"Don't be too careless," the little girl said.
She unconsciously knitted her brows, seemingly displeased by the other's arrogant demeanor.
"I know what I'm doing. Hui Lan's control chip won't malfunction."
Hui Hong didn't think much of it.
"I watched Lu Mingming's interview last time and thought Xing Fu Xing was full of hidden talents, but I didn't expect to meet her so soon... Her cooking is truly excellent."
This sight made the little girl even more uneasy.
"Don't get too close to her," she warned with a solemn expression. "The white tiger cub beside her is disguised as a beastman to protect Lu Mingming's safety. Its identity is not simple. If it weren't for my innate psychic detection abilities from the Wu tribe, I might have been deceived by that beastman cub long ago. In short, Lu Mingming is definitely not a simple streamer."
"Oh, really? Does she have other identities?"
Sensing the caution in her words, Hui Hong raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. An unprecedented excitement flickered deep within his eyes.
"Don't lie to me. I've already thoroughly investigated Lu Mingming's identity. She's just an ordinary pure-blood human, beneficial and harmless to our plans. By the way, do all pure-blood humans cook so well?"
The topic had veered off course. The little girl was momentarily speechless within Hui Hong's thought process, unable to find words to retort. It seemed that compared to the danger posed by the cubs around Lu Mingming, the little girl was more concerned about Hui Hong defecting because of the delicious food.
"It's fine—"
Hui Hong stretched lazily, a look of contentment on his face. After a long period of being forced to suppress his true nature, he hadn't been able to freely express his emotions for a long time. Hui Hong shrugged, revealing a pair of cute little fangs, and grinned slyly.
"If I can't mess with the little cat, I can still mess with that little dog, right?"
Without giving the little girl time to respond, Hui Hong, having implicitly agreed to the matter, lowered his bangs again, reverting to his timid appearance. He pressed the hang-up button and waved goodbye cheekily.
"Bye-bye, I'm going to get some good food. Hanging up now."
"Hey!"
As if on cue, a cold mechanical voice echoed in the quiet woods. The midday winter wind gusted, chilling him to the bone, making his nails turn white and his lips purple, and his skin covered in goosebumps. Yet, it did not dampen Hui Hong's rare good mood; he even seemed to be enjoying it in a peculiar way. Without hearing the little girl's earnest nagging, Hui Hong hummed an unknown tune contentedly and turned towards the cafeteria. Lu Mingming's cooking was truly delicious, and he was going to find a Class A student for some hypnosis!
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria.
It turned out Lu Mingming's cooking had never failed. Ten minutes earlier, the little cubs had each received their portion of minced meat and eggplant casserole. They couldn't wait for it to cool, holding the handles of their small clay pots and scurrying back to their seats with tiny legs. The green pepper and minced meat eggplant was presented in delicate clay pots. As soon as the lids were lifted, a swirl of steam rose, revealing the appearance of the minced meat and eggplant casserole amidst the hot mist. Cubes of eggplant were dotted amongst the minced meat, a layer of oil shimmering on the surface of the dark sauce. The tender scallions were even more vibrant than jade, adorning the pot, adding fragrance and flavor – a win-win. The portion was generous, filling nearly half of each clay pot. Not only did it look appealing, but it was also not greasy or cloying. A scoop of the thick sauce poured over the multigrain rice created fragrant, dark craters, and the richly flavored pork tenderloin was intertwined with the eggplant.
One spoonful of minced meat and eggplant, paired with a spoonful of multigrain rice, made the cubs' mouths water. The unique flavor of the fatty and lean pork tenderloin stimulated every cell on the cubs' tongues, whetting their appetites further. The sauce mixed with the multigrain rice meant they could eat almost half a bowl in one go. The sauce-soaked eggplant, which melted in the mouth, retained its original flavor while being infused with the meatiness and perfectly blended with the sauce, making one want to eat their tongue off. Finally, it was all topped off with a cup of rich, smooth, post-meal pudding made from goat's milk, offering a rich and distinct taste. The cubs eagerly slurped up the pudding with their straws, the warm liquid sliding down their throats, while the remaining solid pudding was savored spoonful by spoonful with their spoons. After the meal, they felt refreshed, with a lingering fragrance on their lips and in their mouths.
Watching the little cubs eat heartily, Lu Mingming felt a sense of satisfaction. When food is cherished and loved so much, the cook feels greatly encouraged and will strive to do even better next time. Lu Mingming decided to make pizza for the cubs as an afternoon tea the next day, and also to introduce them to the diversity of food.
While Class A was enjoying their meal, the cubs from other classes, after finishing their own meals, looked as if they hadn't eaten at all, their mouths watering and nearly dripping onto the floor. After interacting during the past two competitions, the streamers had become accustomed to approaching Lu Mingming to greet her and ask for the recipes of today's dishes. It had to be said that the other streamers felt quite ashamed. They had tried their best to present their finest dishes, but their skills were still only at the common medium level in the Interstellar Alliance. Compared to Lu Mingming's "Zi Wei Xing" or the seasoned chefs from other planets, they were far inferior, let alone the masters from the main planet. Anticipating their elimination after two rounds, the other streamers shamelessly came over for a good meal.
Seeing streamers asking for recipes, Cheng Shiqin once again stepped forward to defend his "master" with righteous indignation. Compared to the relatively delicate female streamers, Cheng Shiqin, a sturdy dark-skinned man, managed to deter a group of streamers, effectively reducing the number of those trying to freeload. As for the remaining streamers, with Lu Mingming's permission, Cheng Shiqin added their StarNet accounts one by one, with the intention of releasing holographic teaching videos later.
After this meal, the cubs would have a period of midday rest. The chore of washing dishes was not Lu Mingming's responsibility. She immediately took the two cubs back to the staff dormitory arranged by the school. Although called a dormitory, its scale was comparable to the apartment Lu Mingming had rented in a high-end residential area; it was clean, tidy, and fully equipped with all amenities. If Lu Mingming wanted to prepare special meals, she could bring some ingredients back from the food storage to give the cubs extra treats. However, Lu Mingming didn't have the energy for that right now. Although she hadn't done any strenuous work, the entire morning had still left her somewhat fatigued. She took off her jacket and lay down on the soft double bed. The two little cubs, after conscientiously wiping their paws with wet wipes, jumped onto the bed. The little cubs nestled on either side of Lu Mingming's bed, curling their round bodies and settling down for a midday nap.
They slept until they woke up naturally, but it wasn't yet time for the cubs' afternoon activities. Before the alarm could go off, her wristband's light computer began to flash frequently. It was a message notification. Lu Mingming rubbed her eyes and groggily propped herself up to check the message—it was a call from Cheng Shiqin.
"Is something wrong?" Lu Mingming typed her reply slowly. Her movement to get up successfully woke the two little cubs. She stroked the soft fur on the heads of the dog and the tiger, waiting for Cheng Shiqin's reply.
"The cubs from your class, Hui Lan, have taken leave to go home. They might bring their parents to argue with you," Cheng Shiqin sent a voice message. The system played it automatically, and his loud voice echoed throughout the room.
What? Lu Mingming's sleepiness vanished instantly, and she became fully alert. The little white tiger, who had heard the entire matter, managed to suppress a cold smile. "This is truly settling old and new scores. Gude Fen's family are all troublesome." The little Samoyed reacted much less. Upon hearing that "someone was looking for trouble," his ears perked up, then gradually drooped. "Uninteresting, no need for me to intervene."
"He left during lunch, but his attendant is still at the school, inquiring about you everywhere. Just now, he tried to bribe me with money—" Cheng Shiqin didn't finish his sentence, drawing out the suspense. "Heh heh, I didn't agree. What's our relationship? You should be careful recently." After thanking Cheng Shiqin and promising to reward him with some delicious food, Lu Mingming finally hung up the phone. She hadn't expected that a simple lunch would lead to so many complications; trouble always seemed to find her inexplicably. Lu Mingming closed her eyes, patting the lingering baby fat on her cheeks, trying to sober up a bit. As she had said before lunch, Lu Mingming, alone, was not afraid of threats from the powerful. What she feared most was them targeting the young cubs. Thinking of this, her face was filled with worry. Lu Mingming's mind conjured scenes she had read in many novels, leaving her heart in a tangled mess.