Tao Tie realized that the livestream was over, so he turned off his phone.

He looked up at Chancellor Wen, feeling a pang of gratitude for the meal he had been treated to. His mind was a little hazy, but he vaguely felt he should thank the Chancellor, so he said, “Thank you for treating me to a good meal.”

Chancellor Wen sat blankly in his seat. If souls existed in this world, he felt as if his soul had left his body.

Who is he? Where is he? Why did he invite Tao Tie to dinner?

Was Tao Tie’s stomach connected to a black hole?

The students who were close to them were also stunned, just like Chancellor Wen, their eyes filled with doubt about the world.

Hearing Tao Tie’s thanks, Chancellor Wen gradually came to his senses. He looked at Tao Tie with a very complicated expression, and after a long while, he said, “Have you eaten?”

Tao Tie touched his still flat belly. Although he had eaten a lot and felt a happy sense of fullness, his stomach still told him that he could continue eating.

He then said, “Although I am full, I can still eat.”

Upon hearing this, Chancellor Wen leaned back in a daze, almost collapsing into his chair.

His gaze gradually became vacant as he began to think about how to explain to his wife that the four-figure sum of money in his campus card had disappeared.

Just then, Tao Tie was scrolling through his phone when he suddenly saw a comment from a fan: “[Tao Tie, how much did you spend ordering all this? Ordering so much food is so satisfying!]”

Tao Tie scratched his head. Although he wasn’t very familiar with the rules of the world, he knew that you had to pay for your meals. He vaguely remembered the first time he ate at a restaurant without paying, and as a result, someone called the police and he was arrested. When the police learned that he was unregistered, they kindly gave him a household registration and told him to find a job.

Tao Tie then looked at Chancellor Wen and said, “How much did this meal cost? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Upon hearing this, Chancellor Wen shook his head. He was not short of money, and he had previously promised to treat Tao Tie to a hearty meal, so he naturally couldn’t let Tao Tie pay it back.

“This is my treat, you don’t need to pay. It’s a way of thanking you for helping me lift the shared bike this morning.”

After Chancellor Wen finished speaking, he stood up weakly, waved his hand and said, “I have to go to work. If I delay any longer, my salary will be deducted. If you want to leave, you can just go back the way you came.”

Tao Tie watched Chancellor Wen leave, feeling somewhat dejected. Chancellor Wen was the kindest person he had met since waking up; he had actually treated him to a hearty meal, giving him an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

He followed Chancellor Wen closely, like a little puppy, wanting to leave with him.

But Luo Huai’an grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

She didn’t want to keep Taotie out of her sight; if he started eating people on campus, she’d be in big trouble.

Luo Huai’an looked at the Taotie in front of her with a complicated expression.

She thought Taotie came here with ill intentions, but it turned out he really came to eat.

Tao Tie, holding Chancellor Wen’s campus card, set a record for the highest personal spending amount since the opening of the Eighth Cafeteria.

“Tell me, what exactly are you doing here?”

Tao Tie stared at her with his wet eyes and explained, “I really came here to eat.”

Luo Huai’an was filled with vigilance towards the ominous beast and had a strange thought, “Chancellor Wen is very kind. You wouldn’t be deliberately trying to cheat him out of his money, would you?”

Tao Tie was wearing an ordinary white t-shirt and jeans, clearly cheap clothes from a street vendor, indicating that he wasn’t doing well in life.

“I really didn’t.” Tao Tie shook his head sincerely and explained what happened that morning. “When I was livestreaming this morning, someone in the chat suddenly said that the food here was delicious, so I came here to eat. On the way, I saw shared bikes lying on their side. I used to work as a shared bike deliveryman, and I’ve developed a habit of always arranging the shared bikes neatly. So I reached out to help arrange the shared bikes. The person next to me was very grateful and said he would treat me to a good meal, so I followed him here. I really didn’t lie to him on purpose.”

Luo Huai’an stared intently at his face and found that he looked very serious and didn’t seem to be faking it, so her doubts gradually disappeared.

If Tao Tie wanted to eat people, he would have eaten Chancellor Wen on the way; he wouldn’t have waited until now. It seems there’s some truth to what he said.

Tao Tie savored the taste of the boiled meat slices he had just eaten and couldn’t help but say, “The food you make here is the best I’ve ever had, and it’s the first time I’ve ever felt truly full. Can I eat here every day?”

Luo Huai’an resolutely refused. “If you eat here, and one day you suddenly decide to eat someone, this place will turn into a crime scene. What’s the point of running a cafeteria then? You are not welcome as a guest here.”

Tao Tie was very disappointed and asked again, “Since I can’t be a guest, can I be an employee?”

Luo Huai’an thought to herself that both divine beasts and ominous beasts fed on spiritual energy. Of course, Taotie would not be full if he ate human food alone. Only the dishes she made could make him feel full.

If it were an ordinary supernatural beast, Luo Huai’an would usually take him in as an employee, and employees would naturally be provided with food and lodging.

But who would hire a glutton as a cafeteria worker? He could bankrupt the cafeteria, eating them into bankruptcy.

Only Chancellor Wen, who was kept in the dark, would be fooled.

Mythical Beast Cafeteria translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

---

T/N: Enjoying my translations? Check out my PATREON. You can get advance access to all ongoing translation works, single work only, or bundled works. Or just leave a tip! Thank you for your support.