Chapter 34: Half-Cooked Breakfast

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On the third morning of the dating reality show, Chen Sisi was once again kicked awake by Xu Zhaozhao.

“Xu Zhaozhao!” Chen Sisi shouted.

Then she remembered the cameras were rolling and forcibly suppressed her anger, replacing it with a hurt, tactful tone.

“I know you were only trying to wake me out of kindness, but could you… be a little gentler next time?”

“Sorry,” Xu Zhaozhao replied weakly from the bed. “You couldn’t hear me when I called you. I wanted to get out of bed and wake you, but I didn’t want to get up, so I had no choice but to use my foot!”

“Haha, Xu Zhaozhao definitely did that on purpose. I suspect she saw my comment yesterday. She really kicked Chen Sisi again.”

“Are you watching the livestream on the morning subway again?”

“Haha, looks like it’s still the same group of people watching the morning broadcast.”

“I’ll make a bet. Will she dare kick her again tomorrow?”

“With Xu Zhaozhao’s current energy level, most likely.”

Although Chen Sisi had plenty of grievances against Xu Zhaozhao, she still got out of bed beneath the faint light of dawn.

After tidying herself up and applying her no-makeup makeup, she went outside to “accidentally” encounter the award-winning actor.

Ke Hao did a brief warm-up in the courtyard before setting off to run around Ancient Tree Village.

At first, Chen Sisi managed to keep pace with him, and the two chatted and laughed as they ran.

But before long, she began to run out of energy and was gradually left behind by the star.

Seeing the distance between them widen, Chen Sisi could only give it everything she had to catch up.

In the end, not only did she fail to catch him, but she was also left gasping for breath, while sweat blurred her carefully applied makeup.

By then, she could not help regretting her decision.

If she had known this would happen, she would have stayed in her room and gone back to sleep.

It was all Xu Zhaozhao’s fault for meddling and waking her. Now she could neither catch up with the award-winning actor nor return ahead of him on her own.

If she went back alone, she would surely be laughed at by the other female guests.

With that thought, she looked up at the actor running farther and farther away. Since he seemed likely to circle back later, she simply sat down where she was and waited for him.

“Chen Sisi is so obsessed with the award-winning actor. She clearly isn’t someone who exercises regularly, yet she thinks she can win his heart by exercising with him. Exercise is the ultimate test of perseverance and determination.”

“I once pretended to love exercise just to pursue my crush. I even went running with him.”

“Did you win him over in the end?”

“I didn’t get my crush, but I did lose twenty pounds!”

“She didn’t get the man of her dreams, but she gained a healthier self. That’s not bad either.”

Chen Sisi waited by the roadside for nearly half an hour before Ke Hao finally came back around.

When he saw her, he stopped. “I didn’t see you just now. I thought you had already gone back!”

Chen Sisi gave an awkward smile. “I was afraid you’d be lonely running by yourself, so I waited for a while. I wanted to go back with you.”

“Good idea. Let’s head back.” Ke Hao did not expose her and instead walked ahead.

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By the time they returned, the others were only just beginning to get out of bed.

Breakfast had been prepared by the four female guests—Qiu Qianrou, Lin Xuehui, Song Qing, and Xu Wenya.

A simple pot of white porridge and some griddle cakes had already exhausted the full extent of their culinary abilities.

The rice in the porridge was slightly undercooked.

Some of the griddle cakes were burnt, while others were still raw inside.

Compared with the rice and several simple stir-fries Ke Hao and the others had made the previous night, the breakfast was far inferior—not to mention the two delicious fish dishes Xu Zhaozhao had prepared: steamed fish and braised fish.

“Sorry, everyone. Today’s breakfast isn’t exactly perfect…” Qiu Qianrou rubbed her hands together.

“It’s fine,” Ke Hao said as he wiped away his sweat and sat down. “You don’t cook often. Getting the food to this stage is already very good.”

“That’s right,” Luo Chengfeng encouraged them as well. “It isn’t anything exotic like seafood. Even if the rice is a little undercooked, it’s not a problem.”

With everyone’s encouragement, the four women finally regained some confidence.

Chen Sisi, however, had barely taken half a sip of porridge before spitting it right back out.

“This isn’t just undercooked. It’s practically raw…”

She immediately covered her mouth and looked apologetically toward Qiu Qianrou and the others.

“Sorry, I spoke without thinking. That’s not what I meant.”

“Ladies, don’t accept her apology. That’s exactly what she meant.”

“Chen Sisi definitely did that on purpose.”

But the guests on camera did not possess the audience’s all-knowing perspective. None of them knew the true nature of the relationship between Chen Sisi and Xu Zhaozhao.

Besides, Chen Sisi was a popular rising star, and no one wanted to make an issue of it.

After all, what she had said was not entirely wrong.

The breakfast they had made was indeed rather disappointing.

Just as the dining table filled with awkward silence, Xu Zhaozhao emerged from her room.

Seeing her, and remembering the fish she had prepared for everyone the previous night, Qiu Qianrou waved her over.

“Zhaozhao, would you like to have something with us?”

“Rourou, did you discuss inviting Xu Zhaozhao with everyone first?” Chen Sisi reminded her. “The supplies were purchased with everyone’s pooled money. Xu Zhaozhao didn’t join us, and she didn’t contribute any money. If you invite her to eat with us, did you ask the others?”

“And even if everyone agrees to let her have breakfast with us, are you going to charge her or not?”

After hearing Chen Sisi’s words, Qiu Qianrou’s expression turned awkward.

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Xu Zhaozhao did not put her in a difficult position. Instead, she took out the instant noodles she had bought at the market earlier and prepared to make do with them for breakfast.

Unexpectedly, Shen Mu walked in through the main gate at that very moment.

“Shen Mu, I thought you were still asleep. So you went out early this morning!”

Seeing Shen Mu, Zhan Wang immediately greeted him.

He had originally wanted to invite Shen Mu to sit down and have breakfast with everyone. But after recalling what Chen Sisi had just said to Qiu Qianrou, he decided not to.

He instinctively glanced at Ke Hao.

Because of the actor’s fame and status, everyone had naturally begun treating Ke Hao as their leader.

At times like this, only the leader could speak without anyone objecting.

Sensing the hopes of the group, Ke Hao took it upon himself to assume the role of eldest brother.

He turned to Shen Mu. “Shen Mu, you…”

He had intended to say, “Come have breakfast with us.”

After all, Shen Mu had contributed two valuable fish the night before.

Although they had invited Xu Zhaozhao to dinner at Shen Mu’s request, Xu Zhaozhao had also prepared two dishes herself—the most delicious braised fish and steamed fish.

That made her contribution equal to the meal she had eaten.

They still owed Shen Mu a meal.

Besides, Shen Mu was clearly skilled at fishing, and everyone wanted to build a good relationship with him so that he might catch more fish for them and improve their lives in the future.

But before he could finish the sentence, he noticed that Shen Mu was carrying a basket. Something inside it was giving off wisps of fragrant steam.

While Ke Hao was still staring in surprise, Shen Mu had already carried the basket over to Xu Zhaozhao.

“Have you washed up? If you have, come eat breakfast.”

“What is this…?”

Xu Zhaozhao looked into the basket and saw two bowls of hot noodle soup, each topped with two poached eggs.

“Auntie Fu made them. She said this was her way of thanking us for the fish we caught yesterday.”

Us?

Xu Zhaozhao stared at Shen Mu in surprise.

She had not contributed anything to the fishing. She had merely basked in the sun and slept nearby.

But since he was willing to give her half the credit for the fish, she would not be polite.

Hot noodle soup was far tastier than instant noodles!