Strategy to Conquer the Vicious Female Supporting Character [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 19

Dong Zheng was just as shocked and surprised as Qi Lin.

These past few days, her mind had been a complete mess — so much so that even her manager noticed. Joining this reality show was her manager’s suggestion, saying it might help change her mood.

When it came to cooking, Dong Zheng had been quite interested ever since she first got into it. After doing her research, she found that the production team behind “I Am the God of Cooking” was one of the more reliable and responsible ones. They didn’t rely on cheap gimmicks. She even watched a couple of episodes from the previous season and thought the quality was pretty good, so she accepted her manager’s advice.

But no matter how she thought about it, Dong Zheng never expected to run into Qi Lin on set.

Didn’t Qi Lin say during a recent interview that she wouldn’t have time for public events anytime soon…?

That’s right. Even though Dong Zheng had been avoiding seeing Qi Lin, she still secretly kept a close eye on all kinds of news about her. She even learned how to use Weibo proficiently now, even though she had never touched it before.

When Qi Lin found out about that, she laughed so hard she collapsed on the bed and couldn’t get up. Meanwhile, Dong Zheng, who was sitting on the bed as well, gave her a cold glance and said, “You’re sleeping in the guest room tonight.”

Qi Lin immediately behaved herself.

Back to the present — Dong Zheng and Qi Lin shared the same manager. He handled both their schedules. It didn’t take much to figure out that their appearance on the same show wasn’t some random coincidence. But the program had already started filming and broadcasting live as soon as the guests entered the set. It was too late to back out unless they were willing to embarrass the production team and damage their own reputations.

Even their awkward, stunned first meeting had already been seen by viewers, sparking a flood of heated live comments,

– “There’s really no behind-the-scenes manipulation by the crew? Hahaha! My AnDong CP ended up in the same group!”

– “My roommate recommended this show to me, first time watching today and there’s already AnDongsugar?¹ As an AnDong fan, I’m definitely following this show now!”

– “The dumbfounded expressions on both goddesses’ faces are such a rare sight, hahaha! Isn’t this too cute?!”

– “Screenshot taken. Already turned into a sticker pack~”

– “These are two goddesses, how could you bear to bully them?! Anyway, someone please share that pack with me!”

– “Come to think of it, Goddess An and Film Queen Dong really haven’t appeared at the same event together for a long time. No wonder they’re so surprised to see each other.”

– “Such a stark contrast compared to how they used to be practically inseparable…”

– “After An Xiaoxiao won the Huazhang Best Actress award, she basically became the second most prominent young actress in the country after Dong Zheng. Judging by this momentum, it won’t be long before she breaks Dong Zheng’s record as the youngest Golden Film Queen. If Dong Zheng can tolerate her, that’s already impressive.”

– “Exactly. The last time they didn’t work together pretty much lines up with An Xiaoxiao winning Best Actress at the Huazhang Awards. In this industry, how many friendships aren’t superficial? It’s normal for them to stop pretending to be close.”

– “The fallout between Dong Zheng and An Xiaoxiao was confirmed ages ago, only CP (couple) fans are still fantasizing. Watching those people giggle and scream up front is second-hand embarrassment to the max…”

Neither of the two involved knew what was happening in the live comments. They finally saw each other in person after so long, and whether it was Dong Zheng or Qi Lin, neither of them could honestly say they weren’t happy about it.

Even though the two of them entering the “I Am the God of Cooking” set together wasn’t purely coincidental, the fact that they ended up in the same group among ten guests was completely down to luck.

“Ah Zheng!” Qi Lin was the first to break the slightly awkward silence between them. Smiling brightly, she stepped forward and casually hooked her arm around Dong Zheng’s. “I didn’t expect us to end up in the same group!”

Her attitude was natural and intimate, as if those several months of cold war between them had all been nothing but a misunderstanding.

Affected by Qi Lin’s mood, Dong Zheng also lost the awkwardness she felt when she first saw her. The arm that Qi Lin was holding stiffened for just a brief moment, then relaxed again because of the familiar warmth and scent. “Mm.”

The live chat became lively again.

– “Oh wow, who was the one saying An Dong doesn’t get along? Is your face hurting yet? Can you smile that sweetly at someone you don’t get along with? Or allow someone you supposedly have a bad relationship with to link arms with you without resisting at all?”

– “These two are both film queen level actresses, what’s so hard about acting friendly?”

– “First time seeing Film Queen Dong on a reality show, she’s really got that cold, distant vibe…”

– “Eating sugar like crazy! As an An Dong fan, I’m about to explode like fireworks right now!”

– “As a face fan, I feel like I’ve ascended to heaven!”

– “All the guests have gathered but axx² is still clinging to dz…³ the CP marketing is really intense.”

– “Which eye of yours saw anyone clinging to anyone? She’s casually linking arms, okay?”

– “These two are so lovey-dovey that even the host couldn’t bear to watch, haha! Came over to ask An Xiaoxiao if she’s especially happy being teamed up with Dong Zheng!”

– “Oh my god! That smile from my Xiaoxiao! Ahh! How can someone be this adorable?!”

– “Total passerby here, but An Xiaoxiao’s smile… she really is the definition of a sweetheart goddess.”

At the recording site, Qi Lin smiled as she answered the host’s question, “Yeah, super happy! Ah Zheng’s cooking is amazing. Being on the same team with her, I feel like we don’t even need to compete, we’re definitely going to win!”

“Huh?” The host made an exaggerated surprised face and immediately handed the microphone to Dong Zheng. “In our eyes, Film Queen Dong has always been pretty aloof and otherworldly! Film Queen Dong, what do you think of your cooking skills?”

Dong Zheng replied with a calm expression, “They’re alright.”

– “Wuwuwu I just tuned into the livestream! Looking at the chat, I perfectly missed my Xiaoxiao’s gorgeous smile TT!”

– “Damn, Film Queen Dong can cook?!”

– “Always thought Film Queen Dong was the type to survive by drinking dew… but she can cook? And cook well?!”

– “Did Goddess An know Film Queen Dong could cook? If we round that up, it means Goddess An has eaten food made by Film Queen Dong! Round it up again, they’re practically living together already!”

– “Hahahaha I can’t with this rounding logic!□□!”

– “Pushing CPs like this really ruins the experience… Is RPS⁴ this lacking in boundaries these days?”

– “Dong Zheng really is so cold, even the host looked a bit awkward.”

– “If you’ve got a cold and aloof persona, maybe don’t show up on this kind of show? Saw the show was popular and came to leech off the hype?”

– “You think my Zheng needs to leech off a reality show’s popularity? You gotta be kidding me!”

– “Film Queen Dong’s answer wasn’t an issue, it’s the host who’s lacking skills.”

– “Ahhhh! My Xiaoxiao saved the day! My Xiaoxiao, protecting wifey with real strength!”

– “Goddess An really has so much faith in Film Queen Dong, saying she’s being humble! And warning the other guests to be careful! What if that turns into a flag, hahaha.”

– “Same guest here — my hubby is a full-time food blogger and part-time food king, FYI.”

– “My boyfriend’s livestreamed cooking several times, and you could practically smell the food through the screen!”

– “Wait, I missed that! Turns out Li Kai is one of the guests too! Ah! The An-Dong-Li⁵ love triangle drama, I’m living for it!”

– “Who’s my Kai partnered with? Any knowledgeable ladies care to explain?”

– “Damn, this is next level! This person is originally a Michelin three-star chef! Also one of the most famous composers in the country!”

– “A Michelin three-star chef?! Why isn’t the judge returning to the judge’s seat?! What’s even the point of competing then?!”

– “Is this your first time watching “I Am the God of Cooking”…? It’s at least a cooking reality show, they invite one or two professionals every episode… See that uncle who looks a bit like the Laughing Buddha? He was the runner-up of the national chef competition two years ago…”

– “It’s starting, it’s starting! The usual first round of “I Am the God of Cooking”, each team sends one person, they take turns answering cooking-related questions, one question per person, ten rounds total. In the end, teams pick five recipes to cook based on how many correct answers they got!”

– “I love the quiz segment! I’ve learned so much random trivia from it, hahaha!”

– “Which region has the longest history of cultivating hairygoard?⁶ Wait, what even is hairy gourd???”

– “That person’s probably from the north? Hairy gourd has the longest cultivation history in the Lingnan region.”

– “Hahaha, looks like the guy answering that question is probably from the north too, he had to confirm the words ‘hairy gourd’ with the host several times, but still couldn’t answer it before time ran out, hahaha.”

– “It’s Team AnDong’s turn! Eh? I thought Film Queen Dong would be the one answering, but it’s Goddess An instead?”

– “An Xiaoxiao really knows her stuff! She got almost all the answers right!”

The reason they didn’t let Dong Zheng answer was, of course, because Film Queen Dong still hadn’t spent much time in the kitchen, so her knowledge in this area wasn’t that solid yet.

Qi Lin had always had an excellent memory. Back in the real world, she had already studied a lot about cooking just because her wife liked it, so handling this quiz was no problem for him.

But a professional is still a professional — Qi Lin narrowly beat the Michelin-starred chef-composer, but ultimately lost to the runner-up chef who answered all ten questions correctly.

“Alright, we have our results!” the host announced. “Now, let’s have the first-place team come up and pick the recipe they’ll be cooking!”

The runner-up chef gave a simple, honest smile like the Laughing Buddha, casually grabbed a paper from the tray brought over by the staff without even really looking at it, clearly full of confidence.

The runner-up chef held it up to the screen — it was “Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes.”

Since this was the first episode, “I Am the God of Cooking” only prepared simple, home-style recipes to start. They wouldn’t introduce any complicated dishes just yet.

The staff brought the tray over to Qi Lin, who came in second. Qi Lin immediately turned to wave Dong Zheng over, signaling her to come pick together.

Dong Zheng walked over, the two of them pressed their heads together, looking at the remaining four pieces of paper one by one, and their eyes naturally settled on the long sheet on the far left.

On that paper were four words, Stir-Fried Lettuce with Pork.

It was the very same dish Qi Lin taught Dong Zheng to cook the first time she visited her home — the first bite they shared together from that meal.