Chapter 68: Sixty-Eighth Day as a Salted Fish
Chen Feihong was the first to present his answer: 【Pineapple fried rice made by my wife, Kung Pao chicken made by Shen Xiaoshan, Sweet and sour pork ribs made by Qin Jiaojiao.】
Meng Zi’ang also confidently revealed his answer: 【Pineapple fried rice by Shen Xiaoshan, Kung Pao chicken by Jin Mingzhu, Sweet and sour pork ribs by Qin Jiaojiao.】
Zhou Shaoli’s answer was: 【Pineapple fried rice by Jin Mingzhu, Kung Pao chicken by Shen Xiaoshan, Sweet and sour pork ribs by Qin Jiaojiao.】
When Shen Xiaoshan saw that Meng Zi’ang had guessed wrong, her face instantly soured. Everyone else could identify the dish cooked by their own wife, yet Meng Zi’ang actually got it wrong.
The bullet comments were utterly shocked.
【The Shan-Meng CP’s true love is officially shattered—he couldn’t even recognize the dish his wife made!】
【The show crew required the guests to dump so many seasonings into the food, I wouldn’t have guessed right either.】
Seeing the male guests’ answers, the director refrained from announcing the correct answers right away. Instead, he asked, “Teacher Chen, why don’t you go first and tell us why you wrote these answers?”
Chen Feihong chuckled. “I know my wife’s cooking skills inside out. I’m extremely familiar with her cooking style and flavor profile. Adding too much salt doesn’t ruin the dish’s appearance, so it was super easy to guess.
The sweet and sour pork ribs must have been cooked by Miss Qin, who doesn’t know how to cook, which leaves the Kung Pao chicken to be cooked by Shen Xiaoshan.”
Jin Mingzhu gazed affectionately at Chen Feihong.
Meng Zi’ang couldn’t help but knit his brows, a subtle wave of displeasure rising in the depths of his chest.
He guessed wrong? Didn’t Shen Xiaoshan know he was allergic to peanuts? Did she fail to remember, or did she just not care at all?
The director turned to Meng Zi’ang. “Mr. Meng, what about you?”
Meng Zi’ang explained following his own logic: “I am allergic to peanuts, and the Kung Pao chicken contained peanuts, so it definitely wasn’t cooked by my wife. As for the sweet and sour pork ribs, since they were prepared so terribly, they were obviously cooked by Qin Jiaojiao. The answer was self-evident.”
Hearing Meng Zi’ang mention his peanut allergy felt like a bolt from the blue to Shen Xiaoshan. She suddenly remembered—Meng Zi’ang had mentioned offhandedly in the past that he was allergic to peanuts, but she had never taken it to heart.
Meng Zi’ang turned his gaze toward where the female guests were seated, meeting Shen Xiaoshan’s flickering, guilty eyes, and his heart sank.
Shen Xiaoshan’s guilty avoidance of his gaze proved that she hadn’t remembered his peanut allergy—a mild reaction would cause rashes, while a severe reaction could trigger diarrhea or even a coma.
This was directly tied to his physical constitution. He had clearly brought it up many times in the past, yet Shen Xiaoshan had never bothered to keep it in mind.
The bullet comments exploded in disbelief.
【Shen Xiaoshan couldn’t even remember something as critical as a peanut allergy?!】
【I felt right from the start that Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang were a total fake couple—every time they show affection, it feels like they’re just acting.】
【Uh, isn’t it pretty normal for newlyweds to forget each other’s dietary restrictions?】
【A wife not remembering the foods her husband is allergic to is actually hilarious, ngl.】
【Hahaha, I suggest the production crew do more games like this! Fake couples instantly get exposed!】
The director hurriedly announced the correct answers: “Teacher Jin made the pineapple fried rice, Shen Xiaoshan made the Kung Pao chicken, and Qin Jiaojiao made the sweet and sour pork ribs.”
“The guest couple who guessed correctly receives a pair of air-freighted Australian lobster.”
“Up next is break time for our guests. We will resume our livestream this afternoon.”
Guessing the wrong dish was no big deal, but failing to remember which foods her husband was allergic to was a bit too difficult to gloss over. To prevent the livestream accident from escalating further, the production crew had no choice but to hastily cut off the broadcast.
After filming for an entire morning, the guests were both hungry and exhausted. Once the crew announced lunch, the guests took their seats at their assigned dining tables to eat, while the camera crew kept recording.
Meng Zi’ang found the food on his plate completely flavorless, his sharp, piercing gaze fixed scrutinizingly on Shen Xiaoshan.
The reason he had been drawn to Shen Xiaoshan in the first place was because she was gentle, thoughtful, and understanding. Today was the first time he found himself doubting—did she truly care about him?
With a flustered expression, Shen Xiaoshan whispered to him, “Zi’ang, I’m so sorry. I was feeling so dizzy from the sun today that I completely blanked on your peanut allergy for a second.”
Meng Zi’ang wasn’t so easily fooled, his dark eyes sinking into extreme displeasure. “Did you really just blank for a second?”
A weary look crossed Shen Xiaoshan’s face as she said, “Pregnant women tend to have bad memories. I only forgot because I wasn’t feeling well. Please don’t be angry, okay?”
Suppressing the irritation in his heart, Meng Zi’ang said, “Fine, let’s just eat.”
On the other side, Qin Jiaojiao leaned against Zhou Shaoli, her little mouth chattering away continuously: “If the crew hadn’t forced me to put five spoonfuls of chili powder into those sweet and sour pork ribs, my dish would’ve definitely tasted amazing.”
Zhou Shaoli felt a wave of helpless amusement. In the future, he would have to keep a close eye on her and keep her far away from the kitchen. She truly had no talent for cooking, yet held an extraordinarily high opinion of her own culinary skills.
Listening to Qin Jiaojiao babble, Zhou Shaoli silently peeled a shrimp and placed the tender meat onto her dish, steering the topic elsewhere.
“This shrimp is pretty good. Give it a try.”
Qin Jiaojiao picked up the shrimp with her chopsticks, dipped it in the dipping sauce, popped it into her mouth, and narrowed her eyes in bliss. “Delicious!”
The production team had splurged on a grand meal for the guests, and the air-freighted lobsters were delightfully fresh and extraordinarily tasty.
After lunch, the guests took a rest before participating in the afternoon activities arranged by the crew.
Upon returning to their room, Zhou Shaoli grabbed his clothes and headed straight into the bathroom. Having worked up a sweat out in the desert, he urgently wanted to take a refreshing cool shower.
Qin Jiaojiao slipped off her sun-protective jacket and stood before the full-length mirror to check her skin for any sunburns.
A short while later, Zhou Shaoli stepped out of the bathroom clad in a black T-shirt and black trousers. Tall and slender, his damp black hair fell loosely across his forehead, and a subtle, clean fragrance drifted over as he walked to her side.
Qin Jiaojiao sized him up for a few moments and noticed that the back of his neck looked a bit red. “You look like you got sunburned?”
Zhou Shaoli touched the back of his neck. Having spent most of his days working indoors inside office buildings, his skin was fair. Doing tasks under the desert’s blazing sun today exposed him to strong ultraviolet rays, turning the back of his neck bright red.
“It seems a little red,” he remarked, not caring all that much.
Feeling a pang of distress for him, Qin Jiaojiao pulled him over to sit on the sofa. “I’ll go check our luggage for ointment.”
Knowing they were heading to the desert to film a variety show, Xiaoli had thoughtfully packed a sunburn relief ointment right inside the suitcase.
Crouching down before the suitcase, Qin Jiaojiao dug out a tube of ointment in a green casing, then ran back to stand in front of Zhou Shaoli. “Lower your head, let me apply the ointment for you.”
Zhou Shaoli rarely ever lowered his head in front of others, customarily looking down on people from a high vantage point with a cool, indifferent gaze.
Only before her would he obediently lower his head.
Unable to find a cotton swab, Qin Jiaojiao squeezed a bit of the ointment onto the back of his neck and used her slender, fair fingers to gently spread it out.
As the ointment dissolved against his skin, it brought a cool, tingling sensation while her fingertips lightly brushed across his skin.
Zhou Shaoli reached out and wrapped his arms around Qin Jiaojiao’s soft waist, burying his head against her abdomen in an intimate embrace.
Qin Jiaojiao paused in surprise, looking down at Zhou Shaoli. All she could see was his head of dense, dark hair and the long, reddened curve of his neck.
His head was buried against her stomach, his face slightly tilted, resting intimately just below her chest. Through her thin clothing, she could feel the gentle spray of his breath, sending a pleasant, tingling shiver through her.
His large hands held her waist firmly.
With her breathing slightly flustered, Qin Jiaojiao lowered her eyes and carefully rubbed the ointment evenly into his skin, asking softly, “Are you really tired?”
Trekking through the desert was already difficult, yet Zhou Shaoli had run while carrying her on his back while maintaining a steady pace, consuming a huge amount of energy.
“Not tired,” Zhou Shaoli replied, his magnetic voice low and deep. “I just want to hold you.”
A subtle warmth flushed across Qin Jiaojiao’s face. Touching the back of his neck with tender affection, she asked, “Does your neck hurt?”
Resting his head against her stomach while breathing in her sweet, delicate fragrance, Zhou Shaoli said, “It doesn’t hurt. Massage it for me a bit more.”
“Mm,” Qin Jiaojiao replied in a soft, sweet voice.
Silence returned to the room, creating a cozy, gentle atmosphere. The wind carried the distant chiming of camel bells from afar, crisp and pleasant to the ear.
Qin Jiaojiao gently massaged his neck, allowing the ointment to slowly meld into his skin.
After a long while.
Zhou Shaoli raised his head.
Qin Jiaojiao lowered her eyes to meet his gaze. Zhou Shaoli loosened his grip around her waist, then pulled her into his lap.
Relaxing her body to lean against his chest, Qin Jiaojiao said, “We still have other activities this afternoon. Once the ointment on your neck dries, do you want to take a short nap?”
Zhou Shaoli replied calmly, “Alright.”
He didn’t have the habit of taking afternoon naps, but Qin Jiaojiao loved them. Since there wasn’t much to do while recording the show, he could keep her company and sleep together.
Holding her phone, Qin Jiaojiao suddenly received a trending topic push notification.
Clicking into it:
Today’s livestream of Romantic Lovers had made it onto the hot searches once again, with marketing accounts clipping the segment where the male guests guessed who cooked which dish.
Netizens were engaged in heated discussions regarding the trending topic about Shen Xiaoshan forgetting Meng Zi’ang’s peanut allergy.
【Are you serious? How could she forget her husband’s peanut allergy? Does Shen Xiaoshan actually like Meng Zi’ang at all?】
【I did a deep dive into Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang—one is a third-tier star and the other is an entertainment company CEO. They suddenly announced their marriage out of nowhere, so it must have been a shotgun wedding due to an unexpected pregnancy.】
【Shen Xiaoshan definitely used her pregnancy to climb into high society. Otherwise, with her background, how could she cross social classes and marry into a wealthy family?】
【How is her play any different from an escort’s? Speaking of which, Meng Zi’ang is a total sucker.】
【Heh, why only bash the woman? If the man had kept his pants zipped, no one would’ve been able to use a pregnancy to trap him. Who is higher or lower here?】
The internet was in complete uproar, with endless negative comments blasting Shen Xiaoshan as a scheming woman and Meng Zi’ang as a scumbag.
Feeling a surge of secret satisfaction, Qin Jiaojiao read through the comments for a while before letting out a lazy yawn.
Zhou Shaoli: “Going to sleep?”
“Mm.” She nodded.
Zhou Shaoli picked her up, placed her gently onto the bed, and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. As his tall body leaned close, his voice sounded slightly raspy: “I’ll hold you while we sleep.”
Lying on her side, Qin Jiaojiao felt his body temperature rising too high, so she turned her head and said, “Turn down the air conditioner a bit.”
Reaching out, Zhou Shaoli picked up the remote control and set the AC to its lowest setting.
Enfolded in his embrace, Qin Jiaojiao caught the light, fresh fragrance of his post-shower body wash, exceptionally alluring.
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