Super Rich: It all started when I met a young woman in a sleeper car.

Around 1 p.m., the last customer finished eating and left the restaurant.

Yang Xiaotao hung the "Closed" sign on the door and slumped into a chair.

"I'm exhausted, this group of students is too powerful."

Lin Xinyue brought out four staff meals from the kitchen and placed them on the large table in the middle.

"Let's eat, there's another wave this afternoon."

The four people sat down around the table.

Just as Chen Xun picked up his chopsticks, he heard Yang Xiaotao exclaim "Eh!"

She was scrolling through her phone, her eyes wide open.

"What's wrong?" Li Qian asked.

Yang Xiaotao turned her phone screen around.

"Look at this."

A short video is playing on my phone, titled "Checking in at Taipei's Newest Popular Instant Noodle Shop—I Absolutely Love the Decor!"

The video shows a store with an industrial-style decor, retro posters on the walls, a photo wall in the middle, and several popular dolls.

Chen Xun frowned.

The decor... it's not exactly the same as their store, but it's a complete copy.

Even the posters were hung in roughly the same places.

The video blogger is a girl with dyed blue hair, talking to the camera.

"Guys, this newly opened instant noodle shop is amazing! The industrial style combined with retro elements makes it perfect for taking photos! The signature braised beef noodles with egg and sausage are only 18 yuan, the value is off the charts!"

The camera pans across the kitchen, where a staff member wearing a black apron is cooking noodles.

Lin Xinyue leaned closer for a couple of glances and suddenly said, "This person... I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."

Chen Xun looked at her: "Who?"

"This is the shop assistant," Lin Xinyue pointed at the screen, "her back looks familiar."

The video finished playing quickly.

Yang Xiaotao exited full-screen mode and checked the posting account and address.

"The account name is 'Foodie Xiaolan', and the address shows that it's on the next street, on the first floor of the newly opened shopping mall."

Li Qian put down her chopsticks: "The next street? Isn't that just a few hundred meters away from us?"

"Yes," Yang Xiaotao nodded. "And look at the decor, the products—they're so similar to our store! Isn't that plagiarism?"

Chen Xun didn't say anything, but took Yang Xiaotao's phone and watched the video again.

This time he looked at it more carefully.

The interior design styles are very similar, the names of the products on the signs are the same, and even the prices are the same at eighteen yuan.

However, some details are different.

For example, their check-in wall uses neon signs, while the one in the video uses LED light strips.

Their nostalgia section was filled with childhood snack jars, while that store had old-fashioned radios and cassette tapes.

"It's similar, but not entirely similar." Chen Xun handed the phone back to Yang Xiaotao. "It's somewhat similar... a high-quality replica."

Lin Xinyue clicked her tongue: "High-quality replica? Isn't that just plagiarism?"

"Let's eat first," Chen Xun said. "We'll see how things go this afternoon."

At 2 p.m., the store started to get customers.

Yang Xiaotao was taking orders at the cashier, while Lin Xinyue and Li Qian were busy in the kitchen.

Chen Xun was organizing the receipts behind the counter.

The door was pushed open.

A man in his thirties walked in, wearing a gray jacket and carrying a camera bag.

He first walked around the store, looked around, and then went to the cashier.

"A bowl of their signature braised beef noodles, with an egg and sausage."

"Eighteen," Yang Xiaotao said.

The man scanned the QR code to pay and found a seat by the window.

But he didn't sit still.

He took his phone out of his camera bag and started taking pictures of the store.

First, take pictures of the overall environment, then the posters on the wall, the photo wall, and the nostalgic area.

Yang Xiaotao frowned and walked over.

"Sir, commercial photography is not allowed here."

The man looked up and smiled: "I'm not doing commercial filming, I'm just a social media blogger shooting some footage."

"That won't do either," Yang Xiaotao said. "You'll disturb the other guests."

"Okay, okay, I won't take any more pictures." The man put his phone away.

But when Yang Xiaotao returned to the cashier, she found that the man had taken out his phone again.

This time, he took the photo from a very tricky angle.

Point the phone towards the kitchen, tilt the camera slightly upwards, and you can capture part of the noodle-cooking counter and the cashier area.

Chen Xun saw it.

He put down the receipt in his hand and walked over.

"gentlemen."

The man looked up: "Huh?"

Chen Xun looked at him: "You just promised not to film anymore."

"I didn't take any pictures." The man turned off his phone screen. "I was just checking my messages."

"Then why is your phone camera pointed at the kitchen?" Chen asked.

The man's expression changed: "I...I just put it there randomly."

"Can I see your phone?" Chen Xun asked.

"Why should I?" the man stood up. "Who are you? The manager?"

"I'm the boss," Chen Xun said.

The man paused for a moment, then looked Chen Xun up and down.

"So what if he's the boss? Who are you trying to scare?" He put his phone back in his pocket. "I don't want the noodles anymore, give me my money back."

"The noodles are already in the pot," Chen Xun said.

"Then I don't want it anymore." The man walked towards the door. "What a lousy shop, with such a bad attitude, no wonder nobody comes here."

He opened the door and went out.

The wind chimes on the door tinkled once.

Yang Xiaotao walked over and said, "Big brother, something's not right with this guy."

"Hmm." Chen Xun looked out the window.

The man left the store, didn't go far, stood across the street, took out his phone and took a few more pictures of the store before turning around and leaving.

Lin Xinyue poked her head out from the kitchen: "The noodles are cooked, where is everyone?"

"They ran away," Yang Xiaotao said.

"Ran away?" Lin Xinyue came out carrying a bowl of noodles. "Did you pay?"

"I paid," Yang Xiaotao said, "but he said he didn't want it anymore."

Lin Xinyue placed the noodles on the table: "What about this bowl?"

"Let's eat," Li Qian said, walking over. "Don't waste food."

The four people sat down around the bowl of noodles.

Chen Xun didn't touch his chopsticks.

"Big brother, what are you thinking about?" Yang Xiaotao asked.

Chen Xun looked up: "You guys watch the shop this afternoon, I'm going out for a bit."

"Where to?" Lin Xinyue asked.

"The next street," Chen Xun said, "Let's go check out that shop."

Li Qian put down her chopsticks: "I'll go with you."

"No need," Chen Xun stood up. "It's more convenient for me to go alone."

He took the car keys and left the store.

It's only a five-minute drive to the next street.

The newly opened shopping mall was very eye-catching on the first floor, with a queue forming in front of one of the stores.

The shop sign reads "Instant Noodle Research Institute," and the font and color are very similar to their "Instant Noodle Commune," but you can see the difference if you look closely.

The interior design styles are indeed very similar.

The walls have an industrial style, there are retro elements, a photo wall, and even the sofa in the rest area is light gray.

Chen Xun parked his car on the side of the road but didn't go over immediately.

He sat in the car, looking at the store.

The store was quite busy, with seven or eight people in line, and it was almost full.

Most of them were young people, taking pictures with their phones.

It's exactly the same as their customer base.

Chen Xun watched for ten minutes, then got out of the car and walked over.

He stood at the back of the line, listening to the conversation between the two girls in front of him.

"This store is so popular lately, everyone on Xiaohongshu is checking in here."

"Yeah, the decor is beautiful, the noodles are delicious, and most importantly, it's cheap."

"I heard the owner is an internet celebrity and designed the interior himself."

"Really? That's incredible!"

Chen Xun remained silent.

It's his turn now.

Behind the cashier was a girl with dyed blonde hair, who looked to be in her early twenties.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Our signature braised beef noodles, with an egg and sausage," Chen Xun said.

"Eighteen," the girl said.

Chen Xun scanned the QR code to pay, took a number, and found a corner seat to sit down.

He observed the store.

There are indeed differences in the details of the decoration, but the overall style is too similar.

Even the menu layout is almost identical.

The noodles have been served.

Chen Xun picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

The taste... is different.

The beef wasn't stewed tender enough, the broth was too salty, and the spiciness wasn't strong enough.

But the plating is exactly the same.