Chapter 13: How Gentle Yu Zhicheng Is

"Wait a moment, Auntie," Yu Zhicheng first turned off the microphones clipped to their collars and then instructed the camera to move further away.

"Alright, Auntie, you can speak now."

Yu Danxue curiously glanced at the device on her collar. "Xiaosheng, what is this?"

Yu Zhicheng explained the microphone, then went on to describe the earlier sound equipment in the courtyard, which made the microphone unnecessary.

Danxue’s eyes sparkled with interest, her mind buzzing with ideas. If such a wonderful device could be used back home, how great that would be.

But she didn’t forget the matter at hand. Covering her mouth with her chubby hand, she whispered, "Xiaosheng, have you noticed that Dou Dou and Xiao Yun’s behavior seems off?"

Zhicheng pondered the situation of Feng Dou Dou and Xiao Yun, realizing that indeed, something was amiss.

Unlike the lively and active Auntie and Luo Jian, those two children barely appeared before them or spoke much.

"There is something wrong," he admitted.

Could it be that Duan Lele and Gao Pengfei had done something to those two kids?

Given what he knew of Duan Lele and Gao Pengfei, it was entirely possible.

Danxue looked worried. "I don’t know what’s going on with Dou Dou and Xiao Yun. They just acted like that on the show."

"Especially Dou Dou. She started crying right at the beginning. I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say."

She added, "Xiao Yun’s behavior isn’t right either."

Zhicheng stroked his chin and lowered his voice. "Auntie, how about this? I’ll have someone look into the specifics, and we’ll observe quietly."

"Since it’s a show, bluntly questioning them won’t help. It’s better to watch and see."

If his suspicions were correct, Feng Dou Dou and Xiao Yun definitely wouldn’t dare speak the truth in front of the cameras.

If these two children dared say a word of truth on camera, Duan Lele and Gao Pengfei’s fans would tear them apart and even harass their families, causing chaos for them all.

Danxue knew she wasn’t as knowledgeable about these matters as Zhicheng, and nodded in agreement.

Zhicheng cautioned, "Auntie, don’t keep asking Feng Dou Dou too much or pay her too much attention. Otherwise, the cameras will always catch her, and that would only add pressure on her."

Danxue acknowledged with a soft "I understand."

After their discussion, Zhicheng turned the microphone back on and took Danxue’s hand, returning to Qi Kang.

Meanwhile, Luo Jian had already prepared the tomatoes and eggs.

The tomatoes were cut into various sizes, and Qi Kang had beaten the eggs. Overall, it looked acceptable.

---

"What are we cooking, Xiaosheng?" Danxue frowned anxiously. "None of us know how to cook."

Zhicheng was pondering the same problem: neither he nor Auntie could cook. What dish could they prepare to complete the task?

[Brother, make a cold dish! Cold cucumber salad — just cut cucumbers into pieces and add some seasoning. It’s the simplest.]

[I guess Zhicheng is probably thinking about making some fancy dish and hasn’t considered something as simple as a cold salad.]

[The atmosphere here is really nice, unlike the other two groups where Feng Dou Dou is crying, Duan Lele keeps coaxing her, and Gao Pengfei is lecturing Xiao Yun about his poor performance and urging him to be more visible on camera.]

[Does Gao Pengfei have a screw loose? He’s supposed to be cooperating with amateur kids, not his own son. Who gave him the right to lecture them?]

"I'm about to pour the oil; stay back a bit," Luo Jian warned the three, holding a small bucket of oil.

"I’ll do it! Tell me how to do it, and I’ll handle it," Qi Kang hurriedly took the oil bucket from Luo Jian.

"Oil is dangerous; it can splatter and burn."

After explaining the procedure, Luo Jian pulled Danxue aside.

Zhicheng followed, stepping back as well, and asked Luo Jian, "Do you have any other dishes? Auntie and I can’t think of what to cook."

Luo Jian thought for a moment, then tapped her chin. "How about a cold cucumber salad?"

"It’s very simple. Just wash and cut the cucumbers, then add some seasoning."

Whether it would taste good was uncertain, but their task was simply to prepare a dish.

"Xiaosheng, let’s make the cold cucumber salad," Danxue nodded firmly. "Sounds simple enough."

Zhicheng agreed. He couldn’t cook hot dishes or fancy meals, so a cold dish was the best option.

"Auntie, let’s go wash the cucumbers."

He took two cucumbers from the basket and carried them to the basin.

Suddenly, there was a sharp “psst” sound.

"Ow! That oil splattered!" Qi Kang nearly jumped, twisting and bending over. "It splashed onto my arm, and it really hurts."

Zhicheng and Danxue instinctively stepped far away from the pan.

Their eyes widened in shock, faces filled with horror. Cooking was so dangerous!

"Brother, quickly take the scrambled eggs out, leave some oil in the pan, then pour in the tomatoes," Luo Jian shouted, not daring to get too close and hopping about anxiously.

Qi Kang clumsily transferred the scrambled eggs onto a plate and poured in the tomatoes, sweating profusely from the effort.

---

Zhicheng and Danxue kept their distance.

After washing the cucumbers, they used another knife to cut them.

Zhicheng did most of the cutting.

His knife skills were decent, and the cucumber pieces looked fairly presentable.

But when it came to adding the seasoning, problems arose.

"Xiaosheng, what is this black stuff?" Danxue was fascinated by the variety of condiments, as if seeing something rare.

She had never seen so many seasonings in her life.

Zhicheng looked at the labels. "Auntie, this is soy sauce."

"And this one?"

"That’s vinegar."

"What about this?"

"This is sesame oil."

"And this?"

"Lard."

...

No matter how many questions Danxue asked, Zhicheng answered patiently every time, without any sign of irritation or impatience.

[My brother is so patient. Is it because she’s a little elder? I’ve never seen him like this before.]

[I don’t think it’s just that. Seeing how Zhicheng is, you know his upbringing is very good. Most of the time, it’s others who bring out his less pleasant side.]

[After watching this show, I’m puzzled why Zhicheng has so many scandals. People are always slandering him, saying all sorts of bad things.]

[It’s simple. Zhicheng doesn’t lack anything; he chose to be a star because he likes it. He doesn’t need to please anyone, flatter anyone, or do anything for resources. So those who do all that can’t stand him, envy him, and try every way to drag him down.]

[Are those people stupid? If he’s out of the business, he could just go home, inherit shares, and could easily blacklist them all.]

[You have to forgive them; their brains aren’t much bigger than a key. They’re so-called high-profile stars with countless fans, they just can’t conceive of these things.]

Zhicheng and Danxue added a generous amount of seasoning to the cucumbers.