Chapter 24: Piping Hot Stewed Beans Are Here—Did You Poison the Rice?! [Requesting Monthly Votes]

When Lu Ming woke up, he found the entire courtyard cold and eerily silent. He checked his phone and saw it was already 5:40 AM. It was strange that no one else was awake. After quickly washing up, he went to the living room to call the others, but received no response.

After a brief search, Lu Ming clapped his hands, whispering to himself, "It must be Wu Qian and Teacher Huang trying to prank me by deliberately not waking me up!"

[Hahahaha!]

[The outside world was in total chaos last night, but this D-list celebrity woke up completely clueless! And yet, every single accident was caused by him. I’m dying!]

[Do the fans hear what they’re saying? This D-list hack smashed a wine bottle on my idol Qian’s forehead, and you’re telling me he knows nothing?!]

[He owes Qian a debt he can never repay!]

[Prejudice really is a mountain in people’s hearts. The moment something went wrong, he immediately assumed Teacher Huang and Qian were trying to set him up!]

[Well, were they or weren't they?]

[They wanted to, but they failed.]

Still concerned about the mission, Lu Ming prepared to head out. After a passerby tipped him off, he checked the internet and finally learned what had happened. He immediately drove to the city hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital entrance, he noticed a restaurant serving home-style dishes and rushed inside.

"Boss, give me two bowls of braised green beans. No other sides, just the beans. They have to be the old, withered kind. Also, add half a catty of coarse salt and half a catty of chili powder. Stew them until the flavor is fully absorbed!"

The owner: ???

The middle-aged man looked at Lu Ming deeply and said earnestly, "No matter what your relatives have done to you, remember, they will always be your closest family in this world!"

"You're right. Add two taels of mustard to it as well!"

The owner: ...

"You don't understand, this is my teacher's favorite hobby. He often lectures us by saying he's eaten more salt than we've eaten rice, so I'm bringing him the salt!"

The owner: "I can't do it."

Lu Ming: "Two taels!"

The owner: "Two taels at most!"

...

Lu Ming carried a black plastic bag to the ward. Before he even reached the door, he peered through the crack and saw his friends and colleagues lying in their hospital beds, all hooked up to IV drips!

Lu Ming shouted, "Teacher Huang!"

The members of the group, who were playing dead, jumped at the sudden noise!

Teacher Huang and Wu Qian sat up instantly. They recognized that familiar, punchable voice immediately!

Lu Ming pushed the door open and strode in, beaming. "Teacher Huang, you're still alive! It’s just wonderful that you’re still alive!"

"Oh, isn't this my brother Qian? You're still alive too?"

"One night apart, and you've fallen this far?!"

Teacher Huang: "..."

Wu Qian: "..."

Both men clenched their fists subconsciously, but the next second, the pain in their IV-inserted veins made them wince. They forced themselves to relax, glaring at Lu Ming with malice.

"Who the hell is your brother!" Wu Qian gritted his teeth.

Teacher Huang forced a smile. "Are you hoping this old man would die?"

"How could that be? Teacher Huang, and Brother Qian, I am genuinely happy from the bottom of my heart that you two are safe and sound!" Lu Ming’s expression was sincere. "No one knows the worry and sadness I felt when I woke up and learned of the tragedy last night. Thinking of your miserable experience, I almost cried!"

Teacher Huang sneered. "You were laughing inside, weren't you?"

Wu Qian scoffed. "Almost cried tears of joy, right?"

"What kind of talk is that!" Lu Ming’s face straightened, and he spoke earnestly. "To be honest, if you really wanted my life, you could have just said so. I would have given it to you, so what? Why involve innocent people? Look at what you two did to Brother Chao and the others! They didn't do anything wrong, they didn't commit any sins—how could they deserve such humiliation!"

Deng Chao was moved to tears upon hearing this. "Lu Ming is the only decent person here!"

"He’s speaking the truth!" Chen Chichi cried out in resonance. "Do you know what it’s like to walk down the street without underwear and be stared at by strangers? You’ll never understand!"

"I'm allergic to mustard! God knows how it felt to wake up and find my eyes smeared with it!" Li Chen sobbed in collapse.

Teacher Huang: "..."

Wu Qian: "..."

They could be unreasonable with the D-list celebrity, but facing the accusations of their peers, they knew they were in the wrong and could only endure the awkwardness. However, looking at Lu Ming, they still subconsciously curled their fingers into fists, their eyes flashing with murderous intent.

The director, who was in charge of supervising their condition, stepped forward to remind them: "Xiao Ming, Teacher Huang and the others are patients now. They can't take too much stimulation. Watch what you say..."

"One is my teacher, and the other is my dear friend. I wouldn't stimulate anyone but them!" Lu Ming said with a righteous face.

The director stepped aside silently: "I hope so!"

...

"Forget it, what's done is done. It's better to forgive when you can. Everyone, give me, Lu Ming, some face and don't hold the crimes committed by Teacher Huang and Qian against them."

"They know they were wrong."

The ward fell silent.

It wasn't that Lu Ming had that much influence, but they all knew that no matter how much they held them accountable, it wouldn't change what had happened. Plus, they were at a loss for words, so they quieted down.

"When I heard that my most respected Teacher Huang and my best brother Qian had such a terrible accident, I rushed to the hospital immediately. I realized you hadn't had breakfast, and since there was a restaurant nearby, I specially had them stew two big bowls of delicious green beans. Anyway, enough talk—sit up and eat while it's hot!"

Under the strange gazes of everyone, Lu Ming pulled two overflowing lunch boxes from the black plastic bag.

The sauce was rich, fresh, and delicious!

It really was common braised green beans.

Teacher Huang: "!!!"

Wu Qian: "???"

That damn D-list celebrity—they thought he had finally found his conscience, but he had just brought them two bowls of green beans to mock them!

Although Lu Ming’s expression was serious and showed no sign of gloating, both men were certain this bastard was laughing his head off inside.

But considering their current miserable situation and the fact that they hadn't eaten much since last night, they were truly hungry. Still, they were too embarrassed to take the boxes from Lu Ming, so they just sat there awkwardly.

The director, being kind, stepped forward to help them unfold their small dining tables and opened the boxes.

In an instant, the rich aroma of food filled the entire ward.

Deng Chao, Li Chen, Chen Chichi, and Wang Baoqiang were also starving, their stomachs growling uncontrollably.

"Lu Ming, did you only bring two boxes?" Brother Chao asked, looking on eagerly.

Lu Ming seemed thoughtful and made to take the food away from Teacher Huang: "How about you eat first, Brother Chao? Teacher Huang doesn't look very hungry. He's nimble enough—I'll let him go downstairs and buy some later!"

"Who's not hungry? This old man was beaten up during the show and had his stomach pumped three times last night! I didn't eat much, and I've vomited up all my bile. I'm dizzy from hunger!" Teacher Huang slapped Lu Ming’s hand away, preventing him from taking the food.

Wu Qian had already picked up his spoon and started devouring the meal: "You D-list hack, you still have some conscience!"

"Rare to see you act like a human today..." Teacher Huang echoed incoherently, immediately putting the delicious food into his mouth.

Lu Ming didn't respond and silently retreated to the wall.

*Pfft!!!*

*Pfft!!!*

The two men, having just swallowed the braised beans, instantly transformed into "jet fighters." They spat the food out in a second, as if they had eaten something lethal, and doubled over, coughing violently!

"Ugh... ptooey!!"

"My vocal cords feel like they're scorched!"

"The food is poisoned!"

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey... water... give me water!"

Deng Chao: "???"

Chen Chichi: "???"

"Big Black Bull" Li Chen: "???"

The director looked at Lu Ming: "Did you poison the food?!"

"What kind of talk is that! The food was cooked by the boss; I didn't touch it during the cooking process!" Lu Ming immediately denied it, then looked at the beds and reminded them: "Teacher Huang, if the food isn't to your taste, you can drink some of the bean broth to quench your thirst!"

Teacher Huang instinctively picked up the box and took a sip of the broth. The next second: "Waaaah!!!"

"Ugh... roar, roar, roar, roar!"

Teacher Huang gagged violently, his tongue sticking out as he vomited bile from the heat.

"Sulfuric acid! I drank a mouthful of sulfuric acid!!"

The director looked at the red-faced, pained Teacher Huang and Wu Qian, wondering if the rat poison they had ingested last night hadn't been fully washed out, causing their taste buds to go haywire.

Lu Ming tapped his forehead and added:

"I forgot to mention, I figured since Teacher Huang and Qian eat everything from 'excrement' to rat poison on a daily basis, and occasionally need a meal of toxic beans to nourish their stomachs, their palates must be much heavier than the average person's. That's why I specifically instructed the boss to add two taels of salt and chili, just to cater to the dining experience of heavy-flavor lovers."

The director: "!!!"

The members of the group: "Ah?"

Teacher Huang, his eyes red, jumped directly out of bed: "You D-list hack! I'm going to kill you!!"

"You grandson! Give me your life!!" Before Teacher Huang could make a move, Wu Qian stood up on the hospital bed, lunged forward with a fierce kick, and flew towards Lu Ming, IV stand and all!

Lu Ming dodged nimbly. Qian fell head over heels, howling in pain: "My needle, my needle leaked! My arm is bleeding!!"

Teacher Huang grabbed the IV stand and rushed over, swinging it wildly at Lu Ming!

Lu Ming was agile, flipping over furniture and ducking. Finally, he used Qian’s head as a springboard to jump away, quickly putting some distance between them.

"Ahhhhh!"

The ward was filled with Qian’s heart-wrenching screams.

Teacher Huang swung the metal stand wildly but couldn't hit Lu Ming; instead, Qian was hit by the stand, seeing stars and feeling his scalp tingle.

Brother Chao, Brother Chi, the Black Bull, and the other members of the group, including the director, were huddled in the corner, trembling, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire of the enraged Teacher Huang!

"D-list hack, stand still!"

"Teacher Huang, stop chasing! I'm 'West Poison' Ouyang Ming. We even shipped a CP online a while ago, have you forgotten?"

"I'll never forget your face, even if you turned to ash. I'm sending you to hell today!"

"I brought you hot food to the hospital first thing in the morning, and I'm still wrong? Teacher Huang, you have no heart!!"

"I'm going to tear that loud mouth of yours to shreds!!"

Qian, lying on the ground, wobbled to his feet. He ripped out his needle, ignoring his bleeding arm, grabbed his own IV stand, and with red eyes, joined Teacher Huang in a pincer movement to attack Lu Ming:

"One of us isn't leaving this room today!"

"None of us are living through this!!"

"Qian, calm down! I'm a fan! I'm your biggest fan!"

"I feel sick just looking at your fake fan act. Die, you son of a b*tch!!"

"Stop! Stop!!"

The entire ward was in complete chaos.

Fortunately, Wang Baoqiang was agile enough to restrain the out-of-control Teacher Huang and Wu Qian. After escorting Lu Ming to safety, the nursing staff arrived in time. With a shot of a sedative, the two who were screaming for blood a second ago sat down immediately.

After a while, the two, whose spirits had been shattered by the green beans, regained their sanity.

"Teacher Huang, I just received notice that the plan is to resume the live stream tomorrow morning. But looking at your mental state, should you take a sick leave and skip the recording?"

"If that D-list hack dares to record, why can't we?"

"Record! We must record!"

"Our mental states are perfectly fine! Never been better!"

The two spoke with firm conviction.

"Well... alright." The director looked at the old man and the young one, feeling that if this continued, the two of them would eventually be driven insane by the D-list celebrity.

Although the members of the group ended up in the hospital due to the live-streaming accident, in reality, except for Wu Qian and Teacher Huang, the others were fine. At most, Baby and Reba were a bit traumatized. After all, a girl seeing a zombie right in front of her eyes in the middle of the night would likely have lingering fears in the future.

As for Wu Qian and Teacher Huang, they had some skin abrasions, but nothing serious. Only the ingestion of rat poison would cause some psychological trauma, which would take time to heal.

...

...

The next day.

At 6:00 AM, after the buzz had fermented for a full day and two nights, the show "Running Man," which had broken all records for domestic variety shows, began streaming again under the intense attention of countless netizens!

The members of the group were divided into three teams: Red, Yellow, and Blue.

Red Team: Teacher Huang, Deng Chao, Baby.
Yellow Team: Wu Qian, Chen Chichi, Li Chen.
Blue Team: Lu Ming, Wang Baoqiang, Reba.

The morning air was fresh. The three teams soon arrived at the bustling West Lake Square. Under the filming of drones, countless aunties formed a massive team to dance the square dance. The members, unaware of what was about to happen, joined in the fun. Brother Chao, who was particularly good at dancing, was undoubtedly the most eye-catching one.

But soon, the music for the square dance stopped abruptly!

The elderly ladies took out various acupressure mats in an orderly fashion and laid them out neatly across the spacious square. Half an hour later, a large-scale acupressure track was presented before everyone's eyes.

The director's voice came over:

"Your first task today is: Acupressure Mat Morning Run!"

[Acupressure Mat Morning Run]

[Rules]: All members must complete a three-person relay barefoot within the specified time to move on to the next task location and claim their reward. There are two rewards, and the first team to arrive gets priority.

...