Face-Slapping System

It took an average of 2-5 minutes for the crew to serve the meals to the table once they were ordered at the cashier.

As more and more people took their first bite, more people became skeptical about the products as well due to the almost over-exaggerated reaction of those who managed to get one.

They looked around and felt strange at the atmosphere around them.

After eating the first bite, one would be able to see people gobbling their sparkling chicken meals as if they were famished for a long time.

Sparkling Buds crew could be seen moving to and fro the kitchen as they served one meal after the other.

At this moment, a man named Karlo was still falling in line at the very back and felt doubts rising through his heart.

Earlier, at the exit of the mall, he saw someone handing out flyers for this restaurant.

After checking the flyer out, he realized that this restaurant was holding a grand opening event and that it would give one meal for free for the first one hundred people.

After noticing that the time was almost ripe, he decided to check the restaurant and get a free meal for himself.

As he walked, he also felt nervous as there was a high chance that the hundred people promo would already be gone once he arrived.

After walking for a few minutes, he saw the restaurant as well as the line that had extended all the way outside of the restaurant.

He fell in line and waited for a few minutes before he was able to get inside.

Once inside, he immediately noticed the strange atmosphere around the restaurant.

Those who ate seemed to be in harmony as they gobbled the food in their hand with their eyes closed af in ecstasy.

Doubts rose inside his heart as he saw the situation.

A frown appeared on his face as he thought, 'Is the food here truly that delicious?'

'Or could it be that they are paid to act that way to fool other customers?'

As he thought of that, he walked one step forward after the person in front of him did so too. The customer at the cashier has already made his order. .

Karlo followed the man with his eyes, as he waited for his reaction once he ate his meal.

Karlo saw that man fall in line at the back earlier. He only arrived a few minutes earlier than Karlo and he also fell in line almost at the same time as Karlo.

Wanting to determine if these people were truly faking their expression, the best way to find out now was to observe that man's reaction.

A minute later, a crew finally arrived at that man's table and handed him his ordered meal.

The man thanked the crew before he finally took his spoon and fork to grab a piece of that soft meat.

The crusty chicken crust crackled as the man stabbed it with his fork before putting that piece inside his mouth.

Karlo witnessed that man's expression turn from composed to surprise, and then from surprise to appreciation.

Seeing that, Karlo nodded his head and thought, 'That's a normal reaction, at least!'

At the same time, Karlo was even more sure of the fact that the exaggerated reaction of the other customers around him were because of the payments they received first hand. Karlo felt dissatisfaction rose inside his heart as he grumbled how this restaurant was even resorting to underhanded tactics like this to lure a few customers.

He looked around and thought that the 'real' customers here could just be counted by one hand.

As he was shaking his head in dissatisfaction, he realized that it was finally his turn to order. Right now, he was no longer as optimistic as before. And if not for the fact that this was free food, he would have walked away already and won't bother wasting his time in this underhanded newly established.

'At least, the cashiers are pretty,' he thought as he arrived in front of one of the four cashiers.

With the last bit of respect inside him, Karlo ordered Set 1 with a smile on his face as he looked at the pretty cashier.

"Thank you, please search for an available table first and one of our crew will deliver the meal to you in a few minutes," the cashier said amiably to Karlo as she handed him a number tent.

Karlo smiled back with a red cheek as he moved away to search for an available table.

However, he realized that the tables around were full. Just as he was about to go to the second floor to search for an available table, he suddenly recalled the man who had a normal reaction earlier.

Karlo looked over and upon realizing that there was still an available chair in front of the man, Karlo moved toward him and asked, "Hi bro, do you mind if I sit here?"

The man looked up at him while eating his sparkling chicken before shaking his head, indicating that he doesn't mind.

Karlo smiled at him before taking a seat, "Thank you!"

As he sat, Karlo looked around at the exaggerated reaction of the 'customers' around him again. He shook his head, thinking that they had truly overdone their acting to the point that they looked delusional as they ate.

He looked in front of him and noticed that the man still had the same unexaggerated reaction that he got earlier as he gobbled the food.

Karlo nodded his head in satisfaction and decided to speak as he looked around again, "I wonder how much this restaurant is paying these actors to have that kind of acting."

He chuckled as he continued, "It must be a lot right? I mean, look at their silly reactions, they must have paid the premium service, right?"

The man in front of him smiled. He then swallowed the food that he just chewed and asked Karlo, "You think they are getting paid to react that way?"

Karlo nodded his head, "Bro, of course they do. I have already seen this kind of tactic multiple times. However, once the real customers like us taste the food, we will then realize how exaggerated their reactions are."

He shrugged his shoulders and continued, "I mean it's pretty normal actually. Food commercials in televisions also use the same trick to fool the viewers."

The man opposite Karlo took another bite and said, "But, it's really good though."

Hearing that, Karlo only chuckled before saying, "Bro, a food can be good without having that exaggerated reaction, look at you, did you exaggerate your reaction when you ate earlier? No, right? Because I know you're not one of them."

"Look around us. There, that lady, look at her reaction. Why is she rolling her eyes like that as she eats? If she was not paid for having that kind of reaction, then what more if they paid her?"

Karlo paused for a moment before he said with a confident chuckle, "In fact, I'm telling you now bro. I will maintain the most deadpan expression as I eat my Set 1 later, watch me slay it."

"Oh right, we still haven't introduced each other. I'm Karlo, what's your name by the way?"

The man gulped his soda and answered with a flat tone, "Roland."

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Happy New Year! We reached 1111 Power Stones last week. Check the Auxiliary chapter to see the updated goals for this week.