Chapter 70: The Center of the Fish Pond (5)
“What gift?”
Annie, who had just finished unpacking with Pao Tong’s help, turned around and asked curiously.
But before Suhui or Su Mingxiu could speak, she smiled brightly at Su Mingxiu. “Xiuxiu treated us to such a delicious hot pot, I should definitely give you a return gift.”
Saying this, Annie rummaged through her suitcase, took out a jewelry box, opened it, and offered it to Su Mingxiu. “I just bought this new seasonal design, I think it would suit you very well. Want to try it on?”
Although Su Mingxiu didn’t recognize the brand, she could tell from the exquisite design of leaves encrusted with small diamonds that this bracelet must be quite expensive.
Just as she was about to decline, Annie ran over and held the bracelet against Su Mingxiu’s wrist:
“I knew it! I bought it purely for its beauty, but now I think such a delicate piece is most suitable for a beauty like you.”
“It’s a good thing you’re here, otherwise I wouldn’t know who to give it to.”
This was just polite talk. Su Mingxiu looked at the bracelet on her wrist, the small diamonds intricately arranged around the leaves, creating a perfect fit. Even without a mirror, she knew how elegant it made her look.
The mermaid pearl in her palm was still hidden from view.
And Suhui was staring at the new ornament on Su Mingxiu’s wrist, the scent of another person clinging to it. The smile in her eyes disappeared without a trace.
Su Mingxiu also looked at the bracelet on her wrist. After a long while, she took it off with a smile and offered it back to Annie: “It’s really beautiful, but this gift is too expensive—”
Before she could finish speaking, Pao Tong, who had been silently unpacking her suitcase, walked over. Her gentle, pale pink outfit complemented her delicate aura. She held a flower-shaped silver ring in her hand and opened her palm towards Su Mingxiu.
“I made this little trinket myself at a workshop a few days ago. If you don’t want to accept Annie’s gift, how about this one?”
Thin silver branches formed the shape of a sunflower, its playful curves full of childlike charm. This ring, compared to the diamond-encrusted bracelet, looked much simpler.
Su Mingxiu really couldn’t refuse this time.
Seeing her smile, Annie slumped back into Pao Tong’s arms with a feigned sadness. “Wuwuwu, my gift was rejected, it seems Xiuxiu still loves you more.”
The girl’s playful words made Su Mingxiu and Pao Tong laugh. Only Suhui’s expression darkened.
—She knew the meaning of a ring.
When she was young, she had seen human couples by the sea, one proposing to the other with a ring, a symbol of love and commitment.
Later, her manager at Neptune Entertainment explained the special significance of rings in human culture.
If they were in the sea now, she would have used the merfolk’s customs to defeat these weak opponents and banish them from her territory. Unfortunately, they were on land, and she had to follow human rules.
The air around her grew heavy. Finally, Su Mingxiu’s helpless voice broke the silence: “You’re all giving me welcome gifts, but I’ve never participated in a show like this before, I haven’t prepared anything. How should I repay you?”
“You already have!” Annie licked her lips, still savoring the taste of tonight’s hot pot.
Even though tonight’s hot pot wasn’t as spicy as she preferred, it was still much better than the bland clear soup on other people’s tables.
Pao Tong nodded in agreement. “After the training starts, based on the rules of these shows, we won’t have as much freedom with food. We’ll have to rely on you for late-night snacks and extra meals.”
She made a pleading gesture, her gentle demeanor even more endearing.
Su Mingxiu accepted the ring, then put away the mermaid pearl as well, and headed towards the bathroom, intending to rest early and prepare for the remaining evaluations tomorrow.
Suhui and the other two remained.
Pao Tong, unlike her oblivious friend, had already sensed Suhui’s displeasure at her closeness to Su Mingxiu.
But it didn’t seem like Suhui was particularly close to Su Mingxiu either. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with someone as kind and easygoing as Su Mingxiu?
So, after Su Mingxiu left, Pao Tong pretended to be oblivious and chatted with Annie with a smile.
The person who came out of the bathroom smelled of milk, her skin slightly flushed from the hot water, the contrast between her fair skin and her elbows, knees, and fingertips particularly striking.
The beds in the room were bunk beds, creating a dormitory atmosphere for the contestants.
Su Mingxiu’s bed happened to be above Suhui’s. She sat on the edge of the bed, her legs dangling, their elegant curves no different from those of ordinary humans. It was hard to tell where her strength was hidden.
Suhui stared at her legs for a long time, thinking with a troubled expression: If I differentiate now, I won’t be able to participate in this show anymore. But if I don’t differentiate, how can I claim her and mark her as mine?
She pondered this all night.
Until the next morning.
The director’s wake-up call came through the loudspeakers outside. Annie groaned and covered her ears with a pillow. Pao Tong, having finished washing up, squatted beside her bed and sighed: “Mingxiu and Suhui are already up, if you don’t get up now, you’ll be late.”
Annie mumbled drowsily: “Why are they up so early?”
The people she was talking about were currently in the hotel kitchen.
Su Mingxiu was there because she had been given a “culinary buff,” and it would be a shame not to take advantage of it. With her exceptional looks, she had slipped into the kitchen early in the morning, unnoticed by the program staff. After helping out a few times, she successfully secured her own stove.
When Suhui arrived, Su Mingxiu looked up and smiled. “There are fresh razor clams this morning, steamed with eggs, it’s quite good. Want to try some?”
The siren’s alluring face seemed out of place in this bustling kitchen.
But Suhui didn’t mind. She walked directly behind Su Mingxiu, her cool touch against her neck. Su Mingxiu heard that ethereal voice whisper in her ear: “You forgot this.”
She looked down and saw the teardrop mermaid pearl she had put away last night. Somehow, Suhui had found it. Now, it was strung on a transparent fishing line, hanging around her neck.
—What a possessive fish.
This thought flashed through her mind, but her smile didn’t change. She didn’t even say thank you, making it impossible to guess what she had originally planned to do with the pearl.
She simply turned off the heat on the steamed razor clams with eggs, took the pot off the stove, poured the contents into a beautiful small bowl, drizzled it with sauce, and handed it to Suhui, the aroma and steam enveloping her face.
There was also a clay pot of seafood porridge beside it.
The timing seemed perfect, as if she had known Suhui would come looking for her.
Suhui couldn’t help but feel confused. The path of courtship wasn’t going as smoothly as she had imagined. It was even a bit out of control… as if the prey was leading the dance.
—This won’t do.
In the misty steam from the breakfast, the mermaid lowered her eyes, a calculating glint flashing in her blue eyes.
The first group for the second day of evaluations also included someone familiar to Su Mingxiu, the girl with long, straight black hair from the dinner table last night, another one of her strategy targets. She was from Forest Media and part of a group with seven or eight members.
But in the end, only she received an S rank, another member got an A, the rest were Ds and Fs. The uneven skill levels within the group made the leader feel very responsible.
After coming down from the stage, she didn’t appear in front of the cameras again.
11:20 AM.
As Su Mingxiu passed by the bathroom, she heard suppressed sobs coming from inside. There were no cameras here, it was a secluded area rarely visited by the contestants during the live broadcast. The reason she was here was because it was close to the kitchen.
Compared to those contestants who were more concerned about their figures and their appearance on camera, she, the chef who was just here to earn her salary for three episodes before going home to reopen her restaurant, was much more relaxed. She didn’t even care if there were any fans waiting for her in her live stream.
Wang Zhi, having composed herself, worried that her teammates would be anxious if she was gone for too long, hurriedly wiped away her tears and walked out. But as soon as she left the bathroom, she saw a figure leaning against the wall in the dimly lit hallway. A rich milky fragrance wafted towards her.
The person, seeing her come out, took two steps forward and handed her something. Wang Zhi looked down at the object in their hand—
It looked like a cupcake.
Topped with fresh, chopped strawberries.
The sweet and sour juice mingled with the creamy fragrance, a combination that was both visually appealing and soothing.
“Eating something sweet can help relieve stress, want to try some?” Su Mingxiu asked casually.
Knowing that sweets would affect her weight, and they weren’t even close, Wang Zhi still reached out and took it, perhaps because the cupcake looked too cute to resist.
After taking a bite, tasting the crispy crust and the jelly-like filling, she realized that it wasn’t a cake. The texture was more like an egg tart.
Tears still clung to her eyelashes, but she asked with a smile: “What is this?”
“A small dessert I made with leftover toast and eggs from breakfast. I haven’t thought of a name for it yet, why don’t you name it?”
“Cupcake Egg Tart.” Wang Zhi seriously came up with a name. Perhaps because she had named it, this dessert suddenly felt special.
She had eaten countless delicacies, but at this moment, Wang Zhi felt that this small, cake-like egg tart was her favorite.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely to Su Mingxiu.
But Su Mingxiu only looked at her in surprise. “I should be the one thanking you, for trying out my new creation.”
She hadn’t said a single word of comfort, yet her words were more soothing than any consolation Wang Zhi had ever received.
Perhaps sweet treats truly had such power.
Before returning to the venue with Su Mingxiu, Wang Zhi asked seriously: “If I encounter any problems in the future, can I come to you?”
Su Mingxiu waved her hand dismissively. “I’m only responsible for cooking. For singing, dancing, and those stage matters, you’ll have to find professionals.”
Somehow, hearing this, Wang Zhi smiled even brighter.
They reappeared before the cameras together, also appearing in Suhui, Annie, and Pao Tong’s sight.
Annie, holding her friend’s arm, sighed with a complicated tone: “I knew we couldn’t hide a treasure like Xiuxiu. Wuwuwu, look, she’s found a new love interest!”
Pao Tong: “…”
Although she didn’t speak, she was also carefully observing this new competitor.
Also an S-rank from the initial evaluation, a formidable opponent.
Further away…
Suhui’s blue eyes were filled with displeasure. She thought angrily, I haven’t even dealt with the two rivals from yesterday, and now there’s another one?!
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