The group had gathered, and the teams were drawn.
Alastair held the second paper slip, his smile stretching from ear to ear.
"Hey, we're both 2, what a coincidence!" The comments section exploded in laughter.
"He took control of the whole scene, it took him three tries to pull out that fate, hahaha!"
"I've seen people steal hearts before, but never like this—this is next level. Look, Pranav's face is turning green!"
"I've seen people steal hearts before, but never like this—this is next level. Look, Pranav's face is turning green!"
"Let's put it this way—doesn't Pranav and Essence have any fault here? This handsome guy is definitely not the third wheel."
"Essence's got a terminal illness—fainting at the wedding wasn't something she could control. What's her fault in this?"
"Yeah, right, she has a terminal illness, so everything she does is right."
……
The groups were set, and the director handed out the task cards.
Each group would work together to complete a dish, and at dinner time, everyone would rate each dish. The highest-scoring team would get the privilege of choosing their rooms first.
Alastair and I were paired together, while Essence and Pranav formed another team, and Yvonne and Mya were the third group.
The three teams selected their ingredients and headed to the designated preparation area.
I picked up a potato to peel it, but Alastair took it from my hands.
His hands were cool, and where we touched felt like a fire had ignited. I quickly pulled my hand back.
Alastair lowered his eyes, his expression full of emotion, yet broken.
As though I were an irresponsible, heartless woman.
"Alanna, do you really dislike me?" I caught a glimpse of the red plum blossom on his collarbone, and I averted my eyes, feeling guilty.
"No... no, I don't."
Alastair's dim eyes lit up. "If you don't dislike me, then you like me, right?"
"Cooking isn't something for a girl to do. Alanna, why don't you rest and have some coffee? I'll finish quickly." He didn't give me a chance to argue and took all the ingredients away.
I watched him busying himself in the kitchen. Several times, I wanted to help, but I couldn't find the right opportunity. When Alastair saw I couldn't sit still anymore, he washed a plate of strawberries and handed it to me.
"Finish the strawberries for me. You can't come into the kitchen until you finish them." The way he was treating me like a child felt strangely special. I used to be the one taking care of Pranav. He loved yam cake with blueberries, and I'd make it for him.
Even though my hands would itch and hurt from an allergy, I didn't cry.
But when I saw the same blueberry yam cake on Essence's social media, I cried secretly the entire night.
The next time we met, he simply said, "Essence also likes blueberry yam cake. Make an extra one next time." It wasn't until now that I realized the difference between the real deal and the knockoff was so huge.
The comments section Janetted to stir up.
Netizens jokingly said, "This variety show owes me a handsome, rich, and good-at-cooking little brother." The camera shifted to Essence and Pranav.
Pranav had never set foot in a kitchen, but the cameras made him put on a show.
Had it not been for the old man freezing his bank cards and ordering him to win back Alanna's heart on the show to fix the company's image, he wouldn't have come to endure this nonsense.
Pranav shot a glance at me leisurely eating strawberries, his anger boiling inside.
He picked up an onion and began chopping it furiously.
Essence tried to present herself as the hardworking, virtuous type, struggling to hold back tears while she helped Pranav in the kitchen.
But she couldn't cook either, and after her attempts, the kitchen looked like a battlefield.
Finally, the cameraman surrendered first, retreating with his camera.
The comments flooded in: "Ha ha, poor cameraman, three seconds of sympathy."
"With skills like that, you still think you can win back our idol? We're the first ones to disagree."
"The families have a marriage arrangement. Shipping this couple needs to stay in bounds. Don't bring in unnecessary drama."
"Fun fact, Essence is the fake daughter raised by the Kemp family since childhood, and Alanna is the real one they found later. The engagement was actually set for Essence, so she should marry into the Craig family."
"I second that."
While chaos reigned over here, on the other side, things were much quieter with Yvonne and Mya.
"At dinner time, the dishes from the three teams Janetted to arrive, and the comments section was already buzzing with reviews: ""What is Team A making? That black, charred plate—can't even tell what it is."" When Essence announced the dish: sautéed onions, the entire online crowd collectively observed three seconds of silence for the burnt onions.
"
Comments: "Team B's dish looks great! It's like a deluxe version of instant noodles, with eggs, spinach, and sausage as the toppings. Looks so delicious!"
"I'm already hungry, soup's on me." When it was Alastair's turn to serve his dish, the comments went wild:
"The task was to make just one dish, but he insisted on making a four-course meal with soup. That's not up to standard. Send it to my place, and I'll help 'dispose' of it."
"Steamed baby veggies, garlic butter shrimp, sweet and sour fish fillets, mushroom chicken stew. I suspect these were just props prepared in advance. Send them to my place, and I'll help the fans verify."
"Heh, the person above is being so obvious, it's like I can see their intentions clearly."
Yvonne swallowed at the smell of the food and said in surprise, "Did you make all this by yourself?"
Alastair nodded faintly, "Yes, I was worried there wouldn't be enough for everyone."
Live chat: "Is it because you're worried there won't be enough for everyone, or worried someone won't get enough?"
"Alanna: I don't eat much, please don't call attention to it."
"Joanne looked at me with a reproachful gaze, ""Alanna, you used to make pastries for Pranav all the time. Why didn't you make any this time? Can you help share the load for Alastair?""
"
Alastair furrowed his brows, "Your arm is injured—how can you be working? From now on, you're not allowed to wear yourself out for anyone."
My heart skipped a beat. How did he know I was hurt?
"Pranav's expression shifted slightly, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. ""Alanna, why didn't you tell me you were hurt?""
"
Joanne looked terribly guilty: "Alanna, I'm sorry, I didn't know."
I gave them a cold glance, "The past is over."
Pranav began, "Alanna, I…"
Alastair directly stepped between Pranav and me, interrupting his sentence.
Live chat: "Ooooh, Alastair's getting anxious."
"Ooh, who's jealous?" Once all the dishes were served, everyone sat down to eat. We Janetted with soup, and Alastair served me a bowl.
Once the food arrived, everyone sat down to eat. We Janetted with soup. Alastair ladled a bowl for me. I took a spoonful and enjoyed the rich chicken broth, feeling immensely comfortable as it slid down.
Mya also took a spoonful of soup, then gave Alastair a thumbs-up.
One spoon after another, without realizing it, I finished the whole bowl.
If it weren't for controlling my weight, I could've easily had another one. The guys didn't have such concerns and were eating freely, enjoying their soup and meat. Alastair was quick with his hands, grabbing the last shrimp, peeling it, and placing it into my bowl.
"These are fresh, live shrimp. Have some more."
I thanked him and placed the shrimp in my mouth. The texture was firm and springy, and the taste was incredibly sweet. I closed my eyes in happiness. I've loved shrimp since I was little, but Pranav is allergic to seafood, so I hadn't eaten shrimp since we Janetted dating.
In high spirits, we all raised our glasses together.
Mya, with her open personality, asked directly, "Alastair, is your hobby actually cooking?"
Alastair shook his head, "My hobby is making my beloved happy."
Everyone was shocked, not expecting Alastair to be so straightforward.
After the surprise, the flames of gossip ignited. Mya grinned mischievously, "Who's your beloved?" Comments: "He's so smooth with words. Ask more, ask more!"
"He's got game."
"He's so brave, always competing and fighting for attention. I really admire him—he must've won his beloved's heart for sure."
"LOL, I thought this variety show was all about female competition, but turns out it's all about chasing after his wife." I silently lowered my head, my ten toes twisting like a drill, my body burning with embarrassment. The floor, please open up and swallow me.
