Chapter 35 Let Us Play a Game

With Aunt Fu’s hot noodle soup, Xu Zhaozhao naturally put away her instant noodles.

The other guests watched as Shen Mu took two bowls of noodle soup out of the basket one by one. Aside from the firm, chewy noodles in the bowls, the golden-brown poached eggs on top were incredibly fragrant. After looking at the mouth-watering soup, their own undercooked white porridge and half-baked pancakes suddenly became difficult to swallow.

After watching Xu Zhaozhao take a large, satisfying bite of her noodles, Chen Sisi could no longer hold back. "Xu Zhaozhao, how much did you pay Aunt Fu to make breakfast for you? Since there’s such a simple way, why didn’t you tell us? We could have ordered meals from the villagers too. Wouldn't that be much easier than everyone struggling to buy supplies and cooking for themselves?"

Xu Zhaozhao finished a mouthful of hot soup, a look of blissful satisfaction on her face. "Sorry," she quickly slurped up more noodles, "we didn’t pay for this. If you want the villagers to cook for you, you’ll have to ask them yourself."

"Hah, if you didn’t pay, who would be kind enough to cook and bring food to you?" Chen Sisi didn't believe in such free lunches. "Stop pretending. Can’t you just be honest with everyone? We’re all here on a dating show. Even if we don’t end up together, we’re still friends. Isn't it a bit much to keep secrets from your friends?"

"First of all," Xu Zhaozhao said, reluctantly looking up from her bowl, "I’m here for a dating show, not to make friends. Secondly, if this really were a program about making friends, I would have been excluded from most people’s friend lists from the very start, wouldn't I?"

"Lastly," Xu Zhaozhao took another hearty bite, "Aunt Fu didn’t make this breakfast to earn money; she did it as a gesture of gratitude because we helped her." She then went back to battling her hot noodle soup. It had to be said, Aunt Fu’s noodle soup was truly exceptional.

Xu Zhaozhao’s blunt responses left Chen Sisi speechless. Unable to win the argument, tears instantly welled up in Chen Sisi’s eyes, making her look like a doll that might shatter at any moment.

[Oh my god, Chen Sisi and her constant waterworks are so annoying.]
[That’s her go-to tactic whenever she’s losing—playing the victim to gain sympathy points.]
[Everyone here is experienced; they won’t be easily swayed by her tears.]

Sure enough, the dispute between Chen Sisi and Xu Zhaozhao triggered a realization in Ke Hao. "Zhaozhao, Shen Mu, does Aunt Fu keep a lot of chickens and ducks?" He remembered Aunt Fu going to the market to sell duck eggs the day before. Seeing the two eggs in each of their bowls, the thought suddenly struck him.

"Yes," Shen Mu said, setting down his chopsticks and nodding calmly.

[Shen Mu’s manners are much more refined than Xu Zhaozhao’s. He has the air of a well-bred young master.]
[One minute he’s a corporate executive, the next he’s a gym coach, and now he’s a "well-bred young master"—can we ever get a straight answer?]
[Why can’t he be all of them? A well-bred young master who is a corporate executive and works out regularly!]

"Could I trouble you with something?" Ke Hao asked cautiously.

"What is it?"

"It’s like this," Ke Hao said. "Yesterday, I only bought basic survival supplies like rice and flour. I didn’t buy vegetables, and definitely no eggs. After seeing the poached eggs in your bowls, I remembered Aunt Fu going to the market... Could you please ask Aunt Fu if she’s willing to sell some eggs to us? That way, she won't have to travel all the way to the market."

Xu Zhaozhao looked at Ke Hao, confused. "If I ask her, will you all take care of my meals from now on?"

"That... how is that possible?" Ke Hao was stunned by the question. "Didn't you choose not to pool your money with ours?"

"Right," Xu Zhaozhao nodded in sudden realization. "Then if you want eggs, why don't you ask her yourselves instead of asking me?"

Ke Hao was left speechless, never having expected such a response from Xu Zhaozhao.

[Xu Zhaozhao really doesn't give the movie star any face at all!]
[He is her senior, after all. Is it really okay to use her script to 'kill' the movie star like that?]
[I also feel like Xu Zhaozhao is overdoing it.]
[You don't understand. If she weren't like this, how would Chen Sisi get a chance to shine?]

Sure enough, it was time for Chen Sisi to step up. "Zhaozhao, what kind of attitude is that? Movie Star Ke just thought you were closer to Aunt Fu and wanted you to help ask. If you don’t want to, just say so. Why be so passive-aggressive?"

Because of how Xu Zhaozhao treated the movie star, the guests' impressions of her dipped even further.

"That’s fine. It’s best if you solve your own problems and stop bothering me." Xu Zhaozhao went back to eating.

After everyone finished their meal in various moods, the speakers, which had been silent for a day and a night, finally crackled to life. "Dear guests, after two days of getting to know each other, I believe you are all somewhat familiar with one another. Today, we’re going to play a game..."

At the mention of a game, everyone’s eyes lit up.

The director’s voice paused, then continued, "That game is: digging for potatoes."

Digging for potatoes? Hearing the task, everyone couldn't help but offer a bitter smile. Of course—this was a pastoral dating show. What were they expecting?

"We will still be in male-female pairs. You can keep your existing partners or switch."

"The team that digs the most potatoes will receive a reward of one hundred yuan and two watermelons."

"One hundred yuan and two watermelons!"

Hearing the rewards, the previously dejected group suddenly perked up. They had been worried about their living expenses, and it turned out there were extra rewards available.

Chen Sisi looked at Ke Hao with expectation. She felt that in the previous day’s pairing, she had already shown her innocence and cuteness to him. He must surely feel that she was different from the others and worth being with.

Just as she looked at Ke Hao with anticipation, she saw Song Qing take the initiative to step in front of him. "Senior, how about we pair up?"

Seeing Song Qing, Chen Sisi’s face darkened. She shot a glare at Xu Zhaozhao, signaling her to ruin this arrangement. Xu Zhaozhao ignored her. She had just confronted the movie star; approaching him now would certainly result in a cold shoulder.

Unexpectedly, Ke Hao walked over to Xu Zhaozhao on his own. "Zhaozhao, how about we pair up this time?"

"What?" Xu Zhaozhao was stunned.

"After spending these past few days together, I’ve found that you’re a very interesting person. Are you willing to be in a group with me?"

[What is Movie Star Ke thinking? Even though I know Zhaozhao is great, she’s been acting like an impolite, brainless, confrontational brat in front of him...]
[Could it be that it’s exactly this 'confront the world' spirit of hers that has actually won over the movie star?]

"That’s wonderful! I’ve always wanted to be on a team with you. You have no idea, you’ve always been my idol..."

After the initial shock of Ke Hao wanting to pair with her, Xu Zhaozhao immediately leaned into her persona. Ke Hao felt a bit impatient with her rambling, but since this was his own choice, he had to endure it.