Chapter 21: 21 Afraid of Gaining Weight? Don't Dare to Eat Meat and Fish? Then Grill a Fish

"Brother Xu, what dish are you planning to make?" You Zijun asked excitedly.

"You seem to be about the same age as me, right? Just call me Xu Qingyan." He felt a bit embarrassed, he was only twenty-three after all, and here was this 'Brother Xu' thing.

Among those present, Liu Renzhi was the oldest at twenty-seven. Bai Jinze was next at twenty-six, followed by Chen Feiyu at twenty-four, with You Zijun and Xu Qingyan being the same age.

"It's just that I got used to it after hearing Song Enya call you that, so I thought I might as well go along with it," said You Zijun with a laugh.

Xu Qingyan noticed that Chen Feiyu's expression was somewhat gloomy and couldn't help feeling a bit speechless. Everyone here was no pushover; it seemed they were trying to push him into the limelight.

Five male guests, four female guests, with two to be eliminated in the end.

On the surface, it was about voting out the money hunter, but in practice, whether the person voted out was actually a money hunter didn't seem to matter much.

"Let's go check out the ingredients in the kitchen first, whatever's there is what we'll work with," said Xu Qingyan.

"That's fine, just be sure to tell me what you're planning to make later. I don't want to clash with you," You Zijun said with a shrug and a smile. "I wouldn't dare to show off my amateur cooking skills in front of a pro; they're probably not up to par."

"What I make is just average," Xu Qingyan replied.

Bai Jinze had already headed to the kitchen with Liu Renzhi and Chen Feiyu, seemingly without any intention of conversing with Xu Qingyan, deliberately forming a small clique.

Where there are people, there are rivalling factions; the saying really made sense, especially with a big profit at stake.

"Looks like we'll have to stick together, let's go," You Zijun, who had at some point moved to his side, turned away from the camera and made a face in the direction of Bai Jinze's departure with a flick of his head.

"Yeah, let's go; it's getting late," Xu Qingyan nodded.

He was concerned that the kitchen wasn't big enough. With five people taking turns, they might end up cooking until tomorrow morning, especially since it was a main meal. Maybe the female guests all had small appetites, so just making one dish would suffice?

"Brother Xu, do you think there will be enough pots in the kitchen?" You Zijun asked, his frown revealing the same concern. "We can't just take turns cooking, can we?"

He glanced over at his dedicated sidekick Chen Ming, who unfortunately was busy commenting on the female guests' room selection on the screen and did not notice Huang's longing eyes yearning to ignite a conversation.

"Pei Muchan really has a calm nature, just like her songs," Chen Ming said. "Out of the four rooms, she picked the one furthest in. This is also a reflection of her psychology."

"Yeah, I absolutely love her music," Yu Pei shared her playlist with the familiarity of an enthusiast. "But it's true that Pei Muchan scarcely makes the news, except for releasing songs."

"Musicians do enjoy solitude, don't they? It's more conducive to their creativity," Zhao Sisi added, pressing her skirt down with her hand.

"Perhaps they do," Yu Pei laughed. "The other female guests seem quite active though. Song Enya left a strong impression on me."

On the screen, Song Enya was confidently displaying her beautiful clothes and makeup in front of the camera, with a bright and generous smile, tapping lightly on her makeup box.

"I personally think that makeup newbies don't need to buy too many things. To begin with, you don't need to buy highlighters— it's just the same as the light color in your eyeshadow...."

The rooms of the several female guests were connected, with Nian Shuyu and Shen Jinyue next door to Song Enya. Both were visiting Song Enya's room to get more camera time.

As for Pei Muchan, she had temporarily gone back to rest.

On this side, Chen Ming had just finished chatting with Yu Pei and turned his head to look at Huang Miu. Huang was silently watching the screen of another kitchen live room along with Liu Yuzhou.

The live broadcast was almost twenty-four hours long, and generally, the observers could rest when the guests were resting.

Apart from the high-energy and exciting moments like cooking or taking on challenges, the atmosphere in the observation room had to be kept lively. Other times, like now, it was enough for someone to speak occasionally.

So, under normal circumstances, Chen Ming would chat with Yu Pei and Zhao Sisi, and on the other side, Huang Miu and Liu Yuzhou could rest. And for Chen Ming... sipping a cup of tea counted as rest.

As he turned his head, he caught Huang Miu's gaze and saw the longing in his eyes.

Chen Ming was at first a bit confused but quickly realized what was going on. Huang's persona was that of a master chef, and the male guests were cooking—how could that not be mentioned?

"Huang Teacher," Chen Ming tactfully steered the conversation towards Huang Miu, "Your cooking skills are widely acknowledged as excellent. How about you give us your thoughts on the men's cooking over there?"

"Oh, I wouldn't presume," Huang Teacher demurred, waving his hand modestly.