After Being Hopeless at Singing and Dancing, I Exploded in Popularity Due to My Appetite - Chapter 44

While all the little beasts on Qingnan Mountain gathered to catch up on all the Idol 101 shows and, in doing so, managed to find and follow Tao Nian on various platforms, Liu Xiaobai also successfully received Lin Qianman’s autographed photo as wished. As per the studio’s instructions, she then posted in a fan group named “Wild Sweet Peaches Are Big and Sweet.”

Liu Xiaobai had received an official autographed photo and was now in a state of triumph, her tone of voice becoming excited. Fortunately, she was in a group chat; if she were speaking face-to-face, she’d probably stick the still-to-arrive autographed photo to her face and then start announcing it with gongs and drums.

Beaming, she said, “Peaches! Nian Nian is about to be in the finals! Everyone, rally the Sweet Peaches in all the groups to vote for Nian Nian!”

Everyone was very enthusiastic: “Okay!”

“Vote!”

Liu Xiaobai stirred up some action, then immediately added, “Nian Nian herself said to vote as much as possible, but no need to spend money. Everyone should save their money to buy food for themselves.”

“…”

“So, does she misunderstand something about her fans? Do I look like someone who would spend money (stingily)?”

“I watched the show the other day, and that dried meat that Huang Li bought for her—she looked so happy eating it that I couldn’t help but buy the same kind. It was almost three hundred yuan a pound. I’m broke…”

“Yeah, I also got tempted by the little bread Sister Lin gave her before. She could eat a dozen in one go, but a pound only has five, and it’s over fifty yuan!”

“I’m worse off. Last month, I kept watching Yueyue cook for her—rice balls, sushi, porridge—and I bought the same kind of pot. You know, Yueyue is a baifumei (rich, beautiful, and fair-skinned woman), and that pot was over a thousand yuan. But I can’t cook at all…”

Liu Xiaobai: “…”

Too tragic.

Everyone started talking about the food they had recently bought, sharing a wave of their favorite delicious treats, and finally remembered something very important: “So, Tao Nian herself contacted you? Not a rival trying to trick us?”

Liu Xiaobai had initially asked the staff if she could tell the fans that Tao Nian had signed with MLL Studio, and the staff said yes. So Liu Xiaobai said, “The studio people told me.”

“Studio? Right, which studio is she with?”

Many contestants in the show were trainees selected by entertainment agencies, and even internet celebrities had signed companies. But Tao Nian didn’t have one at first. Some ambitious fans tried to find Tao Nian’s company but couldn’t. Tao Nian was just an ordinary person. This matter had also caused a period of discussion, and even if the Sweet Peaches weren’t paying close attention, they knew about it.

Now, hearing that Tao Nian had signed with a studio, they were all very curious.

Liu Xiaobai thought of the Lin Qianman signed poster that was still in transit but would arrive tomorrow, and her pigtails almost perked up: “MLL.”

“????”

“??”

A large portion of Tao Nian’s fans were originally Lin Qianman’s fans, who started following Tao Nian because of Lin Qianman. Now, seeing this answer, they all became restless: “Tao Nian signed with MLL??? Is that true?”

This news quickly spread.

Now, not only were the Sweet Peaches restless, but even the “Little Eels” (Lin Qianman’s fans) were restless.

This move was practically using a moon landing to cause a scandal!

Tao Nian is just trying to capitalize on Sister Lin!

Fans of other contestants were also unsettled. They spammed the keyword “Tao Nian unspoken rules” everywhere.

Meanwhile, in the “QianNian” fan club, the CP (couple) fans were teary-eyed with relief and even started holding virtual banquets.

“Welcome everyone to the wedding of Ms. Lin Qianman and Ms. Tao Nian. Today, they willingly become partners, to be together forever.”

“Here are some wedding candies for everyone.”

“Here’s some red wine for everyone.”

“Today’s banquet dishes include suckling pig! Braised prawns in oil! Lotus leaf buns with lamb! Mixed beef! Steamed pork with rice flour! Steamed fish! Cold jellyfish salad! Sweet and sour ribs! And a sweet soup! Exactly eleven dishes! For them to be together forever and ever!”

“Although… Tao Nian, wearing a wedding dress, exchanging rings, and taking vows on stage, is already crying from hunger.”

“Or hahahaha, I’m dying of laughter, haha, so vivid!”

As with many times before, Tao Nian didn’t know what netizens were saying. She was currently holding her salary card, preoccupied with finding out how much money she had left.

Zhang Jingyue didn’t know what was wrong with Tao Nian today. Since noon, she hadn’t been eating much. She ate a little at noon and quickly got hungry again, but Tao Nian was unwilling to eat. In the evening, she only ate a little again.

Now she was even holding her bank card, wanting to check her balance.

Zhang Jingyue somewhat understood Tao Nian’s thoughts and told her: “If you don’t have money, I’ll lend it to you. Please eat properly!”

After saying that, she felt a little emotional.

She was no longer the same Zhang Jingyue as before. When she first ate with Tao Nian, she was so worried her stomach would explode and even advised her to eat less.

Now, she would worry if Tao Nian only ate three bowls of rice, fearing she was hungry.

This truly is… unpredictable.

Tao Nian glanced at Zhang Jingyue, listlessly shook her head, and said nothing. She found an ATM and checked her balance.

After deducting meal expenses from her first month’s salary, she had 2,342 yuan left. She repaid Zhang Jingyue 1,600 yuan.

Because she didn’t have clothes when she first arrived, Zhang Jingyue lent her money to buy clothes and toiletries.

She had over 700 yuan left.

Adding this month’s 2,170 yuan, she had over 2,800 yuan.

Enough to vaccinate two people.

…Taotie had lived a poor but happy life on the mountain for hundreds of years. The first time she knew about money, she was defeated by poverty.

She even thought about giving her own vaccine to someone else.

Tao Nian was utterly devastated and went back to sleep listlessly.

The next morning, she again only ate a little food, not even drinking the jujube soy milk she used to love, which cost three yuan a bowl. Instead, she drank the free, watery plain porridge.

She wasn’t full, and practicing was very strenuous.

Tao Nian became even more sensitive to the fragrance emanating from Lin Qianman’s body. She remembered when she first arrived at this factory, Zhang Jingyue told her that eating too much would get her eliminated, and she wouldn’t be able to work in the factory, so she should only eat a little every day. Then she was very, very hungry, and that day she really couldn’t stand it anymore. She also smelled a very fragrant scent, and she rushed out and bit Lin Qianman… And when she was on Qingnan Mountain, she originally planned to catch fish to eat, but the fish were so small, and her big clumsy paws couldn’t catch them no matter how hard she tried. She also kept slipping on mossy rocks. Suddenly, she smelled a fragrant scent, and she turned and ran into the forest, afraid that this fragrant thing would run away.

Tao Nian was in a daze, as if she was right there, clearly seeing that day when she rushed up and bit Lin Qianman.

There seemed to be two little Taoties in her mind. One was salivating from that fragrant smell, wanting to swallow the Qilin whole, or keep her and take a bite every day, always keeping the little ball on her horn in her mouth. The other one rudely stretched out a hand to stop herself from pouncing.

Can’t bite! I’ll have to get vaccinated, three hundred yuan a shot, five shots!

Indeed!

Fang Wen, who had been observing Tao Nian since yesterday noon, watched as Tao Nian, who ate very little at noon, ate even less in the evening, and hadn’t come to her boss for snacks. Today, during practice, her eyelids were drooping, and her vibrant makeup couldn’t hide her exhaustion and worry. Now, while dancing, she stared intently at her boss, who was doing spot checks, and as she watched, her eyes even started to tear up.

She’s indeed troubled by love!

Her boss, for some unknown reason, insisted on confessing to Tao Nian right before the finals.

Tao Nian, being heterosexual, had never considered this possibility before. She only saw her boss as a trustworthy friend and a kind mother. Upon learning that her “mother” had such inappropriate thoughts about her, she was shocked and angry, rejecting her directly, perhaps even saying something hurtful. Her boss left heartbroken. But Tao Nian then started to remember her boss’s kindness and began to regret being so blunt… Or perhaps she still wanted to be a pure mother-daughter relationship with her boss, but love had already bloomed, making it impossible to go back to how things were.

Fang Wen, who had read several fanfictions in the “QianNian” fan club yesterday, wiped away her tears, heartbroken by the beautiful love story she had deduced.

Lin Qianman no longer wanted to pay attention to Fang Wen or guess what her assistant was imagining. Ever since she started this show, Fang Wen had been acting strangely.

And Fang Wen, seeing that her boss showed no sign of going to comfort Tao Nian, understood her boss. Anyone who is rejected by the person they like would be sad. Even if her boss didn’t show it on her face, she might be full of scars inside. As an observer, she couldn’t ask her boss to suppress her sadness and comfort the person who rejected her.

However, Fang Wen also couldn’t bear to see Tao Nian so distraught at this critical point right before the finals. If she continued in this state, what if she couldn’t debut? Since her boss couldn’t go, then she, an observer, would go!

Fang Wen decided that she would go to persuade Tao Nian at noon, telling her to eat properly, not to be stubborn, and not to overthink things.

However, when noon actually arrived, Lin Qianman happened to be with Tao Nian and naturally invited Tao Nian to eat together.

Fang Wen was so startled her head almost fell off, but she didn’t dare say anything. She could only quietly follow Lin Qianman, trying to separate the two of them.

Tao Nian was still very anxious, unable to resist wanting to bite her fingers, but seeing Lin Qianman, and remembering her telling her not to eat her hands, she forced herself to put her hand down.

But in Fang Wen’s eyes, Tao Nian looked both wronged and agitated, covering her mouth as if she wanted to cry, but then seeing Lin Qianman, who didn’t even glance at her, she held back her tears again.

So pitiful, both are deeply in love.

Fang Wen couldn’t help but wipe away her tears again.

Tao Nian saw her. She was still thinking about all that vaccine money, but she still mimicked Lin Qianman, furrowing her brow very seriously and saying: “Don’t rub your eyes with your hands; there are bacteria.”

Fang Wen, moved by her own imagination: “…”

???

At the cafeteria, Tao Nian, as usual, wanted to go straight to get food. Lin Qianman stopped her, speaking softly: “You need to wash your hands before eating.”

Although Tao Nian was essentially a Taotie, and an unscientific existence. But this was now a scientific society. Who’s to say a Taotie wouldn’t have bacteria on her? Who’s to say a Taotie could eat without washing her hands?

Under Fang Wen’s anxious gaze, Tao Nian pouted, looking wronged but not at all unwilling, and very cooperatively went to wash her hands.

After washing her hands, she found Fang Wen still watching her. Tao Nian shook the water off her hands, and mimicking Lin Qianman’s tone, pointed at the faucet and told Fang Wen: “You need to wash your hands before eating.”

Fang Wen: “…”

What happened to the beautiful love story? Why did it suddenly turn into a parenting class?!