Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 42

“Of course, it’s just that I haven’t had it in a long time.” Chi Shuang smiled. Sweet potatoes weren’t worth much; back when she was young, they were the staple food at the orphanage.

“Then I’ll roast some!” Jiang Qi grabbed a few sweet potatoes and was about to toss them into the fire.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Chi Shuang hurriedly stopped her. “If you throw them in like that, they’ll just turn to ashes!”

Jiang Qi was puzzled. “Aren’t roasted sweet potatoes supposed to be roasted?”

Chi Shuang patiently explained, “They are roasted, but not directly in the fire. You have to wait until the fire dies down, then bury them in the embers and let the residual heat cook them slowly.”

Jiang Qi suddenly understood. “No wonder all the ones I roasted before turned into charcoal.”

This silly girl!

After everyone got up, Tang Qiluo brought steamed buns from the kitchen to the dining table.

Jiang Qi pulled out a chair for Chi Shuang before sitting down herself.

Chi Shuang pointed at the buns on the table. “The ones in the stainless steel steamer are red bean buns, and the ones in the bamboo steamer are meat buns.”

The red bean paste was left over from making zongzi yesterday. It was homemade: smooth, sweet, and not overly rich, making it perfect for red bean buns.

“Wow! Is there anything Sister Chi Shuang can’t do?” Shang Chumu grinned, letting loose a stream of flattering praise.

“Cut it out and eat quickly!” Chi Shuang pretended to scold him.

“Hehehehe!” Shang Chumu narrowed his eyes and picked up a red bean bun. He had a sweet tooth, but his manager usually forbade him from indulging to maintain his figure. On this variety show, he could finally let loose.

After last night’s episode aired, discussions about the “Jiang-Chi CP” surged once again on Weibo.

Their pairing even made it to the hot search list.

Unaware of the buzz, the two leads were happily enjoying their breakfast and looking forward to roasted sweet potatoes afterward.

Life passed by quite pleasantly day by day. Soon, two-thirds of the variety show had been filmed, and their funds were nearly depleted.

One evening, everyone sat together in a circle. Yan Xu seemed a bit discouraged. “We’ve been so frugal…”

“With 5,600 yuan for six people over three months, that’s only ten yuan per person per day. In this day and age where two grilled sausages cost ten yuan, we’d starve to death!” Shang Chumu wailed.

Tang Qiluo nodded in agreement. “The production team is ruthless.”

Jiang Ran chimed in, “Ruthless plus one.”

In the control room, the director watching the screen widened his eyes. Is it possible that it’s not me being ruthless, but some people are just hopeless at this game?

With unanimous agreement that the production team was ruthless, Chi Shuang summarized their situation. “We have 27 days left and 382.5 yuan remaining, about two yuan per person per day.”

“After careful calculation, we can’t even afford instant noodles.” Jiang Ran lamented.

The director in the control room sighed. But you should be grateful. The previous group of celebrities had more starting funds, but they were divided, and they ended up foraging for wild vegetables in the mountains. With the money you have left, you can still scrape by.

Thinking this, the director took a bite of the chicken leg from his lunchbox. Ah, so delicious.

Meanwhile, the six of them were still worrying about money. Tang Qiluo suggested, “Xiao Shuang, your cooking is so good. We could make buns and sell them on the street. Flour is cheap, so we could earn a decent amount each day. Then we could live it up and eat well!”

Yan Xu shook her head, “No, selling things on the street would draw too much attention. You don’t want to be surrounded by fans the next day, do you? After all, we’re all public figures.”

As for Jiang Qi, no one dared to ask her to hawk steamed buns on the street. She was, after all, the CEO of a publicly listed company, how could she risk her dignity like that?

Moreover, she was now considered a public figure herself. Though her fanbase wasn’t particularly loyal, her Weibo followers had still surpassed ten million.

They discussed it all evening but couldn’t come to a conclusion. There were plenty of ways to make money, but almost none suited them. They couldn’t all just go out and get regular jobs, could they?

Fortunately, the problem was soon resolved. The production team only wanted to generate more buzz, not starve them.

That night, the production team announced that they would issue tasks from time to time, allowing the participants to earn wages.

“Oh, great! We won’t starve, that’s a relief. Sister Chi, I still want to eat shumai tomorrow morning~” Jiang Ran cooed.

“Alright,” Chi Shuang replied with a smile.

“I don’t want any,” Jiang Qi said.

“Ah…” Though Jiang Ran adored the couple, the temptation of good food was stronger. She gritted her teeth and said, “First come, first served!”

The director thought to himself: I should’ve let you all go hungry a bit longer!

He had tasted Chi Shuang’s cooking before, and as he reminisced, the chicken drumstick in his hand suddenly lost its appeal.

Early the next morning, shumai indeed appeared on the dining table. They looked exquisite, thin, translucent wrappers enveloping glutinous rice glazed with soy sauce and dotted with diced meat.

Jiang Qi cornered Chi Shuang again in the kitchen’s blind spot, away from the cameras. “I’m unhappy. You only make delicious food for Jiang Ran.”

Chi Shuang felt the warmth of Jiang Qi’s breath against her neck and squirmed slightly, gently pushing her away. “Don’t be difficult. What do you want to eat? Just tell me, and I’ll make it for you.”

Usually, when the two of them flirted, Chi Shuang was the assertive and captivating one. But today, perhaps feeling a little guilty, her voice was soft and tender.

Jiang Qi was unhappy. Jiang Qi felt wronged.

“Belated affection is cheaper than grass.”

Chi Shuang couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s so cheesy! Where did you learn that?”

Not only did she refuse to make her something delicious, but she also called her cheesy!

Jiang Qi fumed.

Chi Shuang loved seeing her like this and marveled at how even a domineering CEO could act this way when in love.

Gradually, Chi Shuang rediscovered the feeling of their newlywed days, only now it was even sweeter.

She felt that Jiang Qi had become more uninhibited than before, and she adored this clingy, easily irritated version of her.

After all, who wouldn’t love it when their aloof and proud girlfriend came home and turned soft and obedient just for them?

So far, however, the most intimate thing they had done was kiss.

“I want to eat you~” Jiang Qi’s voice was low, almost a whisper, carrying a breathy tone.

Chi Shuang felt as if an electric current had run through her, leaving her tingling all over. What kind of scandalous talk was this!

While Chi Shuang stood there blushing and heart racing, the one who had spoken those words had already taken the congee meant to accompany the shumai to the dining table.

She even flashed a faint smile. “Actually, the shumai doesn’t seem so bad.”

Then, she looked up through the glass toward Chi Shuang in the kitchen, her smile gradually softening into the gentle expression she reserved only for Chi Shuang.

The camera happened to capture that very smile.

Jiang Ran was the earliest to arrive that morning, aside from Chi Shuang and Jiang Qi. She had been thinking about her shumai, and as soon as she arrived, she saw her favorite couple sharing a sweet, lingering gaze.

Damn! So sweet, I’m already full from all this dog food… but I could still down three more of these shumai!

The moment Chi Shuang glanced over, Jiang Ran instantly wiped off her fangirl grin and replaced it with a sweet smile. “Good morning, Sister Chi!”