Chapter Thirty: Nothing Left but Plain Porridge

“All right, the date time is over. All guests, please return to the Love Cabin and wait for the next activity,” Bai Yang shouted through a loudspeaker.

Honestly, if she didn’t stop Yu Tang soon, Yu Tang would wind up pocketing all the extras’ money for herself. With her talent for gathering funds, if Yu Tang ever became the boss, no one could outdo her in squeezing profits.

Xiao Yufei looked at the director with a baffled expression. Was this targeted at her? She hadn’t even started playing yet, and had only managed to snatch two gold coins from Yu Tang’s hand…

Bai Yang caught Xiao Yufei’s meaning and grinned. He wasn’t targeting her—he was targeting everyone present.

Luckily, Yu Tang had already made a killing. She strolled back to the Love Cabin, a large bag of chocolate gold coins in hand, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Lu Zhiming followed closely behind Yu Tang, like a loyal little sidekick. Occasionally, Shen Tianshi would deliberately try to edge Lu Zhiming out of the way, but it never worked for long; Lu Zhiming would inevitably shuffle his way back.

From a distance, Zhou Ziheng watched the four of them walking together, his grip on the shopping bag tightening as a complicated feeling welled up inside him.

All around, Yu Tang’s name was being chanted loudly by her fans. “Fly bravely, Fish Pond! The carp will always follow you!” Their voices drowned out those of the fans cheering for the other stars.

At that moment, Zhou Ziheng was suddenly reminded of when Yu Tang had just graduated. That summer confession drama had been wildly popular everywhere. Yu Tang had shown her talent from the very start, debuting at the pinnacle of fame. Back then, her fans were just as fervent, their cheers overpowering everyone else’s.

He watched her retreating figure, following the group at a distance as they entered the Love Cabin together.

[Why do I get the feeling Zhou Ziheng looks a bit lonely?]
[Lonely? I think he’s just pretending to be emo. Come on, it’s not even midnight yet, what’s with the act, bro?]
[People with dirty minds see dirt everywhere. The commenter above must love pretending to be emo.]
As Bai Yang called everyone back, the remaining guests from Chen Cheng’s group returned as well.

Xie Yi led the way, his face dark with annoyance. He’d used their walk as an excuse to storm around with Chen Cheng for twenty thousand steps, but still hadn’t managed to spot Yu Tang anywhere.

Honestly, if you stuck with Yu Tang, you were guaranteed the most camera time. Who knew what effect this live broadcast would have without her…

Xie Yi entered with a scowl, only to find Yu Tang lounging on the sofa, nibbling on chocolate gold coins, with a huge pile of them in front of her.

After a moment’s shock, Xie Yi quickly accepted it—after all, in his eyes, everything Yu Tang did was perfectly normal.

Yu Tang beckoned him over. “Come, have some chocolate.” Xie Yi obediently walked over, not a hint of his earlier irritation remaining.

[Wait, nobody told me Xie Yi could switch faces like that.]
[He wasn’t nearly so well-behaved with Chen Cheng just now.]
[Tell me about it—he just dragged Chen Cheng around, making her sweat and ruin her makeup.]
[Our Xie Yi is a straight shooter; he doesn’t know much yet, please be understanding~]

“Yu Tang, where did you get so many gold coins?” Xie Yi asked.

No sooner had he spoken than Xiang Youran walked in from outside. She, too, carried a bundle of gold coins—not as many as Yu Tang, but still a respectable haul. She had been secretly pleased with herself. Only she knew the plot, and she’d even ditched Shen Tianshi to take care of things on her own. If it didn’t work out, she’d just pretend she’d never tried.

But as soon as she entered and saw Yu Tang’s mountain of gold coins, she couldn’t help exclaiming in shock, “Where did you get all those?”

Yu Tang answered, face full of pride, “I earned them myself, of course.”

Xiang Youran forced a smile. “I see, looks like we really had the same idea.”

Yu Tang: …Ha.

[You and Zhou Ziheng are like oil and water, especially after the variety show aired—his fans have been hounding you non-stop.]
[To smooth things over—and help clear your reputation—here’s your next mission: Team up with Zhou Ziheng on the show and engage in some intimate physical contact.]
[Mission reward: Luxury endorsement.]

For the first time, the system’s cold, mechanical voice sounded genuinely warm and comforting. Instinctively, Yu Tang’s gaze landed on Zhou Ziheng, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

At that moment, Zhou Ziheng happened to be looking down, missing Yu Tang’s expression—but Xie Yi noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly. He picked up a strawberry from the table and handed it to Yu Tang.

“Here, have a strawberry.”

Yu Tang snapped out of her daze and accepted it with a smile. “Thank you.”

[See, this is why newcomers overtake the old favorites—because the younger brother fights for attention.]
[Xie Yi’s move was clever, as if he didn’t like his sister’s gaze straying to someone else.]
[Did anyone else notice the way Yu Tang just looked at Zhou Ziheng? It was like a schoolgirl’s admiration.]
[Are you blind?]
[Am I the only one curious what these gold coins are actually for?]

As it turned out, not only were the viewers curious—so was Xiao Yufei. She raised her hand and asked Bai Yang, “So, what are these gold coins for?”

“We’re not seriously buying lunch with them, are we?” Chen Cheng asked nervously.

At this, Xiang Youran looked especially smug. If she remembered correctly, last time, lunch was assigned according to the number of gold coins—more coins meant better food. Even if she didn’t have as many as Yu Tang, she certainly had enough for a good meal.

But just as Xiang Youran was savoring her secret delight, Bai Yang chuckled again.

“Everyone started with ten gold coins. I wonder how many you have left,” he said.

Yu Tang crossed her legs on the sofa and nodded at her mountain of coins, exuding the air of a benevolent boss. Xiang Youran smiled, sure that her time had finally come. She scanned the room—Yu Tang had the most coins, so she’d surely be paired with her.

Just as Xiang Youran was entertaining this thought, Bai Yang continued, “We’ll divide into teams based on the number of gold coins, regardless of gender. The person with the most coins will be paired with the one with the least, the second most with the second least, and so on.”

“Once teams are set, we’ll have a three-legged race, just like yesterday. The winning team gets first pick of lunch ingredients.”

At this, Xiang Youran was stunned. Wait—how did this turn into a charity game? Was this for real?

Yu Tang’s eyes, on the other hand, lit up. She’d shared coins with everyone—except Zhou Ziheng.

Sure enough—

“You can now reveal your coins and form teams,” Bai Yang announced.

With Yu Tang’s overwhelming pile already a given, everyone’s eyes turned to the person with the least coins. After all, pairing with Yu Tang meant victory was almost certain.

[Wow… so Zhou Ziheng and Yu Tang are going to be on a team?]
[Looks like it, hahaha!]
[Finally, our porridge duo gets their shot at the table!]
[What a wild pairing, but I can’t wait to watch!]