Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Dinner soon arrived.
Zhu Yin’s pot of soup was the last dish brought to the table.
The moment it appeared, every guest sat up straight.
[I’m dying. They look like they’re facing a formidable enemy.]
By custom, everyone would taste every dish and offer a brief comment or two, if only to show respect to their fellow cooks.
Without discussion, they all left the soup until last.
Zhu Yin watched them with a smile.
Lu Yao was the first to speak. “I’ll try the soup Zhu Yin made.”
[They must be real sisters! That’s true love!]
Lu Yao was a little apprehensive too, but she trusted Zhu Yin. At worst, the soup would taste unpleasant. It could hardly be poisonous.
She ladled herself a bowl. Strangely, although Zhu Yin had started with such a large pot of ingredients, not a single solid piece remained in the finished soup. The pot contained nothing but a pure scarlet liquid.
The liquid was not thick. On closer inspection, it was even clear and jewel-like.
The camera zoomed in.
[It actually looks rather pretty?]
[Wait. Did all those dozens of ingredients dissolve completely? Why isn’t there any residue?]
[If this weren’t live, I’d swear they swapped out the finished product. How did that bizarre pot of stuff turn into such a beautiful color?]
[It looks a little like fruit juice.]
Lu Yao relaxed too. She inexplicably remembered the pale-green juice Zhu Yin gave her every day, which she rather liked.
She sniffed lightly. It did not smell like anything.
Lu Yao was about to taste it when Wei Sheng suddenly said, “I’ll try some too.”
[You really… I’m crying.]
[Fine, I’ll ship it! I believe you really are hopelessly in love, Wei Sheng.]
Wei Sheng smiled in Zhu Yin’s direction, then decisively stood and ladled himself a bowl.
Zhu Yin was silent.
She wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“It’s delicious,” Lu Yao suddenly said, breaking the inexplicable mood Wei Sheng had tried to create.
Everyone turned toward her, their faces plainly saying, You truly love your cousin.
“It really is delicious.” Lu Yao finished the entire bowl in one breath and recommended it earnestly. “You should all try it.”
She even started to reach for a second bowl, but Zhu Yin stopped her. “One bowl is enough. This soup is very nourishing.”
Lu Yao immediately thought of the potions Zhu Yin had given her. She hurriedly told the others, “This is truly something good. You should all drink a bowl.”
Still doubtful, they looked toward Wei Sheng.
Under everyone’s gaze, Wei Sheng tasted a spoonful and nodded. “It really does taste good.”
His expression did not seem feigned. Only then did the others, still half-skeptical, serve themselves a bowl each.
“It really is quite delicious!” Zhong Lingling was older and preferred mild flavors. She still could not understand it. She had watched Zhu Yin casually throw that great pile of food into the pot, including bones.
Now all of it had vanished. Surely even the bones could not have dissolved?
If Zhu Yin had not tasted it herself and her cousin Lu Yao had not drunk a bowl in front of everyone, Zhong Lingling might not have dared touch it.
Perhaps it was only an illusion, but after she finished the soup, a warm current seemed to arise inside her body. In her early career, she had pushed herself too hard while filming and damaged her health. Despite years of careful attention to her health, her condition had never been entirely satisfactory.
Now, after one bowl of soup, warmth filled her entire body, leaving her more relaxed than she had ever felt.
Having cared for her health for years, she instantly realized that this soup was probably extraordinary–a rare treasure.
Unable to resist, she reached for a second bowl, but Zhu Yin stopped her too. “This soup isn’t ordinary food. Whether you like it or not, one bowl is enough for everyone.”
Zhong Lingling’s reaction and Lu Yao’s words left the viewers dumbfounded.
[What’s going on? Don’t tell me that bizarre pot of stuff is actually some unparalleled delicacy.]
[I don’t know whether it’s delicious, but judging by Ms. Zhong’s expression, could it really be a health tonic?]
[I refuse to believe anything good can come from a pot like that. My theory is that the person Landi Entertainment actually wants to promote is Zhu Yin. Assistant and bodyguard are only personas they created for her.]
Zhu Yin could “see” the viewers’ comments. She smiled faintly. She had not spent all that effort brewing this pot for nothing.
She had made plenty. Even after every guest drank a bowl, nearly half remained.
Zhu Yin smiled. “Any staff members interested in the soup may try some too.”
The viewers: ??? Did she really think it was something precious?
They did not know that outside the camera’s view, Zhong Lingling had sent the director a message.
The remaining portions of soup truly appeared before the directing team.
People in the entertainment industry were shrewd. After seeing Zhong Lingling’s reaction, Song Shu and the others each drank a bowl, reasoning that if it was truly beneficial, they gained something, and if not, they had merely consumed a drink.
Only Zhang Luwei looked faintly disgusted. She reluctantly took a sip, set it aside, and refused to touch it again.
Because everyone “unexpectedly” played along, Wei Sheng’s earlier performance went to waste. The viewers focused entirely on Zhu Yin’s soup.
For the moment, however, discussion remained confined to the livestream.
The real explosion in popularity came the next morning.
When knocking woke Zhong Lingling, she felt languid, as though her body were nestled in a warm cloud and every pore was sighing in comfort.
She checked the time. It was already eight in the morning?
Steady breathing came from beside her. Turning, she saw that her husband, Cheng Feng, was still asleep.
“Wake up!” She hurriedly shook him. “Get up!”
“All Guests on I’m No Superstar Oversleep!” was already high on the trending list.
More than ten minutes later, the guests gathered in the first-floor hall and studied one another.
Song Shu had not even put on makeup. It was not because she lacked time. She simply could not wait to show everyone her healthy complexion.
Her skin was rosy and luminous, her eyes bright, and she radiated energy!
“I slept incredibly well last night!” Song Shu exclaimed. “Compared with that, all the sleep I got before was practically wasted.”
She lovingly stroked her long hair. When she woke that morning and habitually checked her pillow, she had not found a single fallen strand.
Zhong Lingling smiled gently. “Cheng Feng and I probably have more authority on this subject. You all know that neither of us sleeps well.”
The livestream viewers knew that too.
“But last night, we slept straight through until the production knocked. We didn’t wake during the night or start awake from dreams.” Zhong Lingling touched her face and joked, “I feel as if I woke with two fewer wrinkles.”
That was a slight exaggeration, but viewers could clearly see that every guest looked exceptionally healthy that day.
What had they done the day before?
The guests were thinking about it too.
Their activities and food had been the same as usual. There was only one difference–
That bowl of soup Zhu Yin had brewed!
Every pair of eyes fixed fervently on Zhu Yin.