Chapter 95: The Center of the Fish Pond (30)
Faced with such an unlucky pair of guests and their dramatic “elopement” threat, the director couldn’t help but consider going easy on them in the next round.
But before he could make a decision, the other two couples had already finished the first challenge. Double Su had six points, Flower J (Zhao Xiaohua and Jacker) had seven. They all moved on to the second round.
“Welcome to the second round, the race! There’s a mud pit ahead. One partner will carry the other on their back. The partner being carried needs to hold two cups of water. The team that carries the most water to the finish line within the time limit will earn 10 points.”
—
[Is your show really bullying the two girls?]
[No way, no way, are you really looking down on Suhui’s status?]
The fans who had been laughing at Su Mingxiu and Suhui’s bad luck now sensed something amiss. Even the main live stream chat was filled with comments defending them.
But Su Mingxiu and Suhui, hearing about this competition, both breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging glances as if communicating silently.
Then, they both spoke almost simultaneously: “I’ll carry you.”
“Let me carry you.”
Suhui didn’t want to lose again. She firmly believed that a mud pit was nothing. Merfolk had strong lower body strength, even on land, she was confident that she could easily surpass ordinary humans.
Su Mingxiu, seeing her insistence, pursed her lips and placed her hand on Suhui’s shoulder, her voice softening considerably. “Your feet are so beautiful, I don’t want them to get muddy. Let me carry you, okay?”
“Uh…!” Although Suhui was aware of her own beauty, being praised like this in front of the viewers and the other guests still made her blush.
After a pause, she said: “You’re also very beautiful, and I can do it.”
“I’m not on camera anymore, I can be a bit rough, but you can’t, you’re our little fairy.”
—[“Our family”? Is this an official announcement?]
[Damn! The other two couples had no disagreements about their roles, I didn’t expect to get some candy here!]
[Wuwuwu, who wouldn’t want to be praised like this by a beautiful girl?]
[Suhui truly is a fairy!]
Suhui seemed to be convinced by Su Mingxiu. Her ears slightly red, she walked behind Su Mingxiu and said nervously: “I want to win, I don’t want you to freeze tonight.”
“I know,” Su Mingxiu half-squatted down, her eyes sparkling under the sunlight as she tilted her head. “I won’t let you lose.”
Just then, the director, also realizing that this wasn’t appropriate, announced through the megaphone that Su Mingxiu and Suhui didn’t have to carry each other, only one of them needed to participate.
Hearing this, Suhui was about to step back and volunteer, but Su Mingxiu said with her head lowered: “Isn’t that unfair?”
Director: “Huh?”
Suhui also remembered how Su Mingxiu had dominated her in the sea, knowing that her strength was even greater than a mermaid’s. So she nodded in agreement: “Yes, that wouldn’t be a challenge, it wouldn’t be a fair fight.”
Jacker and Movie King Su both laughed. Movie King Su said: “I’ve never lost a sprint in my school’s sports meets!”
Jacker: “I participated in a celebrity sports meet and won first place in running too.”
Su Mingxiu, carrying Suhui on her back, waited for the staff to bring the two cups of water. After a moment of thought, she replied seriously: “I’ve never participated in any sports meets.”
[Eh? This line sounds familiar.]
[Remember when she said she had never learned singing or dancing during Produce 101? And then… look at her performance scores.]
[No way, two grown men, carrying their wives, can’t beat a single girl? That wouldn’t be right.]
“Ready—”
After they had secured the cups of water, the director blew the whistle mischievously.
The three of them stepped into the mud pit. With their first step, they realized that this wasn’t a normal track. The mud was incredibly sticky, each step like pulling a radish from the ground, their legs sinking deep into the mire.
Movie King Su felt himself and his wife sinking and couldn’t help but exclaim, his footing unsteady.
Zhao Xiaohua on Jacker’s back yelled: “I’m going to fall! Be careful, honey!”
Su Mingxiu stood still, assessing the depth of the mud pit and the stickiness of the mud, making Suhui on her back nervous. Suhui’s legs tightened around her waist as she urged: “Can you do it?”
“Should I carry you instead?”
The woman carrying her remained steady, chuckling softly. “Whether I can do it or not, you’ll find out soon.”
Then, she started walking forward, one step at a time, her pace not particularly fast, but her steady progress quickly left the other two couples struggling in the mud far behind.
Movie King Su: “?”
Jacker: “?”
Movie Queen Su burst out laughing, teasing her husband: “Mr. Su, didn’t you say you always won first place in sports meets? How come you can’t even beat a little girl now?”
“Mrs. Su, that was in elementary school, a long time ago.” Movie King Su, still struggling with the mud pit, calmly defended his honor.
They had only reached the halfway point when they saw Su Mingxiu returning. Zhao Xiaohua looked at them with admiration: “How are you so fast?”
Suhui still felt that they were slow. She was playfully saying “Giddy up” to Su Mingxiu. Hearing Zhao Xiaohua’s question, she looked over in confusion. Su Mingxiu didn’t mind, replying with a smile: “Because little fairies who grow up drinking nectar are as light as clouds, so carrying them is easy.”
[Pfft.]
[I believe it.]
[Here we go again! After turning wilderness survival into a picnic, this woman has now conquered a sports competition. Su Mingxiu’s physique is perfect for variety shows… too bad she retired.]
[Seeing her easily carry Suhui to victory, I’m kicking my boyfriend, who complained about me being too heavy, off the bed.]
…
In the end, Su Mingxiu easily carried Suhui to victory in the second round, earning 10 points.
The program team had originally planned fewer physical activities, considering that this group was all female. Now, seeing their dominant performance, they decided to bring out the third challenge.
The three-legged race.
Suhui had originally planned to follow Su Mingxiu’s lead, but realizing that their pace wasn’t fast enough, she suddenly scooped Su Mingxiu up and ran forward.
Su Mingxiu, suddenly lifted off the ground: “?”
She stood at the finish line, watching as Suhui raised her chin triumphantly: “The heating equipment is ours!”
Su Mingxiu, who had been about to say something, chuckled along with her. “Yes, thank you for carrying me to victory.”
She squatted down and untied the straps around Suhui’s ankles. The silver-haired fish looked down at her and, for some reason, reached out and patted her head.
The comments section, which had been amazed by their athletic abilities, now praised their sweetness.
The first episode ended with the crackling sound of a bonfire outside the tents.
As soon as the edited first episode of Date with Me Season 2 was uploaded, a large number of viewers flocked to watch it.
On the day of its release, the program team and the guests all reposted and shared sweet messages to promote the show.
Su Mingxiu and Suhui were no exception.
A simple “Please support us” message would have been enough, but Suhui, holding her phone, posted this—
Suhui V: Someone asked if we’re real? @ChefSuMingxiu
ChefSuMingxiu: More real than pearls. @SuhuiV
Their bold declaration immediately attracted a flood of fans and passersby. Many entertainment forums were buzzing with discussions about them.
[Gossip] Shocking! Is this considered an official announcement?
1st Floor: Already hooked, currently reviewing their interactions during Produce 101. I just realized that Suhui has always been special to Su Mingxiu. Although she cooked for other friends, she only hand-fed Suhui.
2nd Floor: Suhui always wears those candy earrings, I bet Su Mingxiu gave them to her! And Su Mingxiu always wears coral jewelry, plus her nickname for Suhui is “笨鱼 (foolish fish).” Fish and coral, do I need to emphasize the significance of these tokens of love?
3rd Floor: Where are those who said they were fake?
4th Floor: Since when can we use real names on this forum? Can’t you see they’re just creating buzz for the show?
5th Floor: For those who are blind, even if you put candy in front of them, they’ll say it’s shit. I understand. I’m betting on this couple being together forever, okay?
…
Suhui, sitting at home, saw the online discussions. Thinking about the location for the next episode’s filming, she looked towards the kitchen.
Su Mingxiu was making breakfast. She was so familiar with the routine that she didn’t even bother putting on an apron. Amidst the sizzling sound of oil in the wok, the system was also pondering.
According to its true mission, Su Mingxiu was supposed to play with Suhui’s feelings, then abandon her, leaving the heartbroken Suhui to struggle alone in the entertainment industry.
After suffering various setbacks, she would return to the sea dejectedly, unconsciously activating her inheritance and becoming the sole ruler of the deep sea.
But…
Thinking about Su Mingxiu’s actions, which had inadvertently caused Suhui’s temporary heartbreak and helped her navigate the entertainment industry, but the part about returning to the sea and activating her inheritance—
Thinking about the next filming location by the sea, which was very close to the place of inheritance, the system lit a cigarette.
It realized that the more it interfered, the more rebellious the host became. But even if it did nothing, there seemed to be an invisible force guiding Su Mingxiu towards fulfilling Suhui’s destiny.
A destiny that was both ultimate and better, completely different from the one it had planned.
Why was this happening?
Love should only make the protagonist weaker.
The system, puffing on its data cigarette, thought, I’m not wrong, it must be because the gap between Su Mingxiu and Suhui’s identities isn’t wide enough.
So far, the successful strategy was to wear a disguise, which lowered Su Mingxiu’s guard against it. The mistake was that the identity it chose was too ordinary. It needed to add some… obstacles that would completely set them against each other.
Thinking of this, the system stopped worrying about Su Mingxiu and Suhui’s progress and started planning for the next world.
The kitchen had a small window, allowing plenty of sunlight to stream in. In the morning, golden rays of sunlight filled the room.
Su Mingxiu was almost finished cooking. Before she could turn around, she felt a cool presence behind her.
She turned off the heat and saw Suhui holding an apron, gesturing with it, and asking curiously: “How do you wear this?”
The woman put down the plate. “Should I teach you?”
Suhui nodded and handed her the apron. As Su Mingxiu held the apron against her and started tying the straps, Suhui tilted her head in confusion.
She protested: “I wanted to help you put it on.”
The woman looked up at her, her dark eyes filled with amusement: “If you learn how to wear it yourself, you can help me next time, right?”
Is that so?
Suhui didn’t believe her and insisted that Su Mingxiu untie it. As a result, she was placed on the dining table and wasn’t allowed to leave… In the end, everything but the apron was removed.
The foolish fish grabbed the woman’s hair, white pearls falling onto the dining table and scattering on the floor. She tilted her head back, her voice choked with a sob: “Why do you always bully me…”
Su Mingxiu traced Suhui’s lips with her tongue, collecting the moisture. She looked up and asked: “Don’t you like it?”
Suhui didn’t answer, only tightening her grip on Su Mingxiu’s hair.
—She liked it.
Even though this person always bullied her, she still liked Su Mingxiu very much, even… so much that she wanted to find the legendary place of inheritance of the merfolk clan and share her long life with Su Mingxiu.
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