After Entering a Romance Reality Show Disguised as a Man to Win Over All the Female Leads - Chapter 11

The live stream audience couldn’t see Rong Yu’s subtle movements, but they could see her leaning in close to He Huaiting. They couldn’t help but comment:

【Tsk tsk, here we go. Rong Yu is flirting again.】

【Yubao, do you still remember Sister Shuiqing by the shore of Daming Lake?! (shouting!!)】

【Yubao, I am your obsessive fan (struggling) (twisting) (crawling in a dark corner).】

When the three returned to Qinghe Villa, the first to notice them was Zhang Yongan, who was interacting with the camera. His eyes widened in shock at the giant “octopus leg” in He Huaiting’s arms. He couldn’t resist poking the tentacle. “Did you guys… just get back from catching seafood in the Pacific?”

He Huaiting replied righteously, “Picked it up by the river.”

Zhang Yongan was speechless. “…” Like hell I’ll believe that.

Bullet Chat:

【Zhang Yongan, it’s true. Believe me (.).】

【Hahaha, I wouldn’t believe it either, even though I saw it happen.】

【I seriously suspect He Huaiting used an illusion on me! No, Yubao used an illusion! Otherwise, how could I see such a huge tentacle?!】

Nearby, Seven and Mu Shuiqing were washing aromatic vegetables. A pile of green onions, ginger, and garlic they’d requested from the crew lay on the ground. The two stood five meters apart, looking less like partners and more like they were under a “mind your own business” pact.

Seven was scrubbing the ginger with an expression of pure endurance. Mu Shuiqing was far more diligent, meticulously peeling the ginger and soaking the scallions in salt water for disinfection.

Hearing the staff’s gasps, they looked up to see Rong Yu and He Huaiting approaching with a cameraman. Rong Yu waved happily at Mu Shuiqing. Mu Shuiqing immediately dropped her ginger and stood up, her crimson eyes fixed on Rong Yu while the little paper doll in her pocket peeked out.

Seven, however, saw the still-twitching tentacle in He Huaiting’s arms. His face turned green, and his pupils dilated in fear. “AH?!!”

As He Huaiting approached, Seven scrambled backward before even fully standing up. He pointed a trembling finger at the monstrous limb. “Wh-What is that thing!?”

He Huaiting looked down at the mass of flesh and gave a succinct answer: “Edible.”

“…” Seven’s face shifted between blue and white before he spat out four words: “I’m not eating that.”

He Huaiting had zero reaction. “Oh.”

Seven: “…” What kind of attitude is that?!

Just as he was about to speak, the tentacle in He Huaiting’s arms suddenly twitched violently and—

Slap. It hit him right in the face.

Seven: “…………”

Mu Shuiqing’s lips parted in surprise. Rong Yu almost burst out laughing.

Bullet Chat:

【Ah hahahaha, I’m dying.】

【Wasn’t Seven’s persona supposed to be cute? Why does he look like the village idiot on this show?】

Seeing Seven’s expression darken into a murderous glare toward the tentacle, Rong Yu quickly interjected to save the ingredients: “You’ve worked hard washing the vegetables. I’ll handle the rest.”

Mu Shuiqing immediately replied, “I’ll help you.”

She took a wooden chopstick provided by the crew, gathered her long hair, twisted it twice, and pinned it securely. The hairstyle revealed her slender, porcelain-white neck. Originally, Mu Shuiqing looked like a beautiful but stiff Chinese doll; now, the updo gave her a more mature and gentle aura.

Face-con fans in the chat went wild:

【Sorry Yubao, I’m in love with Shuiqing for a bit.】

【Sister, I can!!】

Rong Yu was also momentarily dazed. When she and Lian Langsheng played board games at home, Lian would often use a chopstick to pin her hair if she couldn’t find a hair tie. Most people twist the hair around the stick, but Lian would gather it, twist the hair itself, and then slide the stick through from bottom to top. It was a unique method Rong Yu had only ever seen Lian use.

And now, Mu Shuiqing was doing the exact same thing.

They were led to their assigned kitchen. To prevent the smell of different dishes from clashing, each pair had a private room. Since they were collaborating, the four were given one shared kitchen.

As they walked through the winding corridors, they passed a room where the sound of stir-frying echoed. “That’s Miss He Jiao’s kitchen,” the staff explained.

He Jiao and Sheng Ming? Rong Yu was surprised. In her novel, He Jiao didn’t cook at all. Rong Yu’s protagonists were always reflections of Lian Langsheng, and she could never bear to let them do strenuous chores.

At the kitchen door, Seven refused to go in, still terrified of the tentacle. “I… I won’t go in. I don’t know how to cook anyway.”

The three girls entered, and Mu Shuiqing shut the door, leaving Seven outside with a cameraman. Inside, the space felt slightly cramped with four people and a cameraman. Rong Yu began setting up the charcoal for the barbecue and cleaning the small fish and shrimp.

He Huaiting walked to her side. “Let me.”

Rong Yu was about to nod when she saw He Huaiting grab the grass carp by the tail, throw it into the sink, slice its belly open, give it a cursory rinse, and then pick up the still-scaly, messy fish to take to the grill.

Rong Yu’s scalp felt numb. She grabbed He Huaiting’s arm. “What are you doing?”

He Huaiting looked at the slender white hand on her arm and replied calmly, “Grilling fish.”

Rong Yu tried to stay natural. “Aren’t you going to marinate it?”

He Huaiting went silent for two seconds, her eyes filling with genuine confusion. “Marinate?”

Rong Yu: “…You’ve never marinated a fish before?” Her lip twitched as she took the mess of a fish from He Huaiting. “At least clean the guts and scales properly.”

Mu Shuiqing, watching silently, stepped forward and pulled Rong Yu’s hand off He Huaiting’s arm.

He Huaiting looked back at Mu Shuiqing. The girl was staring at her with crimson eyes. Even without an expression, He Huaiting felt a clear, hostile warning. He Huaiting leaned even closer to Rong Yu, watching Mu Shuiqing’s gaze turn even colder. “I didn’t usually have much time to clean food before,” He Huaiting explained.

Rong Yu, focused on the fish, didn’t see the silent battle. She suddenly felt a wave of guilt. In her Infinite Flow novel, the protagonist was a student forced into survival games where she had to fight for her life day and night. There was no time for proper cooking.

“I’m sorry,” Rong Yu whispered.

He Huaiting looked confused. “What’s there to be sorry about?”

Suddenly, a sharp crack came from behind them. They turned to see Mu Shuiqing looking down; the thick piece of ginger in her hand had been snapped in half by raw force.

Rong Yu dropped the fish, washed her hands, and took the ginger from Mu Shuiqing. She checked her fingers anxiously. “Are you hurt?”

Mu Shuiqing looked up, her red eyes like rubies against her pale, doll-like face. She shook her head blankly. Rong Yu felt a surge of protectiveness and gently tucked a stray hair behind Mu Shuiqing’s ear. “You scared me. Just glad you didn’t cut yourself.”

Mu Shuiqing nodded obediently. As Rong Yu turned back to the vegetables, Mu Shuiqing shot a look at He Huaiting.

The sunlight hit Mu Shuiqing’s face, highlighting a sharp, fierce angle that wasn’t there before. The quiet, gentle aura vanished instantly, replaced by something that made one’s heart race.

“Ginger might seem soft,” Rong Yu’s voice drifted over, “but it can be rough. Be careful next time.”

Mu Shuiqing replied sweetly, then tilted her chin at He Huaiting, her eyes flashing with blatant provocation.

“Shuiqing,” Rong Yu turned back, “why don’t you go outside? We’ll handle the cooking. It’s too dangerous for you in the kitchen.”

“…” Mu Shuiqing’s triumphant smirk froze.

This time, it was He Huaiting who curled her lips. “True,” she said meaningfully.

Mu Shuiqing walked out of the kitchen with an expressionless face, but the paper doll in her pocket had its arms crossed and its head “on fire” with rage.

Outside in the hallway, Seven—who was singing to the fans on camera—turned to see her. “Oh? Did Miss Mu get kicked out too?”

His words hit a landmine. Mu Shuiqing glanced at him stoically. “Ugly man, shut up.”