Chapter 20: Return to the Lake in a Startled Rain

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All eight guests introduced themselves in turn, and the results were pretty much in line with what Xu Qingyan had guessed.

The only one that surprised him was Chen Feiyu, who turned out to be a male model. That profession was rare enough to warrant a double take, "Is he really a human steel wool pad?"

But then again, whether it was Chen Feiyu or anyone else, it was still difficult to figure out who the love hunter and money hunter were just by their professions.

Most people have only two goals when joining a romance reality show, one for fame and the other for profit.

In this era of universal entertainment, minor celebrities can use romance shows to gain fans and transform their careers. Ordinary people can become famous and make money through live streaming; to break out is to welcome immense wealth.

The end of the universe is no longer a civil servant, it's live streaming and selling products.

Although in theory, attending a romance show could yield both fame and wealth, the difficulty of achieving both under these rules is quite high.

First is the issue of identity cards, setting aside fame and fortune, one must ensure not to be eliminated in the next seven days of voting rounds.

If you want to become famous in three days, you'd practically have to streak in front of the camera.

If your identity is a money hunter and you luckily make it to the finals, you don't have many choices. You could either trick a love hunter into forming a couple.

The result is that you could take away a million, but you might also end up with a bad reputation.

Even if you don't get cursed out, forget about continuing to live stream and sell products under the name of a romance show guest after the show; no one will trust the words of a swindler.

Or you could find other money hunters among the guests, provided they haven't been voted off, and then both lose on the romance show and live stream to sell products and make money.

If you are a love hunter, joining the program is basically for the fame.

Aside from carefully identifying the money hunters, it's all about showcasing yourself and spreading as much charm as possible. It's less about dating and more about performing a romance drama.

Of course, there might also be love-seeking guests who truly hit it off with someone.

However, this possibility is so low it's almost negligible, after all....who in their right mind goes on a romance show to find love? Wouldn't that be crazy?

Beep—!

The black screen at the end of the long table lit up again, startling everyone.

"Newbie Task: Please have each male guest complete the lunch challenge and prepare several dishes for separate seating. At 12:30 pm, the female guests will choose to have lunch with the male guest they prefer."

"The table with the most female guests seated will receive a special reward."

The caption appeared for half a minute and then slowly faded away.

"Cooking, huh? Isn't it already half-past ten?" You Zijun scratched his head, "Doesn't that leave us only two hours to prepare?"

"We're making lunch? For them to choose?" Liu Renzhi spread his hands and asked.

"What's the special reward? Why is the production team keeping us in suspense?" Xu Qingyan looked puzzled.

"There are five of us guys; doesn't that mean at least one will be left out? To sit and eat alone at a table?" Chen Feiyu chimed in.

"That seems to be the case," said Bai Jinze with a smile.

"Guys, shouldn't the primary question be....can you cook?" Song Enya glanced over the restless five men from across the long table and nervously reminded them.

"I definitely don't want to eat raw food or endure some dark cuisine."

Cook? Xu Qingyan froze for a moment.

He had been working part-time since college without a break, initially doing manual labor, later learning some patisserie skills and working as a kitchen hand in a small restaurant near the school.

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After going back and forth, when they got familiar with the old master, the few of them would squat at the back door to smoke, and the master casually asked why he was out earning money.

"For my mom's medical treatment," Qingyan said, the old master didn't say much at the time, just patted him on the shoulder and left. Later, he somehow learned how to cook quite a few dishes.

One can only say that there are still many good people in this world.

"Cooking? I've been practicing on my own," Chen Feiyu said, "After graduating and starting to work, I began learning, and have been doing it for two and a half years."

"I'm okay with it, I quite enjoy cooking," Bai Jinze smiled, "Even though I sometimes have to rush for events, I still cook for myself, thinking about making meals for the person I like in the future."

"That considerate, huh?" Liu Renzhi joked.

"That's what a guy should do, a woman's hands shouldn't touch water because it's bad for the skin," Bai Jinze started again, "I've always thought that cooking should be a man's job."

Here we go again, the male Mary Sue trope.

You Zijun felt a bit nauseated and didn't want to continue the conversation; this was as far as the discussion would go for today.

Suddenly, Song Enya unexpectedly called out to Qingyan, asking.

"Brother Xu, how's your cooking?"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone turned their heads to look at her.

Even Pei Muchan, who rarely spoke at the long table, lifted her eyes. When Song Enya called out "Brother Xu," her eyelids couldn't help but twitch.

Brother Xu, Song Enya seemed to be only twenty-one, younger than her.

Pei Muchan felt somewhat uncomfortable inside; women always care a lot about their age. She didn't mind it initially, but Song Enya's "Brother Xu" made her have to care.

Since the spring of her twenty-sixth year of life, many things seemed to begin to spiral out of control.

First, it was the state of her singing, followed by not being able to write new songs, then came the nights of insomnia. Finally, she was mentally and physically exhausted, struggling to make it to the end of July.

The mountainous pressure made it hard for her to breathe, and she thought she no longer cared.

"I know a bit," Qingyan didn't claim to be too proficient, his skill level was that of a secondary chef, "I learned a bit following a head chef before."

"Who? A head chef!" You Zijun's eyes widened, a look of disbelief in his life, "Then what's the point of us even trying? We might as well just give up."

"So you must be good at cooking?"

"Can we start ordering dishes now?" Shen Jinyue's eyes curved, already salivating, "The show crew didn't say we couldn't, so that means we can, right?"

At that moment, the director's voice came through the speaker of the communicator.

"No, the female guests can't reveal their taste preferences."

"Oh," Shen Jinyue sulked, with a look of disappointment, "If we can't order, then never mind, I won't say anything."

"Can we pick our rooms now?" Song Enya stood up from her seat and turned to look at the filming crew at the door, "If we girls don't have a task, we should be able to choose our rooms, right?"

"You can." The staff member gestured an OK sign.

"Then let's go up together and look, you guys pick first," Song Enya turned her head, then suddenly asked Pei Muchan, "Or perhaps you would like to pick first, sister?"

"No need, we'll see when we get there, I'm not picky," Pei Muchan said, her expression not showing much fluctuation. She reached the bottom of the stairs and, as if possessed by a spirit, looked back and caught a glimpse of Qingyan in the crowd.

Perhaps by coincidence, Qingyan also turned his head and looked over; their gazes met in mid-air for a moment, and he nodded gently toward her.

For some reason, Pei Muchan felt that her anxious and restless emotions were instantly soothed, like a sudden rain returning to the lake.