Guo Daixuan nodded, then turned to the two men who were currently battling with the Ugly Shrimp. "Bi Leping! Yi Liao! Are you two going or not? Say something, don’t just focus on eating!"
Her main reasoning was that these two were good-looking and had decent table manners. If they stood in the central plaza with a table set up for them to just sit and eat, they would definitely attract a crowd of young women. Seeing handsome guys eating right in front of them, those visually-driven girls would surely step forward to strike up a conversation, and then naturally...
"Why aren’t you asking us?" Meng Chuyun felt a bit slighted seeing Guo Daixuan only ask the two men. Were the two of them not qualified enough?
"Just look at how you two are eating right now! Not only are you slow, but you also have that look of disgust on your faces. Who would want to talk to you?" Guo Daixuan side-eyed the two women. Their movements were too artificial. Zero stars.
"It’s not that I think the shrimp tastes bad. I just feel this way of eating is too unrefined. Plus, we don’t even have gloves, so our hands are getting all dirty..." Qiao Jin licked the broth off her fingers to prevent it from dripping down to her wrists and making a mess.
Seeing this scene, Guo Daixuan was speechless. She took back her previous words. Actually, Qiao Jin was a great choice. She was even licking her fingers in public now—a classic case of her body being more honest than her mouth! The contrast effect would definitely be amazing! Then she would reluctantly include Meng Chuyun as well, just to make up the numbers. They could set up several tables in a row, and then...
The more she thought about it, the more excited and amused she became. She really wished tomorrow would come sooner.
Gan Lan held a spatula, stir-frying the choy sum in the wok while mentally calculating how many Ugly Shrimp would be appropriate to make for tomorrow. She wondered if she should add spicy shrimp to the menu, making it three different flavors. Placing three large, visually appealing, and mouthwatering plates of Ugly Shrimp on a single table would look incredibly generous and appetizing.
She instructed Shrimp to catch some more Ugly Shrimp, then scooped the stir-fried choy sum out of the wok and plated it beautifully. Next, she made a cold salad. The vegetable congee was also almost ready.
When she brought the two dishes out, she heard some good news: Guo Daixuan’s friends would also help her promote tomorrow, provided they could eat all the Ugly Shrimp they wanted.
Gan Lan beamed. All-you-can-eat Ugly Shrimp was absolutely no problem. After all, the Ugly Shrimp were free—she could catch as many as she wanted. She also had plenty of the spicy and numbing-spicy soup bases left, which she had prepared on her second day here.
The only issue was that they consumed a lot of cooking oil, and oil was quite expensive. Right now, her expenses were entirely outgoing with no income, and she was already running out of Credit Points.
"You can have all-you-can-eat Ugly Shrimp tomorrow, but remember to settle today’s bill. I only have a thousand Credit Points left on me right now." Afraid they wouldn’t believe her, Gan Lan turned on her Light Brain and showed them her account balance.
This account was provided by the competition organizers. Her original funds had been frozen, making them completely inaccessible. Even her contact number was issued by the organizers, with her original one temporarily restricted from logging in. She didn’t know if her friends would be worried about her suddenly going silent and not replying to their messages.
She had also forgotten about the two-hour window given before the competition started. She had had time to message them, but she had been so utterly shocked by the state of 44 Red Demon Street that she couldn’t think of anything else. As a result, she missed the opportunity to update her friends on her situation and tell them not to worry.
By the time she remembered, her original contact number and accounts had already been frozen. It seemed the competition organizers had immense authority, able to freeze even personal and financial accounts. Now, she couldn’t even access the Star Network.
Showing her face tomorrow might result in her running into a fan or getting photographed and posted on the Star Network, which would serve as an indirect way to reassure her friends and fans that she was safe. The competition rules didn’t explicitly forbid showing her face, so this was a viable approach. Plus, getting photographed and posted on the Star Network tomorrow could double as a form of stealth marketing.
"At first, I thought you were just stingy and reluctant to even buy a set of tables and chairs, but it turns out you’re actually just broke," Qiao Jin sighed. Every person was only allowed one financial account, unless they were some kind of special VIP who could have more. Therefore, she had absolutely no doubts about the balance shown.
Although the others didn’t voice it, their expressions were filled with shock. How had she managed to survive until now with only a thousand Credit Points? To them, a thousand Credit Points could be spent in half a second. This was the first time in their lives they had ever met someone this poor in real life. It felt incredibly surprising and shocking.
"Gan Lan, if you’re facing any difficulties, just tell me. I’ll help however I can. Don’t let yourself suffer in your daily life," Mr. Guo said after a brief moment of silence. These weren’t just empty pleasantries. He genuinely wanted to help the girl. Her personality really suited his tastes, and she managed to stay so optimistic and positive despite such difficult circumstances.
"Yeah, even Yuanyuan’s pocket money is more than what you have!" Guo Dacheng finally spoke up. Although his words were particularly piercing, the fact that he was willing to free up his mouth from his busy shrimp-eating schedule proved that he too was deeply stunned.
"Sister, I’ll ask Daddy for my saved pocket money to give to you. I’ll take care of you, and then you can make shrimp for me to eat every day!" Yuanyuan pouted, her soft voice delivering incredibly heartwarming words.
Delighted, Gan Lan scooped Yuanyuan up and planted a big kiss on her little face. Yuanyuan returned the kiss. Gan Lan’s eyes crinkled into a smile as she replied, "Okay, I’ll make shrimp for Yuanyuan every day. And I don’t just know how to make delicious shrimp, I can make other things too! I heard Yuanyuan likes cake. I’ll make a beautiful and yummy cake for you next time."
After putting Yuanyuan down, Gan Lan looked gratefully at Mr. Guo, who was watching their interaction with a kindly gaze. "Thank you, Mr. Guo. But my poverty is only temporary. With my culinary skills, I could travel the whole world without ever going hungry!"
"That’s right. Gan Lan, your skills are phenomenal. You can make a casually stir-fried vegetable taste this good." Guo Daixuan picked up a large chopstick-full of stir-fried choy sum, chewed vigorously, and swallowed. "Even a carnivore like me thinks the vegetable congee and stir-fried greens are delicious, not to mention vegetarians." She then turned to look at Mr. Guo. "Dad, don’t worry about her."
Mr. Guo shook his head and laughed softly. This was the most satisfying meal he had ever had, and it was also the most harmonious day his children had spent together. Their earlier bickering was just a way of bonding, after all.
"At worst, I’ll cover the Credit Points later! I’ll pay for everything today, and I’ll throw in a set of tables and chairs for free!" Jiang Zizhen declared heroically.
"Just one set? Have you no shame? I’ll generously gift twenty sets of tables and chairs for tomorrow’s event, and we can put a few sets here too." Yi Liao scoffed at Jiang Zizhen, upping the ante.
"You guys are so stingy! Can’t you see this place is falling apart? Obviously, she needs some renovations. We need to patch the hole in the roof and fix these drafty walls. Tsk, looking closely, it really is a dump. I’ll sponsor the renovations!" Bi Leping’s gaze swept around the room, though his hands didn’t stop moving. He had already reached the point where he could peel a shrimp perfectly without even looking at it.
"Since you’ve all sponsored something, how about I provide a set of kitchenware and some tableware?" Qiao Jin figured the others had covered almost everything, and there didn’t seem to be anything else particularly necessary.
"Don’t you guys feel hot? Obviously, there’s a lack of air conditioning! I’ll sponsor the AC!" Meng Chuyun had originally wanted to slam the table and stand up to make her announcement, but one look at the rickety, dilapidated table made her abandon the thought.