Chapter 55: Red Umbrella, White Stem, Eat and Lie Down Together

Because the last message was too eerie, Fang Zhou anxiously pondered it for a long time after closing the curtains, but he couldn’t figure out who sent it.

He had no idea what the person’s intentions were.

As a result, he was alert in the first half of the night and slept like a log in the second half.

He didn’t wake up in time for breakfast and only woke up around 11 a.m. when Liu Hao knocked on his door.

“You’re up? Everyone thought you were sick.”

Liu Hao observed Fang Zhou’s condition with concern, fearing he might have caught a cold from the sea breeze.

Fang Zhou shook his head, thanked him, and went to wash up.

Liu Hao scratched his head as he went downstairs, feeling the eyes of several people on him, seemingly wanting to ask about Fang Zhou.

“He’s fine. He said he stayed up playing games last night and will be down soon.”

After Liu Hao explained Fang Zhou’s situation, the female guests shifted their focus away.

Qi Le joked, “As expected of a game streamer, playing games even while recording a show. Such dedication.”

No female guest responded positively; they each continued their tasks.

The show required them to make a Kongming lantern to use when they chose their dates for the next episode.

Although they wanted to complain about this arrangement, they complied.

Maybe they could end up choosing the lantern they made and release it with their desired partner. That would be romantic, right?

When Fang Zhou came downstairs, only Han Xi and Dong Donghui were absent, busy cooking. The others were all present.

Many had already finished making their lanterns and were taking photos with them.

Fang Zhou sat on the sofa, unsure how to start with the tools on the table.

Chu Xinran, who had already finished, came over to help him.

“I’ll teach you; it’s simple.”

Their interaction caught the attention of others, eliciting various reactions.

Sun Haotian, aiming for Chu Xinran, didn’t want to see her helping Fang Zhou, so he joined in.

“Hey, bro, I can teach you too. Let’s start with this bamboo strip.”

The three crowded on one sofa, making the others uncomfortable, so they focused on their tasks.

Viewers in the live chat were thrilled.

“See, the school beauty likes Fang Zhou. I called it; she chose him on the first day!”

“Kids who cry get candy. Fang Zhou pretends not to know, and sweet girls come to help him. Poor Sun Haotian, bravely chasing love but getting neglected.”

“I’m dying of laughter. Love triangles are common in dating shows. I love these ‘you love him, he loves her’ scenarios. Why should I suffer unrequited love while they get a happy ending? Cry, everyone!”

In the kitchen, Han Xi and Dong Donghui, who rarely cooked, were tasked with the meal.

Chu Xinran had taught Han Xi to cook rice, which they managed.

But looking at the pile of ingredients in the corner and fridge, they were stumped.

“Where do we start?”

Dong Donghui rolled up his sleeves to handle some pork, pointing at the vegetables. “Can you wash the greens? We’ll make a soup later.”

“I’ll handle the meat dishes. You try the vegetables, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll do it.”

At crucial moments, Dong Donghui knew he couldn’t rely on Han Xi.

She had probably been in the kitchen fewer times than he had.

Moreover, as a man, he couldn’t rely on his admired female guest to cook; it would ruin his favorability.

Han Xi agreed and started washing the greens.

The Shanghai bok choy and cabbage were clean, needing only two washes before being set aside.

However, the small bag of red mushrooms in the corner, with dirt on the stems and debris on the caps, was a hassle to clean.

But after cleaning, they looked appealing. Han Xi decided to make a three-delicacy soup.

When she started cooking, viewers noticed something wrong.

“Red umbrella, white stem, eat and lie down together. Aren’t these poisonous mushrooms?”

“Maybe not. Some red mushrooms are edible and delicious. The show wouldn’t put poisonous mushrooms in the kitchen, right? They don’t want to shut down.”

“Wait, the color looks off. These don’t seem like the edible red mushrooms.”

“These might be the wild vegetables they picked yesterday!”

“Oh no! Contact the production team!”

By the time viewers alerted the production team and they reached the villa, it was too late.

Following the principle of drinking soup while hot, Han Xi, for once not cold-faced, called Fang Zhou to taste it.

Dong Donghui, ignored despite being in the kitchen, added more salt to the dishes in frustration.

“Damn it! Why not call me? So annoying!”

Fang Zhou, holding a small bowl of three-delicacy soup, took a few sips and nodded at Han Xi’s expectant gaze.

“It tastes great; you have a talent for cooking!”

Usually unflappable, Han Xi blushed slightly at Fang Zhou’s praise.

She thought: If it’s like this, I can occasionally cook for you.

To encourage her, Fang Zhou even finished the whole bowl.

Within ten minutes, the effects were immediate.

Viewers witnessed a shocking scene.

Fang Zhou, in the kitchen, pulled Dong Donghui to dance, one holding a spatula, the other a pot lid.

“QUEENKARD!”

“Look what you made me do!”

Dong Donghui, clueless, still played along for the camera.

Until Fang Zhou started dancing to a driving test routine, muttering, “Don’t love me, no result, unless you can outdo my hand moves!”

Dong Donghui thought Fang Zhou had lost it and quickly backed off.

“I really can’t do this. Find someone else.”

Then, under Han Xi and Dong Donghui’s stunned gazes, Fang Zhou picked up a carrot and sang “The Lonely Brave.”

“Love you walking alone in the dark alley…”

Singing off-key and ignoring the viewers’ ears, he just howled away.

Finally, he hugged Sun Haotian, stroking his hand, saying, “Bro, you smell so good!”

Everyone was shocked. My goodness!

Viewers were equally astonished.

“Help, so this is what happens after eating poisonous mushrooms! Today I’ve seen it all!”

“I’m dying of laughter. Someone drag this mad Fang Zhou away!”

“Good thing he only drank a little soup. More, and he’d be lying down for sure.”

The production team members’ hearts sank, lamenting inwardly: It’s over. Fame brings trouble, and now the show might go viral for the wrong reasons.