Volume One, Chapter 16: The Foot Bath Contest

Page 1 of 3

At daybreak, Chen Wen opened the shop and left Quanzhou University with Yan Ruyan, who was dressed in her work uniform.

The competition venue was in the city center, and taking a bus would have been far too slow. For once, the notoriously stingy Chen Wen summoned a Didi ride on his phone.

“Hey, young man, taking your girlfriend out for some fun?”

“You two certainly know how to have a good time.”

The driver gave Yan Ruyan a meaningful glance. Her professional uniform only added a peculiar allure to her appearance.

“Keep your eyes on the road!”

Chen Wen shot the driver a look. The woman beside him was certainly beautiful, but her thoughts were far from simple. If he married her, he was afraid peaceful days would be out of the question.

Hilton Grand Hotel.

The two of them got out of the car. Chen Wen suddenly noticed that Su Wen’s happiness level had risen from ninety-seven to ninety-eight, and a smile touched the corners of his mouth.

It seemed chubby little Su had finally gotten out of bed. He had specially prepared breakfast for her that morning, a reward for guarding the foot massage shop all by herself.

“Welcome. Please present your invitation.”

Once inside the venue, Chen Wen discovered that there were not many foot massage shops participating in the competition. He counted six in total.

Apart from his Goddess Foot Massage Shop, the other five were owned by prominent businessmen from Quanzhou, and all had already expanded into chains.

Of course, Quanzhou had plenty of small shops as well. But none of them had chosen to participate. The reason was simple: their owners were ordinary small merchants whose only ambition was to support a family of three. This competition had nothing to offer them.

Chen Wen’s goal, however, was different. He wanted to build the number-one foot massage shop in the entire world.

That was why he had come.

The five wealthy owners had taken their seats long ago, and they were clearly surprised to see a sixth chair.

With a smile on his face, Chen Wen walked over and sat down as though the seat belonged to him.

A closer look revealed that the five owners had arranged themselves according to rank. From the man on the far left to Chen Wen on the far right, their positions alone said a great deal about their influence.

Chen Wen did not know any of them personally, but he recognized the insignias representing the forces behind them.

The man on the far left represented the Su family of Quanzhou, followed by the Huang family and the Liu family. The remaining two powers were smaller, and Chen Wen had never paid them much attention.

“All the owners are present.”

“I hereby announce the official opening of the eighth Foot Massage Championship!”

“Please select three outstanding technicians to compete in the first round.”

Every owner casually selected three employees from his own shop, while Chen Wen was the only one left frozen in place.

Wait. Nobody had told him beforehand that he needed three employees!

If he had known, he would have brought Aunt Zhang and the other woman along.

“Boss Chen? Where are your contestants?”

“Ahem. They’ll be here. They’ll be here.”

The corners of Chen Wen’s mouth twitched. If all else failed, he could only compete himself. As his grandfather’s personally trained disciple, his technique was still more than adequate.

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

But the problem was that even with himself included, he still could not make up a team of three.

Just then, Chen Wen spotted a familiar face among the judges.

…

Goddess Foot Massage Shop.

Su Wen lay drowsily on the bed, her bottom sticking up in the air. She smacked her plump little lips, sucking back the drool that had begun to trickle from the corner of her mouth.

She tugged aside her pink shorts to scratch an itch, and a red mark instantly appeared on her fair skin.

She sat up with her eyes still closed, yet muscle memory guided her into putting on her clothes.

She wore only one sock, leaving her other dainty foot bare. Pink and tender, it pressed against the floor, the perfect curve of its arch tugging at the heartstrings.

“Oh? The boss has already left…”

“Waaah… I’m so sleepy. Sleeping while hugging the boss is much more comfortable.”

Without noticing that one sock was missing, Su Wen slowly shuffled over to the dining table. She dropped into her chair and felt that she could easily go back to sleep.

“Mmm… that smells wonderful.”

Su Wen suddenly opened her clear eyes wide. Her pupils contracted violently as she stared at the bowl of glutinous rice balls before her.

Her entire body unfolded in an instant, like a bashful plant playing in reverse after shrinking into a ball.

“Wow! Breakfast made by the boss! [emoji] [emoji] [emoji] [emoji] [emoji] [emoji]”

After swallowing one of the rice balls, Su Wen immediately tasted its sweet flavor.

Perhaps because it was a little hot, her face gradually grew rosy. Unlike her usual exaggerated blushes, only a faint pink colored both cheeks, making her look especially adorable.

“Ha…”

She exhaled a breath of hot air, then stretched out all four limbs.

A wonderful day began with breakfast made by the boss himself!

She slowly slipped the rice balls into her mouth one by one, taking her time until she finally finished the last one, by which point the soup was almost cold.

Only then did Su Wen realize that she was missing a sock. Her pretty face flushed slightly. Remembering that the boss was not there today, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

She changed into a new outfit she had bought especially for the occasion: an exquisite purple dress, both noble and adorable. She hoped that when the boss returned victorious, she would be the first person he saw upon opening the door.

As she indulged in her fantasy, a stone suddenly flew in from outside and smashed into the window.

Crash!

The glass shattered across the floor.

Su Wen stood stunned for a second before hurriedly looking outside.

A vast crowd of students was surging toward the foot massage shop. They looked aggressive, as though they had come to cause trouble.

Su Wen gritted her teeth. The boss had finally entrusted her with guarding the shop. She absolutely could not allow these people to ruin it!

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

She locked the door from the inside and hurriedly picked up her phone to call the police.

“Break down the main door and save the goddess!”

The crowd had even begun chanting slogans.

“Won’t Su Wen get hurt? She doesn’t look like she’s being forced. If anything, she seems to be protecting the shop.”

“What do you know? The goddess must be under threat. If she didn’t do this, that bastard Chen Wen would definitely retaliate against her.”

“Save the goddess! Break down the door!”

Another shard of glass flew past Su Wen’s eyes, leaving her utterly dazed.

Her mind went blank. Driven by the instinct to protect herself, she rushed back to the bedroom, trembling all over, and locked the door.

“I’m so scared…”

“But I should go out and protect the shop. I just don’t dare…”

Curling herself into a ball, Su Wen wrapped herself in the quilt, trying her best to block out the noisy commotion outside.

Zhang Bo stood concealed within the crowd, a smug smile curling his lips.

He had no idea how Chen Wen had managed it, but somehow the boy had offended the lunatics from the dance club. That had given Zhang Bo the perfect opportunity to stir up trouble and incite both groups of admirers.

The stone a moment ago had been thrown by him as well. Once one person took the lead, the others would follow. That was the effect of a crowd.

…

At the competition venue.

Chen Wen caught sight of a familiar face among the judges. Delighted, he strode over and draped an arm around the man’s shoulders.

“Su Nan! What are you doing here?”

Wasn’t this Su Nan, chubby little Su’s older brother?

After hearing Chen Wen’s complaints, Su Nan burst into laughter and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Leave this matter to me.”

“That’s wonderful. This is my shop’s uniform. Put it on.”

Su Nan froze at Chen Wen’s words.

Put on a work uniform? What did he mean?

“You’re going to be a technician. Just fill in temporarily.”

Su Nan hurriedly waved his hands.

“That’s not what I mean. You only have one contestant, right? Then I’ll simply amend the rules.”