Chapter 69: The Center of the Fish Pond (4)
The initial evaluations continued, with many more girl group contestants taking to the stage. Whether it was because Su Mingxiu’s performance had been too shocking, or because of Suhui’s all-around talent, the subsequent performances seemed rather ordinary, and the live stream’s popularity gradually declined.
Until Annie and Pao Tong’s duo took the stage—
As the targets chosen by the system for Su Mingxiu’s strategy, they demonstrated the skills expected of a domestic girl group.
In fact, Annie and Pao Tong had already debuted before and were quite popular. They were two of the ace contestants invited by the program.
One was a dance specialist, the other a rapper. Their fiery performance reignited the stage, and the mentors’ expressions finally relaxed. After two hours, two more S cards were given out.
Because the talent show was broadcast live and unedited, the initial evaluation segment was quite lengthy.
Therefore, the program team had divided the selection process into two time slots, with a meal break in between to foster relationships between the mentors and contestants.
After Suhui’s stunning opening and Annie and Pao Tong’s powerful closing performance, the show entered its meal break, and the live stream cameras were turned off.
The contestants and mentors were led to a spacious dining hall, which had been converted from an underwater viewing tunnel.
The deep blue background created a tranquil, underwater atmosphere.
In the center of the hall were countless fresh ingredients and many small tables and chairs. Many let out gasps of amazement.
The director’s voice echoed from the speakers all around: “Considering that our contestants come from all over the country, with different tastes, our first meal is a hot pot buffet. Enjoy your dinner.”
“After dinner, someone will guide you to your dormitories. Currently, the dorms are for four people. Please carefully choose your roommates who will accompany you on this challenging journey!”
Almost as soon as the director finished speaking, the girl group members, in lively groups of three or four, went to nearby tables. With the mentors setting the mood, the other contestants also quickly found companions.
Su Mingxiu wasn’t interested in socializing. She simply chose an empty table in the corner and started examining the hot pot and the ingredients. The system urged: “This is your chance to gain goodwill points with your cooking skills!”
She ignored it, looking at the induction cooker and the small pot, thinking regretfully that it would be perfect if she had a clay pot and mutton. This renovated aquarium felt cold and damp, and a mutton hot pot would be perfect for warming up.
Just then, a figure sat down across from her. The sudden appearance of such beauty seemed to illuminate the surroundings. Su Mingxiu raised her eyes slightly, curved her lips into a smile, and offered a perfunctory greeting.
Then, two more people arrived, one on each side of the small table. Annie, ever the social butterfly, adjusted her earrings and sat down, asking what kind of hot pot she wanted. Pao Tong smiled gently and asked politely: “Can we eat with you?”
Several contestants at nearby tables looked over, some with envy, others as if it was to be expected. Su Mingxu looked at the people who had gathered around her in the blink of an eye and asked, “What kind of hot pot do you want?”
Annie spoke first: “Spicy!”
Then, glancing at her friend, she asked tentatively: “But not too spicy?”
Pao Tong smiled helplessly.
Suhui, however, was straightforward. She silently brought over a large basin of various seafood.
Su Mingxiu tapped her fingers on the table, went to ask the program staff for some Korean chili paste and ramen, and added rice cakes, chili paste, ramen noodles, and a few types of mushrooms to enhance the flavor. Finally, she placed Suhui’s shellfish and prawns on top and covered the pot with a transparent lid.
As the aroma and steam wafted from the pot, Annie suggested with a smile: “It’s fate that we met, why don’t the four of us share a dorm?”
Pao Tong looked at her, her eyes asking if she was only interested in Su Mingxiu’s cooking skills.
Annie instinctively pinched her slim waist, then looked at the hot pot longingly, a clear struggle in her eyes. Su Mingxiu, who had been staring at the steam rising from the pot, suddenly said:
“Don’t worry, you won’t gain weight.”
Whatever the Culinary God System’s true purpose was, the most obvious benefit it brought was that the food made by Su Mingxiu wouldn’t cause weight gain. Instead, it even had the effect of replenishing whatever the body lacked. For example, Annie’s old dance injuries would feel much better after a few meals of Su Mingxiu’s bone broth.
With her assurance, Annie smiled without hesitation and even moved her stool closer to Su Mingxiu, leaning against her shoulder with a sweet smile. “Then let’s share a dorm, okay?”
Pao Tong, although silent, also looked at Su Mingxiu with a gentle gaze.
Su Mingxiu suddenly felt a heavy gaze on her. She followed it and met Suhui’s blue eyes, which were fixed on Annie’s arm around her.
After a while, that delicate, doll-like face turned towards Su Mingxiu, her blue eyes unreadable, like the sea before a storm, the surface turning dark and ominous.
“Hmm?” Su Mingxiu felt a sense of danger, but she didn’t understand why. Until Suhui said concisely: “You and I, same room.”
Pao Tong, who had also sensed the sudden tension in the air, couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this. “The director said four people per room, aren’t we just right?”
Su Mingxiu hummed in agreement. Hearing her response, Annie’s smile widened, giving Pao Tong a “V” sign for victory across the table. Suhui lowered her eyes, her long silver hair casting a shadow under the lights, concealing her expression.
The lid of the pot rattled against the rim as the steam built up, urging the diners. The spicy aroma of the Korean hot pot was incredibly strong, attracting the attention of many contestants who were only eating clear soup and watching their weight.
Even Teacher Yu was drawn over: “It smells so good!”
It was their first meal together, and no one wanted to spoil the mood. So no one reminded them about the calories in the spicy hot pot, the seafood, and the ramen. Every piece of food they fished out from the pot was coated in a fiery red fragrance.
Su Mingxiu glanced at Pao Tong, then went to get another pot and made a mushroom soup, telling her that if she found the hot pot too spicy, she could drink some soup.
Even though Annie was closer to Pao Tong, they were both too preoccupied with the delicious food before them. Pao Tong, with her gentle personality, was always the one taking care of others in the group, never being taken care of herself. Now, looking at the bubbling small pot, she felt a warmth spread through her heart.
As Su Mingxiu stood up, she inadvertently saw a table nearby surrounded by members in black, sharp outfits. She knew they were from the same girl group.
But they didn’t seem to know how to use the induction cooker. The water in their pot was almost boiling dry as she passed by, so she adjusted the heat and reminded them.
“Thank you.” The girl with long, straight black hair smiled at her. Su Mingxiu realized that this was the goodwill target she had seen earlier, the only one who hadn’t dyed her hair.
She replied politely and returned to her own table, seeing a pile of prawns in her bowl.
Su Mingxiu paused, her gaze lifting to look at the person across from her. But the silver-haired siren didn’t seem to notice her gaze. The merfolk was busy eating, her every movement elegant and graceful, giving no indication that she wasn’t human.
After a moment, Su Mingxiu took out her gloves, picked up a prawn from her bowl, meticulously peeled it and deveined it, and offered it to Suhui.
Suhui looked at her in confusion. Su Mingxiu asked: “Do you want to dip it in sauce?”
This person…
Seemed to think she was offering the prawn for Suhui to peel.
Suhui’s long, thick eyelashes fluttered slightly. After a moment, she replied softly: “You eat.”
The first step of merfolk courtship—sharing food with the other party.
But before Su Mingxiu could even react, Annie, her eyes sparkling, looked over and asked: “Can you make a dipping sauce?”
Su Mingxiu nodded and instinctively stood up, walking towards the sauce station prepared by the program staff. She mixed a special sauce for prawns, brought it back, dipped the peeled prawn meat in it, and said to Annie: “You like spicy food, you can add chili oil.”
Annie, however, was too eager to eat and didn’t want to leave the table. So the prawn that Suhui had picked up for Su Mingxiu, which Su Mingxiu hadn’t had the chance to eat, ended up in Annie’s mouth.
Oh, and she shared half of it with Pao Tong.
Suhui’s expression changed abruptly. But the merfolk’s inherited memories didn’t contain any instructions on what to do when their beloved gave their special food to someone else.
She could only silently pile more seafood into Su Mingxiu’s bowl.
Pao Tong, seeing this, also discreetly added other ingredients to Su Mingxiu’s bowl. So, despite not reaching for the pot herself, by the end of the meal, Su Mingxiu was almost full.
The contestant dormitories were ocean-view rooms with stunning scenery. The contestants, already conscious of their image, brought three or five suitcases each. The time it took to unpack and organize their belongings was enough to digest their dinner.
Room 1706.
Su Mingxiu, as an amateur, only had one small suitcase. After wiping down the bed and organizing her closet, she took her change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom, bumping into someone coming out.
She stepped aside to make way, but the other person also moved to the side, still blocking her path.
They were about the same height, so Su Mingxiu simply looked at her and raised an eyebrow silently.
The next moment.
Suhui opened her right palm, revealing a teardrop-shaped, perfectly round pearl.
Su Mingxiu was stunned.
Remembering the legends of people whose tears turned into pearls, a strange image appeared in her mind… Did Suhui just cry in the bathroom, catching her tears and then offering them to her?
But…
Why would she suddenly give her this?
Seeing that Su Mingxiu didn’t react, Suhui extended her hand further, her ethereal voice soft and low: “For you.”
“I can’t accept such a valuable gift without reason,” Su Mingxiu said, looking down at the teardrop pearl in her palm.
The beautiful merfolk frowned. “You don’t like it?”
… That’s not it.
Su Mingxiu searched her memories, but she had never seen such a beautiful pearl. Thinking that perhaps there were cultural differences between merfolk and humans, after a while, seeing Suhui’s almost nervous expression, she looked at the pearl for a long time before accepting it.
“Thank you.”
However…
Su Mingxiu smiled faintly, remembering the song Suhui hummed on stage earlier. She had a feeling that this delicate merfolk wasn’t as simple as she appeared. She wouldn’t give away a mermaid pearl just for a hot pot meal.
Under the bright indoor lights, the round, translucent pearl glowed faintly in her palm. Su Mingxiu closed her hand, letting the pearl warm up to her body temperature.
Not far behind them, Annie and Pao Tong were busy unpacking. Because Annie was clueless, Pao Tong had to help her. Neither of them noticed what was happening.
So Su Mingxiu and Suhui exchanged smiles, each with different meanings.
The silver-haired beauty, as if remembering something, leaned closer and whispered: “Don’t give this to anyone else.”
“Of course,” Su Mingxiu said. “I’ll find a return gift for you another day.”
Suhui’s blue eyes sparkled. She didn’t care about this so-called return gift. Instead, she thought with delight:
The second step of merfolk courtship—
Offering a mermaid pearl as betrothal.
The person who accepts the pearl is considered their mate, bound to them from then on.
She could almost see the beautiful future of this person bearing her eggs.
The elders were right, humans are so easy to deceive.
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