After Transmigrating, I Joined a Dating Show with the Fake Heiress Actress - Chapter 5

Su Qingwan, who had initially thought nothing of it, felt a heavy stone pressing down on her heart after hearing Yu Meng’s words, leaving her feeling suffocated.

So, Yu Meng had helped her only out of pity?

And now, she was agreeing to work with Liu Yue simply because Liu Yue was alone and without support?

System 388: Detected a 1-point decrease in Su Qingwan’s favorability towards Yu Meng. Host, keep up the good work!

Hearing this, Bai Man’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. She knew her judgment had been correct.

Once Su Qingwan realized Yu Meng was a “central air conditioner,” her accumulated favorability would inevitably decline.

However, the mere 1-point decrease still deviated from her initial prediction.

It seemed that beneath Su Qingwan’s gentle exterior lay a surprisingly resilient heart.

Indeed, without such resilience, how could she have navigated the treacherous waters of the entertainment industry and climbed to her current position?

Snapping out of her thoughts, Su Qingwan glanced at Yu Meng, who was leaving with Liu Yue, then quickly averted her gaze, trying to conceal the disappointment and bitterness in her heart. “They’ve already started. Let’s go too!”

Bai Man hummed in agreement and walked to Su Qingwan’s left side, stopping about a hundred meters away.

The staff had placed the prepared ingredients on two flexible, collapsible tables. Zhang Jiale and Yin Xiao, responsible for washing the ingredients, were transferring them from bags to basins, planning to carry them to the guesthouse later for rinsing under running water.

Fifty meters to the left, Song Jie and Liu Heng were squatting in front of their tent, studying the assembly instructions.

Liu Yue and Yu Meng stood at another table, meticulously checking the barbecue seasonings.

The remaining two members were assembling the grill, alternating between consulting the manual and fitting the pieces together.

Zhang Jiale and Yin Xiao worked quickly, soon carrying the washed ingredients to the table. “All yours now,” they announced.

Su Qingwan nodded slightly. Noticing a large slab of lamb in one of the basins, she quickly moved around Bai Man and retrieved it. “I’ll trim this. You start skewering the other ingredients.”

Bai Man picked up a washed bamboo skewer with her right hand and a piece of broccoli with her left. After a quick check, she pierced the skewer through the broccoli stem.

Su Qingwan had intended to teach Bai Man how to skewer ingredients, but upon witnessing this scene, she silently withdrew her gaze and began meticulously slicing the meat.

Bai Man’s clearly clumsy knife work made Bai Man frown. “Put that down. I’ll do it.”

Su Qingwan looked up. “Do you even know how?”

Bai Man gave her a “move aside” look, stepped up to the cutting board, stared at the lamb for a few seconds, and then began to cut.

Her first slice was no better than Su Qingwan’s. After all, before transmigrating into this world, Bai Man had rarely even set foot in a kitchen, let alone cooked.

Though she hadn’t eaten pork, she had seen pigs run. Combined with her natural aptitude for learning, she didn’t believe there was anything in this world she couldn’t master.

Once she grasped the technique, the third and fourth slices came more easily. The lamb pieces were now square and uniform in thickness.

Unbeknownst to her, Bai Man’s increasingly practiced knife skills stirred a wave of emotions in Su Qingwan’s heart.

In the Bai Family, the Bai parents would never have allowed Bai Man to cook. Therefore, her skills must have been learned in the Su Family.

Her mother had also mentioned that Bai Man had always disliked housework as a child. These skills might not have been acquired willingly.

“Hiss…”

Hearing the sound, Bai Man turned her head and saw a bead of bl00d welling up on Su Qingwan’s fingertip. She frowned involuntarily.

Perhaps sensing Bai Man’s gaze, Su Qingwan hastily hid her bleeding finger behind her back.

Bai Man withdrew her gaze, set down the knife, and turned to walk toward the Director.

Watching her retreating figure, Su Qingwan felt a pang of anxiety. Why is she angry again?

Then it struck her: Bai Man had always hated her. Her willingness to work together might simply be a ploy to humiliate her at the right moment.

So, what accusation will Bai Man hurl at me this time?

The memory of Bai Man publicly berating her in front of the guests, the crew, and the cameras—that humiliation had made her want to dig a hole and bury herself alive.

At the thought, her heart tightened slightly.

Bai Man returned quickly. Seeing Su Qingwan still skewering ingredients, she strode over and snatched the food from her hand. “Show me your hand.”

Su Qingwan took a wary step back, tucking both hands behind her.

Bai Man took a large step forward, grabbed Su Qingwan’s arm with one hand, and yanked her forward. Sensing Su Qingwan’s resistance, her voice sharpened with anger. “Give me your hand.”

The overwhelming aura terrified Su Qingwan.

Hearing Yu Meng’s melodious voice, Bai Man immediately set down the seasoning bottle and strode over, demanding angrily, “Bai Man, what do you think you’re doing?”

Bai Man suppressed her fury, holding Su Qingwan’s hand with one hand while snapping a disinfectant cotton swab she’d obtained from the production crew with the other. She applied it to the wound where the bamboo skewer had pierced Su Qingwan’s skin.

As Su Qingwan gazed at Bai Man’s smooth forehead and dark, defined eyebrows, her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

So, she wasn’t angry—she was getting medicine.

Thinking of her earlier suspicions toward Bai Man, Su Qingwan felt her ears and cheeks burn with shame.

By the time Yu Meng arrived, Bai Man had already cleaned Su Qingwan’s wound and was tearing open a bandage.

Yu Meng reached out to snatch the bandage from Bai Man’s hand, but Bai Man dodged her.

Bai Man stepped forward, positioning herself to block Yu Meng, and applied the bandage to Su Qingwan’s wound. “No need to thank me,” she said. “Besides those who genuinely enjoy helping others, even someone like me—who targeted you earlier—would do this.”

“What do you mean by that?” Yu Meng demanded.

Bai Man released Su Qingwan’s hand without turning around. “Exactly what it sounds like.”

With that, she returned to the cutting board, picking up the kitchen knife. Just as she did, System 388’s childlike voice chimed in:

Host, have you fallen for Su Qingwan? Well, she’s gentle, devoted, and stunningly beautiful. I like her too!

Bai Man replied mentally: What makes you think I like her? I just didn’t want to give Yu Meng a chance to show off.

But isn’t that the same thing?

There’s a difference between subjective feelings and objective actions.

Don’t try to fool me. You definitely like Su Qingwan.

Bai Man: “……”

This system is a bit dim.

As soon as Bai Man left, Yu Meng seized the opportunity to ask, “Qingwan, how are you doing?” She glanced at the ingredients in the basin. “Don’t move. I’ll help you.”

Liu Yue approached, surprised. “It’s not ready yet?” She pointed toward the barbecue grill. “But the charcoal’s already lit.” She hesitated, looking at Yu Meng. “Should we take some over and start grilling?”

When Yu Meng didn’t respond, Liu Yue added hesitantly, “It’s getting dark, and everyone’s probably hungry.”

Yu Meng set down the skewer she had just picked up and touched her ear. “Why don’t I go over there first? I’ll come help you after I’ve grilled all the ingredients.”

Bai Man transferred the sliced meat to a plate and walked over to Su Qingwan. She naturally reached out and took the skewer from Su Qingwan’s hand. “Go rest over there.”

With this action, she made it clear to Yu Meng: You’re not needed here.

Su Qingwan didn’t leave. Stealing glances at Bai Man, she carefully reached for a seaweed knot, arranging it neatly on the plate. Just as she was about to try skewering the ingredients one-handed, Bai Man’s voice cut through the air: “Get me an apron.”

“Oh!” Su Qingwan looked around but couldn’t find one. She had no choice but to ask a staff member.

Seeing Su Qingwan leave, Bai Man sped up her work.

By the time Su Qingwan returned with an apron from the guesthouse, Bai Man had already skewered all the ingredients.

“Ah…”

A sudden scream drew everyone’s attention. Black smoke was slowly rising from the grill, and the once-fresh ingredients had been reduced to charred lumps.

Liu Yue seemed terrified by the sight and desperately burrowed into Yu Meng’s arms. Yu Meng initially flinched away, but within a moment, she allowed Liu Yue to cling to her again.

Catching Su Qingwan standing frozen in place out of the corner of her eye, Bai Man chuckled softly. “One must have principles, you can’t just accept everyone.”

Su Qingwan understood the implication perfectly: Bai Man was mocking Yu Meng for lacking principles and accepting everyone.

So, Yu Meng’s actions toward me might not be genuine affection, but rather an unconscious reflex?

Yet Yu Meng didn’t help or protect just anyone.

She tried to maintain a composed facade, but the way she unconsciously pressed her lips together betrayed her inner turmoil.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiale swiftly removed the charred barbecue from the grill. Staring at the blackened lumps he’d tossed into the trash, he swallowed hard and tentatively glanced at Director Xu. “Director Xu, besides the barbecue, is there anything else to eat tonight?”

Director Xu, who had just settled back into his chair, gestured angrily toward the picnic blanket spread on the ground. “Yeah, water.”

Zhang Jiale’s lips twitched. Does that even count as food?

Yin Xiao, seated to Liu Yue’s right, subconsciously rubbed her stomach and whispered, “Maybe we should switch grillers?” She lowered her head, avoiding Liu Yue’s gaze. “I don’t want to wake up hungry in the middle of the night.”

Liu Heng raised his hand. “I have a sensitive stomach.”

Though the other guests weren’t as direct as Yin Xiao and Liu Heng, their attitudes clearly echoed their sentiments.

Faced with such blatant rejection of her grilling efforts, Liu Yue’s eyes immediately reddened. She pulled away from Yu Meng’s shoulder, covered her mouth with her hand, and fled.

Director Xu sighed. “Ms. Yu, perhaps you should go comfort her?”

Yu Meng nodded and hurried after Liu Yue.

“Ahem, as you all saw, our designated griller has run off. If you don’t want to go hungry, we need to choose a new one.”

The guests exchanged uneasy glances. After Liu Yue’s embarrassing failure, no one dared to volunteer without confidence.

Su Qingwan raised her hand. “I’ll do it! I grilled once during a high school team-building trip.”

Director Xu’s face lit up. “Thank you, Ms. Su!”

Su Qingwan nodded slightly and was about to move Bai Man’s skewered ingredients when Zhang Jiale and Yin Xiao eagerly stepped forward to help.

For the sake of their stomachs, Zhang Jiale and Yin Xiao carried the ingredients to the table beside the grill but didn’t leave. Instead, they stayed to assist Su Qingwan.

Bai Man stared at Su Qingwan’s hands for a few seconds before finally stepping forward.

Before she could speak, Yin Xiao voluntarily gave up her spot, letting Bai Man take over flipping the ingredients while Su Qingwan focused on brushing oil and seasoning.

The grill was only 1.2 meters wide, forcing the two women to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. As they moved, their skin inevitably brushed against each other.

The searing touch sent a jolt through Su Qingwan, like an electric shock, leaving her skin tingling.

Her ear tips burned, and her thoughts momentarily drifted away.

“This part’s already brushed,” Bai Man reminded her.

Su Qingwan turned her head away, afraid Bai Man would notice her flustered state. To calm her increasingly chaotic heart, she took two steps to the side, trying to create more distance between them.

Focusing on the grilling meat in her hand, Bai Man didn’t notice her subtle movement.

Soon, an irresistible aroma filled the air, drawing not only the guests and staff but also two children walking home, who stopped in their tracks, their noses twitching.

“Dad, I want some,” the boy tugged at the hand of the man in the Mongolian robe.

Knowing they were filming, the man tried to reason with him. “I’ll make you some when we get home.”

“No! I want it now!”

Director Xu noticed the scene and cheerfully invited the three over. He took the freshly grilled skewers from Su Qingwan, divided them into two portions, and handed them to the boy and girl.

The girl timidly accepted her portion. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome! There’s more where that came from,” Director Xu pointed to the picnic blanket. “See over there? There’s water and drinks. Help yourselves to whatever you want. Don’t be shy around my uncle, okay?”

The man raised a hand to scratch his nose. “We’re causing you trouble.”

Director Xu waved dismissively. “No trouble at all.”

Just as the boy took a few steps toward the picnic blanket, he stopped abruptly and snatched the squid skewer from the girl’s hand. “It’s all mine!”

The girl’s eyes widened in distress as she stared forlornly at the skewer now in the boy’s grasp.

“Yima, your brother is young. As his older sister, you should let him have it,” the man said.

Hearing this, Bai Man narrowed her eyes, grabbed a handful of freshly grilled squid, and strode toward the girl.

She stopped in front of Yima, shoved all the squid into her hands, and straightened up, her gaze icy. “Who decided that older sisters have to give way to their younger brothers?”

“It’s a tradition passed down from our elders—the older ones should always yield to the younger ones.”

“Did you ever ask her if she even wanted to be an older sister?” Bai Man’s aura grew even more menacing, like a storm about to break, filling the air with dread.

The man snorted coldly. “What? Can’t I have other children without her permission?” He bent down, grabbed Yima’s hand, and yanked her to his side. Snatching the squid from her grasp, he flung it to the ground. “We’re not eating this barbecue anymore.”

The throw sent the entire atmosphere plummeting to freezing point.