Challenger on the Same Path

Liu Qian was so engrossed in eating that she completely forgot about her livestream.

Strangely, the viewers in the livestream room didn't leave. Instead, they spammed the chat even more fiercely. The screen was flooded with scrolling comments, creating the illusion that this was the stream of a popular streamer.

"Sexy streamer, infuriating people online."

"Look at your phone, infuriating streamer, I'm begging you, look at your phone!"

"Infuriating streamer, followed, followed."

"What is this? Wasn't she making Spicy Stir-fried Rice Cakes? Why is it a black screen?"

"Trash streamer, ptooey!"

At this moment, there were about three thousand people in Liu Qian's livestream room, and the number of viewers was still increasing. It was unclear how many were real people, but judging by the quantity and density of the comments, there should be quite a few.

Although the screen was black, there was sound.

The voices of club members who came over to mooch rice cakes, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, and the dense sound of footsteps all mingled together. But the clearest sound was the "sizzling" of the rice cakes on the grill paper.

After all, Liu Qian had placed her phone right next to the grill.

A black screen, coupled with just sound, could ignite endless imagination.

"I'm actually getting hungry just listening to this (°ω°｀)"

As soon as this comment appeared, many who had been stubbornly staying in the livestream room to spam "infuriating streamer" also expressed that they were hungry. For a time, "I'm starving" and "infuriating streamer" were almost equally popular.

With over thirty people, each person getting a portion of rice cakes and cabbage, the grill pan was almost empty. Ji Yue was preparing to grill more chicken wings when she inadvertently saw Liu Qian's phone, which was black but still had a screen full of scrolling comments. She reminded Liu Qian.

"Qianqian, did you forget to turn off your livestream?" Ji Yue asked.

Liu Qian, who was dipping a spring roll into the remaining spicy sauce on the grill paper, remembered that she had completely forgotten about the livestream after Ji Yue's reminder. Liu Qian quickly put down her chopsticks, picked up her phone, and saw a screen full of "infuriating streamer" and "I'm starving."

Switching the camera to the front-facing one and aiming it at herself, Liu Qian apologized to the viewers with a contrite expression. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I was so focused on eating just now that I didn't pay attention to the livestream. The Spicy Stir-fried Rice Cakes are all gone. Let me show you the grill pan!"

The next second, an empty grill pan appeared on the screen, with hardly any spicy sauce left on the grill paper.

"Infuriating streamer."

"Infuriating streamer ( )"

"Infuriating streamer, we strongly demand you make another batch!"

"MMP, seeing this empty grill pan actually makes me hungrier!"

Liu Qian looked at Jiang Feng, who was preparing to cook a hot pot. She saw him adding a lot of seasoning to the pot, then sequentially adding meatballs, staple foods, and vegetables.

Turning the camera back to herself, Liu Qian said, "Our Club President is also about to eat, so he doesn't have time to make another batch. I saw some people saying they were hungry earlier, so please go eat first. Today's livestream ends here, bye!"

Liu Qian waved at the camera and turned off the livestream.

Before the livestream screen truly went black, everyone heard Liu Qian's unfinished sentence—

"Club President, what seasoning are you adding to the pot..."

The comments in the livestream room paused briefly, then became even more frantic.

"Infuriating streamer, you're really making me furious! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"

"Sexy streamer, going offline to infuriate people."

"Infuriating streamer, going offline to infuriate people."

"In three minutes, I want all the information about this streamer."

"Infuriating for two hours, streaming for five minutes."

After a while of spamming comments to vent their frustration, the viewers in the livestream room, despite their complaints, honestly followed Liu Qian's account and left.

Liu Qian was unaware that her infuriating actions had significantly boosted her follower count. She started streaming just for fun, inspired by her roommates who were streamers, and it wasn't even a serious hobby. She was very laid-back about gaining followers.

After getting the seasoning combination from Jiang Feng, Liu Qian focused on eating her hot pot.

Witnessing Jiang Feng's operation of stir-frying rice cakes on the grill paper, many people tried to imitate him, but all failed. Seeing everyone changing grill papers one after another, Jiang Feng smiled slightly, his great deeds hidden.

"Club President, are you going to participate in this year's Good Taste Culinary Competition?" After a satisfying meal, everyone was sitting around chatting when Wu Minqi, who had been quiet and spoke little, suddenly asked.

"Good Taste? Is that the soy sauce brand?" Liu Zixuan interjected.

There was a rather famous soy sauce brand in A City called Good Taste, but it was only well-known in the areas near A City. Outside the province, its fame was limited.

"Yes, it's sponsored by that brand. The first prize is 100,000 yuan, and the restaurant gets a cover feature in Zhiwei Magazine. Participants must be individuals, and the age requirement is under 28," Wu Minqi said. "I want to participate."

Zhiwei, as a food magazine, was quite well-known in China.

"You can cook?" Liu Zixuan was surprised.

What kind of divine club was this? There were more people who could cook than people who could play chess.

"Ah, Minqi's family owns a restaurant, a Michelin one-star, the Wu Family Restaurant. It's very famous where we're from," Liu Qian chimed in, looking up.

Owning a restaurant...

A Michelin one-star...

The restaurant...

Jiang Feng felt like the impoverished Chess Club had suddenly gained a dazzling, wealthy beauty.

"You want me to help you as a sous chef?" Jiang Feng asked. Although the competition was limited to individuals, it should be fine to have a subordinate chopping ingredients for the head chef.

"I think you can compete too," Wu Minqi said with a smile. "I tasted the pastries you made during the club recruitment drive, and ever since then, I've really wanted to have a competition with you."

No wonder Wu Minqi never used the club's benefits to eat at the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant after joining the Chess Club. Her true intentions weren't about the club itself.

"Ding, an optional side quest has appeared. Please choose, player."

The game really did love to stir up trouble.

"Okay," Jiang Feng agreed.

The club dinner ended perfectly. By the time everyone returned to school, it was already past nine in the evening. Ji Yue went to help at the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant. Jiang Feng sent a WeChat message to Comrade Wang Xiulian and went straight back to his dorm.

As soon as he entered the dorm, he saw Wang Hao sprawled on his bed.

"Business was good at the restaurant today?" Jiang Feng guessed.

"Explosively good. I'm dead tired," Wang Hao said weakly. "I was so dizzy from delivering food."

Jiang Feng chuckled. The smell of braised pork knuckle on him hadn't even dissipated. It looked like he'd more than made up for the exhaustion of deliveries during dinner.

He walked into the bathroom and opened his status panel.

[Challenger on the Same Path]: As the heir to the Wu Family Restaurant, Wu Minqi has possessed exceptional talent in culinary arts since childhood, with few rivals among her peers. She is hailed as the most promising individual of the younger generation in the Wu Family. A single mung bean cake at the A University club recruitment event piqued her interest. As the most promising individual of the younger generation in the Jiang Family, please face Wu Minqi's challenge directly and defeat her in the Good Taste Culinary Competition. [Choose: Yes/No]

Jiang Feng: ...

To be perfectly honest, all the mung bean cakes that day were made by Jiang Jianguo.

He clicked "Yes."

[Challenger on the Same Path]: As the heir to the Wu Family Restaurant, Wu Minqi has possessed exceptional talent in culinary arts since childhood, with few rivals among her peers. She is hailed as the most promising individual of the younger generation in the Wu Family. A single mung bean cake at the A University club recruitment event piqued her interest. As the most promising individual of the younger generation in the Jiang Family, please face Wu Minqi's challenge directly and defeat her in the Good Taste Culinary Competition. Quest Progress (0/1)

Quest Hint: There is a significant gap in strength between the player and Wu Minqi. Please increase your strength as soon as possible.

Quest Reward: A cleaver.

This is too realistic.

Jiang Feng was speechless.