With Kong Yinmeng’s constant encouragement, Zheng Yi dove right back into frying batch after batch of pork tenderloin. Each attempt turned out better than the last, and by three o’clock that afternoon, he finally produced a plate of sweet and sour pork that earned Big Brother Liu’s stamp of approval.
“See? Hard work pays off! I told you you could do it, now do you believe me?” Kong Yinmeng beamed, proudly holding the finished dish up to the camera and giving it a full, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree showcase.
Zheng Yi couldn’t help but let out his first genuinely bright smile of the day. The camera caught the moment perfectly and as long as the post-production editors weren’t totally blind, this heartwarming clip was guaranteed to make the final cut.
While their station enjoyed a successful finish, things weren’t going nearly as well for the other two groups.
Miao Ke and Liang Sihan had set out to make stir-fried noodles, under the impression that it would be a total breeze. But once they actually got their hands dirty, they realized that dishes which looked simple often required the most skill. As complete kitchen novices, they couldn’t even tell the difference between salt and sugar. Clueless about seasoning ratios, they ended up making absolute fools of themselves on camera.
Meanwhile, the final duo…Niu Niuniu and Xiao Hong…looked like they were filming a completely different reality show. The two were locked in a freezing cold war, completely ignoring one another. Initially, Xiao Hong had tried to patch things up, but her niece flat-out refused to cooperate.
Eventually, Xiao Hong snapped. Fine, let her be petty. At worst, they just wouldn’t get any airtime. What did she have to lose?
Without Xiao Hong’s guidance, Niu Niuniu was like a headless chicken, wandering around aimlessly all day. Even the cameramen felt like they were wasting their tape on them. It was painfully boring.
The day flew by, and soon the director set up three temporary cooking stations right out on the street for the teams to showcase their final dishes.
Among the five judges selected by the production crew was Xiao Wu. He had actually joined the panel last-minute after seeing clips of Zheng Yi’s surprisingly decent sweet and sour pork.
Xiao Wu was the type of foodie who saved the best for last, so he started with Xiao Hong and Niu Niuniu’s dish: scallion tofu. Between their tight budget and non-existent culinary skills, it tasted exactly how you’d expect. Next, he tried Liang Sihan’s stir-fried noodles; they looked alright, but the flavor was completely mediocre.
By the time Xiao Wu walked up to Zheng Yi, he…along with almost everyone else watching…already knew who today’s winners were.
The final tally left no room for doubt. Three judges voted for the sweet and sour pork, while the remaining two teams received one courtesy vote each, clearly just to save the guests from total embarrassment.
The moment the cameras clicked off, the atmosphere among the cast shifted subtly.
Miao Ke was the first to break formation, bouncing over to grab Kong Yinmeng’s hand to drag her out shopping. They were scheduled to leave C-City first thing tomorrow morning, and since she had no clue when they’d ever return, she wanted to make the most of the evening.
While Kong Yinmeng was still debating whether to let herself be kidnapped by Miao Ke, Niu Niuniu seized her chance as a hardcore fan and glued herself to Zheng Yi’s side.
Xiao Huang, Zheng Yi’s assistant, practically threw his body between them to protect his artist’s virtue. He had dropped the ball the night before…letting his guard down for just one second only for Zheng Yi to vanish…and he had spent the entire night tossing and turning, terrified he’d get an emergency SOS call at 2 AM. Today, he was on absolute high alert. If anyone wanted to harass Zheng Yi, they’d have to step over his dead body!
Though Niuniu couldn’t get physically close, just chatting with her idol made her blissfully happy. Even if his responses were just simple “mhm,” “oh,” and “ah,” she felt like she was floating on clouds.
Off to the side, Xiao Hong, Liang Sihan, and Xiao Wu were huddled together, locked in what looked like a pretty intense discussion.
Watching Kong Yinmeng’s retreating back, Zheng Yi quickly whipped out his phone to send a text.
[Li]: Have you thought it over? Let’s just try dating online first. Who knows, we might be a perfect match.
[Mengmeng]: If you’re losing your mind, go see a doctor. I don’t catch feelings for total strangers. Let’s just block each other!
Sitting in the back of her taxi, Kong Yinmeng ruthlessly hit block. He was being way too mysterious, and her patience had officially run dry. The block list was his permanent destination.
When Zheng Yi tried to reply, he was greeted by a glaring red exclamation mark. His brain completely short-circuited. The very first time he had ever extended an olive branch to a woman he liked… and he got blocked.
Who would even believe this if he told them?
It was far too humiliating to ever let slip. Panic rising, he scanned his surroundings, but everyone was preoccupied with their own things.
Over by the cars, the standoff between Niu Niuniu and Xiao Huang looked like it was about to escalate into a physical brawl. Zheng Yi quickly intervened, calling out, “Xiao Huang, let’s go grab some food. Miss Niu, see you tomorrow.”
The night passed without further incident…if you discount Niu Niuniu trying to sneak into Zheng Yi’s room and being firmly shut down by Xiao Huang.
At 5:00 AM, the director crew started banging drums and gongs to wake everyone up. Kong Yinmeng threw a coat over her pajamas, stumbled onto the bus, and habitually slid into the seat next to Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi was used to the chaotic, irregular schedule of showbiz, making him the neatest and most clear-headed person among the six. The cameras caught a quick shot of them boarding before shutting off; they had a three-hour drive to the next city, giving everyone plenty of time to catch up on sleep.
Kong Yinmeng’s head began to bob up and down like a chicken pecking at grain. It looked exhausting. Once Zheng Yi was absolutely certain the cameras were dead, he gently reached out and guided her head down onto his shoulder so she could sleep comfortably.
The lenses missed it, but Niu Niuniu…who had been watching his every move…saw the whole thing. Jealousy completely consumed her sanity. She stealthily slipped out her phone to take a picture, but a hand suddenly shot out from behind and snatched it away.
“Are you trying to ruin this entire show?” Xiao Hong hissed, her voice dripping with suppressed rage. “Until filming wraps, your phone stays with me. Otherwise, pack your bags and go home right now!”
Two nights ago, someone had leaked their filming location online, and Xiao Hong had immediately suspected her niece. While Niuniu was showering last night, Xiao Hong had searched her phone and found the burner account used for the leak. Niuniu wasn’t entirely stupid; she used an alternate account to leak info while keeping her main account clean, but she hadn’t hidden it well enough. Now that Xiao Hong knew who the troublemaker was, she kept her eyes glued to her to prevent any catastrophic blunders.
“What right do you have to confiscate my phone? Give it back!” Niuniu raised her voice.
Miao Ke was still fast asleep nearby, but Liang Sihan woke up. He glanced back, noting the exceptionally dark look on Xiao Hong’s face.
“By right of this,” Xiao Hong whispered coldly, flashing the logged-in burner account on the screen. “Unless you want me to show this to Zheng Yi, you’ll sit down and behave yourself for the rest of the shoot.”
Niuniu deflated instantly like a popped balloon. She cast a guilty, panicked look at Zheng Yi, but he didn’t seem disturbed.
As silence fell over the bus again, the supposedly sleeping Zheng Yi quietly fired off a text to Xiao Huang, instructing him to run a background check on Niu Niuniu.
Receiving the text, Xiao Huang was completely baffled. He was just a personal assistant; digging into a civilian’s background was a bit out of his depth. If she were an industry insider it would be easy, but a total outsider? He could only promise to do his best.
Three hours later, the director’s voice boomed over the speakers, waking the exhausted cast.
This stop was a coastal city. Before they even stepped off the bus, the briny, refreshing scent of the ocean air drifted through the open windows.
Zheng Yi gently rolled his stiff, numb shoulder. Kong Yinmeng stole a glance at it and froze. There was a highly suspicious wet patch right where her head had been. She touched the corner of her mouth as a horrifying realization dawned on her.
Not only did I use his shoulder as a pillow… did I actually drool all over him in my sleep?!
Oh my god, kill me now.
In a moment like this, she reasoned, the best strategy was definitely to play dumb. No one else would notice, right?
Adopting a flawless poker face, Kong Yinmeng pretended nothing had happened and focused intently on the director’s briefing.
“Today, we are shaking up the fixed teams. We’re splitting into two larger groups,” the director announced. “Niuniu will join Zheng Yi’s team, and Xiao Hong will join Liang Sihan’s team. Your mission today is to build a sandcastle on the beach. The winner will be decided by a random vote of fifty tourists.”
Because Xiao Hong and Niu Niuniu had contributed zero usable footage over the last two days, Producer Xiao Wu had decided to scrap the original plan to save production costs by forcing them apart. He had cleared it with Xiao Hong the night before, leaving Niu Niuniu entirely in the dark. However, finding out she was paired with her idol made her so ecstatic she couldn’t possibly complain.
Zheng Yi merely frowned slightly, shooting a covert glance at Kong Yinmeng. Seeing her face twist into an expression that looked like pure constipation, he found himself holding back a laugh. Weren’t you just saying you wouldn’t stoop to a little girl’s level?
Emboldened by the new arrangement, Niu Niuniu strutted over. Her very first words were, “Yi-gege, don’t worry! With me on your team, we definitely won’t lose!”
“If memory serves, you’ve been on a solid two-day losing streak,” Kong Yinmeng shot back dryly. The moment the words left her mouth, she felt a pang of regret. Why am I wasting my breath bickering with a kid?
“You! …I’m not going to argue with you. As long as Yi-gege believes in me, that’s all that matters!” Niuniu puffed up, practically vibrating with an unnatural, hyperactive energy…a complete polar contrast to her behavior over the last two days.
Building a sandcastle wasn’t inherently difficult, but earning the necessary tools and outfits through minigames proved to be a nightmare. After several chaotic rounds, Kong Yinmeng found herself miserably stuffed into a giant, inflatable rooster costume that effectively tripled her body width.
Zheng Yi didn’t escape the humiliation either; he was forced into an inflatable penguin suit. His dashing heartthrob image vanished instantly, creating a goldmine of future memes for his fanbase.
Niu Niuniu, however, maintained her uncanny streak of luck. She avoided any embarrassing costumes and even won a children’s beach toy set, consisting of two plastic shovels and a little bucket.
The opposing team fared significantly better. Only Miao Ke was saddled with an inflatable dinosaur costume, and they walked away with a high-quality, professional sand-sculpting kit.
With that, the two sides frantically began their sandcastle competition. Throughout the process, the cameras repeatedly caught Niuniu trying to shimmy close to Zheng Yi, only for him to deftly dodge her every single time. Thankfully, the massive bulk of the inflatable penguin suit acted as a perfect natural barrier, keeping her from initiating any direct physical contact.
Zheng Yi was completely exhausted, juggling the artistic demands of sculpting sand while playing a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek. His makeup had long melted away, and he was drenched in sweat.
Seizing a rare blind spot where the cameras couldn’t see him, he leaned over and rubbed his face against Kong Yinmeng’s inflatable rooster suit, using it as a makeshift towel to clear the sweat. Unfortunately, it only succeeded in transferring a heavy layer of sand directly onto his face.
Niu Niuniu, whose eyes had never left him, watched the intimate lean-in with a dark, thunderous expression. But when she noticed the sand smeared across his cheeks, she realized this was her golden moment.
Just as she was about to sprint forward to wipe his face, Kong Yinmeng suddenly turned around.
“Hahaha! Look at you! How did you get sand all over your face?” Kong Yinmeng laughed, raising her hands to ruthlessly smack and brush the sand off his cheeks.
Suddenly, she felt a piercing, deathly glare locking onto her…