Author: 反舌鸟 / Mockingbird

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Editor: Eli

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Chapter 36

“Yu Ruoyun is coming as a guest?” Jiang Yu was surprised for a moment. “Well, he’s pretty good at cooking.”

Their variety show was an online program with a food theme that didn’t air on TV. They had to cook and attract customers. Jiang Yu thought, surely they wouldn’t make Yu Ruoyun stand at the door as an advertisement.

The others found this amusing. One senior joked, “Xingyu has big ambitions, wanting a Film Emperor to cook for him. Yu Ruoyun isn’t here to cook. He’s here to taste the food.”

The restaurant’s revenue from previous episodes hadn’t met expectations, so they were now trying to launch new dishes. Yu Ruoyun was coming to participate in the trial operation.

So Yu Ruoyun could arrive later, while Jiang Yu was washing vegetables in the kitchen. Hearing some noise outside, indicating Yu Ruoyun had arrived, Jiang Yu went out and poured him a glass of lemon water.

Yu Ruoyun was looking at the menu. When the water was placed in front of him, he looked up and saw Jiang Yu. “Long time no see.”

“Long time no see,” Jiang Yu replied. It had been almost a week. Then, facing the camera, he said, “We’ve worked together before.”

“What would you like to order?” Jiang Yu asked him, but Yu Ruoyun kept flipping through the menu without ordering.

Yu Ruoyun said, “Your menu has Sichuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine… and French escargot.”

Jiang Yu gave a dry laugh. “Because our cooks come from all over the country.”

He also thought it was silly but had no say in the matter. He was only there to wash vegetables. He didn’t want to be the leader. In such shows, the decision-makers often got the most criticism. He was happy staying in the background.

However, Yu Ruoyun, perhaps never having participated in such shows, took it seriously and started giving Jiang Yu suggestions, saying that trying too hard to find unique features might result in having none. Jiang Yu pretended to listen seriously and then asked, “So what do you want to eat?”

After all, he had to give feedback on the taste of the dishes.

Yu Ruoyun ordered a few signature dishes from the menu, then looked up and asked, “Are you cooking?”

“Me? No.” Jiang Yu pointed to the kitchen. “They’re the ones cooking.”

“Can you make a dish for me? Anything will do,” Yu Ruoyun said politely. “If it’s inconvenient, it’s okay.”

The people in the kitchen had already come out to watch. Hearing Yu Ruoyun’s request, they started teasing Jiang Yu, even handing him an apron and chef’s hat.

Jiang Yu made the simplest dish—tomato and scrambled eggs. While flipping the pan, Yu Ruoyun came to his side, causing Jiang Yu to burn the eggs and over-salt the dish. It was a complete failure.

Yu Ruoyun didn’t show any mercy, saying, “As expected, it tastes terrible.”

Jiang Yu was almost furious, but everyone else was laughing, waiting for Yu Ruoyun to give them suggestions, while Jiang Yu, the helper, was told to note them down for improvement.

When it came time to settle the bill, Jiang Yu went to collect the money. Yu Ruoyun handed him a stack of cash, saying, “There’s plenty of tip.”

No more customers came today, and this turnover was sufficient. Jiang Yu unceremoniously took it, hearing Yu Ruoyun say, “I hope your cooking will improve next time.”

Thinking about the burnt eggs, Jiang Yu felt there would be no next time. But in front of the camera, he had to pretend, saying, “Sure, sure.” Holding the stack of bills, he wanted to count the money but looked down to see Yu Ruoyun gazing at him.

Suddenly, Jiang Yu realized why Yu Ruoyun had come to this online variety show.

“Okay,” Jiang Yu heard himself say.

In the entertainment industry’s downturn, it wasn’t easy for a lesser-known idol to get a role, especially if he was picky. Jiang Yu began to feel grateful he hadn’t decided to leave the group.

He was someone who couldn’t stay idle. Besides, he had some experience with singing and dancing, so it was just a different form of development. Once he accepted this identity, it wasn’t so bad, like experiencing a new life.

Of course, there were difficulties. One day, they were suddenly taken to dye their hair black and remove all earrings. Long Xingyu’s wrist tattoo was small and could be covered, but one member had a half-sleeve tattoo. Before going on stage, he was made to wear long sleeves for a better image.

Zhong Mo had already gone to that talent show. Though it hadn’t aired yet, his fan club started promoting him, and many were betting on Zhong Mo, thinking he might explode in popularity once the show aired due to his youth and fan base.

Given this, Jiang Yu was particularly surprised to receive a call from Zhong Mo.

“Aren’t phones prohibited?” Jiang Yu sat up on his bed, initially wanting to step out, but hesitated and stayed sitting.

“Who doesn’t use them secretly?” Zhong Mo retorted after a few words. “Are you going to report me?”

Jiang Yu wasn’t going to tolerate Zhong Mo’s attitude. “Did you call just to get scolded?”

He was about to hang up when Zhong Mo quickly stopped him, asking him not to hang up. Jiang Yu, still annoyed, asked, “What do you want?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said to me the other day.” Zhong Mo brought it up as if certain Jiang Yu remembered.

But Jiang Yu was uncooperative. “What did I say?”

Oh, right, he had cursed Zhong Mo to be eliminated early.

“You said life is about constant failure and success is temporary,” Zhong Mo said dejectedly. “Now I feel it’s true.”

“Were you rigged out?” Jiang Yu asked. “Did the judges decide you won’t debut? Were you harassed?”

“…I’m being ostracized,” Zhong Mo said. “I even overheard them badmouthing me.”

Jiang Yu was puzzled. “Why do you think calling me for comfort is a good idea? I’d think they did a good job.”

Yu Ruoyun, lazily sitting nearby, had gathered the gist from Jiang Yu’s side of the conversation and interjected, “Because he thinks you’re a good person.”

“Because I think you’re not a bad person,” Zhong Mo said, as expected. “You always speak your mind. Now that I think about it, it’s better than those who play dirty tricks. You actually give me advice. But I still don’t know how to face failure. Is it because I’m not likable?”

“No, you’re good at pretending in front of others,” Jiang Yu replied. Hearing Zhong Mo sniffle on the other end, he had to comfort him. “You’re overthinking. It’s just prevention. They’re afraid of your popularity, which threatens them. It has nothing to do with who you are. When they realize they can’t stop you, they’ll start flattering you.”

“You should spend this time getting more screen time,” Jiang Yu said, then quickly hung up.

He started complaining to Yu Ruoyun, “Why do these people call me? We don’t even get along usually.”

Yu Ruoyun said, “Maybe it’s because you argued. They know you appear strong-hearted, but that’s it.”

In reality, he’s very soft-hearted.

“Today was the same. Zhu Xiao too…” Jiang Yu couldn’t understand, finding it strange.

“Who did you say?” Yu Ruoyun’s voice turned serious, losing its casual tone.

“Zhu Xiao, the one I almost fought with on set. She later got married and announced her retirement from the entertainment industry,” Jiang Yu said. “One night, she even called me, crying.”

He was chatting with Yu Ruoyun, but Yu Ruoyun sat up, pressing his lips tightly as if Jiang Yu had said something crucial, and asked about the call’s timing.

“A few days ago, at a dinner, I heard someone mention that Zhu Xiao went missing,” Yu Ruoyun said. “They also said it’s a deep matter.”

Yu Ruoyun seemed to understand why he was just trying to see if Jiang Yu had run a red light, despite finding no surveillance footage. He still had to ask Jiang Yu.

The water was deep, and Jiang Yu had been pulled into it.

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The author has something to say:

Audience: How does he know if Yu Ruoyun is good at cooking?

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