The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 36.3

Su Xue had brought an excessive amount of canned food, and when she unpacked, the cameraman made sure to zoom in her table was neatly lined with rows of cans.

Su Yun and Jiang Zhi had packed normally, so they finished organizing much faster than Su Xue’s group.

When they stepped out and saw Su Xue’s table full of cans, Su Yun’s first reaction mirrored the live audience’s: “That many?”

Even though Su Xue had mentioned her suitcase was packed with cans, seeing them all laid out was still visually staggering!

Jiang Zhi was also surprised: “Carrying all that here must’ve been tough.”

“It really was exhausting,” Su Xue admitted, stretching her arms after finishing. “But whenever I felt like I couldn’t go on, I just imagined being able to openly eat canned food in front of the director and suddenly, I felt like I could carry ten more boxes!”

As seen during the hike, Su Xue’s potential was limitless when motivated by something she loved!

While they were chatting, Lin Yan’s group of four finally made their way back, following the map’s route.

Liu Yangran: “The air conditioning in the room feels amazing, I was about to get sun-dried like a fish out there!”

“Yeah,” Ye Ying agreed. “Jinguang City feels even hotter than Herong County.”

What’s more, there were fewer trees along the roads in Jinguang City, making it hard to find shade even after walking for ages.

Hearing their voices, Su Yun and the others stepped out of their rooms.

Su Xue waved at them. “Come check out your rooms!”

The expressions of the four newcomers as they stood at the doorway with their luggage were identical to the group’s half an hour earlier, utter disbelief.

Even though it was Su Xue telling them and not the director, Ye Ying still asked again, just to be sure: “These two rooms are really for us? They look way too nice!”

【Every guest is going to be shocked when they see this! I knew I wasn’t wrong!】

【Director: I’m getting tired of explaining. Maybe we should just switch back to a rundown house for the next episode at least it wouldn’t require so much talking.】

【They walked all the way back in such scorching heat. If they saw they were going to stay in a shabby house after all that, I’d totally lose it on the spot, hahaha!】

【Gifting the director a house my mental breakdown!】

The director dutifully repeated his earlier explanation before Lin Yan and the others finally believed him and moved their luggage inside.

“This feels so unreal!” Lin Yan said, though the smile on her face was unmistakable.

After putting away their luggage, they walked into the living room just in time to see Su Xue and Su Yun carrying armfuls of items to place on the table.

“Where did all this stuff come from?” Liu Yangran and the others approached, curious.

Su Yun explained the sightseeing shuttle incident and pulled out the prayer bracelet she had picked for Lin Yan, handing it to her. “Here, this one’s yours.”

“Yeah, yeah, since it was free, we grabbed a little extra,” Su Xue chimed in, holding up her own haul. “Sister Xu, this scented candle is for you, you can put it in your room!”

Jing Zhaozhao and Jiang Zhi also helped distribute the items, ensuring everyone got two or three things.

“You’re all such angels!” Lin Yan exclaimed, hugging them gratefully.

The director watched the heartfelt scene with a blank expression.

Once everything on the table had been divided, Su Xue picked up the canned food she had brought from her room. “Since everyone’s back now, how about we open one to celebrate the start of our second episode?”

She had brought plenty, so there was no fear of running out.

No one objected, but just as she was about to open it, Lin Yan suddenly remembered something. “Wait, shouldn’t we ask the director what’s for lunch first?”

The moment she said this, Su Yun paused mid-opening, and everyone turned to the director.

【I’m curious too! The rooms and shuttle today seem pretty nice, their lunch must be better than before!】

【What if the lunch isn’t as good as the canned food? Would they just refuse the crew’s meal, hahaha?】

【Holding that can like they’re invincible! You can practically see their confidence when they ask the director!】

Director: “Earlier on the show, some of you mentioned hot pot. Coincidentally, Jingguang City is famous for its rich, spicy hot pot. So, the crew has prepared a local specialty hot pot for you.”

Located in the north, Jingguang City has sweltering summers and freezing winters. As a result, hot pot warming both body and soul has become a local favorite.

Over the years, hot pot has evolved beyond a regional dish into a household staple, enjoyed anytime. The broth has also been infused with local flavors, making it uniquely delicious.

As the director finished speaking, the staff wheeled in their lunch.

The crew had prepared a split pot one side a bubbling, fiery red broth with chili peppers swirling to the surface, practically radiating the promise of numbing spice on the tongue.

On the other side was a rich, milky-white nourishing broth infused with locally unique Chinese herbs, equally enticing.

Next to the bubbling hot pot, an abundance of vegetables and meats was laid out, everything they had mentioned earlier: crayfish, crispy tripe, beef slivers, fatty beef rolls, and more!

[What?! There really is hot pot! The production team has truly changed. Are they afraid no guests will join next season? Hahaha!]

[Their hot pot broth looks so fragrant, and the prepared dishes are all my favorites! I can’t even imagine how happy I’d be if I were sitting there eating it!]

[One second mocking the guests, the next envying them, my ever-oscillating life!]

[No need to envy yet. The director hasn’t let them sit down, which means there’s definitely a task to complete before eating!]

The dishes were placed right in front of them, so the guests no longer doubted it. However, they knew the production team all too well.

Su Yun: “Director, just tell us the game rules!”

The sooner they finished, the sooner they could eat.

“Wait, Director, hold on,” Lin Yan interjected. “Let’s eat the canned food first. What if the game drags on for hours?”

Though unlikely, it wasn’t impossible.

Su Xue: “Good point! Let’s eat first!”

Director: “…”

She should have confiscated those cans earlier!

Three minutes later, after they finished eating, the director announced the game rules.

Director: “The production team has prepared the broth for everyone, but the vegetables must be won through a rapid-fire Q&A. Each of you will take turns answering questions. For every correct answer, you can take one dish from the table.”

The rules were simple. After hearing them, Liu Yangran said confidently, “If it’s rapid-fire, the questions shouldn’t be hard. Half a minute per person, we’ll wrap this up in five minutes!”

[Wait! Hearing such confidence, I suddenly feel something’s off!]

[Rapid-fire tests reflexes and general knowledge, but the production team hasn’t given any hint about the question range, right?]

[I hope so! I want to see them win the dishes and enjoy the hot pot. Their eating segments are the best!]

Director: “Since the guests are ready, please line up and take turns answering questions.”

Liu Yangran was first in line.

Director: “First question: What day of the week is next Tuesday? Answer in English.”

Liu Yangran: “M… no, wait… T…”

Director: “3, 2, 1, wrong answer. Next.”

[!!! My brain short-circuited the moment I heard this question!]

[I was still trying to figure out what day next Tuesday is, wondering if there was a trick to it!]

[Let’s revisit Liu Yangran’s earlier words: “The questions shouldn’t be hard. We’ll wrap this up in five minutes!” Hah!]

After being declared wrong, Liu Yangran finally processed the question but it was too late. She could only watch her favorite dish slip away.

Next up was Ye Ying.

Director: “Second question: The shiitake mushroom wanted to kill the orange, and the orange really died. Why?”

Ye Ying: “Huh? Why is that?”

Director: “3, 2, 1 wrong answer. Next.”

[HAHAHAHAHA! I know this one! Production team, where do you dig up these bizarre questions?!]

[Two dishes lost in a row, my heart aches for them!]

【Ye Ying’s utterly confused expression just now had me dying! How could she answer the question and then turn around to ask the director?!】

After the director announced the next participant, Ye Ying didn’t move she hadn’t even processed it yet!

“Director, you should at least tell us the answer!”

“Yeah,” Lin Yan chimed in from behind, equally clueless.

Director: “Because as the old saying goes, ‘If the mushroom wills the orange to die, the orange has no choice but to perish.'”

Lin Yan: “…”

Ye Ying: “…”

Silence fell after the director’s words.

A moment later, Su Yun finally broke the quiet: “…Director, maybe practice your Mandarin before coming up with questions next time.”

That was almost as wild as her own imagination.

The director humbly accepted the feedback, though whether he’d actually change was another matter: “Alright, let’s move on to the third question.”

Su Yun was up next in third place.

Su Xue cheered her on from behind: “Su Yun, I believe in you! You can definitely secure our first dish!”

Lin Yan also encouraged her: “With your skills, you’ll definitely get it right. Show the production team what we’re made of!”

The weight of expectations rested on her shoulders.

Su Yun gave a slight nod and turned to the director.

Let’s see what even more absurd question the production team could come up with this time!

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