The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 7

[Wen Mian called Gu Man? Production team, you guys really know how to arrange things!]

[Haha, I’m a chaos lover. I love seeing this! Keep it up, team!]

The production team felt wrongly accused! These were the guests’ own choices; they didn’t script this!

[Is Manman going to be pestered by Wen Mian again?]

[Probably not? Wen Mian seems pretty decent right now.]

Unaware of the shifting tides in the livestream, Wen Mian felt no inner turmoil in fact, she was a bit sleepy. It was natural at home, she slept until she woke up naturally in a comfortable bed. Rising this early made her grateful she didn’t have a “morning temper.”

With a “ding-dong,” the door opened almost instantly.

Gu Man stood there in slim-fit loungewear, holding a book, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. As she looked over, the light glinted off the lenses. Her hair was tied in a neat, low ponytail. Her voice was indifferent: “What is it?”

Wen Mian gestured with her right hand toward the group behind her. “Good morning. Time to get up.”

Gu Man’s downcast eyes lifted to scan the crowd. “Mm,” she said softly. Then, her gaze returned to Wen Mian, adding, “Thank you.”

Wen Mian waved it off. “No need. It’s just the mission.”

Gu Man’s eyelashes flickered behind her glasses before she closed the door. The livestream chat, which had been quiet during the wait, exploded the moment the door shut.

[Two gorgeous faces! Total visual attack!]

[Seeing two faces this beautiful so early in the morning… how am I supposed to survive?]

[Being able to cast such authoritative beauty, the production team is truly blessed!]

The Breakfast Search

Instead of waiting for Gu Man to come out, Wen Mian headed to the living room in search of food. Finding nothing, her head drooped in disappointment. Just as the audience thought she’d give up, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a bun.

[Where did that bread come from?!]

[In her pocket… is that even possible?]

[How big is that pocket? We didn’t even notice!]

Sitting on the sofa, Wen Mian nibbled on the bread, muttering a laundry list of cravings: “I want crab roe soup dumplings, egg pancakes, fried buns, preserved egg and lean meat porridge, seafood porridge, pumpkin oatmeal…”

The more she spoke, the hungrier she got. She glared at the dry bread in her hand and took a spiteful, large bite.

[My mouth is watering. Does Wen Mian eat that well every day?]

[She eats better than I do!]

[Jealousy is making me ugly. I want to eat too!!!]

Just as she finished and tossed the wrapper, the others came downstairs, led by Gu Man. Wen Mian glanced up briefly before returning to her food fantasies.

Wang Qiang, standing behind the camera, smiled. “Since everyone completed the mission, the production team is providing breakfast today!”

Wen Mian’s eyes lit up instantly. She stared straight at Wang Qiang, her round eyes screaming: Food! Delicious food!

The team actually showed some heart this time, the spread included exactly what Wen Mian had just been chanting for. As the staff uncovered each dish, Wen Mian’s eyes grew brighter. She stared so intensely that the staff member got nervous and sped up the unveiling.

In a dating show, the most tension filled moment is usually the “seating battle.” But Wen Mian didn’t care. She plopped down right in front of the crab roe soup dumplings. Seeing the others standing, she asked impatiently, “Why aren’t you guys sitting?”

Su Shiqiu laughed and quickly sat opposite her. “I knew I didn’t misjudge you!”

Wen Mian looked confused, misjudge what? But thanks to Wen Mian’s prompting, the tension broke, and everyone sat down.

[That’s it? Where’s the seating drama I love?]

[Great, Wen Mian ruined the vibe again! (Gritting teeth)]

[I have a bad feeling about this…]

Ultimately, Wen Mian was flanked by Zhang Yunxi and Wang Mo, with Gu Man sitting directly across from her. Wen Mian rubbed her chopsticks together excitedly. Let’s eat!

She took a bite of a soup dumpling, sucked out the broth, swallowed the rest in one go, then grabbed a fried bun while shoveling seafood porridge.

[Slurp! I’m so hungry!]

[Same, but I have no money!]

[Why you gotta speak the truth like that?]

As celebrities, the others didn’t eat much. The scene became Wen Mian eating while everyone else watched. Eventually, the others started swallowing hard and reached for more porridge, comforting themselves: Just a little more is fine, right?

Gu Man didn’t eat much more. She sat quietly, her gaze slightly lifted, looking at… something.

The Partner Selection

After finishing, Wen Mian patted her rounded belly and let out a satisfied sigh. The “annoying” Wang Qiang spoke up again: “Is everyone full?”

Everyone nodded lazily.

“Great! Now it’s time to wash the dishes! We’ll work in pairs. If you have a preferred partner, write their name anonymously on a slip but it cannot be someone of the same gender!”

The staff member, Xiao Meng, handed out paper and pens. Wen Mian thought for a second. She got along well with Su Shiqiu yesterday, so she wrote her name.

Wen Mian was the first to finish. Looking up, she saw Gu Man had also put down her pen. Their eyes met without the barrier of glasses for a moment, Wen Mian felt like she was looking into a starry sky. She quickly looked away.

When Xiao Meng collected the box, she winked at Wen Mian. Wen Mian smiled back, a charming glint in her eyes. Xiao Meng’s face turned beet red as she hurried back to Wang Qiang.

[Haha, so beautiful! No wonder the staffer blushed!]

[I want to swap bodies with that staff member!]

Wang Qiang began reading the results:

• “Zhang Yunxi wants to partner with Su Shiqiu!”
• “Wang Mo wants to partner with Wen Mian!”
• “Su Shiqiu wants to partner with Zhang Yunxi!”
• “Song Xue wants to partner with Gu Man!”
• “Gu Man wants to partner with..”

Wang Qiang paused. “Wen… Wen Mian?”

For a moment, he thought he’d misread it. Weren’t Gu Man and Wen Mian rivals? Didn’t Gu Man dislike her? He looked again. No, his eyes weren’t failing him.

[Did I hear that right? Manman chose Wen Mian?]

[What is happening?! Is the world ending?]

[Why would Gu Man do that? I’m so confused!]

Why? Even Gu Man wasn’t entirely sure. Perhaps she wanted to investigate why this person seemed so different, or perhaps it was a feeling she couldn’t quite place.

Wen Mian’s eyes widened in shock. She looked at Gu Man as if to say, Are you serious? Gu Man didn’t flinch; she simply gave a slight nod.

Wang Qiang moved on: “Two people chose Wen Mian. Who did Wen Mian choose? Let’s see…”

He opened the slip. “Wen Mian chose Su Shiqiu! Congratulations to the only successful match, Su Shiqiu and Zhang Yunxi!”

[Wait, so it’s a mess! You chose her, she chose him…]

[LOL, Wen Mian is the popular one now!]

“Since Wen Mian has the most votes, who would you like to choose as your partner?” Wang Qiang asked, stirring the pot.

Wen Mian looked at Gu Man, who had her eyes cast down, looking calm. Then she looked at Wang Mo, who was smiling enthusiastically.

“I choose Wang Mo,” Wen Mian said.

“Gu… Wang Mo? Okay! Wen Mian and Wang Mo are a team, which means Gu Man and Song Xue are automatically paired,” Wang Qiang announced.

Wang Mo skipped over to high-five Wen Mian. “Mianmian, we’re partners now!”

Wen Mian smiled, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the atmosphere around Gu Man seemed to turn cold. Song Xue, however, was thrilled to be paired with the top star.

The Apology

Since Wen Mian and Gu Man had cooked the previous night, the others insisted on doing the dishes. Left alone on the sofa, Wen Mian wanted to check her phone, but it wasn’t allowed.

“Sorry about just now,” Gu Man said suddenly.

Wen Mian turned, puzzled. “For choosing me?”

Gu Man turned slightly to face her and nodded.

Wen Mian realized what she meant and laughed it off. “It’s fine. I’m sure you had your reasons.”

She understood, but the livestream audience was still lost.

[What? What just happened?]

[I can’t even keep up with the gossip anymore. Someone explain!]