Spokesperson

No exaggeration—Xue Boyu had nearly swallowed the bowl too.

He hadn't expected the second season to start off this brutally. Nineteen years old and with an astonishing appetite, it was already impressive that he had remained emotionally stable after going hungry all day. Now, with delicious food in front of him, he had barely swallowed one bite before shoveling in the next.

He looked like he would starve to death if he ate one second later. Thinking this, Si You poured Xue Boyu a glass of water. "Slow down."

Then Si You looked at Jiang Tingxu. His mood eased slightly as he asked with a smile, "Movie Emperor, care to give it a review?"

Jiang Tingxu swallowed a tender piece of fish and praised it sincerely. "Not inferior to a professional chef."

"Heh!" Si You looked delighted by the compliment.

Easy to please, Jiang Tingxu thought.

As for the things being said online, Jiang Tingxu became increasingly skeptical. At least, ever since getting to know Si You, he had found the man's behavior not only perfectly normal, but also driven by an unquenchable fire. His temperament was one Jiang Tingxu admired. There was no shortage of people in the entertainment industry whose personas collapsed, or who were pushed into taking the dark-and-infamous route. Si You's former company had a terrible reputation to begin with.

Compared to the vast sea of public opinion, Jiang Tingxu trusted his own judgment more.

While they enjoyed hot soup and dishes, the other guests were so envious that their brains short-circuited. They did not even know what to do next.

Song Yalin quickly made two bowls of noodles with meat and vegetables, so she and Shao Ancheng were doing somewhat better. Xu Ke had obtained plenty of ingredients, but Fei Chang was not skilled at cooking, and he had already burned two pieces of steak.

Zhang Jianlin smiled at Jiang Yao. "How can you not know how to cook when you're a girl? But I can be understanding."

Jiang Yao's expression twisted for an instant before she continued chopping vegetables.

"What's wrong with a girl not cooking?" Si You cut in. "If she gets tired of takeout and wants to cook, then she cooks. If she doesn't want to, it doesn't matter either. There's so much good food in this world."

Jiang Yao's eyes brightened slightly.

Zhang Jianlin glanced at Si You, his tone casual. "It's just a suggestion. A girl who can cook gets bonus points."

Si You smiled. "Maybe she gets bonus points with you, Brother Zhang, but aren't we filming a show?"

The camera immediately zoomed in. There was an unmistakable edge to Si You's words.

What Si You meant was, so what if she got bonus points with you? Once filming ended, they would go their separate ways. Who cared what he thought?

Spokesperson!!! Jiang Yao screamed inwardly.

Si You felt that there was a reason the original owner had disliked Zhang Jianlin so much. The man always acted like a nice guy who could tolerate anything, but deep down, he was simply a chauvinist.

Zhang Jianlin was still smiling. "Si You, is that old habit of yours acting up again?"

Last season, whenever Si You was unhappy, he would make trouble for others.

Fine, Si You shut up. Snapping back a couple of times was enough. He was still carrying a stain on his record; otherwise, Zhang Jianlin's fans might slaughter his Weibo comment section again.

"What old habit?" Jiang Tingxu suddenly spoke. His voice was soft, yet unusually clear, carrying a composed authority that inspired awe. "Was Si You wrong?"

Zhang Jianlin could no longer smile.

It was one thing for him to criticize Si You. After all, Si You's role this season was basically to be everyone's punching bag. But Jiang Tingxu backing him up was another matter entirely.

[Does Zhang Jianlin mean women need to know how to cook to be attractive?]

[I've always found this guy kind of strange. Don't like him.]

[So Si You is likable? Zhang Jianlin was clearly talking to Jiang Yao. Why did he have to butt in? And Jiang, the Movie Emperor too—sure, they're a CP, but he didn't need to speak up for Si You, did he?]

Ginger Powder silently opened their keyboard.

[You know they're a CP, yet have you looked at the nonsense you just said?]

[Was Si You wrong? "Girls cooking gets bonus points," my ass! I personally cooked my family's New Year's Eve dinner this year, so what? I enjoy the process of cooking ingredients. If there's something I want to eat but can't buy, I like making it myself. I love food, but at the end of the day, the person I love is myself. Who cares whether irrelevant people think I gain or lose points?]

[I hate that Si You is paired with my Movie Emperor, but he did nothing wrong this time.]

Once Jiang Tingxu spoke up, Zhang Jianlin fell silent.

"Si You." Fei Chang spoke half-jokingly. "Why don't you be our chef? In return, we'll give half the ingredients to your group."

Si You immediately asked, "Really?"

"Tomorrow's task hasn't even been decided yet," Jiang Tingxu said. "You've been busy all day. Aren't you tired?"

Si You had already stood up. "It's fine."

If he worked harder, he and Jiang Tingxu would have food secured, and he would get scolded less too.

Jiang Tingxu put down his chopsticks and followed him.

Xue Boyu wanted to get up as well, but Jiang Tingxu pressed a hand to his shoulder. "Eat."

Si You took a little under half of the beef, one marrow bone, and half a bag of vegetables.

Jiang Tingxu picked up the kitchen knife. "How should I cut the beef?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it." Si You was worried Jiang Tingxu might cut himself, but his arm was gently blocked. Jiang Tingxu looked steadily at him, his intentions obvious.

Si You thought for a moment, then changed his words. "Slice it."

Jiang Tingxu had so many halos around him now that many people did not know his family had opposed his entering the entertainment industry. To save money in his early acting days, Jiang Tingxu rented a place and cooked for himself. His cooking was not as good as Si You's, but helping out was no problem.

Half an hour later, Xu Ke copied Xue Boyu and wolfed down food at the table, while Si You still had not stopped. A simple dish of beef with green peppers and bamboo shoots was bursting with flavor. He packed two bowls of rice into bowls, turned them onto plates, then poured the beef over them before bringing them to Jiang Yao's group.

Zhang Jianlin was all talk. Jiang Yao was the only daughter in her family, and her company had always given her good resources, so she truly could not cook. Zhang Jianlin kept giving orders, but he had not actually helped at all. Jiang Yao was already too exhausted to speak.

"Stop cooking." Si You placed the beef rice bowls on their table and called to Jiang Yao, "It's already nine. Eat, then go back and rest."

Si You could not be bothered with Zhang Jianlin, but it would not look right on camera if he only spoke to Jiang Yao.

In an instant, Jiang Yao's eyes reddened.

Zhang Jianlin smiled. "We didn't exchange ingredients."

Jiang Tingxu said blandly, "Then work harder tomorrow. Put it on the tab for now."

[Awesome! Translation: Movie Emperor Jiang says, "I hope you can be useful tomorrow instead of always making others help you."]

[Right? Si You drew most of the fire last season, but now that I think about it, Zhang Jianlin wasn't useful either.]

[+1]

Jiang Yao ate silently. She could already imagine what Zhang Jianlin's fans would say if they failed to make anything tonight. Besides, she truly disliked this atmosphere and environment. It was suffocating. Her favorable impression of Zhang Jianlin had long since vanished, but she had signed on for the second season and did not want to pay the penalty for breaking the contract.

After cleaning everything up, everyone returned to their rooms exhausted, feeling like they could fall asleep the moment they lay down.

Si You had just come out after showering when someone knocked on his door. He thought it was the cameraman, but when he looked through the peephole, he saw Jiang Tingxu.

Si You opened the door.

Si You had changed into a loose white T-shirt and light gray shorts that reached past his knees. His hair was still damp, but he looked fresh and clean. Maybe it was the lighting, but in any case, his skin seemed a little too pale.

Jiang Tingxu asked, "Can I borrow your body wash?"

Si You said, "Of course."

Si You turned and took it out. "It's peach-scented. Can you handle that?"

Jiang Tingxu said, "I can."