Trending Again – Chapter 10
by Little PandaStrange CP, Seafood Cuisine
The next day, Si Meng was full of energy—she’d clearly slept well. Bright and early, she ran off with Zhang Biliang to hunt for wild game.
Back at camp, only the taciturn Shen Zhiyi, the sickly-looking Bai Lu, and the cool, aloof Lin Hanyue remained.
The three barely knew each other, so there was naturally nothing to talk about. Bai Lu had wanted to cozy up to Lin Hanyue, but after being given the cold shoulder1 the night before, she couldn’t swallow her pride to try again.
The hidden photographer could only watch in frustration. This was a variety show—why did it feel so excruciatingly awkward? Were they trying to make the audience dig out a Happy Magic Fairy Castle with their feet2?
It wasn’t until Si Meng and the others returned that the eerie atmosphere finally lifted.
The two had brought back a pheasant and a wild rabbit. Si Meng presented the little rabbit to Lin Hanyue like a treasured offering. It was a baby rabbit, freshly weaned and separated from its mother—had Si Meng not come along, it would have been snatched away by a wild fox.
“Do you like it? Isn’t it adorable? It’s yours.” Si Meng smiled with childlike innocence.
“Mm.” Lin Hanyue was taken a little by surprise and began to play with the baby rabbit.
Si Meng remembered that Lin Hanyue liked furry little animals—petting something soft and fluffy always improved her mood.
Watching the two of them radiating pink bubbles, Zhang Biliang had to admit he was jealous. He’d worked so hard hunting first thing in the morning, and—sigh.
“What are you staring at? Stop spacing out. Prep the pheasant and we can make roast chicken. Sounds good, right? It’ll be delicious—you’re lucky.” Zhang Biliang tossed the pheasant in front of Shen Zhiyi. Shen Zhiyi knew his rotten temper well enough by now and quietly went to process the ingredients.
And so, through a bit of slick editing by the hidden photographer, a strange CP was born.
After everyone finished breakfast, a new message arrived.
WeChat: Two more guests have been eliminated. The next task is to prepare a seafood dish. Find your own ingredients. Local residents will taste and vote to determine the rankings. The winner will receive supplies; the loser will face punishment.
The group decided to head to the seaside to hunt for treasure. Along the way, Si Meng’s expression was off—she seemed restless and uneasy.
Lin Hanyue noticed something was wrong and asked what was the matter, but Si Meng only shook her head repeatedly.
Coconut groves lined the beach. A gentle sea breeze blew cool and refreshing. Fish leapt from the water and seagulls soared overhead. The azure sky and the deep blue sea merged into one at the horizon—the edge of the world, a paradise on earth.
“Let’s split up from here. Hey, girl—this time I’m definitely settling the score with you.”
With that, Zhang Biliang dragged Shen Zhiyi toward the water to catch fish. Shen Zhiyi glanced back worriedly at Si Meng, then at Lin Hanyue’s tense expression beside her.
“Maybe… maybe you should go catch fish with them. I—I can just stay here.” Si Meng buried her face in her knees, not wanting Lin Hanyue to see her looking so timid.
Lin Hanyue understood—Si Meng was afraid of water. But she clearly remembered that Si Meng hadn’t been afraid before. Had something happened to trigger this?
“I’ll stay here with you.” The moment she said it, Si Meng gave her a touched look. Lin Hanyue added with tsundere defensiveness, “It’s not because of you. The seafood smell out there is just too strong.”
“Oh, that’s fine too. I’m so glad you’re staying with me.” Si Meng breathed a sigh of relief. Having Lin Hanyue by her side made her feel less nervous and afraid.
The two simply stayed on shore, playing with the baby rabbit. Bai Lu, eavesdropping nearby, was immediately smug. Serves them right—those two could just wait to be eliminated and punished.
Bai Lu trailed eagerly behind Zhang Biliang, collecting all the ingredients he didn’t want into her basket. Her cooking skills were mediocre at best, but as long as she could lay low3 to the end, she could just have her uncle buy hot searches for her later.
Zhang Biliang waited ages, but Si Meng and Lin Hanyue never came over. He was about to shout when Shen Zhiyi jabbed him in the chest with his arm and whispered in his ear.
“Can you freaking speak up? Whispering like a damn—mmph.” A hard jab to the chest shut Zhang Biliang up.
Half the task time had passed. Everyone had found plenty of ingredients—everyone except Si Meng and Lin Hanyue, who were empty-handed.
“I suggest you two just give up. Stop making fools of yourselves,” Bai Lu said, fanning the flames from the sidelines.
Si Meng was lost in thought, and Lin Hanyue was glancing around—they didn’t take Bai Lu seriously at all.
Zhang Biliang walked up with a full bucket and stuffed it straight into Si Meng’s hands. Shen Zhiyi followed right after, handing another bucket to Lin Hanyue.
“No need to thank me. A cooking competition should naturally be fair and just,” Zhang Biliang said. Shen Zhiyi nodded in rare agreement.
With ready-made ingredients and Lin Hanyue helping out, dish after dish emerged fresh from the stove: oil-burst prawns, iron-plate squid, and spicy stir-fried clams. Her secret recipe preserved the briny tenderness of the seafood while eliminating the fishy odor—instantly tantalizing the taste buds.
Twenty dishes were laid out before the villagers. Their palates had been refined by years of seafood—making tired, familiar ingredients feel fresh again was a genuine skill.
Zhang Biliang was full of confidence—until he saw all the villagers crowding around Si Meng’s dishes. Unconvinced, he pushed his way in, shoved a large spoonful into his mouth, and—this flavor was absolutely unreal!
Unsurprisingly, Si Meng took first place by votes and claimed most of the supplies. Bai Lu was furious. Why her again? She was clearly a bitch.
She spoke up: “She didn’t even find her own ingredients. She won by cheating. By the rules, Si Meng should be punished. The production team wouldn’t want to show favoritism, would they? There wouldn’t be any rigging4, would there?”
Bai Lu put on a theatrical display of sympathy: “You all are so pitiful, working so hard but still losing to a cheater. How could someone be like that?”
Footnotes
- A Chinese expression meaning to be refused entry or audience; to be rebuffed or rejected, literally 'served closed-door soup.'
- Internet slang for extreme secondhand embarrassment or cringe; a playful exaggeration of the meme 'digging out a three-room apartment with your feet,' referencing the children's show 'Balala the Fairies.'
- Gaming and survival slang for playing defensively, avoiding conflict, and trying to survive to the end without drawing attention.
- Literally 'black curtain'; hidden manipulation or unfair behind-the-scenes practices in a competition or show; a rigged outcome.
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