"Why are you in your school uniform?" Liang Cong asked. Seeing Gan Lan in her Mingzong uniform with her hair tied up in a ponytail, she looked like she was heading to class. He checked the time; they still had plenty to spare. "How about we take a trip to the mall and buy you a gown?"
Gan Lan shook her head, the corners of her lips turning up. "Don’t you think this outfit is full of youthful energy, Mr. Liang?" She even gave a little twirl. "Anyone who sees this uniform will immediately recognize me as a Mingzong student. Out of these hundred people, I’m the only one from Mingzong. Doesn’t that make me stand out?"
Liang Cong nodded thoughtfully. "You’re right. This outfit is perfect. I guarantee that the moment you walk in, they’ll know you’re Gan Lan. Not bad at all." He chuckled. "Let’s go."
Following behind Gan Lan, Gulu curled his lips and grumbled, "A pauper is a pauper. You’ve been wearing this same school uniform since the start of the competition. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you never change your clothes!"
Gan Lan was speechless. She clearly had six sets of uniforms!
Too lazy to argue with Gulu, she boarded the flying car and headed to the banquet venue.
Sure enough, the moment Gan Lan stepped into the banquet hall, she became the center of attention. She and Gulu looked like oddballs who had suddenly barged in. One was actually wearing a school uniform to a formal event, while the other was dressed in such a brightly colored, glittering outfit that one glance was more than enough to burn the eyes.
"Isn’t that the first-place winner from Mingzong who made it into the top hundred? How come she doesn’t even have a decent gown? She really is from a poverty star. This is probably her first time attending a high-class banquet like this!"
"Exactly. Just how down and out is Mingzong? If this poor student doesn’t have the money to buy a dress, wouldn’t the school even buy one for her? She has, after all, won a lot of glory for Mingzong."
Hearing these murmurs, Gan Lan didn’t pay them any mind. Letting the words go in one ear and out the other, she calmly walked over to the seafood section.
Gulu acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing either. Mr. Liang, however, felt somewhat embarrassed by the gossip. But after a moment, his expression also settled into calmness. If he couldn’t even match a student’s composure, how could he be a teacher?
Gan Lan had already prepared herself for an unwelcome reception. She planned to eat her fill and leave. It was a mandatory event, and she had shown her face—quite prominently, too.
Besides, they weren’t entirely wrong. She really was just a poor girl who couldn’t afford a gown.
Reaching the seafood section, she picked up a plate and tonged a large prawn onto it. She piled the plate high with various kinds of steamed prawns before grabbing another empty plate to load up on bread and cakes. Everything looked quite appetizing.
"Look at how ignorant she acts. Heading straight for the food the moment she arrives. She’s definitely never eaten so many different types of seafood before."
"Of course she hasn’t. Haven’t you seen the food she makes? It’s all made with cheap ingredients. She’s just fooling the Federation citizens who don’t know any better."
Liang Cong also ignored the snide remarks and followed her example. It was his first time behaving like this at a banquet, acting as if he had only come to eat.
For the first time, he wasn’t thinking about socializing or expanding his network, and the feeling wasn’t bad at all. As for whether this would tarnish the school’s reputation, that wasn’t his concern. The dean had explicitly told him to follow Gan Lan’s lead.
Holding two massive plates of food, Gan Lan scanned the room and found a seat in a relatively quiet corner. Gulu sat opposite her, and Liang Cong followed suit. Soon, the table was piled high with six full plates of food.
She grabbed a prawn, ready to dig in, but felt like something was missing. Dipping sauce! There was no dipping sauce. How could anyone eat steamed prawns without dipping sauce?
Seeing Gulu eating cake across from her, she asked casually, "Gulu, did you happen to bring any of the secret chili sauce with you?" She figured she was asking for nothing, but she still held on to a sliver of hope.
She had miscalculated. If she had brought the secret chili sauce, she could have used the opportunity to promote it. This was the perfect platform. If people from all kinds of planets started buying her chili sauce, she would earn her twenty trillion in no time.
She looked at Gulu expectantly, hoping to hear him say, "I brought it."
"What makes you think I’d bring a jar of chili sauce to a banquet?" Gulu shot her a look of disdain. He forked a piece of cake and put it in his mouth. Then, with a sour expression, he swallowed it down and immediately stuck out his tongue. "HISS... This is actually spicy!"
Seeing Gulu’s expression, Gan Lan burst into laughter, instantly washing away her slight disappointment. She hadn’t expected to find such a bizarre cake at a formal banquet.
Gulu snapped his mouth shut and huffed. "I was originally going to go fetch the chili sauce for you, but now, forget it!"
"I was wrong, Gulu. I shouldn’t have laughed at you. I still have some Money Belly saved up. How about I give you two plates?" Gan Lan chuckled, trying to butter him up.
"Add a plate of chicken feet!" Gulu raised a finger, bargaining.
"Then you have to bring Xiaomi over to me. Bring Xiaomi back, and I’ll tell you what I’m going to do!"
Hearing Gan Lan agree, Gulu didn’t mind that she asked him to bring Xiaomi. It was just a minor detour anyway.
Once Gulu left, Liang Cong—who had been acting as a background prop for a while—finally spoke up. "Chili sauce? The one you made in your livestream? What do you need that for?"
Gan Lan snapped off the prawn’s head and started peeling the shell. She knew this specific type of prawn. It was incredibly delicious, but also very expensive—so expensive that she couldn’t afford it. Since she happened to see it here, how could she pass up such an opportunity?
Having an entire plate full of such expensive delicacies put her in a wonderfully good mood. Because of this, she didn’t care about the sarcastic comments at all.
Hearing Liang Cong’s question, Gan Lan nodded with a smile. "Mhm, I’m going to use it as a dipping sauce for the prawns! I can also promote it on the side. My instant noodle factory will be selling this in the future, too."
Gan Lan called over a robot waiter and asked him to chop some bird’s eye chilies and cilantro for her, as well as bring over some aged vinegar. She was going to mix up a dipping sauce shortly.
She took a large bite of the prawn meat. It was fresh and carried a hint of sweetness, and the texture was exceptionally bouncy and tender. No wonder it didn’t need any dipping sauce; it was already incredibly delicious on its own.
"This prawn really is quite good. I remember the first time I had it, I was absolutely blown away! Every month, I buy one or two just to steam and eat." Seeing how much Gan Lan liked the prawn, Liang Cong introduced her to another variety, handing her a dark green one. "This one is even better. You can’t even buy it on the market. I’m riding on your coattails today to get a taste."
Gan Lan genuinely didn’t recognize this type of prawn. Furthermore, it looked as if it were covered in moss and was exceptionally ugly. She felt a bit repelled by it.
However, hearing Mr. Liang’s praise, she took it. The shell was slippery and slightly sticky to the touch.
Seeing Gan Lan’s look of disgust, Liang Cong found it somewhat amusing. He had the exact same expression back then, but later... he completely changed his tune.
Gan Lan neatly peeled off the shell and saw that even the meat inside was green. It looked just like jade—it was absolutely beautiful.
But it was still raw. "Mr. Liang, is this prawn suitable to be eaten as sashimi?"
"Sashimi?" Liang Cong was a bit confused.
"It means eating it raw." Seeing Mr. Liang nod, Gan Lan took a small bite of its tail. It was slightly cold on the palate, and the meat was chewy yet had a jelly-like texture. There was absolutely no fishy smell. It was a top-tier prawn. Wonderful! The species in this world were simply wonderful!