Superstar Assistant [GL] - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Little Clownfish is a content creator (A-Po Zhu) on Bilibili who frequently publishes edited videos, accumulating over a hundred thousand followers. She initially started doing this out of interest, but it gradually developed into a side job, as she occasionally took on editing requests for celebrities to earn some pocket money.

One day, a fan messaged her privately, offering payment for a video edit. She then exchanged contact information with this fan.

Little Clownfish: Hello, what kind of video are you looking to have edited?

Sweet Bun: Hello, great one! My idol has five cooking videos, and I’d like you to edit them to be more interesting, so our fans can enjoy watching them more.

Little Clownfish was actually quite frustrated. She often received requests from fans, marketing companies, or even management agencies, all wanting her to make celebrity videos more engaging. However, if the content itself was inherently boring or lacked interesting moments, no amount of editing could make it good.

So, she could only tell Sweet Bun: I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the result. It ultimately depends on the quality of the raw material.

Sweet Bun replied: Hmm, I understand. Thank you for your trouble, great one.

Sweet Bun then sent over several videos and transferred the deposit.

To make a video, one must first watch the content several times to find the cute and engaging points, thereby maximizing the video’s watchability. Little Clownfish initially approached the videos with a purely professional mindset. She clicked on the first video and heard the person filming ask the person in the video: “What are you going to make today?” The woman in the video had a fine figure, refined and distinct facial features, and a slightly cold demeanor, yet her tone carried a hint of gentle warmth: “I’m going to make a dish that most Chinese people can make: Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes.”

The person with the soft, sweet voice, holding the phone and filming, asked: “Will your scrambled eggs with tomatoes turn out black and messy too?”

The woman in the video turned and glared at the person holding the phone, but that gaze seemed to pierce the screen and fix itself on Little Clownfish herself. A thought instantly popped into Little Clownfish’s mind: “Whoever she glares at gets pregnant.”

Although Little Clownfish was also a girl, and the young lady in the video was also a girl, she was inexplicably impressed by that single glare. The handsomeness was completely different from a man’s, carrying a unique feminine bravery and confidence. The perfectly shaped eyes were intensely aggressive, yet intertwined with a thread of tenderness deep within, as if she, the person watching the screen, was being secretly protected by the person in the video.

Little Clownfish swallowed, thinking that whatever this young lady cooked must certainly be delicious, seeing how beautiful she was.

Two minutes later, Little Clownfish felt her face sting. Looking at the irregularly chopped tomatoes on the plate and the eggs poured directly into the wok, Little Clownfish suddenly had a bad feeling. Sure enough, when the tomatoes were poured in, the beautiful young lady in the video actually used her spoon to crush the tomatoes in the wok. Instantly, the red juice and the yellow-and-white egg mingled together, creating a truly unwatchable sight.

Little Clownfish took a deep breath, thinking that even if the young lady tried to seduce her, she definitely wouldn’t eat that scrambled eggs with tomatoes from the wok. What was even more unbearable was that the young lady in the video put soy sauce in the scrambled eggs with tomatoes!

Soy sauce in scrambled eggs with tomatoes! Little Clownfish had never heard of it or seen it. So what was there to edit in this video? A Dark Cuisine special?

Another two minutes passed, and Little Clownfish, along with all the fans who had watched the video, began to doubt life itself. She couldn’t believe that the blackish-yellow, sticky scrambled eggs with tomatoes could actually taste good. The young lady filming must have been acting!

How could such terrifying “dark cuisine” in the world possess a seemingly palatable taste?

How could it be? It must all be fake!

Before she even realized it, she had opened the second video, and she smoothly watched all five videos, ending up feeling hungry. It was then that she remembered she had taken on a job. After watching the five videos, Little Clownfish was hit by a burst of inspiration. She opened her computer editing software and worked tirelessly to finish the video edit, sending it to Sweet Bun for review.

Zhou Tiantian received the video and opened it to watch with Li Ziyu beside her.

After the video finished playing, Zhou Tiantian and Li Ziyu were both very satisfied. They paid the final balance and then spent money to have the video uploaded and promoted by influential accounts (Da V) and marketing accounts on various platforms.

Li Ziyu noticed that Zhou Tiantian hadn’t contacted many people for promotion and said to her, “Since the marketing has been reported to the company and the company is paying, why didn’t you hire more influential accounts to help repost it?”

Zhou Tiantian looked at Li Ziyu and said, “I think these few are enough. This video is so well-made, people will definitely repost it spontaneously.”

Those marketing and influential accounts not only take advertisements but also post interesting content to attract and retain followers. That’s why Zhou Tiantian only contacted a few accounts with relatively large influence, because she believed that once the video started spreading, many people would repost it on their own.

After Little Clownfish received the final payment, she also posted the video on her Bilibili account with the caption: “Click on this video, and you will gain a new understanding of food!”

“Loves to Eat Dirty Buns”  is a loyal fan of Little Clownfish. She watches all of Little Clownfish’s videos, sending bullet comments, coins, gifts, and ‘contracting’ (a form of support) without fail. This time, just like before, she opened the video, wondering why Little Clownfish, who always did celebrity video edits, suddenly started making food videos.

The video started with large text: “Wash down a bowl of white rice with the Manchu Han Imperial Feast in this video!”

Then a woman with highly recognizable and breathtaking beauty appeared. But when she saw the woman pick up a knife and haphazardly chop tomatoes, “Buddhistically” hack bell peppers, violently slaughter geometrically shaped beef, and tear chicken meat by hand, Loves to Eat Dirty Buns and many other netizens watching the video started firing off bullet comments!

“Before she cut the vegetables, I wanted to say, ‘I need this young lady’s info within a minute.’ Now, ‘Who is this young lady? Someone take her away quickly!'” “I dropped my white rice! What is this monstrosity?” “That technique—the long-lost martial arts absolute skill!” “These cut vegetables completely kill my appetite. Whoever can eat this with rice, I’ll call them Dad!” “So the creator means ‘beauty is a feast,’ and it has nothing to do with the dishes on the table!” “I’m out, I’m out. This kind of cooking skill is too much; it’s going to make me starve to death!”

Loves to Eat Dirty Buns was about to leave with the rest of the netizens, but then several people started posting bullet comments saying, “Returning after watching the video to issue a ‘tastes surprisingly good’ warning!”

Loves to Eat Dirty Buns thought, “How could this technique possibly taste surprisingly good?” But she was genuinely curious. Could haphazardly chopping and cooking the food really turn out well? So, like many other netizens, she persisted.

When the dishes went into the wok, more netizens jumped out.

“Why put soy sauce in scrambled eggs with tomatoes? What kind of dark cuisine is this? Those ‘tastes surprisingly good’ predictions must be lies!” “I could still eat two bites of rice during the chopping, but now I feel like throwing up everything I’ve eaten. I can’t imagine that taste!” “The beef is cooked out black and the shapes are cut so strangely! I don’t want to imagine it as poop, but it really looks like it!” “Other people’s Kung Pao Chicken has rich colors and looks delicious. Was this Kung Pao Chicken boiled in water? Why is the color so pale? It feels completely flavorless!” “Can they share some of the beef’s color with the Kung Pao Chicken? The Kung Pao Chicken looks like a naked chicken!”

Loves to Eat Dirty Buns sighed in disappointment, preparing to close the video, but the screen suddenly went black, and four large characters appeared: “Tastes Surprisingly Good Warning!”

Then the screen regained color. The person filming picked up her chopsticks and tasted the five dishes in front of her. With each bite, she would genuinely and excitedly say five words: “It is truly delicious! (是真的香啊!)”

Loves to Eat Dirty Buns twitched her lips, firing off a bullet comment like many others: “This is the fakest ‘tastes surprisingly good’ moment I’ve ever seen in my life. Person speaking, doesn’t your stomach hurt?”

But the video wasn’t over. The person eating didn’t just take one bite of each dish; she kept eating the entire contents of the plates, even pouring the sticky, unappetizingly colored scrambled eggs with tomatoes into a bowl of white rice and eating the whole bowl.

Loves to Eat Dirty Buns unconsciously swallowed. The subtle chewing sounds made by the person eating truly made it feel like she was enjoying the food immensely, as if the dishes were not dark cuisine but carefully prepared delicacies.

At this point, the bullet comments on the video had changed:

“This video is poisonous. I actually think it smells delicious!” “Someone with extensive cooking experience, watching for the second time, here to say: Although the process is rough and the colors aren’t good, the control over the heat and seasoning seems flawless. Judging by cooking experience, these five dishes might really be delicious!”

This video spread wider than the small videos Zhou Tiantian had posted previously, attracting more viewers. It also gained a wave of followers for both Zhou Tiantian and Li Ziyu, and the variety show’s level of public attention increased. The topic of Li Ziyu’s cooking was even a trending topic on Weibo for several days.

Taking advantage of the heat, Li Ziyu’s variety show began filming.

The reality show is called What’s In My Home, a reality show that is part lifestyle and part travel.

The show has four regular cast members: Zhang Feng, an acclaimed A-list veteran actor; Chen Xiaoxiao, a recently very popular actress; and Bai Song, a popular singer who debuted from a talent show.

The four met and got acquainted, then headed to the hotel’s press conference venue.

Many reporters attended the variety show’s press conference. As soon as the four took the stage, the reporters immediately aimed their cameras at Li Ziyu, because everyone knew she was the person most relevant to the show’s current buzz, and everyone was genuinely curious about her cooking skills.

Shortly after the press conference began, a reporter asked: “A viral video appeared online a few days ago, and the person filming highly praised your cooking. Is this true, or was it for the effect of the shoot?”

Li Ziyu’s expression was calm as she glanced at the reporter. The reporter involuntarily flinched; although her expression seemed indifferent, he felt as if he was being mocked by Li Ziyu.

“It is truly delicious,” Li Ziyu said, then without lowering the microphone, she continued, looking at the reporter: “But even if you doubt me, I won’t cook it for you. You won’t have the opportunity to verify it.”

These words were like a hidden dart aimed at the reporter’s heart. When he asked the question, he had genuinely intended to ask Li Ziyu to cook for him. After all, this was a hotel, and even if the production team hadn’t prepared props, everyone could follow Li Ziyu to the hotel kitchen for an on-site tasting and filming. Who knew Li Ziyu would so mercilessly refuse him, even before he could make the request.

Other reporters felt a strange sense of amusement. They didn’t feel that Li Ziyu was acting like a diva but rather that her words carried a sense of playful teasing, making the atmosphere much more relaxed.

So, another reporter stood up and asked Li Ziyu: “Then, Ziyu, who is qualified to eat your cooking?”

Li Ziyu answered as if it were the most natural thing: “My assistant, of course. Wasn’t she the one eating in the video?” She then sincerely suggested, “Asking questions like this is really a waste of your question opportunities.”

The reporter who asked the question: “…”

Zhang Feng, also sitting on the stage, smiled helplessly at Li Ziyu and asked, “Ziyu, is it okay for you to answer questions like this?”

Li Ziyu nodded to Zhang Feng and said, “I’m just telling the truth.”

After the press conference, the video of Li Ziyu answering the reporters’ questions was captured from every angle by major news media and posted online. Many netizens had originally hoped that Li Ziyu would cook for the reporters at the press conference, so the reporters could tell them whether her cooking was truly delicious or just an act. But no one expected Li Ziyu to speak so bluntly.

Consequently, a new trending topic appeared on Weibo that day: #Speaking the Plain Truth. Although the hot search didn’t include Li Ziyu’s name, clicking on the topic led to all the relevant content about Li Ziyu’s honesty at the press conference.

Such brutally honest interviews, while not unprecedented, were considered a breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry. While some people’s blunt honesty can be off-putting, Li Ziyu handled her attitude and tone well, making it impossible for people to dislike what she said. Fans and netizens commented:

“Li Ziyu lives too straightforwardly!” “I feel like all the reporters are smiling on the outside but complaining on the inside!” “Although Li Ziyu didn’t cook for the reporters at this press conference to prove her skills, I’m happy just watching her!”

Following this, many netizens expressed their support: “Such an honest celebrity, I’m a fan now!”

As a result, Li Ziyu’s Weibo followers surged from 1.5 million to 2 million, and then, because of the edited video and the news conference, they once again skyrocketed to 5 million. Even her assistant, Zhou Tiantian’s Weibo, gained 500,000 followers.

However, an emergency meeting was underway at Li Ziyu’s management company.

Although artists are uniformly managed by the company, the manager typically holds the most authority within the artist’s team. At this time, Luo Na and Yang Ruoyun were seated in the conference room, along with Li Ziyu and Zhou Tiantian.

Luo Na frowned at Li Ziyu and said, “When the company first debuted you, your persona was set as seductive and intellectual. It wasn’t obvious when you were only filming, but now that you’re participating in variety shows and getting some online exposure, your persona is starting to collapse. You must know that navigating the entertainment industry isn’t as easy as you imagine. If you don’t have a good persona, you’ll soon be drowned out in this industry full of talent.”

Li Ziyu slightly frowned. “I think my current persona is quite good. It makes working in the entertainment industry less tiring for me, and the media and marketing accounts are also into it.”

Luo Na disagreed. “But your current persona is very prone to attracting negative attention. You should know that no one likes to hear unpleasant truths. You have the least seniority at the press conference but were the most aggressive in challenging people. While not too many people are hating on you this time, if you keep this attitude, you’ll definitely gather a wave of anti-fans once the variety show airs. While ‘being red from being hated’ is still being red, if you want long-term success, it’s best not to be hated.”

Li Ziyu was unwilling to adopt the persona Luo Na had designed for her. For her, creating a persona that contradicted her own personality would cause immense trouble for her future development. She would have to constantly wear a mask and act, which was nearly impossible for Li Ziyu. She hadn’t entered the entertainment industry to live wearing a mask every moment.

So, her attitude was resolute. “Sister Luo, the persona you set for me before is not suitable for me.”

Deep furrows creased Luo Na’s brows—the kind of wrinkles a person who frequently frowns would have. Her tone became more assertive. “If you don’t follow my persona, what happens if something goes wrong during your development? Won’t I be the one who has to clean up your mess?”

Li Ziyu remained firm, unwilling to say anything further. “I don’t want to create the persona you’ve set for me.”

“Li Ziyu!” Luo Na said in a low voice.

Li Ziyu was unmoved. Their gazes met in the air, like a confrontation between masters, and the temperature in the entire conference room immediately dropped.

Zhou Tiantian turned to look at Li Ziyu, concealing the overflow of admiration in her eyes. At least to Zhou Tiantian, a manager should never be offended or resisted, but today Li Ziyu’s actions showed her that if Li Ziyu herself was unwilling, no one could force her.

Zhou Tiantian recalled how Li Ziyu was in high school—no one could make her compromise. But Zhou Tiantian also trusted Li Ziyu because the high school version of Li Ziyu was also “maverick,” yet hardly anyone disliked her. Whether boys or girls, good students or students who just drifted by, few held negative feelings towards Li Ziyu.

Sure enough, the manager finally backed down, sighing at Li Ziyu and saying, “Ziyu, you are always so out of control. You make things very difficult for me.”

Li Ziyu replied, “I have my own boundaries, Sister Luo. I won’t make things difficult for you, nor will I cause you any trouble.”

In the end, Li Ziyu became the only star under Luo Na who did not deliberately create a persona in the entertainment industry. Many people in the company secretly watched, waiting to see Li Ziyu fail.

On the way back, Zhou Tiantian asked Li Ziyu, “Why didn’t you want to accept Sister Luo’s arrangements? Haven’t several celebrities she managed become very popular precisely because their personas were well-established?”

Li Ziyu said while driving, “But they have to wear a mask and act the moment they leave the house every day. That kind of life is too exhausting for me.”

Zhou Tiantian bit her lower lip, inwardly thinking: “You’re just lazy.”

The next second, Li Ziyu suddenly said, “Were you thinking I’m lazy?”

Zhou Tiantian was startled and quickly shook her head. “I wasn’t!”

Li Ziyu let out a cold snort. “Still saying no? Seeing how guilty you look, I know you were definitely cursing me in your head just now.”

Zhou Tiantian softly argued, “I wasn’t cursing you.” (I was just secretly exposing you in my mind.)

Li Ziyu stopped pursuing the matter and told Zhou Tiantian, “I still have classes during this time. You should take advantage of the downtime and get your driver’s license. I’ve never seen a celebrity drive out with their assistant sitting in the passenger seat.”

Zhou Tiantian blushed, feeling guilty. “Okay, I’ll go sign up for a driving school tomorrow.”

Li Ziyu then turned into a nagging mother, instructing her: “Don’t sign up for the regular person’s class, where you only practice twice a week and test every two or three months. By the time you get your license, a year will have passed.”

Zhou Tiantian thought: If I don’t sign up for that class, which one should I sign up for?

Li Ziyu seemed to read her mind. “When you find a driving school, just ask them how much the most expensive class costs. Signing up for the most expensive one will certainly get you your license the fastest, provided, of course, that you don’t have any problems with driving.”

The next day, Li Ziyu went to class as usual, while Zhou Tiantian found a driving school closest to Li Ziyu’s apartment and, as instructed, signed up for the most expensive class. As long as she didn’t fail any tests, she could likely get her license in about two months.

While she was studying and preparing for the Subject One exam, the reality show began filming.

The location for the reality show was B City. Since B City has plenty of sights, and the artists live there, filming was not only convenient but also had the lowest production cost.

The production team rented a villa in a high-end suburban residential community. The four guests—two men and two women—would occupy two rooms, and the remaining rooms were converted into a family inn.

On the first day at the villa, the four decided to divide the labor. Zhang Feng said to the group, “I suggest we clearly define our roles. This will greatly increase efficiency and save time, preventing the whole rhythm from looking chaotic.”

Li Ziyu was the first to nod in agreement.

Bai Song was hesitant. “But that way, we won’t get to experience the different joys of each role. Repeating the same work every day will probably be very tedious.”

Li Ziyu sighed deeply. “But switching jobs every day would be truly exhausting.”

Bai Song looked at Li Ziyu, both amused and confused, asking, “Ziyu, is this what they call ‘laziness’?”

Li Ziyu nodded, admitting without shame: “Yes, I am lazy.”

Bai Song was even more amused. Zhang Feng also laughed and said, “Ziyu, you really are the most honest. I actually suggested this because I’m lazy too, but I didn’t say the specific reason.”

Li Ziyu smiled slightly. “Every day, we need to solve the three issues of food, lodging, and travel for the guests who come here. If there are quite a few people, cooking alone will take half a day. As far as I know, none of you are very good at cooking. If we really take turns in every role, when you cycle to the kitchen, will our guests really not be driven away by ‘dark cuisine’?”

Chen Xiaoxiao laughed heartily. “You have the nerve to call it ‘dark cuisine!’ Although we haven’t cooked before, maybe after trying, we’ll be better than you! In the end, only your dishes will be ‘dark cuisine!'”

Li Ziyu shook her head and said, “My food certainly looks bad, but the taste is very good. Haven’t my assistant already proven that many times?”

Chen Xiaoxiao looked at her, teasingly. “But only your assistant has eaten it! Are you perhaps unwilling to cook for us, making us unqualified to judge your dishes?”

Li Ziyu laughed. “Of course, I’ll cook for you if you really can’t. After all, the production team is paying me, so I have to complete my job and tasks.”

The others laughed. Afterward, the three had a tacit understanding and stopped discussing the division of labor, instead asking Li Ziyu to cook for them. They were genuinely curious if those aesthetically terrible dishes made by Li Ziyu truly tasted good!

Li Ziyu decided to make Twice-Cooked Pork (回鍋肉), Salt-and-Pepper Fried Potatoes, and one stir-fried vegetable dish.

The three followed Li Ziyu into the kitchen. When they saw Li Ziyu casually and roughly slicing the pork belly, they all laughed. Bai Song even exclaimed, “I always thought you filmed your videos that way on purpose. Now, seeing you chop so skillfully and chaotically, you must really be chopping randomly.”

The potatoes later met the same fate of random chopping—unevenly sized and shaped, clearly cut carelessly, and placed in a basin. Chen Xiaoxiao took several photos from different angles and posted them on Weibo to prove to netizens that Li Ziyu’s chaotic chopping was genuinely practiced, with no hint of being deliberate or an act.

It was even more shocking to watch Li Ziyu put the dishes into the wok. Initially, the food looked relatively good, but as time passed, the various dishes gradually changed their appearance in the pot.

Zhang Feng put his hand over his stomach. “Just looking at this gives me a stomachache. I feel like I’m not worthy of enjoying this.”

Chen Xiaoxiao also sighed, both amused and exasperated. “Now I think your assistant should consider debuting. Her acting skills are truly commendable.”

Li Ziyu turned and glanced at them, teasingly saying, “You’re about to be proven wrong.”

The three didn’t believe her. When the dishes were served, the three plucked up immense courage, each picking up a piece of potato from the plate. The potatoes were no longer yellow but a deep, dark brown. Even though they had watched Li Ziyu cook the dish from start to finish, they were all impressed by the change in the potatoes’ color throughout the process—something not easily achieved by an ordinary person.

Bai Song sniffed the air, looking at the two unappealing dishes, and said in disbelief, “Why do I think it smells really good?”

Chen Xiaoxiao also laughed exasperatedly. “I think the smell is okay too.”

Zhang Feng cleared his throat. “I’ll try it for the two of you first.” He then, with a look of a martyr going to his death, put the potato into his mouth. After closing his mouth, his eyes slowly widened, filled with disbelief.

The other two didn’t need to hear anything; they could tell from his expression. They were astonished: Could this food really be delicious?

They quickly put the potatoes into their mouths, and immediately, the words “Tastes surprisingly good” were written all over their faces.

At this moment, not only the three guests but also the production team completely believed in Li Ziyu’s cooking skills.

Afterward, no one spoke at the dining table. Only after the meal was finished did Chen Xiaoxiao sigh softly, “I’ve ingested too many calories today. I need to exercise later, or I’ll gain weight.”

Bai Song also sighed contentedly, then looked at Li Ziyu with admiration. “Today, I truly understood the meaning of ‘never judge a book by its cover.’ Why does something that looks so ugly taste so good?”

Li Ziyu, remaining calm and composed, said lightly, “Because I don’t care about the exterior, only the taste.”

Zhang Feng also chuckled softly. “Yes, we are often too focused on the appearance of things. The interior is actually the most important.” He then changed the subject slightly. “However, having a perfect interior, and paying a little attention to the exterior, would truly be perfection.”

All things considered, he still hoped Li Ziyu’s dishes could look better.

Chen Xiaoxiao was also worried. “How about we help you prep the vegetables? That way, your dishes might be both delicious and good-looking. Otherwise, what if the guests arrive and refuse to eat the food?”

Li Ziyu thought seriously and finally proposed what she considered the most feasible suggestion: “We can buy some instant noodles to keep at home.” The shape of the vegetables didn’t particularly affect the taste for Li Ziyu.

Chen Xiaoxiao burst out laughing and gave Li Ziyu a thumbs-up. “I truly admire you.”

Afterward, the three all agreed they couldn’t handle the kitchen role. The division of labor for the four was then set: Li Ziyu would always be in the kitchen, while the other three would rotate the roles of tour guide, reception, and cleaning.

The next morning, three guests arrived: You Li, a popular actress, and two ordinary people (Su Ren) who signed up to participate in the variety show.

Due to relevant regulations, current variety shows must include a certain percentage of ordinary people, allowing ordinary netizens or fans to qualify as show guests.

One of the fans was the video editor Little Clownfish, whom Zhou Tiantian had previously hired.

Little Clownfish initially took on the job just to earn money, but after watching the five videos, she became a fan of Li Ziyu. Later, she watched Li Ziyu’s press conference and loved her bluntness and honesty even more, so she signed up for the show. Because she already had a certain level of influence, she was easily selected by the production team.

Upon seeing Li Ziyu for the first time, Little Clownfish neither asked for an autograph nor a photo. Instead, she looked at Li Ziyu excitedly and said, “Ziyu, I’m your new fan! I fell for you after watching your cooking video. I’m so happy to be here today!”

Li Ziyu nodded. “Don’t be too excited. Since you’re a guest now, you can eat my food and personally verify whether what I make is ‘dark cuisine’ or not.”

Little Clownfish quickly said, “No, no, Goddess! Whether I eat your food or not isn’t important! I just hope you can post more videos and provide us with more raw material!”

She spoke as if countless fans were starving and waiting for her to provide relief, her expression so pitiful that if Zhou Tiantian didn’t agree, she would be a wicked person. Fortunately, Zhou Tiantian was already planning to post more videos to promote Li Ziyu. She took the opportunity to nod. “Okay, I will definitely post more videos in the future.”

Little Clownfish was satisfied and returned to the villa to continue filming.

The three invited guests were most interested in Li Ziyu’s cooking skills. They all said they didn’t need their accommodation arranged yet, or a travel itinerary planned, or even worry about their fatigue—as long as they could eat Li Ziyu’s cooking as soon as possible to experience for themselves whether the “dark cuisine” was truly dark, they would be satisfied!

Li Ziyu sighed, opened the refrigerator, and turned back to the group. “We forgot to buy groceries. There’s only enough in the fridge for two or three people.”

Everyone looked at each other, feeling a bit awkward. Zhang Feng and the others hadn’t anticipated this problem. After dividing the labor yesterday, they went to sleep, and no one thought the fridge wouldn’t have enough food.

Then they looked at Li Ziyu, their eyes’ message clear: Since Li Ziyu managed the kitchen, grocery shopping should be her responsibility.

Li Ziyu turned to the three guests. “What would you like to eat?”

The two ordinary guests were too shy to order, but You Li was completely unreserved. “I want Coke Chicken Wings, Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, and Spicy Boiled Fish.”

Li Ziyu nodded and then asked her, “Do you want to experience shopping at the supermarket?”

You Li paused slightly, then cunningly replied, “I’m a guest here. Are you really going to ask the guest to go grocery shopping?”

Li Ziyu nodded again, speaking her mind seriously. “I actually had that thought.”

You Li was briefly stunned, then burst out laughing. “You’re just as direct as you were at the press conference!”

Li Ziyu sighed lightly. “I thought yesterday I’d only have to cook, but today I find out I also have to shop for groceries.”

Then she looked at the other three regular guests. “Does washing the dishes after the meal also fall to me?”

Chen Xiaoxiao nodded gleefully. “Of course! After all, the kitchen territory has been designated to you.”

Li Ziyu sighed and looked at the director team. “Director, can I request a personal assistant to be allowed entry?”

The director smiled at her and said, “No, that would violate the purpose of our show.”

Li Ziyu finally sighed helplessly. “Fine, then I’ll go buy groceries. But don’t complain about what I bring back.”

Everyone eagerly said they wouldn’t complain.

Subsequently, Li Ziyu, along with several staff and cameramen, went to the supermarket. The others stayed in the villa, enjoying the air conditioning, drinking beverages, and chatting happily.

When Li Ziyu returned with the groceries, they were all dumbfounded.

“This isn’t ribs, is it? This is neck bone, the spine! Can this be used to make sweet and sour pork ribs?” You Li stared at the bag of neck bones, speechless.

Li Ziyu frowned slightly. “I didn’t see any ribs. I only saw this bone.”

Then You Li looked at the fish in the other bag, and her lips twitched. “This is sea bass, right? Can sea bass be used for spicy boiled fish? Isn’t sea bass usually steamed?”

Li Ziyu was also a bit surprised. “Can’t this fish be used for spicy boiled fish?”

You Li looked at her in astonishment. “You’re the chef, and you don’t even know that?”

Li Ziyu said blankly, “The groceries in our house are always bought and put in the fridge by our housekeeper.”

Everyone: “…”

The group then watched the camera playback, which showed that Li Ziyu was genuinely not being perfunctory while shopping. She carefully selected every sea bass, choosing the fattest one in the end. She also carefully selected the neck bone, choosing the one with the most meat.

But the ingredients she bought were completely wrong, and she only bought fish and neck bones, forgetting the chicken wings and all the other side ingredients.

Chen Xiaoxiao asked her exasperatedly. Li Ziyu blushed slightly. “I forgot. I was only thinking about sweet and sour pork ribs and spicy boiled fish, so I just bought some bones and a fish.”

Since it was lunchtime, and the guests were hungry, everyone reluctantly let her use the ingredients to cook.

Li Ziyu’s cooking already had a low aesthetic value, and now with the wrong ingredients, the result was even stranger. The Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, in particular, came out in large, unwieldy clumps, looking completely unappetizing.

When this episode was edited and broadcast, the bullet comments all started to flood in.

“Oh my god, is this seriously not dark cuisine? This must be a script!” “It’s terrifying! Sweet and Sour Neck Bone! It feels like an upgraded version of Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs!” “The color of the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs is really unappetizing. But my friend recommended this as a great video to eat rice with. It must be fake! I haven’t been able to eat a single bite of rice so far!”

However, there were also netizens following the reality show’s storyline.

“You’re complaining now, but you’re about to say it ‘tastes surprisingly good’ later.” “Trust Chef Ziyu’s skills. I think she can even make the neck bone delicious!” “Spicy Boiled Sea Bass, excellent! ‘Tastes surprisingly good’ prediction confirmed! Waiting for you all to be proven wrong!” “If this one is still ‘tastes surprisingly good,’ I’ll seriously be impressed!”