Chapter 76: The Center of the Fish Pond (11)
Suhui couldn’t come up with an answer after thinking for a long time. She could only sullenly put the deep-fried prawn into her mouth. The crispy, golden-brown shell crunched between her teeth, staining her lips with a glossy sheen.
A sudden burst of sweetness and a creamy texture surprised her. After a moment, she realized that besides the crispy outer layer, the fried prawn also had a sweet, creamy filling.
And it was incredibly hot.
It was delicious, but after taking a bite, she saw Su Mingxiu chatting with Annie and Pao Tong, talking about playing games in someone’s room later.
Suhui had never heard of these games. She held the prawn skewer, watching as they chatted animatedly. Su Mingxiu even went to the refrigerator and took out a few glasses of sparkling water garnished with mint leaves.
The glasses were handed to Annie, Pao Tong, Wang Zhi, and her friends one by one. The last glass was offered to Suhui, with a hesitant question from Su Mingxiu: “Do you want one?”
As if waiting for her to refuse so she could take the last glass back.
Suhui stared at the pale pink drink, tiny bubbles rising within. The wound on her tongue, which should have been healing, felt even more painful. She couldn’t tell if her regenerative abilities had weakened or…
Or if the prawn was simply too hot.
She stared at the glass in Su Mingxiu’s outstretched hand, watching the bubbles rise. The melted cheese oozed from the fried prawn she was holding, its crispy coating broken.
Suhui had been silent for so long that the others looked over again. Su Mingxiu, seemingly losing her patience, moved her wrist slightly—
The silver-haired mermaid silently took the glass with her free hand. The lychee-flavored sparkling water rolled over her tongue, the cool sensation flowing down her throat. The burning sensation on her tongue, stimulated by the bubbles, throbbed with pain, then turned numb.
The prawn was delicious, and the drink was refreshing. But Suhui didn’t finish either of them, even after the others had finished their conversation.
Just as everyone was about to leave the kitchen, Wang Zhi finally couldn’t help but ask, pointing at the food in Suhui’s hand: “Doesn’t it suit your taste?”
Suhui hadn’t had any good feelings towards Wang Zhi. After all, while pursuing Su Mingxiu, everyone around her was considered a rival.
But now…
Since she had decided to switch targets, the rivalry between her and Wang Zhi no longer existed.
Thinking of this, Suhui looked down at the barely touched fried prawn in her hand. The melted cheese had solidified, making the once-appetizing snack look… messy.
“It’s delicious,” she said. “I just don’t have much of an appetite.”
Suhui put down the glass of sparkling water, which was no longer fizzy, its surface covered in condensation. The mint leaf, once vibrant, had wilted.
She touched her chest with her hand, now wet from the condensation on the glass, and frowned slightly. “Here… uncomfortable.”
Merfolk were natural masters of emotions. From birth, they knew how to discern various human emotions, positive, negative, pleasant, unpleasant…
But that wasn’t enough.
When it came to feelings, Suhui was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, driven only by her primal instincts, the desire to reproduce ingrained in her genes. She only knew how to claim what she wanted, to mark it as her own. If she couldn’t have it, she would simply move on.
But she had never encountered… something she shouldn’t want, something she couldn’t have. She didn’t know what to do.
She didn’t even know that the feeling she was experiencing now was called grievance.
Wang Zhi looked at her in surprise. After a while, she asked tentatively: “Did you two have a fight?”
She had noticed that ever since returning from the sea, the atmosphere between them wasn’t as close as before… something must have happened during their disappearance.
“No.”
Suhui shook her head, staring at the cold, uneaten fried prawn for a long time, then meticulously finished it and threw the skewer into the trash can.
Hearing this, Wang Zhi didn’t know how to continue with her advice on maintaining good relationships.
So she could only say dryly: “In any case, to maintain a good relationship, you have to be sincere.”
Suhui: “…?”
Her blue eyes were filled with confusion.
Wang Zhi couldn’t find anything else to say. She noticed that Su Mingxiu, Annie, and the others had already left the kitchen, probably starting their game.
So she turned to leave, not forgetting to ask: “Do you want to join the game we talked about earlier?”
Suhui shook her head.
She didn’t understand the game they were talking about. Besides… she should stay away from Su Mingxiu now, right? After all, they couldn’t have offspring together.
After half a day off, the trainees returned to their intense practice schedule.
On the day of the public performance, the lucky viewers who had won the lottery boarded the cruise ship with their invitations. Being able to see their favorite contestants up close made them incredibly excited. Many fans even made banners to support their idols.
Due to equipment limitations, the number of live streams had been reduced. But on the day of the performance, the viewership of the main live stream still increased significantly.
As the contestants put on makeup and changed into their matching stage outfits backstage, their beauty was amplified.
Su Mingxiu’s beautiful black eyes, enhanced by the exquisite eye makeup, captivated everyone who met her gaze, making them feel as if they had fallen into a pool of gentle water, unable to even grasp a single bone.
Pao Tong, with her pale pink hair, had a cute and gentle makeup look, warm and inviting like the girl next door;
Annie sported a cool blue look, her silver skull earrings adding an extra touch of fierceness.
Various styles, sexy, fiery, gentle, cool, and aloof, were all on display in the makeup room, and the live stream viewership skyrocketed!
And Suhui, the center position, had her own private makeup room.
Others assumed it was because of Neptune Entertainment’s strong backing or a pre-arranged agreement with the directors…
Only Su Mingxiu knew that with Suhui’s abilities, she didn’t need such elaborate preparations.
As expected…
Before the performance officially began, Suhui’s appearance was revealed. Her long silver hair was styled in waves, and there were sparkling fragments around her silver-blue eyes…
Tiny scales.
But no one took these scales seriously, they only thought it was a brilliant idea from the makeup artist.
It had to be said, this siren-like makeup was perfect for her ethereal beauty.
Even without the system’s spoilers, Su Mingxiu knew that on this stage, Suhui was the undisputed center, destined to shine and debut.
[Ahhhh, what a night of goddesses descending to earth!]
[I swear this is the best group of trainees I’ve ever seen!]
[Produce 101, be popular!]
[Wang Zhi, you’re the best! I love you!]
[Claiming my Nini!]
[Suhui!! Debut as the center! You’re the only center in Mom’s heart!]
…
The live stream chat was as lively as a festival.
And the Produce 101 trainees lived up to the audience’s expectations, delivering a perfect first public performance.
The stage opened with the mentors’ performances, followed by the trainees’ spectacular show. Even after the performance ended, the excitement didn’t subside—
Yuchi Xiao, on this night, cruelly announced the first ten eliminated contestants.
Everyone’s emotions were stirred.
Even Annie and the others, who were already in the S-class, had delivered a good performance, and had a stable fanbase, were still affected by this wave of sadness.
Many contestants, seeing their own future in the eliminated trainees, had tears in their eyes in front of the cameras.
The calmest among them were Su Mingxiu and Suhui.
One knew she would eventually be eliminated, the other knew she would definitely debut in the center position.
Seeing Su Mingxiu’s calmness, Annie, who had been hugging Pao Tong and sighing about something, let go of her friend and rushed to hug Su Mingxiu’s shoulder, her voice choked with emotion. “Xiuxiu, aren’t you sad?”
Facing the camera, Su Mingxiu replied honestly: “I originally only planned to stay for three episodes. Since I wasn’t eliminated in this round, I’ve already earned my money. Anything beyond this is a bonus.”
“No! You can’t be eliminated!” Annie pulled Suhui over and said firmly: “We have to debut together!”
The hugging group grew bigger. Suhui watched them for a while, then turned and left quietly.
But this atmosphere of farewell still made the others feel insecure, even though they had won the cruise trip and the opportunity to film a popular variety show.
Back in her room, Su Mingxiu seriously considered whether she should buy some return gifts for her friends before the cruise ship docked.
She hadn’t given them anything in return for their gifts.
The next day.
The cruise ship docked.
Su Mingxiu disembarked with the other trainees and returned a few hours later.
Carrying large and small bags, she bumped into Suhui, who was about to leave. Suhui stared at the bags in her hands and asked, her eyes lowered: “Did you buy food?”
“No,” Su Mingxiu, her path blocked, replied unhurriedly. “These are gifts.”
“Is there one for me?”
An impulse made Suhui ask this question.
The black-haired woman looked at her with a playful smile, or rather, she was looking at the goodwill rating above Suhui’s head, which had dropped to a pitiful single digit.
But she still said, “No.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she watched as that single digit turned to zero.
Suhui was stunned for a moment. Only after being reminded to move aside did she remember that she had asked for her gift back, so how could she still have the nerve to ask for a return gift?
But…
She turned around, looking at Su Mingxiu, who was taking out her suitcase and packing. After hesitating for a long time, she still walked back quickly and stood behind Su Mingxiu.
“I… I can give you other gifts.”
“Can you… also give me one?”
For some reason, Suhui was filled with an urge: she wanted a gift from Su Mingxiu.
Leave a Reply