The round proceeded quickly, and it was soon Jiang Siyang’s turn. Aside from Jiu Chang and Chen Yi, the other two had won by sheer luck. Watching the two who were already eating, Jiang Siyang thought of his own pan-fried buns and couldn't help but sit up straight.
Even though Jiu Chang had lost, he didn't miss the chance to tease him. "Look at Siyang’s eyes. The moment food is mentioned, his whole expression changes."
Zhang Jin’an leaned in curiously to check Jiang Siyang’s expression. Sure enough, the younger man looked remarkably solemn.
The moment Jiang Siyang met Zhang Jin’an’s eyes, his composure shattered, and he let out a bashful laugh. He looked at Jiang PD and held out his hand. "Let’s begin."
As before, Jiang PD said, "I’m throwing paper."
"Integrity is a virtue, Jiang PD," Zhang Jin’an, who had sat back up, suddenly interjected. "It’s not good to lie too often."
Jiang PD didn't answer, merely offering a smile. Everyone else laughed along, but Jiang Siyang froze for a split second before quickly glancing at Zhang Jin’an. He saw Zhang Jin’an give him a subtle wink.
This made Jiang Siyang even more certain of his guess.
"Rock, paper, scissors—"
Sure enough, Jiang Siyang and Jiang PD threw the same thing: paper. Jiang Siyang watched as the pan-fried buns were placed in front of him, but he didn't pick up his chopsticks yet. Instead, he watched Zhang Jin’an take the challenge.
"Next is Zhang Jin’an," Jiang PD said. "Shall we start directly?"
"In such a hurry?" Zhang Jin’an smiled, looking perfectly composed. "Alright. I’ll say it first: if you’re a man, you’ll throw rock."
Jiang Siyang immediately looked at Jiang PD, who maintained his usual smile. Then, both men threw their hands out at the same time. Just as Jiang Siyang expected, both were rocks.
"Nice," Zhang Jin’an said. "Breakfast time, breakfast time."
"I’ve figured it out! These two aren't relying on luck at all; this is a psychological battle!" Seeing that the game had circled back to him, Jiu Chang stood up again, eyeing the pair suspiciously. "Is that even allowed?"
Jiang Siyang had eyes only for his pan-fried buns and didn't hear a word Jiu Chang said. Zhang Jin’an simply shrugged, took a sip of soup, and pushed a bowl of wontons toward Jiang Siyang. "These wontons have a lot of filling. Give them a try."
Jiang Siyang quickly swallowed a bun and took the wontons. "Thanks, Ge." These wontons were indeed different from the ones Jiang Siyang usually saw; the skins were thin, but they were bulging with meat, looking incredibly hearty.
Jiang Siyang took a bite and nodded repeatedly in praise. "Delicious!"
Hearing Jiang Siyang say this, Zhang Jin’an felt as if he had made the wontons himself. A smile deepened on his face without him even realizing it. "Right? Eat up."
"No one said it wasn't allowed!" Jing Shangshu took Jiang Siyang’s side, telling Jiu Chang, "If you want to do it, you can try too."
"True," Jiu Chang said. "Come on, come on. I don't believe it. Let’s go again."
"Wait a moment," Jiang PD signaled for Jiu Chang to be quiet, then spoke to the two currently eating breakfast. "Would the team that both passed please come to me to collect your clue and choose a route card."
Zhang Jin’an and Jiang Siyang had to put down their chopsticks and spoons. They walked over to Jiang PD and, with their backs to the others, selected a card. Jiang Siyang picked one out of the ten clue envelopes.
"Which path should we take?" Zhang Jin’an asked Jiang Siyang in a low voice.
There were two route cards before them. One said "General Store," and the other said "Music Store."
"I’ll follow your lead," Jiang Siyang said. "It doesn't matter which one we pick."
"Alright." Without hesitation, Zhang Jin’an pulled the "Music Store" card.
The two stood up and returned to their seats.
"Teams that have obtained their routes may depart whenever they wish," Jiang PD announced.
"Let’s finish eating first. Look how hungry this kid is," Zhang Jin’an said, looking at Jiang Siyang, who was focused on his food.
Afterward, Jiu Chang challenged the PD twice more and finally succeeded. By the time Jiang Siyang finished his tofu pudding, they were ready to head to the next location.
Although Zhang Jin’an already knew Jiang Siyang had a large appetite, seeing it in person was still a bit of a shock. Not only did Jiang Siyang eat a lot, but he also ate exceptionally clean; the plates looked as if they had just been taken out of the cupboard.
Walking out of the breakfast shop, Zhang Jin’an asked, "Are you full?"
Jiang Siyang answered honestly, "If I had to eat more, I probably could."
"You're still growing, still growing." Zhang Jin’an naturally slung an arm over Jiang Siyang’s shoulder as they walked forward. "Just follow me from here. No one knows this place better than I do."
Jiang Siyang asked curiously, "Have you been here many times, Ge?"
"I come here often." Zhang Jin’an pointed to the street ahead, which seemed to stretch on for quite a distance. "Let me tell you, this street is a 'battle of the gods.'"
Jiang Siyang looked in the direction Zhang Jin’an was pointing. He hadn't looked closely before, but the road here was wide—enough for two cars to drive side-by-side comfortably. The shops sold all sorts of things: food, clothes, accessories, toys—everything you could imagine. At the end of the street, one could see the mist-shrouded mountains, very close to Little South Mountain.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Siyang asked.
"Up ahead... just past that spot, there’s a crossroads. It’s a famous landmark around here." Zhang Jin’an gestured in the air. "Think of it like this: diagonally to your front-left is a KFC, and to your bottom-left is a McDonald’s. Diagonally to your front-right is a Starbucks, and to your bottom-right is a Dicos. And in one of those alleys, Yi Dian Dian, Heilongtang, and Gong Cha are all opened right next to each other."
The image formed in Jiang Siyang’s mind. "I get it. That really is a battle of the gods."
"Every time I come here, I just want to see when they’ll finally start fighting," Zhang Jin’an joked.
"So, did they ever fight?" Jiang Siyang asked.
Zhang Jin’an put on a look of regret. "No. I even saw a KFC employee eating at the McDonald’s once."
Jiang Siyang laughed. "Really? Don't lie to me."
Zhang Jin’an laughed too. Looking at the distant Little South Mountain, he recalled some past memories. "We also have a fireworks festival here. Whenever that time comes, this street gets incredibly lively."
"There’s a fireworks festival too?"
"Yeah, twice a year. The last Sunday of July, and on New Year’s Eve." During those times, Zhang Jin’an would be with family, friends, or even by himself, standing in different spots along this street—sometimes close, sometimes far—to watch the fireworks bloom over and over again. Those were the two days he looked forward to most every year because the fireworks here were truly beautiful.
Since starting his career, he rarely had the chance to return, let alone watch the fireworks.
However, Zhang Jin’an only felt a slight sense of regret; he didn't feel sorry for himself, nor did he want people online to pity him for not being able to go home. He could never understand why celebrities cried about having no time to visit home as if it were a tragedy. Fame came with pros and cons; he didn't believe they hadn't considered that before debuting. There was no such thing as perfection in this world. If you want to be famous but don't want to spend the time, then stay at home—don't come out to earn money.
"If you ever get the chance, you should come see it," Zhang Jin’an said to Jiang Siyang.
Though Jiang Siyang couldn't know exactly how beautiful the fireworks were to earn such praise from Zhang Jin’an, he figured they must be well worth seeing.
"Mhm," Jiang Siyang nodded firmly. "I’ll definitely come back."
Seeing him like this, Zhang Jin’an couldn't help but chuckle. "You like this place so much, I’m starting to think you’re the local and I’m the outsider."
"How could that be?" Jiang Siyang stopped walking. Zhang Jin’an stopped with him. Jiang Siyang’s gaze had landed on a shop nearby that was making grilled skewers.
Zhang Jin’an was amused. "Want to eat?"
"It smells really good," Jiang Siyang said, swallowing hard.
"Then let’s buy..." Zhang Jin’an suddenly trailed off as if remembering something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out three hundred-yuan bills.
Jiang Siyang was surprised. "The production team really pulled out all the stops today. They actually gave us money."
Zhang Jin’an stared at the cash in his hand. "Right? I remember in the past, there was never any money, and we couldn't buy anything."
"It really feels like we're here for a vacation," Jiang Siyang remarked. "As expected of the hundredth episode. They’ve really spent a fortune."
After a moment of thought, Zhang Jin’an asked, "Siyang, do you want to eat? If you do, let’s buy some."
Jiang Siyang hesitated. Between the mission progress and food, he ultimately chose the progress. He shook his head. "No, we don't really have the time. Let’s go to the music store first."
Zhang Jin’an nodded. "Alright."
