Chapter 876 - 875: Anyway, It’s All About Smelling—Sniff Out the Most Delicious

Mu Qiu and her group didn’t make things difficult for Xu Jihua’s trio for long; before long, everyone had successfully completed the challenge.

Cheng Zhirang picked up the dripping wet Mu Qiu and helped her onto the shore, where a row of people stood wiping themselves with towels.

The most comfortably dressed Guan Yu waved a towel like a flag and called out to the people in the stands, "Brother Huai! Come down here! We’ve finished, let’s take a photo together!"

Shi Yuhuai was very cautious, "You guys come up to take the photo!"

"Would you rather come down alone or have all nine of us go up, which is more convenient?"

Shi Yuhuai exaggeratedly insisted, "The nine of you come up!"

"...What are you afraid of?! Come down, we won’t do anything to you!"

"Nobody believes you! You guys come up, the director said to take the photo up here!"

The director behind him hadn’t even spoken yet.

However, he was right; the director indeed called everyone up to take the photo, reasoning that the backdrop of Shi Yuhuai being pushed into the water wasn’t quite as picturesque as the brightly lit ancient town.

He perfectly guessed everyone’s thoughts.

Once everyone was gathered and lined up, the director announced the start of the final prize distribution.

This time, there were no MVP armbands or pins, but the big prize packages Zhu Qi talked about were available.

"The team with the highest votes this time is Mu Qiu’s group; the team receives exclusive ancient town gold jewelry, handmade embroidered clothing, and tickets for a three-day trip to the Maldives. The individual with the highest likes is Brother Cheng, who receives a Zhipu Electronics 100,000 home appliance gift package!"

Mu Qiu led the applause, and everyone else looked on with envy.

The staff brought up the gold jewelry: a twisted silk gold and jade bangle, pure gold floral cufflinks, and a gold ring in a flashy, cool style studded with diamonds.

The final ring was quite symbolic; Mu Qiu wasted no time and directly chose the gold and jade bangle, Cheng Zhirang chose the cufflinks, and Zhu Qi took the ring and tried it on.

"An index finger ring, fits well enough."

Director: "The three-day trip will be delivered to your rooms later. Brother Cheng’s big gift package will be sent directly to his home. Okay, this episode is over... Oh, I forgot to mention, although Brother Huai was in the group with Mu Qiu, he wasn’t eligible for the award due to the fixed NPC issue."

"Also, in the earlier punishment game, he bet on Li Yang completing the challenge fastest but was wrong, so dinner tonight will only be a bowl of mung bean porridge."

Li Yang: "I’m sorry, Brother Huai, I let you down."

Shi Yuhuai, already resigned to his fate, feigned a smile, saying, "It’s okay, I’m prepared to face the harsh winds."

The director clapped his hands again, "Alright, take a photo to commemorate the moment, then everyone can freshen up and eat!"

The earlier performers had already gathered for a group photo, but this time only ten people were taking the photo: the nine wet participants alongside the elegantly dry giant beauty in a red dress.

Shi Yuhuai deliberately stood at the back, finally concealing his red dress. The three female guests stood in the front, draped in towels, smiling, as everyone followed the director’s cue to wave and shout slogans:

"Different Variety Show! Different Us!"

Snap, the ninth episode wrapped up in a flash.

...

Online discussions were still lively, and after a burst of laughter in the live broadcast room, only viewers reluctant to say goodbye remained in the comment section.

The screen was filled with various goodbye messages as the idols left the camera view and were already heading away from the ancient town in cars.

They went to the hotel near the ancient town, cleaned up, changed clothes, and headed to the restaurant in twos and threes.

Perhaps weary of the day’s oppressive heat from layered clothing, in the evening everyone dressed as minimally and briefly as possible.

Li Yang and his group wore wide, airy shorts and even came in flip-flops.

Cheng Zhirang maintained his traditional gentlemanly style, covered thoroughly except for a short-sleeve shirt.

Mu Qiu was different; she wore a black t-shirt dress, displaying her long legs and feeling several pounds lighter from looseness, quite comfortable.

The two entered the restaurant together and were immediately greeted by a cool breeze. Upon closer look, Guan Yu was already snacking on sunflower seeds.

"Sit over here."

Cheng Zhirang chose a spot away from the central air conditioning vent and pulled out a chair for Mu Qiu to sit.

The camera was set at the table opposite them, operated by a single cameraman, with another table several meters away for their managers and assistants.

Mu Qiu glanced at the manager circle briefly before refocusing on the table.

"Individual portions it seems, buffet-style Chinese cuisine?"

Apart from one missing seat, small dishes of cold appetizers had been placed in front of everyone else. By the restaurant entrance was a continuous buffet line, already laid out with dishes: main courses, hot dishes, cold dishes, desserts, and beverages.

She was tempted and barely sat for a few moments before calling Guan Yu and the others to choose food.

Midway, she turned back to Cheng Zhirang, saying, "You stay seated, I’ll bring it back for you."

With that, Cheng Zhirang remained behind, chatting with An Zhou next to him.

Having exerted themselves during the day with only a bowl of noodles, everyone was hungrily eager. Even Shu Ran picked out few steamed purple yams, a bowl of mung bean porridge, and other selected dishes to fill a plate.

If Shu Ran was like this, Mu Qiu and Guan Yu were even more enthusiastic.

Mu Qiu made three trips back with plates, bringing Cheng Zhirang special selections like shrimp dumplings and fish slices, all cooked instantly and served with dipping sauces, delicacies both tasty and light. She vigilantly waited for the server to finish cooking and placed them before Cheng Zhirang.

Shi Yuhuai’s eyes turned green with envy.

He hadn’t budged, sitting before his bowl of mung bean porridge as dinner, with nothing else needed.

He felt his face matched the porridge’s color, partly white with a hint of green.

While eyeing the porridge with melancholy, Shu Ran gently settled down with her own plate beside him.

Two plates placed side by side, the most prominent item next to Shi Yuhuai was a dish of small sides perfect for porridge, bursting with an aroma overwhelming for someone limited to plain porridge.

"I’ve picked too many sides; do you want any?"

After her question, she paused deliberately, "Oh, I forgot, you can’t eat, you can only drink porridge."

Then she moved the dish away, replacing it with another plate featuring eight treasure duck, shrimp dumplings, and a small piece of pizza beside him.

"These are just for the scent; enjoy the best aroma."

Shi Yuhuai: "....."

Entertainment with salt and flavor, clearly served.

The others had lost interest in teasing Shi Yuhuai. Instead, Mu Qiu and Guan Yu eagerly selected dishes; if Cheng Zhirang hadn’t stopped Mu Qiu from grabbing a fifth plate, pulling her back and bringing Guan Yu along, they might have claimed half the table with their selections.