Chapter Thirty-Seven: What Kind of Dark Cuisine Is This?

Since she had already invited two people, Su Wan-ning decided to call Feng Rui over as well. After lunch, all four families gathered at Su Wan-ning’s place; fortunately, her house had an open-air kitchen with plenty of space for activities.

Sheng Ying helped Su Wan-ning make milk tea, while the children played together. Perhaps out of some silent agreement not to give Su Wan-ning extra screen time, Feng Rui and Yin Shan-shan rarely found themselves together.

“Watch carefully—the first step in making milk tea is to pour the tea leaves and zero-calorie sugar into the pot and stir-fry them over low heat,” Su Wan-ning explained. Sheng Ying managed the heat, and Su Wan-ning, with one hand holding her phone and the other swinging the spatula, moved with stylish nonchalance, narrating as she went.

[What kind of dark cuisine is this? Is it even drinkable?]
[The production team didn’t give her a livestream, so she invited everyone to her house. Su Wan-ning really will do anything for fame—she’s so calculating.]
[To the hater above, get lost!]

The other three guests had started their own livestreams, so Su Wan-ning’s private room had fewer viewers. She remained unfazed, continuing to stir and explain: “You can choose whatever tea leaves you like for milk tea. For example, if you prefer jasmine, use jasmine tea. Today, I’m using black tea. If you opt for green tea, the flavor will be fresher.”

[She knows so much. Was Su Wan-ning a milk tea shop owner before?]
[I bet she’s a foodie in private. Yesterday, she talked about grapes with such expertise.]
[Did you notice? Su Wan-ning has great cooking skills and knows a lot about ingredients. So her claims on the show about abstaining to keep her figure must’ve been lies.]
[Zero-calorie sugar is the secret! No wonder she’s so slim.]

“Kids, here we need to stir-fry the sugar over low heat until it turns caramel-colored. Be careful not to burn it, or it’ll taste bitter. Beginners should use the lowest heat and a nonstick pan.”

“I’ll help you pour in the milk,” Sheng Ying said, picking up the milk and pouring it into the pot. The liquid boiled vigorously, and a rich fragrance wafted through the courtyard.

[Sheng Ying is so kind, helping her out. Su Wan-ning is just trying to steal the spotlight—don’t give her the chance!]
[Sheng Ying is sincerely grateful after the name tag incident. Why are you all making a fuss?]
[Beautiful, kind, and efficient—Sheng Ying and Su Wan-lin have an inexplicable chemistry.]

Once the milk in the pot changed color, Su Wan-ning carefully picked out all the tea leaves with a slotted spoon. She had already rolled some small tapioca balls from cassava flour and boiled another pot of water. After the water boiled, she dropped the balls in, and soon a pot of shiny pearls was ready.

Su Wan-ning found several cups and filled each with pearls and milk tea.

“Pearl milk tea is ready, kids—come drink!”

“Hooray! Milk tea!” Mingming, eyes shining, rushed over and grabbed the largest cup, gulping it down enthusiastically. Qianqian and Yangyang, being considerate, waited until the youngest siblings had taken theirs before picking up their own cups.

Su Wan-ning handed cups to Feng Rui and Yin Shan-shan, but Yin Shan-shan smiled and politely refused: “This will make me gain weight—I’ve already quit.” Feng Rui, seeing this, quickly waved her hand: “Then I won’t drink either. I need to keep my figure too.”

“Well, you two are certainly disciplined.” Su Wan-ning said nothing more and began drinking with Sheng Ying.

“I think your milk tea is as good as any shop’s—really delicious!”

[Sheng Ying is so supportive!]
[But the milk tea does look very tempting.]
[I’m craving it now—I’m going to make some, friends!]
[Yin Shan-shan and Feng Rui are so disciplined—no wonder they have such good figures.]
[Actually, Sheng Ying and Su Wan-ning have the best figures, and they don’t mind drinking milk tea. The other two are just pretending to be reserved.]
[Is it really necessary to compare? It’s just personal preference.]

Seeing Sheng Ying finish her milk tea, Su Wan-ning walked over and gestured for the camera to zoom in.

“Viewers, do you know why we can indulge in milk tea and stay slim? The answer is exercise!” Su Wan-ning grabbed Sheng Ying’s arm and praised her effortlessly: “Daily morning runs, exercise whenever you can. Stand instead of sit, sit instead of lie down—that’s the real secret for guilt-free eating and drinking. You all should learn this.”

“A half-hour of cardio on an empty stomach, and you’ll be the next beauty! Besides, we exercise not just to get slimmer or prettier, but to strengthen our bodies. No slacking—start now.”

Not far away, Yin Shan-shan and Feng Rui frowned slightly at these words, exchanging glances and seeing a trace of disdain in each other’s eyes.

[She’s right—from now on, I’ll join Sheng Ying for morning runs!]
[The more disciplined a woman is, the younger she looks.]
[I wish I could eat as much as I want, too…]

“Don’t just talk about me—your figure is amazing. Yesterday you streamed in the fields selling grapes all afternoon and didn’t complain at all.”

Su Wan-ning smiled: “Streaming isn’t tiring. I can teach you about live selling someday—it’s really fun!”

“Alright!”

After the cheerful milk tea tasting session, the first stage of the show concluded. All families were to return home for rest, and the production team would occasionally start livestreams, but at irregular times.

[So reluctant—why did it end so quickly?]
[Yeah, it feels like they just arrived yesterday.]
[I won’t see my precious ones for days—take care, darlings! Auntie loves you!]
[Hope Shan-shan gets some rest and posts pretty pictures soon!]

At the village entrance, after bidding farewell to everyone, Su Wan-ning took her two children home. It was already evening when they arrived. After showering, she skipped dinner and fell straight asleep.

She slept so deeply that she didn’t wake until midmorning the next day. Rising from her soft bed, she went downstairs, ate lunch prepared by the housekeeper, and returned to her room to rest.

For two days she lived a decadent routine of eating and sleeping, and with no livestreams from the production team, her popularity visibly declined. On the third morning, Vincent couldn’t hold back and knocked on her bedroom door.

“My little ancestor, how are you still asleep? If you keep this up, you’ll be packing your bags and leaving showbiz tomorrow!”

Su Wan-ning mumbled under the covers, “Don’t exaggerate. I’m just tired—let me rest for a few days.”

“You’ve already rested for two days. Today, no matter what, you have to get up and get ready to go out!”

Under Vincent’s relentless nagging, Su Wan-ning reluctantly got up and took her two little ones downstairs.

“What’s the plan today? Livestream? Photos for Weibo?”

Su Wan-ning shook her head. “Shopping.”

Vincent’s face darkened.

“You can shop, but you must start a livestream—got it? The production team is clearly targeting you. Yin Shan-shan has streamed twice in the past two days, sharing makeup tips and gaining more popularity. You can’t let her surpass you!”