Volume One, Chapter 84: Goldfish on Paper

“First place, Mu Shaozhou. Second place, Chu Xirui. Third place, Yu Mo. Fourth place, Tang Xinyan. Very well, now Mr. Mu, please choose your room first, and you may also assign a room to another participant.”

The camera shifted to Mu Shaozhou. His cool, detached face showed no hint of joy; he merely lifted his lips slightly and uttered a few words.

“The third floor. Lin Xing, first floor.”

Lin Xing wasn’t surprised by this. He shrugged, wearing an expression of indifference.

“I didn’t expect Teacher Mu to take such care of me. Well, I’ve never slept in a storage room before—let’s take it as a new experience.”

Yu Mo certainly understood why Mu Shaozhou would choose Lin Xing. She remained silent about the outcome.

Next was Chu Xirui. Her eyes sparkled.

“Of course I’ll take the luxury suite on the third floor. As for my choice—”

Su Beican was desperately winking at Chu Xirui, but she seemed not to notice and continued.

“Chu Muxing, you’ll stay in the room next to mine.”

After all, her second brother had joined the program for her sake; she couldn’t let him suffer.

Then it was Yu Mo’s turn.

Her long lashes fluttered like wings as she spoke.

“I’ll stay on the third floor. Teacher Lin should take a room on the second floor.”

“Which Teacher Lin?” asked a staff member.

After all, there were two guests with the surname Lin: Lin Xing and Lin Yue.

Mu Shaozhou had already assigned Lin Xing to the storage room. If Yu Mo assigned him to the second floor now, it wouldn’t violate the program’s rules.

Everyone’s gaze landed on Yu Mo, and Lin Xing looked at her with a subtle hint of hope.

Mu Shaozhou’s eyes darkened, his gaze toward Yu Mo seeming almost to penetrate her.

Yu Mo spoke calmly.

“Lin Yue.”

Lin Xing shrugged again, not blaming Yu Mo, and looked at Mu Shaozhou as if to say:

You win.

He simply wasn’t skilled at cooking—even after a crash course at a training school, he couldn’t overcome this innate shortcoming.

Finally, Tang Xinyan made her choice.

“I’ll stay on the second floor. I choose Su Beican; let him stay on the second floor as well.”

Chu Xirui and Su Beican were both surprised. No one had expected Tang Xinyan to pick Su Beican.

After all, his infamous ‘eighteen-turns intestines’ dish was truly hard to stomach.

The last two were Xie Mengqi and Yu Wenbai.

As a man, Yu Wenbai naturally wanted to show generosity.

He was about to say he’d take the storage room on the first floor.

But Xie Mengqi spoke first.

“Mr. Yu, could you let me have that room on the second floor? I haven’t been feeling well these days. Please.”

Yu Wenbai nodded in agreement.

In the live broadcast, Xie Mengqi’s persona sparked heated debate—some praised her, some criticized her.

Xie Mengqi cared little for their opinions; she simply would not stay in the storage room.

With rooms assigned, everyone could return to their rooms for a brief rest.

Yu Mo and Chu Xirui headed up to the third floor, Chu Xirui affectionately wrapping her arm around Yu Mo and chatting away.

That evening, Yu Mo spent some time in Chu Xirui’s room, telling her about breaking up with Mu Shaozhou, then rose to return to her own room.

There were no cameras now. She immediately spotted Xie Mengqi standing at the door of a nearby room.

Xie Mengqi was knocking, clutching a bottle of red wine, dressed only in a thin silk nightgown with a plunging neckline. Even from a distance, Yu Mo could see the curves of her chest.

Yu Mo tugged at her lips in a faint smile, opened her own door, and went inside.

She had already broken up with Mu Shaozhou. Whomever he spent his time with was none of her concern.

Still, as she entered her room, she glimpsed Xie Mengqi stepping into Mu Shaozhou’s room.

All night, Yu Mo’s mind was filled with images of Mu Shaozhou and Xie Mengqi.

In the morning, as she went downstairs, Director Zhang Zheng and the staff had started filming.

The guests came down one by one, with only Xie Mengqi missing.

The director was about to announce the next segment when Yu Mo spoke up.

“Director Zhang, where is Xie Mengqi?”

The director’s expression turned slightly awkward, but he answered.

“Teacher Yu, last night Teacher Xie accidentally fell down the stairs and was injured. She needs to rest.”

Yu Mo frowned at the news, and instinctively glanced at Mu Shaozhou.

Could this man really have exhausted Xie Mengqi so much she couldn’t get out of bed?

She knew Mu Shaozhou’s capabilities well enough; he certainly was capable.

Mu Shaozhou met her gaze calmly, showing no hint of guilt.

Yu Mo felt a sudden pang of sourness, so much so that she barely listened to the director as he explained the next rules.

Lin Xing seemed to sense her mood and came over.

“Yu Mo, do you know how many men there are in the world?”

Yu Mo looked up.

Lin Xing continued, “Three billion. So there are plenty of good men out there. No need to hang yourself on one tree—look around, try someone else.”

He pointed at himself, volunteering.

“Like me.”

Yu Mo almost laughed, her gloom lifting.

“Is this how you win over women?”

“I’ve never had a girlfriend,” Lin Xing protested, raising both hands in innocence.

Yu Mo said nothing more and followed the staff to the seaside.

Next, the program had the guests draw lots to form male-female pairs, ten people in five groups.

Yu Mo drew a blue lot, and looked for the man who had also drawn blue.

Lin Xing held a blue lot, and approached her, whispering in her ear.

“Looks like fate is real.”

Yu Mo ignored him, checking the other pairings.

Mu Shaozhou and Tang Xinyan formed a group; Chu Muxing and Lin Yue, Chu Xirui and Su Beican, Xie Mengqi and Yu Wenbai.

Yu Mo was quite satisfied with these pairings; the other four couples seemed well-matched.

Only she and Lin Xing—she wasn’t so pleased.

Director Zhang Zheng spoke into his megaphone.

“Now each group will compete for ingredients. Begin preparations.”

When the staff handed Yu Mo the props, she realized what the upcoming competition was.

Goldfish scooping with paper nets.

Whoever caught the most would win top-tier ingredients, followed by high-grade, economy, ordinary, and no ingredients.

Yu Mo saw that the top-tier ingredient was an enormous Australian lobster.

Each person had a large tank of goldfish and a small bucket beside them. At the director’s signal, everyone began.

Lin Xing held his paper net, flashing a mischievous smile.

“Don’t worry—cooking isn’t my strong suit, but I’m good at games like this.”

He aimed confidently at a goldfish and made his move—

The paper net tore.