mesbooks Ch. 19 - Tomato Fried with Tomato?
Ch. 19 - Tomato Fried with Tomato?
Chen Shu chatted with Fang Si for a bit before ending the conversation. Although he had plenty of free time, Fang Si's spare moments were extremely rare. As the highest-level Beast Taming university, the intensity of competition at China Academy was unimaginable.Chen Shu opened his contact list and clicked on Xu Xiaoyu.
"Sister Xiaoyu, I'm going for an interview tomorrow. Can you reveal any insider information?"
After a long wait with no reply, he sent another message, unable to hold back.
"Sister Xiaoyu, are you busy?" The source of this content ɪs N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"I'm eating melon."*
[Translator's Note: "Eating melon" (chī guā) is Chinese internet slang for watching drama or gossip unfold online.]
Chen Shu's face lit up with interest. Was the internet stirring up drama again?
"Whose melon are you eating?"
To his surprise, Xu Xiaoyu quickly replied: "Hami melon."
Chen Shu: "???"
So she really was just eating melon?
A few minutes later, Xu Xiaoyu started messaging.
"A Potion Master position? If you're proficient in high school materials science, you might become a Potion Master's assistant."
Xu Xiaoyu's meaning was clear—a high school student becoming a Potion Master was pure fantasy.
"Also, don't call me sister, just call me Xiaoyu. I just turned sixteen..." While most people underwent their awakening ceremony in ninth grade, she had only awakened in tenth grade before being transferred to Beast Taming Class 1.
"What if I can proficiently brew one type of potion?"
Chen Shu asked. In his potion studies, his proficiency with Strength Potion had reached Control level—not only was his success rate 100%, but he could also reduce materials by 30%.
"Cold medicine potion?"
"..."
"Just go try anyway. Maybe you'll catch a Potion Master's eye."
Xu Xiaoyu lay on her bed with a strange expression.
A high school student proficiently brewing potions?
If it were that easy, Beast Tamer potions would have become universal long ago.
Already familiar with Chen Shu's unreliability, Xu Xiaoyu turned off her phone and began cultivating Beast Taming Power with full focus.
"Seems she doesn't believe me."
Chen Shu shook his head, turned off the lights, and started reading novels.
At 1 AM, as Chen Shu prepared to sleep, options appeared before him again.
[Option 1: Cultivate through the night, absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy.]
Completion reward: Obtain title "Super Diligent Talent", wearing effect: Cultivation efficiency increases by 20%
[Option 2: Fall straight asleep, lie flat completely.]
Completion reward: Small amount of Beast Taming Power
Without hesitation, Chen Pi fell straight asleep. A surge of Beast Taming Power suddenly appeared in his body, roughly equivalent to two days of cultivation for a talented Beast Tamer.
The next day arrived quickly.
Sunlight blazed through the curtains.
Chen Shu opened his bleary eyes, his first instinct to check his phone for the time.
12:07.
Why so early? It's barely midnight?
Chen Shu's consciousness was hazy, about to sink back into deep sleep.
Suddenly his spirit jolted—where did the sun come from at midnight?!
Chen Shu's eyes snapped wide open as he grabbed his phone.
"Holy crap, I slept until noon?"
He exclaimed, not expecting it to be so late.
No wonder vacation time felt especially fast—turns out there were no mornings.
Chen Shu quickly washed up. His parents had long since gone to work leaving him alone in the house.
He arrived at Zhang Dali's door.
Bang bang bang!
"Dali! Zhang Dali!"
After a long wait with no response, Chen Shu had to shout loudly.
"Fire! Fire!"
Soon, a crowd of people, looking panicked and carrying fire extinguishers, rushed over at the sound of his shouts. "Where's the fire? Where?!"
Chen Shu was startled, not expecting to attract so many people. "Uncle Wang, Aunt Liu, I was just trying to liven things up..." he said awkwardly.
"This child!" The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief, scolded him a few times, and then left.
After a while, a bleary-eyed Zhang Dali appeared at the door.
"Chen Pi, why are you shouting in the middle of the night? Whoa, such a bright moon tonight, but why is it so blinding!"
Zhang Dali shielded his eyes from the sunlight.
"This is already noon!"
Chen Shu looked speechless. Turns out he wasn't the only one who thought it was midnight.
"Why is your house so dark?"
He looked into Zhang Dali's home—there wasn't a ray of sunlight, only deep darkness.
"My dad's contract spirit skill, I think it's called 'Night Curtain'. It improves sleep quality. Nice, right?"
Zhang Dali stretched and casually turned on the lights.
"Let me get ready."
Ten minutes later, they left the neighborhood and headed for 666 Potion Company.
Nanjiang City's High-tech Zone was where all the major corporations were built.
666 Potion Company was among the top enterprises, specializing in various Beast Tamer potions.
The two splurged on a taxi to the High-tech Zone.
"Let's eat first, build up our energy, then go for the interview."
They found a sparsely populated Chinese restaurant and ordered a few dishes.
"Boss, what's this signature dish you're serving?" Zhang Dali was about to dig in when his face soured.
"Tomato fried with tomato, no mistake!" a waiter approached and confirmed.
"But I only see one ingredient. Where's the other half of the dish?" Zhang Dali poked around with his chopsticks.
"The tomato is in there too," the waiter said with a straight face.
"???"
Chen Shu and Zhang Dali realized simultaneously, both letting out an "Hm?"
"Tomato fried with tomato?? Are you serious right now?"
Their mouths twitched, feeling like their worldview had shattered.
"Actually it's just fried tomatoes. The boss padded the name to make it sound fancier," the waiter smiled, laying it all out.
"Forget it, forget it, let's just eat."
Chen Shu shook his head and didn't pursue it further. Although the name was ridiculous, it was actually well-cooked.
After filling their stomachs, they arrived at 666 Potion Company's entrance.
Looking at the imposing office building, they strutted in with confident swagger.
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" The security guard at the entrance asked professionally.
"Senior, senior! I'm Xu Xiaoyu's classmate Zhang Dali. I want to work as a security guard at the company," Zhang Dali said.
"Oh, it's you two. Miss Xu already gave instructions."
The security captain smiled knowingly, showing no difficulty.
Clearly Xu Xiaoyu had mentioned them beforehand. They had saved her life after all—she would naturally do her best to help with this small matter.
"Xiao Wang, take this student to the Potion Department."
A security guard stepped forward to lead Chen Shu into the company.
Zhang Dali stayed with the security department.
With Xu Xiaoyu's connections, Zhang Dali would definitely become a security guard. As for Chen Shu's job, that would depend on luck.
"Young man, wanting to be a Potion Master's assistant won't be easy."
Security guard Xiao Wang had a strange look, clearly finding it unusual for a high school student to become a Potion Master's assistant.
"I'm not here to be an assistant. I'm here to properly brew potions."
Chen Shu spoke casually while examining the exquisite decor of the office buildings.
"Brew potions? Hehe, you're quite humorous, little brother." Xiao Wang laughed dryly.
They took the elevator to the tenth floor of the office building.
An incredibly sturdy glass door appeared. Inside were individual small laboratories, each with varying numbers of people in white coats.
"You want to become a Potion Master?"