Reborn to Stew Soup (GL) 158

Chapter 158: Switching Cups

After the director’s explanation of the “Switching Cups,” the other six participants looked at Lu Changhuai and Yu Naihao with apprehension.

“Don’t worry!” Yu Naihao said to the four, a sunny smile on his face.

…Could it be…? Mi Hongdou, realizing first, looked at Lu Changhuai, who smiled wryly.

Mi Hongdou: …So he’s still holding a grudge… what a good guy!

After the prop introduction, it was time for the team challenge: “Tower Building,” similar to yesterday’s “100 Questions,” requiring both teammates.

The starting point was a sand pit. One teammate had to dig for palm-sized wooden tiles buried in the sand. Each team had to find forty tiles for the first batch, then unlimited for the subsequent batches. The other teammate would use the tiles to build a two-meter-tall tower. If it stood for ten seconds, it was a success. After the first team finished, the others would be ranked by the height of their towers.

It seemed easier than yesterday’s obstacle course and treadmill, but… to build a two-meter tower, you needed at least fifty or sixty tiles, perhaps even more. With three teams searching in the same sand pit simultaneously, some would find more, some less, and those with fewer tiles might not even be able to reach two meters. The small, thin tiles, barely a centimeter thick, required a wide, stable base for a taller tower.

After the explanation, their faces were grim, their earlier focus on the “Switching Cups” now replaced by worry.

The challenge seemed difficult, but the rewards were generous:

First place: A basket filled with ingredients, mostly meat, some fruits and vegetables.

Second place: Less meat, more produce. Third place: Only vegetables. Last place: Half a basket of vegetables. Although the second, third, and fourth-place prizes weren’t as good as the first, they were still much better than the usual rewards.

Normally, second place would only get vegetables, and third and fourth… not losing coins would already be a blessing.

So, not just the NPC tasks, but even the challenge rewards are better now? This was good for the participants, but Mi Hongdou, remembering the future trend of torturing celebrities on reality shows, was surprised. It was only the fourth day, and they were already improving their living conditions? A basket of vegetables was enough for two people for a day. If the rewards continued to be so generous, wouldn’t the show become less interesting? Qiao Rubai wouldn’t make such a mistake.

Perhaps… just a temporary reprieve… The challenge was about to start, she pushed these thoughts aside, focusing on the baskets of food.

Not wanting Ji Junxin to dig in the sand, Mi Hongdou rolled up her sleeves and entered the sand pit, along with Jiang Lingling, Lu Changhuai, and Zhang Zijing.

As soon as Jiang Lingling entered the sand pit, it was like… a fish in water, no, like Qiu Qianren using his Iron Palm technique… her hands a blur, half her arms buried in the sand, a pile of tiles quickly accumulating beside her. Dust flying, she looked like a martial arts master.

Competing with Jiang Lingling was a recipe for internal bleeding. Lu Changhuai and Zhang Zijing, who had initially been trying to maintain their image, carefully digging with their hands and feet, seeing Jiang Lingling’s sandstorm and the growing pile of tiles, could only… kneel.

Two grown men, kneeling in the sand, desperately digging, plus Jiang Lingling, like a powerful, well-oiled machine… the visibility in the sand pit decreased rapidly.

Good thing… Ji Junxin isn’t here… Mi Hongdou, covered in sand, thought, digging diligently, and then… she swallowed a mouthful of sand.

Because of Yu Naihao’s earlier comment, she had been waiting for him to use the “Switching Cups.” This sand-digging was clearly a test of strength, and if Yu Naihao used the cups, Jiang Duo, with her… limited strength, would be a much easier opponent than Zhang Zijing.

But Yu Naihao didn’t use the prop.

There were plenty of tiles in the pit, and they all quickly collected forty, Jiang Lingling far ahead, the other three about the same.

Delivering the tiles to their teammates, Mi Hongdou glanced at Yu Naihao questioningly, and he just smiled at her cheerfully.

With forty tiles each, the teammates at the finish line started building their towers, but the pressure on the tile-gatherers intensified. After 160 tiles removed, there were fewer left in the pit. They now had to dig deeper, carefully searching each area.

Mi Hongdou, her arms aching, her back sweating, her hands heavy, could barely lift them out of the sand. But she had to persevere, not just for herself, but for Ji Junxin, who was carefully building their tower, she had to find more tiles.

Not just her, but Lu Changhuai and Zhang Zijing also slowed down. As for Jiang Lingling… she was still a digging machine.

Mi Hongdou, while searching, also mentally mapped the areas they had already covered, avoiding those spots, trying her luck elsewhere. They were all doing the same, a silent, unspoken strategy.

Hot, tired, sore… just as she was nearing exhaustion, the director’s voice boomed, “Team Yu Naihao has used the ‘Switching Cups’! Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo, please come and have a drink, then switch positions!”

Here it comes…

Mi Hongdou narrowed her eyes, picking up a tile. Her hands, covered in sand, were sore and heavy, trembling despite her efforts to keep them still. That Yu Naihao, a bit mischievous…

The “Switching Cups” could be used three times per challenge. If he had used it once earlier, and once now, it would have been even more effective. Live streaming is so inconvenient, we can’t even discuss our strategies…

But Yu Naihao clearly had his own plan.

The “Switching Cups” worked. In seconds, Zhang Zijing’s tower, which Jiang Duo had painstakingly built with forty tiles, collapsed. And Jiang Duo, standing in the sand pit, looked lost, unsure where to dig, and could only start from the edge again.

Mi Hongdou, seeing Jiang Duo in the same pit, her own strength renewed, perhaps… by a different kind of energy.

Yu Naihao used the “Switching Cups” two more times, repeatedly switching Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo. Different people, different balancing skills, different building methods. Their tower kept collapsing, their search in the sand pit restarting, their time wasted…

Unsurprisingly, they came in last.

Jiang Lingling and Bao Yueqiao, naturally, won first place. Although Bao Yueqiao had used more tiles for the base, they had so many tiles that even after wasting some, they still easily reached two meters.

Thanks to Jiang Lingling’s efficient digging, the other teams couldn’t find enough tiles to reach two meters.

Yu Naihao and Zhang Zijing’s tower was the second tallest.

Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin came in third, their reward: a basket of vegetables. Mi Hongdou felt guilty. Ji Junxin’s tower-building skills were good, she had wasted fewer tiles than Bao Yueqiao, but Mi Hongdou hadn’t found enough.

Seeing Mi Hongdou’s guilt, Ji Junxin chattered non-stop on their way back, praising every vegetable, their freshness, their appearance, as if they had received the most precious ingredients.

Although she knew Ji Junxin was just trying to comfort her, Mi Hongdou still felt a warmth spreading through her, a smile appearing on her face.

Winning and losing were part of the game. Losing was disappointing, but not devastating. A basket of vegetables was still a lot, they could earn more coins for meat later, and they still had eggs at home. Mi Hongdou, looking at Ji Junxin, who was carefully praising the vegetables, her eyes softened. Being together is all that matters.

Because of you, I feel stronger, more courageous, even vegetables are enough…

She had traded their coins for meat skewers this morning, so for lunch, to have meat, she would have to do some tasks, maybe earn enough for some shredded meat to stir-fry with the vegetables.

But unexpectedly, when they went to Madam Wang’s to deliver the five-spice eggs and do the chicken-feeding task, there was a new task.

“Take these two chickens, bring me a five-spice chicken for dinner, and you can keep the other one,” Madam Wang said, pointing at the chicken coop, her expression indifferent.

This is a task? They were stunned. What happened to the show’s rules? The tasks are so strange now, the rewards so generous, are they changing the format?

Unbeknownst to them, Madam Wang’s generosity made both their cameramen and Pan Xiang, watching the live stream, want to vomit blood. She had at least been somewhat restrained with the eggs this morning, but after tasting those five-spice eggs, she’s completely lost it!

The cameramen didn’t say anything. They had been unable to control the NPCs during last night’s meeting; this was expected. They could even imagine Madam Wang’s explanation for her increased favorability in the video later: The five-spice eggs were delicious, how could I not increase their favorability.

Has the show gone soft? All that initial hardship, and now, after just a few days, we’re living in luxury? Mi Hongdou, although puzzled, confirmed the task and went into the coop to catch the chickens.

While she was busy catching chickens, and Ji Junxin searching for some rope, Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo arrived.

Although they had just finished filming together, there had been some unpleasantness, both on and off screen. They just exchanged brief, polite greetings.

Seeing the chickens scattering as Mi Hongdou entered the coop, Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo naturally asked what she was doing. Ji Junxin, tying a few short pieces of rope together, explained the new task.

Since the beginning of the show, things had been going downhill for Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo. Many tasks were too difficult, they always lost the challenges, and they had even been humiliated by Yu Naihao. Hearing about the task, their eyes lit up.

But when they tried to catch chickens, Madam Wang stopped them.

After a confused exchange, they finally understood: this “five-spice chicken for a live chicken” task wasn’t for them. The reason: they hadn’t met the requirements.

This is ridiculous!

The participants didn’t know about the NPC favorability system, but the director had mentioned hidden missions.

Unable to get any information from Madam Wang, they turned to Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin. They learned about the five-spice egg task… which they also couldn’t get…

And even Ji Junxin couldn’t explain how they had unlocked the five-spice egg task.

Just then, Mi Hongdou emerged with two chickens. Faced with their questions, although suspecting it was because of the fried dough cakes Ji Junxin had given away yesterday, she didn’t tell them, just feigning ignorance.

They said that after being reborn, your perspective changes, that you become more… understanding and forgiving. But sometimes, understanding made it even harder to let go, like her dislike for Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo.

Especially after hearing about Ji Junxin’s childhood, Mi Hongdou felt a surge of anger and protectiveness. She couldn’t imagine how Ji Junxin had endured those betrayals and hurts in their previous life.

Some might say that in this life, they hadn’t done anything yet, so it wasn’t fair to hold their past actions against them. But… it was. If it weren’t for her and Qiao Rubai, this life would have been the same as the last. Jiang Duo and Lu Gaoshi’s scheme, the so-called “homemade” food Jiang Duo had sent to Ji Junxin during “Imperial Secrets,” it was all… proof.

Having bad intentions and acting on them, wasn’t that bad enough?

And thinking about Ji Junxin’s retirement, about the arrogant celebrity couple in their previous life, Mi Hongdou sneered. Her inaction in this life was already an act of kindness.

She applauded Yu Naihao’s actions, although he and Jiang Duo hadn’t targeted her in this reality show. She mentally gave him many thumbs-up.

But Yu Naihao’s targeting of them was a bit… much.

And she wasn’t the only one who thought so.

The earlier team changes were still causing ripples. Yu Naihao, after establishing “separate finances” with Jiang Duo, then persuading Lu Changhuai to do the same with Zhang Zijing, had taken most of the easier tasks and earned the rewards. And after receiving the Team Change Card, he had now used the “Switching Cups.”

The “LuYu” fans were ecstatic. Serves them right! Trying to break up a CP when you can’t even complete the tasks yourselves!

The “LuYu” fans understood Yu Naihao’s frustration. The general audience, however, criticized him for being too harsh. But the “LuYu” fans defended him, pointing out that the props were part of the game.

And their staunch defense even started arguments with some of the more… “saintly” viewers. But this didn’t last long, because later in the game, Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo also used a prop against Yu Naihao and Lu Changhuai, without any provocation.

Whose definition of “pitiful” was the correct one?

Mi Hongdou, carrying the two chickens, put those two aside and focused on planning lunch: five-spice chicken and braised eggplant. She would stew the chicken first, then do a few tasks, earn some coins, and make a shepherd’s purse, tofu, and vermicelli soup.

While making the five-spice eggs that morning, she had told Jiang Lingling about the task. But even after the chicken was simmering, when Jiang Lingling and Bao Yueqiao came over, they didn’t get either the egg or the chicken task. Neither did Lu Changhuai and Yu Naihao.

Hearing this, Mi Hongdou, stirring the chicken, felt a little uneasy. Even if it’s for Ji Junxin, isn’t Qiao Rubai being a little too… helpful?

Mi Hongdou was wronging Qiao Rubai.

The NPCs’ actions were becoming increasingly unpredictable, Madam Wang just the beginning. Both Pan Xiang and Qiao Rubai knew that other NPCs were also creating new tasks, tasks that required Mi Hongdou’s cooking as payment. If this continued, although Mi Hongdou could easily conquer the village with her culinary skills, the other teams would be miserable. And such a disparity wouldn’t be good for the show. And the dominant team wouldn’t be popular either.

With Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin’s team thriving, for the sake of balance, the other teams needed a boost.

New tasks from existing NPCs, new “hidden” missions created by advertisers, random NPCs appearing with quests and rewards, even guest appearances from famous celebrities… Dengjia Village was suddenly bustling with activity, a harmonious picture of shared prosperity.

And Plan B was accelerated.