Divorced and Determined: The CEO’s Ex-Wife Fights for Love

At 8:10 PM, Lu Qin's food cart appeared in sight, and most of the customers reacted with excitement as usual.

"Boss Lu, you're finally here! I'm starving!"

"The little boss is here too! She's even cuter today! Here, have an apple!"

"I'll help set up! I know how to do it already!"

Lu Xiyao, lively as ever, greeted the crowd, "Good evening, uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters! You must be hungry—buy more later, okay~?"

"You really are the little boss! Even your greetings come with a sales pitch. Your dad makes so much money—has he bought you ice cream?"

At the mention of this, the little girl pouted pitifully.

"Nooo, I haven't had ice cream in so long, I don't even remember what it tastes like~!"

"Boss Lu, this is unacceptable! How could you not buy ice cream for such a cute little girl? That's too much! If you don't buy it, I will!"

The little girl's eyes lit up instantly.

"Really?"

Lu Qin chuckled, knowing the customer was joking.

"She just had some two days ago. Kids always crave sweets and cold treats."

"If you buy her one, she'll dare to ask for a second. She's quite bold."

He ruffled the little girl's hair affectionately.

The customers laughed.

How adorable!

And it made sense. How could Lu Qin refuse his precious daughter ice cream if she wanted it? Even these customers, who weren't family, wanted to spoil her! Boss Lu was right, though—too much cold food wasn't good for kids. Most customers happily chatted with the father and daughter. However, some looked concerned.

They couldn't help but ask, "Boss Lu, have you noticed there are way fewer customers today?"

"Did you hear? A new shop called Liu Ji Snack Shop opened on the east side of the night market. They sell the same dishes as you—and worse, each one is priced one yuan cheaper. That's clearly intentional!"

"Boss Lu, did someone steal your recipe?"

"Don't worry, Boss Lu! I'll always be a loyal customer—I'd never betray you. I'll only eat your food for the rest of my life!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"Liu Ji is just a cheap knockoff—no comparison!"

"Boss Lu, what you make is cuisine. What they make is just food."

Some customers were very passionate, acting as if they were the ones losing business. But Lu Qin remained unfazed. With a business as popular as his, it was inevitable that someone would try to copy him.

He smiled and said, "It's fine. I just need to focus on my own work. Competition is a good thing. We can't stop others from doing business."

"Look at that mindset! Boss Lu is truly admirable!"

"If it were me, I'd be cursing them out by now!"

"I don't just love Boss Lu's food—I respect him as a person. And I love the little boss, too! No way am I buying from Liu Ji."

Chubby Zhou Weiwei snorted, "Liu Ji is straight-up plagiarism! And the nerve of him—undercutting Boss Lu by exactly one yuan per dish!"

"What's really weird is how Liu Ji's food tastes so similar to Boss Lu's…"

"Enough about Liu Ji—let's just order already! Boss Lu's business is still booming!"

"If some people leave, that just means we don't have to wait as long in line!"

Meanwhile, at Liu Ji Snack Shop…

"Boss, hurry up! Clean this up!"

"Coming, coming…"

Liu Ji carried two plates of stir-fried rice noodles to a couple. The girlfriend's face instantly twisted in disgust—she had just seen Liu Ji's untrimmed, dirty fingernail poke into the noodles.

She didn't say anything aloud but felt deeply nauseated. Liu Ji moved to another table and wiped it down with an oily, unwashed rag.

"Dude, at least wash that rag—it's disgusting!"

This table of customers had enough.

"I'm busy, okay? Here, I'll use a napkin instead."

He grabbed a tissue and haphazardly wiped the table. But the napkin turned yellow with grease.

The customers lost their appetite completely. Then they saw him using the same greasy hand to grab the noodles directly.

NOPE.

"We're not eating here. This place is too unsanitary!"

Three customers got up and left without looking back. The couple also wanted to leave, but they had already ordered.

"I'm not eating this. The hygiene is horrible."

"Let's go, babe! Never coming here again."

The boyfriend quickly paid, grabbed his girlfriend's hand, and left.

"…Tch."

Liu Ji realized two tables had left before he could stop them.

"Whatever. I don't need you guys."

Grumbling, he returned to the kitchen. He still had plenty of customers.

"I have to admit, Liu Ji's food tastes similar to Boss Lu's, but it's just not the same—Lu Ji's food is still better."

"It's just that Lu Ji's line is too long. Liu Ji is the second-best choice."

"It's not even that clean. And it's a new shop—there's already rice noodles on the chairs!"

"Eh, whatever. Street food is all like this."

"Boss Lu's cart is spotless. He even wears a plastic mask, and his hands never touch the food directly."

"Yeah, I trust his cleanliness. And I get to see the little boss—haven't fed her snacks in two days, and I'm feeling withdrawal!"

At that moment, a massive group of tourists arrived.

"Where's Lu Ji's food stall?"

"I'm starving!"

"We missed it earlier—if I don't get to try it now, I'll go crazy!"

The tour guide checked their notes. "It should be down this narrow alley behind Spicy Girl Hotpot. Follow me!"

When the tourists reached the alley, they were shocked.

"So many people!"

"I knew it! This place must be amazing!"

"…Wait, why are some people leaving?"

"Hey, handsome! You're not buying food?"

"Nah, there's another place—Liu Ji's Snack Shop. Their food tastes the same, and there's no crazy long line. I'm gonna try that instead."

"For real? If it's the same, I'm going too! If we wait in line here and don't get any, we'll regret it!"

So, a bunch of tourists defected to Liu Ji's stall.

Liu Ji was ecstatic. His gamble had paid off. Lu  Qin had the long queue. Liu Ji had the short queue.

Liu Ji had never had this many customers before, not even during peak holiday seasons.

"This was genius! I'm a damn genius!"

Meanwhile, some tourists who bought Liu Ji's food returned to compare.

"This is Liu Ji's stir-fried noodles? Huh… why does it look worse?"

"It's kinda oily. And slightly burnt. How's the taste?"

"It's good! Pretty solid."

"Let me try a bite."

People started comparing Liu Ji's food with Lu Qin's.

Some even brought their Liu Ji dishes to Lu Qin.

At first, Lu Qin just smiled, indifferent. But then, he looked closely—and his expression changed.

His eyebrows furrowed.

"These things…seem to have additives."

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