Phoenix A has Gone Viral Across the Entire Internet! - Chapter 29

Heh, hateful data cluster. It only knows how to drop hailstones in the middle of a snowstorm.

Shen Nian bickered with 432, fighting for over thirty rounds within her sea of consciousness until 432 finally retreated back into sleep mode in defeat.

The victorious Phoenix held her head high, regaining her previous spirited air.

With nothing to do in the evening and Director Yu having already sent over the script, Shen Nian, driven by her inherent professionalism, chose to lean against the headboard and read through it seriously.

In the eyes of the world and in the eyes of Yuan Luo, Ju Qu was a tyrant.

She was unpredictable, bloodthirsty, and cruel, viewing everyone around her as tools to be exploited. Even if she occasionally showed warmth, it was difficult for others to avoid suspecting her underlying motives.

However, in the eyes of her imperial sister, Ju Xi, her younger sister was never the person they believed her to be.

This was the contradictory nature of the character Ju Qu.

Shen Nian read carefully, pondering the various psychological shifts Ju Qu experienced when facing different groups of people.

432, bored in the sea of consciousness and completely forgetting its defeat earlier in the day, quietly reactivated itself to see what Shen Nian was doing.

Oh, she was flipping through the script.

As an intelligent data cluster, 432 was quite skilled at pleasing its host. First, it would praise her acting; second, it would praise her acting; and finally, it would praise her acting again.

432’s flattery came naturally. “Nian, your performance during the audition today was truly excellent! You clearly stunned everyone around you.”

This tactic was indeed effective on Shen Nian, who replied almost without thinking, “Of course.”

432 struck while the iron was hot, continuing to pile on the praise. “As expected of a former Best Actress. If we are talking purely about acting skills, there is probably no one among your peers who can compare to you, right?”

Hearing this, Shen Nian closed the script and became thoughtful. “Actually, there is someone.”

For example, a certain rival of hers who wrote this dog-blood novel.

Before Qi Wan switched careers to become an author, she had always competed with Shen Nian in the entertainment industry. If Shen Nian took a lead role in a drama, the other woman would soon be announced as another lead in the same project.

Back when Qi Wan was still in good health, the two had competed for roles, including a similar tyrant-themed play. Qi Wan originally wanted to play the tyrant, but in the end, she lost the role to Shen Nian and had to begrudgingly play the “Femme Fatale” concubine who ruined the nation.

Shen Nian had grown used to the other woman competing for everything, constantly appearing under her nose with a significant presence.

But later, an unexpected change occurred. For some unknown reason, her rival’s body suddenly became frail, to the point where she could no longer walk and had to rely on a wheelchair.

Under such circumstances, she could no longer act as before, nor was she fit to remain in the entertainment industry. Consequently, she chose to leave the circle quietly, which became a lasting regret for many.

Similarly, it was a regret Shen Nian always kept hidden in her heart.

Shen Nian actually did not know why, but since coming to this world, she occasionally caught glimpses of Qi Wan’s shadow in Jiang Zhiwan.

Yet they were clearly different people with different faces.

But Qi Wan was allergic to hawthorn, and so was Jiang Zhiwan.

When Qi Wan was unhappy, the corners of her eyes would droop slightly, and so did Jiang Zhiwan’s.

Even some of Qi Wan’s subtle, habitual gestures were mirrored by Jiang Zhiwan.

As a result, Shen Nian would occasionally, very occasionally, blur the identities of the two. Naturally, she also found herself paying more attention to Jiang Zhiwan.

But they were clearly from different worlds. Could there really be some special connection between the two of them?

Unfortunately, Shen Nian could not figure out the answer to this question even by the day the dating show began filming.

Once the variety show’s live broadcast officially started, the host rambled through a long opening monologue, quickly livening up the atmosphere. The six invited guests waited backstage for the host to call their names before appearing on camera to give a brief greeting to the viewers.

The guests included not only actors and singers but also currently popular influencers and pure outsiders from outside the industry. This diverse lineup ensured the show would attract interest from different types of viewers.

Shen Nian was listening to the outsider introduce herself to the other guests when she finally snapped back to attention as the host invited her onto the stage with an even more cheerful voice.

Today, Shen Nian wore a high-collared black shirt that slightly exposed her neck. Since her skin was exceptionally pale, that small amount of exposed skin captured by the high-definition cameras was inevitably eye-catching.

For her lower half, she paired it with gray linen casual pants. While appearing lazy and effortless, it naturally highlighted the Alpha’s long legs.

With long legs, a thin waist, and a face that surpassed most, it was easy to understand why her fans often joked that her beauty was “completely logical.”

Because it was a bit hot, she had rolled up her sleeves to make it easier to move, and she stood with her hands casually tucked into her pockets. This simple gesture was carefully captured by her “Nian-Salt” fans, who claimed to be struck by Nian-Nian’s coolness.

“The joy of eating salt, can you imagine it? You simply cannot imagine it!”

“Do you know how easy it is to be a fan of Nian-Nian? Let us just say, any random photo, no editing needed, can be posted as a poster!”

“Just a passerby, but I have been conquered by Shen Nian’s looks. At this moment, I finally understand why her fans call themselves Eating Salt.”

Eating Salt, or Shi Yan, as the name implies, meant they loved consuming Shen Nian’s beauty.

Appearing right after Shen Nian was Jiang Zhiwan.

Her outfit also looked casual: a pure white three-dimensional vest paired with a matching artisanal shirt and a pair of vintage washed blue jeans. Every movement added a touch of Alpha-like coolness.

“Wife! Ahhh! Wife, wife! Everyone look, this is my wife!”

“Pah, are you still dreaming? How could you recognize the wrong wife! This is clearly my wife!”

“I do not care! While you two are fighting, I will take Wanwan away first!”

The show had only just started, but the broadcast effect was unexpectedly good. The fans were enthusiastic, and the comments flowed across the screen rapidly.

Following these two guests, three more familiar faces appeared on camera.

Qin Yin, a popular streamer and Omega. Her voice was gentle and pleasant. Listening to her speak was like having a little elf singing in your ear.

Yan Luoke, a trending singer and Alpha. She had striking red hair, bright eyes, white teeth, and flaming red lips. It was a very aggressive look.

Zhou Zhou, a popular actor and Beta. Known for being steady, she was often teased by fans as the super thoughtful and reliable older sister next door.

The last guest was Su Cai, a pure outsider. Aside from her name sounding a bit strange, which was not her real name, she was an Omega who described herself as a total social bandit.

Once all the cast members had appeared, the host, Da Zhu, quickly read through the script and announced the theme for the first episode: “Traditional Cuisine.”

Whether it was discovering traditional delicacies from various places or tasting the most authentic folk flavors, Shen Nian let it go in one ear and out the other. She only reacted when the host said, “And you will also have the chance to taste the cooking of the other guests!”

Almost instinctively, she looked at no one else but stole a glance toward Jiang Zhiwan.

Certain special memories surfaced, such as stir-fried celery with chili, matcha egg custard, and chocolate with bird’s eye chili.

Yikes, better not think about it.

A hint of worry and sympathy involuntarily appeared in Shen Nian’s eyes.

The worry was for the fans whose perfect goddess was about to be exposed as a kitchen novice. The sympathy was for the other four guests who were about to taste something they had never experienced in their memories.

As fate would have it, just as Shen Nian was about to withdraw her complex gaze, she was caught red-handed by Jiang Zhiwan.

Even more coincidentally, Jiang Zhiwan did not even need to guess to know exactly what the other woman was thinking. Easily identifying the trace of sympathy and schadenfreude in Shen Nian’s eyes, she ignored it and only sneered coldly in her heart.

“Protagonist Blackening Points +3. Host, please take note.”

Shen Nian quickly looked at the sky and then at the ground, refusing to glance at Jiang Zhiwan again.

She had actually made a decision before coming to the dating show. She had adopted the persona of a Salted Fish. She would just follow the process without hogging the spotlight, trying her best not to be noticed.

After all, based on her years of work experience, this was the only way to save effort and easily get through the show.

However, reality went against her wishes. Shen Nian never expected that even the way she ate with such gusto could be captured and praised by everyone!

It even resulted in a trending topic on Weibo called #Praise the Alpha Who Eats with Great Appetite#.

“Wow, seeing her eat so heartily, I feel like I could eat two more bowls of rice myself.”

“I checked the fridge and only found a bitter gourd. I washed it and crunched on it. She makes everything look so delicious.”

“Honestly, if it were not for the show, I would not have known there was such a local specialty. That place is not far from me. I am going there to try it when I am on holiday!”

“+1, I am hungry. I wish I could crawl into the screen and steal food from the guests. And yes, I just had that crab-shell yellow cake a few days ago. It is a small, baked flatbread, very tasty.”

Shen Nian did not care about indirect promotion. She just kept eating and eating, easily achieving the production team’s goal.

However, this was a dating show after all. They had to take the opportunity to deepen the guests’ impressions of each other. Thus, learning how to make local snacks from famous chefs and then tasting each other’s creations became one of the main segments.

Shen Nian knew her cooking was poor, so she chose to be lazy and picked the simplest task: learning to bake small cookies. After all, even if cookies tasted mediocre, it would not matter as long as nothing went wrong.

When facing the snacks made by the other guests, she immediately put on a different face, planning to specifically pick the ones that looked and smelled good.

The two rows of twelve bamboo rice cakes Jiang Zhiwan made this time looked delicious, so Shen Nian secretly decided to give the other woman’s cooking another chance and taste them first.

Well, there was no choice. Her true form was a Phoenix, and she had absolutely no resistance to things like bamboo rice.

Shen Nian’s expression was relaxed at first, but once the bamboo rice cake entered her mouth, her gaze became dark and unreadable.

She was unaware that her eyes had suddenly turned red in front of everyone. The show’s host had to make an emergency save, jokingly claiming that Teacher Shen Nian was a real-life version of “so delicious she is about to cry,” and immediately cut the camera to the next guest.

Because the show was still broadcasting live, the others could not go over to ask why. They only felt at ease after Shen Nian waved her hand to indicate she was fine.

While Shen Nian stared blankly at the remaining bamboo rice cake in her hand, Jiang Zhiwan stood not far away, quietly watching her.

Only Jiang Zhiwan herself knew best that these bamboo rice cakes were made normally. The taste might be good, but it certainly was not at a level that would make someone cry because it was so delicious.

So, Shen Nian, why exactly did you act like that?

And that trace of nostalgia in your eyes, who are you grieving for?

Support