The dating reality show host just wanted to give up, but the rich girl fell for him.

Only a soft-light desk lamp was left on the desk, and the dim light from the graphics tablet screen illuminated Jiang Ruoyun's cool and aloof face.

She leaned back in the wide chair, gently biting the tip of the pressure-sensitive pen.

Normally, she can start drawing as soon as she receives a commission or has an inspiration, but today, unusually, she hesitated to make her first stroke.

The screen remained blank.

But her mind was already filled with images from the past few days in the courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang.

Those images were so vivid, they seemed to carry warmth.

When she closed her eyes, the first thing that came to mind was the yard full of golden fallen leaves and the back of someone sitting under the eaves, planing wood.

When Lin Mo works, he always has that calm and unhurried demeanor.

Long, slender fingers gripped the old planer, pushing it forward along the grain of the wood.

With a rustling sound, curled wood shavings fell at his feet like snowflakes.

He didn't even lift his head, focusing solely on the piece of material in his hand, as if the blockades and difficulties from the outside world couldn't even stir a single hair on his head.

Then, the scene changes.

It was that small clay stove and the rising heat from the kitchen.

Lin Mo's profile as he stood in front of the stove, flipping a wok, revealed sharp, defined features.

The flickering firelight reflected in his pupils, adding a touch of focused concentration to his usually languid face.

Of course, there's also that strange old man, Wang Cunchan, who squatted by the sink, crying his eyes out over a few pieces of cabbage and a sip of soup.

A leading figure in the architecture department of Tsinghua University, holding a large bowl, swallowed his tears mixed with soup.

In Jiang Ruoyun's view, this stark contrast was simply excellent material for comics.

The corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, and the coldness in her eyes completely melted away.

"You want to blacklist him?"

Jiang Ruoyun muttered something softly, her tone carrying a hint of protective pride.

"I also have to ask my paintbrush if it agrees."

The pen tip finally touched the screen.

Once she started, her movements became extremely fluid.

Instead of using highly saturated colors, she mixed warm, soft autumnal hues.

A series of comic strips titled "Fireworks and Immortals in the Hutongs" quickly took shape under her pen.

The first frame.

The late autumn sun pierced through the withered branches of the old locust tree and dappled the bluish-gray floor tiles.

A tall, slender man lay in a creaking old rattan chair, a book covering his face, and two walnuts twirling in his hands.

The art style is languid and soothing; you can feel the sense of relaxation and detachment from worldly affairs even through the screen.

The second frame.

Zoom in.

The man stood in front of the stove, holding a rough earthenware pot in his hand.

White steam billowed upwards, and one could vaguely see the reddish-brown salted meat and tender yellow bamboo shoots in the pot.

The man's profile was slightly blurred by the steam, but his focused and composed demeanor was still palpable.

The third frame.

It's an exaggerated comedic contrast.

A middle-aged man with a wrinkled face squatted on the steps of the courtyard house.

He clutched a huge bowl, bigger than his face, tightly in his hands, with two streams of tears, as wide as noodles, hanging from the corners of his eyes.

A small speech bubble appeared next to it: "This life has been worth it."

The final frame of the image focuses on that brand-new, black lacquered door.

A wooden sign hangs above the entrance, bearing four powerful characters: Lin's Restaurant.

Jiang Ruoyun checked the details and put down her pen with satisfaction.

The painting skills remain top-notch, but this time the works have an added touch of vibrant human warmth that was never seen before.

She switched to her drawing software and opened the social media account with over 12 million followers across the internet.

As the pinnacle of the artist world, the name "Deer in the Clouds" itself is a huge pool of traffic.

Countless brands have offered her money to publish an advertisement, but she has ignored them all.

Today, she's going to break her own rules.

After uploading the comic strip, Jiang Ruoyun typed a line in the caption box:

"The most beautiful corner in Beijing, where the lost soul of cuisine has been found."

After thinking for a moment, she added a precise location coordinate at the end.

Location: Lin's Restaurant, Nanluoguxiang

The mouse cursor is hovering over the "Send" button.

Jiang Ruoyun looked at the screen, imagining Jiang Jianguo's expression when he saw the streets full of people tomorrow, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Comrade Lao Jiang, times have changed."

Click to send.

The progress bar flashed by in an instant.

This post, with its real-world coordinates, was like a bombshell dropped into the deep sea of ​​the internet late at night.

The first to react were the die-hard fans who had set "Deer in the Clouds" as a special follower.

In the girls' dormitory of the art academy at a university in Beijing.

A girl was working on her homework late into the night while wearing a face mask when her phone screen suddenly lit up.

She glanced at it casually, and the next second, she sprang up from her chair, half of her face mask falling off.

"Holy crap! It's come back to life!"

"The Deer Goddess updated! She actually updated!"

Her roommates were quite startled by her shout and all poked their heads out.

"What are you yelling about in the middle of the night?"

"No, everyone look at your phones! Deer Goddess not only posted a new picture, she also included location coordinates!"

The entire dormitory fell silent for two seconds, followed by a series of synchronized gasps.

The same scene unfolded in countless corners where people were still awake.

Programmers working late into the night, insomniac urban white-collar workers, and food bloggers searching for inspiration...

Everyone's attention was completely drawn to that set of heartwarming and healing comics.

"This art style... is absolutely amazing! Just looking at that pot of soup makes my mouth water."

"Who is that man lying in the wicker chair? Although his face isn't fully visible, his aura is just too impressive!"

"The main point is that old man's tears, okay? What kind of divine food could make someone so devastated?"

The number of comments in the comment section was increasing rapidly at a visible speed.

One hundred.

A thousand.

Five thousand.

In just ten minutes, the post had received over ten thousand comments.

The focus of netizens quickly shifted from the painting itself to the specific coordinates.

"Nanluoguxiang? Lin's Restaurant? Is this some newly opened private kitchen?"

"The Deer Goddess never takes commercial orders, but she can provide the location; this is definitely a hidden gem of a shop!"

"I checked the map, and this place really exists! It's deep inside the alley!"

"Tomorrow's the weekend, guys, let's go check it out!"

"Take me with you! I want to try that soup that made the old man cry, and I also want to see that amazing boss!"

The flow of traffic in the dead of night created a terrifying tsunami.

Reposting accounts on various platforms sprang into action, quickly spreading the news.

Those food vloggers with hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers have keenly sensed the trend.

The hashtag "Yunzhonglu recommends a real-world store for the first time" skyrocketed to the top of various trending search lists.

The entire internet is brewing a storm that will sweep through Nanluoguxiang.

Jiang Ruoyun, the one who started all of this, had already closed her computer and drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the autumn morning mist had not yet completely dissipated.

The courtyard of Lin's Restaurant was quiet and still.

Lin Mo was lying on the comfortable bed in the main room, sleeping soundly.

He was completely wrapped in the blanket, breathing steadily, without even turning over.

He enjoyed the braised pork and bamboo shoot soup yesterday, and the "quiet" he's had these past few days has allowed him to take his health regimen to the extreme.

Just then, a faint commotion drifted in through the courtyard wall.

"Buzzing..."

It's like countless bees gathering in the alley.

Lin Mo frowned, and his eyelids twitched.

Something's not right about this sound.

Even when older women argue, their voices are sharp and short-lived.

But the noise was muffled and heavy, and it grew louder and louder, as if a torrent of people was surging toward the courtyard.

Lin Mo rolled over and covered his head with the blanket, trying to block out the noise.

"Who cares, it's a vacation anyway."

He muttered something and closed his eyes again, ready to go back to sleep.

Meanwhile.

The atmosphere was completely different at the Jiang family mansion, located on the other side of the city.

Jiang Jianguo was lying on the large, soft bed, snoring loudly.

He had an extremely sweet dream.

In my dream, a prominent sign on the door of Lin's Restaurant read "Prime Location for Sale".

Lin Mo stood shivering in the wind, carrying a tattered snakeskin bag on his back.

"Uncle Jiang, I was wrong. I haven't even had a hot meal these past few days. I'm going back to my hometown to farm."

In his dream, Lin Mo begged for mercy in a low, humble voice.

Jiang Jianguo stood on the steps with his hands behind his back, laughing loudly.

"Kid, now you know how many eyes Lord Horse has, right?"

He was preparing to give his father-in-law another scolding and show him his power.

Sudden.

"Ring ring ring ring—!"

The landline phone on the bedside table suddenly rang with an extremely piercing, urgent sound.

The ringtone was like a sharp pair of scissors, instantly shattering Jiang Jianguo's beautiful dream into pieces.

Jiang Jianguo suddenly jumped out of bed, his heart pounding wildly.

"Who is it! Trying to call back a soul so early in the morning!"

He was in a terrible mood as soon as he woke up. He grabbed the receiver and yelled at the person in a bad mood.

On the other end of the phone came the voice of the housekeeper, Old Zhou.

Old Zhou, who is usually slow and steady, had a completely different tone in his voice at this moment.

It carried an undisguised fear and anxiety, and even a hint of despair.

"Master! Something terrible has happened!"

Jiang Jianguo frowned, rubbed his throbbing temples, and angrily retorted.

"What major event could happen so early in the morning? Did the sky fall down?"

"It's Nanluoguxiang! The whole area there is in complete chaos!"

Jiang Jianguo sneered: "Chaos? Lin Mo has finally gotten desperate and started causing trouble?"

"If that's the case, just have the bodyguards restrain him and take him to the police station!"

"No, sir!"

Butler Wang's voice cracked with anxiety on the phone: "Master! Something terrible has happened! Our men stationed in Nanluoguxiang have been scattered! The entire alley is now blocked by hundreds of people!"