Returning to the hotel, Lu Mingming placed the incubator steadily on the table and turned on the indoor air conditioning to adjust the temperature.
The two little cubs, bored from staying in the room, crowded over to see what strange things she had brought back.
The condition of the young fetus in the incubator was much better than at the auction.
The little one’s breathing gradually stabilized, sleeping soundly within the transparent film. A faint, shimmering blue-purple scale was visible where it touched the eggshell.
The little Samoyed and the kitten leaned in to take a closer look, their faces showing confusion.
Morian asked in Olannar's mental sea, "What's going on?"
Olannar replied, "Bought it at the auction. I also bought a medicine for gene reversion disease, it has side effects, do you want it?"
Morian pondered.
Staying by Lu Mingming's side for too long, the food he had consumed had greatly stabilized his mental sea, and overall, he had recovered considerably.
As long as there wasn't too much mental stimulation, he could generally maintain his sanity.
By all rights, Morian should have been able to leave Lu Mingming's side long ago.
Morian's mental sea fluctuated for a moment, "No need. I think His Highness's gene disease is more urgent. His Highness should quickly recover to inherit your throne."
Olannar's lips curled coldly, "I knew you wouldn't go back easily."
Morian pretended not to hear, his gaze falling on the incubator.
He was responsible for the star network technology part of the research institute and was not familiar with ecology. He would try to contact his former colleagues when he had time to ask.
Lu Mingming squatted by the table, observing carefully.
The basic life signs of the young fetus had slightly stabilized.
She reached out and stroked the outer casing of the incubator. Although she didn't know the breed of the young cub, Lu Mingming still hoped it would grow up healthy.
"Wake up and grow up quickly, I'll be waiting for you here."
As if hearing this, the little cub's pinky finger twitched, but unfortunately, no one noticed.
After finishing all this, Lu Mingming washed up and started logging into the star network backend to contact Jasmine about the store opening and the contract for the nail clippers.
Wait. Something extraordinary seems to have happened?!
Lu Mingming carefully counted, "One, two... seven zeros, ten million?!"
Her fan base had suddenly surged by nearly 50 million, and with every refresh, tens of thousands more fans were added, mostly from across the entire alliance, no longer limited to the small Xingfu Star.
Likes, comments, mentions, and private messages were all overflowing. Lu Mingming was startled.
She hadn't done anything recently!
Nervously, Lu Mingming clicked on the latest post mentioning her, which immediately jumped to the homepage of the main planet's streamer, "Food Recommendation Expert."
His latest post had already surpassed one hundred million views, and a large number of people were mentioning Lu Mingming's account in the comments, inviting everyone to follow her.
Lu Mingming pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized: Oh, so it was him! He was a fan who had won the lucky draw last time! She hadn't expected him to be a streamer!
She continued to read.
Because "Food Recommendation Expert" had publicly reviewed the matcha cookies on the main planet, a large number of people learned about Lu Mingming's live stream, and it even appeared on the entertainment section's trending list once.
Furthermore, today was the day for announcing the qualification slots for the junior and intermediate保育师 (baoyù shī - childcare practitioner) exams, and Lu Mingming's name appeared in both exams simultaneously.
Many people became suspicious and sought to verify it, only to be quickly refuted by the official confirmation. The most authoritative official news release stated:
[After verification by staff, contestant Lu Mingming has not committed any illegal acts. All assessments were conducted reasonably under surveillance, and the video will not be publicly released at this time. Additionally, we wish all contestants the best of luck in the upcoming competition.]
As soon as this news broke, discussions immediately soared to the top. Furry people who were keen on the entertainment section basically knew Lu Mingming's name that day.
However, because Lu Mingming had been having fun at the auction, she was completely unaware that the star network news today was all about her.
Reading this, Lu Mingming finally understood what Gude Fen meant by "heard about it on the star network."
Am I famous now?
Lu Mingming found it unbelievable.
Her private messages were almost full. Everyone was asking when she would open her store, and some star masters and deans had come to congratulate Lu Mingming on her incredible results.
Lu Mingming scrolled to the pinned message. Olannar's message box was empty.
...Is he still busy?
Only he hadn't sent a congratulatory message, and a trace of disappointment rose in Lu Mingming's heart.
She clicked on the chat box with Jasmine. The latter had already sent a message as soon as the news broke.
[Jasmine: Congratulations to our streamer Mingming for obtaining both intermediate and junior qualification certificates, bringing great honor to our Xingfu Star!! The store is currently in the application process~
Also, I have good news for you: starting tomorrow, nail clippers will be sold throughout the entire interstellar. I hope your competition goes smoothly tomorrow!!]
[Thanks, Jasmine. Got the message!]
After replying to everyone's messages, considering that she would be spending some time in the competition, Lu Mingming posted an update in her space to answer all the private messages from her fans.
[Mingming Sleepyhead: The store is not open yet, please stay tuned~]
As soon as this post was sent, it immediately received millions of likes, and the comments grew by tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands.
Before Lu Mingming could even clearly read one comment, it was quickly pushed down by new messages, with unread messages exceeding 9999+.
[I finally managed to catch the streamer posting an update! Please make more double-skin milk and cookies, ahhhhh, I desperately need these to replenish my energy at work.]
[What's so good about those snacks? Streamer, if you're going to cook, make big dishes like eggplant burgers. I guarantee I won't get tired of them for a month and will buy them every day!!]
[Everyone move aside, I'm a literature major, and I'm so sleepy every day. Give me ten pounds of tea!]
The enthusiasm of everyone was almost overwhelming for Lu Mingming.
She couldn't help but wonder: How many portions would she need to make to match such a large sales volume when she opens her store?!
Perhaps she could appropriately disclose some recipes to avoid exhaustion from overwork after the store opens.
After finishing this, Lu Mingming logged out of the star network and lay on her pillow, closing her eyes to rest.
These past few days, she had been feeling dizzy, her limbs ached, and she felt weak all over.
She had initially thought that the discomfort was due to not eating on the day of the exam.
Unexpectedly, now that she was back to rest, it had worsened. She felt intermittent needle-like pains within her body.
She kept this matter hidden, not wanting to worry the little cubs.
To distract herself from the pain, Lu Mingming tried to think about other things to ease it.
The person who said they would pick up the little kitten had still not arrived.
Lu Mingming guessed that the person wouldn't come for now, until Yi Fu got tired of playing and left on his own.
Rather than not picking up, she was more curious about how Yi Fu managed to decline so many celebrity events.
Unknowingly, Lu Mingming drifted off to sleep while lost in thought.
The next day.
Lu Mingming got up early and followed the Xingfu Star team to the competition venue.
The main planet's competition venue was the largest stadium in the entire interstellar alliance, known as the "Home of Sports."
The scale of the opening ceremony alone was grander than Xingfu Star's award ceremony.
Contestants entered the arena one by one.
The main planet's competition was broadcast live. Lu Mingming paid attention to her etiquette at all times, waiting for the host to call Xingfu Star to enter.
The most popular were the favored contestants Angelina and the Prince of Elf Star. The man and woman were handsome, and their noble and elegant demeanor made for a captivating sight. The cheers during their entrance were louder than the celebratory fireworks in the sky.
Behind them, they were followed by junior members of their respective families to make an appearance, cultivating them from a young age and solidifying their fame.
"Next competing team, Xingfu Star!"
The name of the little planet, which had never been heard before, caused a moment of silence throughout the venue, followed by polite cheers.
Oscar tidied his clothes and led the team into the arena, waving around. However, not many people paid attention to him.
The host read from the script:
"The Xingfu Star team this time has sent Oscar, Xu Jiajia, Hua Xia, Cheng Shiqin, Lu Mingming... Wait, Lu Mingming?! Is that the genius who consecutively passed the junior and intermediate保育师 exams?"
The host's surprised voice resounded throughout the stadium through the microphone, and the entire venue erupted with cheers, not inferior to those for the popular contestants.
Unexpectedly becoming a favorite to win, Lu Mingming shyly waved.
For the first time, the central screen displayed a third person besides Angelina and the Elf Prince.
Oscar looked at Lu Mingming's high-definition face on the big screen, his expression darkening.
How dare she steal my spotlight! I can't keep you around!
Just you wait.