The Super-V influencer posted all of the cooking videos Gan Lan made in her live stream. Because this influencer brought massive traffic whenever they posted, almost every post of theirs became a hot topic. Now, posting about a contestant in the Culinary Competition made it even more popular, instantly pushing it onto the tail end of the Federation Star System’s overall Star Network trending search list. Each planet had its own Star Network forum, while the overall Star Network forum could be seen by everyone across all planets.
The Culinary Competition itself only ranked ninth on the overall Star Network trending list, while Gan Lan ranked tenth. Other contestants didn’t receive this kind of treatment at all!
The Super-V influencer posted their own successful attempts at cooking these dishes, comparing them with Gan Lan’s. Although their results were average, it had to be said that they were indeed quite good. Eating them on a daily basis was completely fine. This immediately attracted many people who previously had no interest in food. They downloaded the videos one after another. After all, it only cost one Credit Point to learn, and they could even make the dishes themselves. In this world, there were no public recipes—they were all monopolized or tightly controlled by Culinary Masters. Even if people wanted to learn, they could only do so by testing into a culinary school. Now that there was such a good opportunity, of course they had to seize it and learn!
Original Poster: "If the previously publicized cooking videos only made me admire her, feeling that this girl is truly selfless, kind, and worthy of gratitude, then understanding everything I could about her life—including her dish for the top one hundred advancement round in this Culinary Competition—is enough to make me advertise for her!
"After deeply understanding her, I went and ate the stinky Yao Yu she made. At first, I was really repulsed, but gritting my teeth, I could still endure it. The result of taking a bite? I almost couldn’t pull myself out of the experience! After trying Contestant Number Nine’s creation, she made me believe that she truly has a pair of hands that can turn the rotten into the miraculous!
"Now, I declare that I love her! I only found out about her today, and it was entirely by accident. I haven’t received advertising fees from anyone! But now, I am completely willing to advertise for her for free!
"So what if she’s boycotted by the majority of people on Banan Star!? Outside of Banan Star, there are billions of people on thousands of other planets! I support you, and I want to push you onto the altar of the gods! I am willing to be your stepping stone! Let more and more people see you!
"She is a freshman in the Culinary Department of Mingzong, and she is also Contestant Number Nine in the Culinary Competition. Her name is Gan Lan!"
Because of this trending search, a massive crowd suddenly flooded into Gan Lan’s competition tasting room, nearly causing the organizers’ system to crash.
Hearing the Wind and Thinking It’s Rain: "I originally just came to join the fun, but I was captivated as soon as I entered. How should I describe this smell? It’s fragrant and stinky at the same time, yet makes me want to eat it? It’s too amazing. Is this really the smell of Yao Yu? I had the honor of smelling it once before, and I fainted right on the spot. Now, I actually have the courage to prepare to eat it. Does this count as indirect revenge?"
Hot Pot Balls: "Why are there suddenly so many people here!? Is there actually something that I, the Know-It-All of Mingzong, don’t know? How can I tolerate this! Forget it, I’ll tolerate it. My soul has already been captivated by this little goblin called Yao Yu, and I can’t extricate myself!"
Immortal Barbecue: "I just went to figure out the situation. Did one of you spend money to buy an ad for our junior? A Super-V influencer is advertising for her! That’s why so many people suddenly came in. So, which big shot spent the money? It was definitely worth it!"
Gan Lan knew nothing about the events on the overall Star Network or the fact that her tasting room was about to explode. Before the competition started, she had been required to turn off her Light Brain. She tidied her clothes and hair a bit, then washed her hands several times. Only after feeling that the stench of Yao Yu had faded did she slowly stroll out of the arena. In Arena 99, apart from the robot assistants and the like, she was the only contestant left. She hadn’t expected the others to finish so quickly.
Gan Lan walked to the audience seating. With one glance, she spotted the strikingly green Gulu. He was drooling over a beauty—even though he didn’t even possess saliva, his expression was still a true eyesore.
"Why are you so slow? You’re the only one left in the arena," Gulu said. Seeing Gan Lan strolling leisurely toward him, he stood up and moved closer. As soon as he approached, he caught a whiff of an indescribable smell. He hurriedly pinched his nose and retreated three meters, saying with disgust, "What’s that smell!? It stinks!"
Gan Lan was left speechless. Even though she knew she would inevitably be tainted by the smell of Yao Yu, his disgust was far too obvious. Was the man who promised to stay with her for a lifetime actually so heartless? Expressionless, she pretended not to hear him. She took large strides to close the distance, grabbed the sleeve of the continuously retreating Gulu, and deliberately leaned in close.
"You wicked woman! Let go, let go of me right now! You stink to death! Hurry back and take a shower!" Pinching his nose, Gulu shook his left arm, trying to fling Gan Lan’s hand off. However, he didn’t dare to use too much force. He feared that if he exerted himself, his new companion might be sent flying out of the arena and end up seriously injured. Shooting a sideways glance at Gan Lan, who remained silent and refused to let go, he secretly grumbled, "What a little weakling."
Holding onto Gulu’s sleeve, Gan Lan walked out of the arena with him. She was determined to stink him to death! Who asked him to be so disgusted by her!
"Isn’t that Contestant Number Nine? She finally came out. I waited so long just to see what she really looks like. She’s actually quite pretty, but..."
"Mhm! Look at her hands, they’re so beautiful! Those are exactly the kind of hands I like! Ahhh, I really want to go over and talk to her, but she looks a bit tired. I’ll wait for another chance next time."
As Gan Lan walked past, everyone watched her with rapt attention. She looked completely bewildered. During the previous two rounds, she hadn’t received nearly this much attention. People usually came to compete quietly and left just as quietly, and most of the audience hadn’t even spared her a glance.
"Gulu, do you know what happened today? The way these people are looking at me is a bit strange," Gan Lan said, her face full of confusion. Some looked at her with pleasant surprise and admiration, some were indifferent or disgusted, and a few even turned their heads away as if she were an eyesore. Had she done something without realizing it?
"I don’t know. I was too busy looking at beauties the entire match. I didn’t have time to pay attention to any of that!" Gulu said with a muffled voice, his nose still pinched tight.
Speechless, Gan Lan pretended she hadn’t asked.
As soon as the two stepped out of the arena’s entrance, a group of people blocked their path. Fortunately, Gulu noticed that their expressions were slightly off and immediately stepped in front to shield her. Gan Lan was puzzled. What was going on? Then, she heard the group blocking her way shout angrily:
"Gan Lan, get out of Banan Star!"
"Gan Lan, our Banlan does not welcome you!"
"Gan Lan, you bitch! How dare you try to break our Ge Feng’s hand! Can you afford to pay for it?"
"I actually liked you before, but it turns out you have serious character flaws! Your intentions are sinister! Were you afraid you couldn’t beat Ge Feng, so you resorted to dirty tricks?"
Hearing these filthy insults, Gan Lan’s eyebrows furrowed tightly. Now she knew why those spectators in the stands had looked at her so strangely. She was being smeared online. It was definitely because of Ge Feng and the incident that occurred before the competition. From the looks of it, she had probably been smeared terribly, considering people were now specifically showing up to block her way.