While the others were greatly shocked, Sasha, with her years of experience in the media box, sensed something amiss early on.
Sasha's camera flashlights clicked away, focusing on Lu Mingming, capturing her portrait and the Egg Millet in front of her, striving to secure exclusive coverage before the incident spread.
Unlike the other streamers who had finished their matches and were busy pondering score comparisons, Lu Mingming was a vibrant splash of color amidst a field of ordinary.
Aside from the milk powder and corn paste she regularly fed, there had been instances in previous competitions where food was used to increase intimacy.
There were two ways to pass the first round.
One was through ordinary feeding and playing, the overall approach still revolving around practical care and affection to balance the scoring contributions of the cub and the audience.
As long as no mistakes were made, an average score could be achieved, representing a steady and reliable approach.
The second method involved creating specialized dishes like salads and fruit juices by exploiting loopholes.
In the public eye, the young contestants were almost like cubs driven by instinct, their scores often dependent on luck, and few people chose to gamble.
If it were about pleasing the audience, even without a high score from the cub, successfully securing the 3 points from the audience would barely grant a trailing rank.
Just as the Nine-Tailed Fox was popular, she opted for the second, high-risk approach.
Lu Mingming's bowl of bird food was a move that charted a new course.
She placed all her hopes on the cub's score, appearing to the audience like a desperate gambler making a final stand, naturally sparking discussion.
"Are you kidding me? At least feed the kid some milk powder, don't shame pure humans..."
"Hush – offending the Nine-Tailed Fox and then doing something so shameless, it's a broken pot scenario."
"What race did she draw? Perhaps it's the living habits of that race."
"If it's not good, it's not good. Don't make excuses for her. If it were you, would you eat it?"
...
The crowd buzzed with discussion. Rarely did someone muster the courage to speak up for Lu Mingming; they were almost universally attacked, eventually retreating to their seats dejectedly, no longer intending to say a word.
The viewers in the live stream, having heard that the second streamer had drawn a bird cub, had specifically come to watch her showcase her skills.
Now, with the cub's score yet to be released, some viewers had already lost hope for Lu Mingming's victory. One by one, they left after giving their token support scores in the scoring system.
After a gradual decline in popularity, some old viewers remained, unwilling to give up until the final result was revealed.
Lu Mingming noticed this.
She knew that her current approach was perceived by others as suicidal, placing all hope firmly in the cub's hands, rather than relying on the more discerning audience.
This was because in past competitions, no streamer had ever achieved a perfect score from the young cubs; within such a large weighting, achieving a score of 4 was rare.
Lu Mingming's thoughts, however, were different.
She had always believed that in the world of beast-kin, upon reaching human form, they tacitly possessed their own thinking abilities and judgment.
Lu Mingming believed that Hua Hua was precisely like this, which was why she treated the cub as a partner in the competition, rather than a liability that would drag her down with low scores.
The past behavior of streamers treating young cubs differently, leading to low scores from the cubs in the end, precisely proved this point.
Lu Mingming believed that Hua Hua's final choice would also give her the confidence to win based on her own efforts.
The Nine-Tailed Fox, in good spirits, watched the audience popularity in the top left corner return to its peak, feigning sadness beside her:
"I think Sister Mingming might not even pass the first round. After the competition, I'll treat her to a good meal as a farewell."
"A meal is unnecessary, can you transfer the money instead?"
Lu Mingming remained unfazed, replying calmly.
The Nine-Tailed Fox was momentarily speechless.
She hadn't actually intended to treat Lu Mingming to a meal; it was merely a formality to celebrate the elimination of someone she disliked!
Lu Mingming understood her subtle intentions, but she was too lazy to bother with such petty scheming.
Seeing that the Nine-Tailed Fox had fallen silent, Lu Mingming's eyes curved into a smile, and she gently scratched Hua Hua's chubby chin with her fingertip.
The little one, feeling comfortable, narrowed its eyes into slits. Its small hands actively tugged at Lu Mingming's sleeve, seeking closer contact.
Its lotus-root-like small arms stretched slightly outwards, like a parrot spreading its wings to display its abundant feathers.
Such a well-behaved and obedient little parrot cub!
Lu Mingming's maternal love overflowed – she wasn't fickle; she doted on every well-behaved cub equally.
"Alright—respecting the second streamer's choice!"
The show was over, and seeing both sides return to a state of mutual non-interference, the host sighed and steered the topic back to the competition.
"Next, we invite the second streamer's companion to taste and score."
As the words registered, Hua Hua sat upright on its little stool.
Lu Mingming, as if caring for Tangyuan and Xuegao, habitually put a cartoon bib around Hua Hua's neck.
The little one was still unaccustomed to the restriction around its neck, repeatedly touching the silk scarf with its hands. It intended to quietly remove it, but Lu Mingming quickly brought the Egg Millet over, thwarting its attempt.
The porcelain-white bowl and the amber-like Egg Millet complemented each other, with the edge of the bowl even glowing with an orange-yellow light.
The plump and soft grains of millet, like roe adorning sushi, were packed tightly together, bound by the sticky egg yolk.
As an independent contestant, Hua Hua, with a serious expression, brought its own small spoon.
With a dig of its small hand, a full spoonful of Egg Millet was scooped into the spoon. A few grains that did not catch a ride clung to the slippery egg yolk, returning to the bowl amidst long strands of cheesy pull.
Hua Hua shoveled the spoonful into its mouth. The fullness in its cheeks brought a sense of satisfaction that originated from within.
The Egg Millet had a rich eggy flavor, and combined with the subtle aroma of the millet, it lacked any overpowering fishiness.
It was smooth and delicate in the mouth. The distinct grains of millet were very much like passion fruit, but without the sourness; chewing them was much crisper.
Compared to the food prepared by five-star chefs in the restaurants Hua Hua had visited, it was a completely different experience.
The chefs prepared food for the general beast-kin population and did not consider the specific habits of birds, often making it too greasy, which would leave Hua Hua feeling unwell and possibly sick for a long time afterward.
The food prepared by Lu Mingming was entirely different, leaving Hua Hua with only a feeling of freshness in its stomach after the first taste.
It was simply delicious!
Most importantly… Hua Hua could sense a subtle yet gentle energy that flowed from its mouth, extending throughout its internal organs and limbs, akin to immersing oneself in a high mountain hot spring during the harsh winter.
This trace of all-embracing energy flowed along its meridians, gently soothing Hua Hua's taut nerves, bringing it to an unprecedented state of peace.
This was…
Hua Hua had a feeling that without this energy, it might have given Lu Mingming a slight positive score, just enough to avoid embarrassment, but not enough to stand out.
No, it couldn't reveal itself so quickly; it still had to settle the score for being tricked before.
Thinking this, the "vengeful" Hua Hua habitually concealed the expression on its face, leaving others unable to discern its true thoughts.
It would be a lie to say it wasn't nervous; Lu Mingming's anxious future still hung on this score, and she believed her judgment was not mistaken.
However, the situation was unusual.
Hua Hua did not, like Lu Mingming's previous audience members, react as if it had tasted a delicacy. Instead, it gently put down the spoon, offering no specific evaluation, and continued to chew meticulously.
The Nine-Tailed Fox held its breath.
Seeing the little boy's posture, she could already envision Hua Hua giving a score of two, causing Lu Mingming to fall from grace to disgrace.
Thinking of this, her heart couldn't help but race, eager to celebrate the fact that no one could snatch her spot.
The viewers in Lu Mingming's live stream harbored the same thoughts as the Nine-Tailed Fox, sighing in unison.
【Jasmine: It's over, I have a bad feeling about this.**】
【Mr. Zombie: Congratulations in advance to the streamer for not advancing to the second round, what a disgrace.**】
——Mr. Zombie sent you a fireworks show.**】
【General Fatty Tiger: It's not that bad, right? Stable performance should be enough to pass!**】
Lu Mingming's fingernails dug into her palm unintentionally, her heartbeat echoing in her ears.
She wondered if her choice had been wrong, if she shouldn't have trusted the cub in the first place.
Countless eyes watched Hua Hua swallow that mouthful of Egg Millet.
Everyone was anticipating Hua Hua's score, and the result of whether Lu Mingming would advance to the second round was entirely in Hua Hua's hands.
Hua Hua, at the center of everyone's focus, lowered its head, methodically wrote its final score on the scoring board with a black pen, and then handed the small card to the host.
Upon seeing the result, the host's eyes widened in disbelief.
He drew out the suspense with a long drawn-out tone.
"Then let's see how many points the second streamer actually received?"
The little Samoyed stretched its neck, its vast mental power spreading out like a net, trying to eavesdrop.
"One…"
The Nine-Tailed Fox beamed with joy, ready to applaud Lu Mingming's departure.
Lu Mingming's live stream's anti-fans began collectively sending fireworks in celebration.
"Huh."
The host deliberately squinted, quickly denying, "No, no, no, the little contestant crossed out that number, it's seven points! Full marks! Congratulations to the second streamer!"
The burden on Lu Mingming's heart was finally lifted.
She turned her head, and Hua Hua, having successfully played a prank, smiled at Lu Mingming like a radiant sunflower.