, Lu Yunzheng frequently had dishes picked for him.

Apart from the sweet-and-sour ribs at the start, Luo Qi followed his usual principle: giving Lu Yunzheng the food he didn’t like, leaving the rest—the dishes he loved—for himself.

Fortunately, Lu Yunzheng wasn’t a picky eater. No matter what Luo Qi picked for him, he finished everything.

Watching him, Luo Qi joked about always wanting to eat with him since, with such happiness, there wouldn’t be any food he disliked.

Lu Yunzheng had also brought along a dessert, which quickly became his new favorite after the small cakes.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Yunzheng’s vacation was already halfway through.

With less than half a month remaining, he would soon return to his unit.

Knowing the day was fast approaching, Luo Qianyun decided to take advantage of their break by pulling Lu Yunzheng along for a trip to Y City.

Whether it was good or bad luck, they unexpectedly ran into Pei Xianxian…

More precisely, they ran into Pei Xianxian filming a variety show.

At the time, Pei Xianxian was working as a part-time waitress at a restaurant to earn activity funds.

Meanwhile, Luo Qianyun and Lu Yunzheng were customers. Customers are like gods, so even if Pei Xianxian wasn’t thrilled to see them, she had to put on a welcoming smile.

Luo Qianyun was slightly surprised—how long had it been? And already, a variety show had invited Pei Xianxian. The entertainment industry really didn’t care about scandals as long as there was money to be made.

The restaurant wasn’t large but was decorated with strong local flair. After sitting down, Pei Xianxian, accompanied by a cameraman, came over to take their order.

Luo Qianyun couldn’t understand how variety show participants managed to get used to being filmed while ordering food, pretending the cameras weren’t there.

“Do you have any signature dishes?” Luo Qianyun asked directly.

“You could try our wild mushroom hot pot,” Pei Xianxian recommended. “It’s one of our classic dishes, featuring various wild mountain mushrooms. It’s exceptionally fresh and flavorful. This is also the season for mushrooms, so I’d highly recommend it.”

Hearing this, Luo Qianyun glanced at the menu and saw the accompanying picture. It did look appealing.

Without hesitation, Luo Qianyun ordered the wild mushroom hot pot, and Lu Yunzheng added a few more dishes. Pei Xianxian played her part well, pretending not to know Luo Qianyun.

What Luo Qianyun didn’t realize was that the variety show was live-streaming, and they were currently in the middle of a broadcast.

As soon as she appeared on camera, viewers started recognizing her.

After all, with her striking appearance, she was hard to forget.

While Pei Xianxian guided the cameraman into the kitchen, the part-time chef and owner, eager to promote his restaurant, enthusiastically introduced various must-try local dishes for anyone visiting Y City during this season.

When the dishes were finally ready, Pei Xianxian and the cameraman prepared to bring them to the table…

The wild mushroom hot pot was, indeed, delicious—tender, smooth, and incredibly fresh.

Unintentionally, Luo Qianyun ended up eating a bit too much.

“This wild mushroom hot pot is so good,” Luo Qianyun said, glancing at Lu Yunzheng.

But then, she suddenly noticed something strange about him…

Why did he have mushrooms growing on his head? Red ones, no less.

Startled, Luo Qianyun reached out to grab them but was shocked to find her hand passing through thin air.

Seeing the alarm in her eyes, Lu Yunzheng gently held her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“You… you’ve got red mushrooms growing on your head. They’re transparent, and I can’t grab them,” Luo Qianyun stammered, trying again to grab at nothing.

At that moment, a fluffy little cloud-like dog ran past their table and stopped by her feet.

“Whose dog are you? Why do you look so different from other dogs?” she muttered.

Feeling she might still be half-asleep, she froze upon hearing the dog reply, “Who are you calling a dog? You’re the dog!”

“You’re the dog! Your whole family’s dogs!” Luo Qianyun shot back at the talking dog.

“Well, my whole family is dogs. Whose dog are you? You sound weird,” the dog replied, confused.

Just then, a cute yellow chick scurried in, shouting, “Make way! Make way!”

The dog stubbornly retorted, “I won’t move!”

Behind the chick, a chubby little piglet waddled in. Its plump, white figure dazzled Luo Qianyun’s eyes, and she found herself captivated.

What was happening? Why did this world suddenly feel so surreal?

Looking back at Lu Yunzheng, the mushroom on his head no longer seemed out of place. “Why can dogs and chickens talk? And that pig… it’s so white!”

Lu Yunzheng followed her gaze, only to see a chubby little toddler in overalls. When pointed at, the child glanced around, as if trying to find the “white pig” being mentioned.

Meanwhile, viewers of the live stream were in stitches as they watched Luo Qianyun bicker with the dog and mistake the toddler for a pig.

Most viewers quickly concluded she was hallucinating due to mushroom poisoning.

The restaurant owner rushed out upon hearing the news.

But when Luo Qianyun saw a crocodile wearing an apron emerge from the kitchen, she screamed and hid behind Lu Yunzheng, trembling. “There’s a crocodile! And it’s wearing an apron!”

The owner looked down at his apron and realized he was the “crocodile” in question.

Still, he couldn’t figure out which ingredient might have caused his customer to hallucinate like this.

“She might have food poisoning. You should take her to the hospital,” the owner advised urgently.

Pei Xianxian, trying hard not to laugh, chimed in, “Mr. Lu, you should take her to the hospital quickly.”

“Lu Yunzheng, why is that giant white chicken talking?” Luo Qianyun asked, staring sincerely and curiously at Pei Xianxian.

At the words “giant white chicken,” Pei Xianxian’s face darkened. Meanwhile, the live chat exploded in laughter.

Despite having tens of thousands of fans, Pei Xianxian’s popularity paled compared to the entertainment industry’s heavyweights, making it impossible to control the chat.

By the end of the stream, the nickname “giant white chicken” had already stuck.