I’ve Gone Viral Because of a Money-Saving Variety Show

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The Tragic President Zhou! Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The Tragic President Zhou! The porridge is free to drink, and you can refill your bowl as much as you like.

This was personally confirmed by Chen Xixi with the landlady when she entered the restaurant just now.

The behavior of the two only drinking porridge without ordering any dishes soon received slightly unusual attention from surrounding customers.

Chen Xixi has a strong inner self and doesn’t really care about what others think.

Drinking porridge for free without being required to make a purchase, and if it wasn’t for the sake of winning the prize money, she wouldn’t want to just drink porridge and miss out on dishes either.

She took a couple of sips of the preserved egg and lean pork porridge in front of her and looked up at Zhou Jinyuan who was sitting opposite her.

She worried that the lofty President Zhou might not adapt to this freeloading behavior.

But unexpectedly, he was quite calm.

And his movements were slow and deliberate, his eating manners extremely graceful, as if he was dining in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

But… on other people’s tables, there were side dishes like small pastries, shrimp dumplings, and so on, which were very rich.

Their table was empty except for two bowls of porridge, and even though their manners were calm and elegant, when compared, it seemed somewhat miserable.

[In my mind, I’ve already accompanied them with a solo erhu performance…]

[The President Zhou who was raised with a gold soup spoon, probably never had such a pathetic meal in his life hahaha!]

[Sixty years later, with gray hair, President Zhou lies on a lounge chair, reminiscing to his grandchildren:

The biggest hardship of my life was the day I went on a show with a woman named Chen Xixi… (holding his forehead with a bitter smile) Let me tell you, that day, she tortured me… she wouldn’t even let me eat a shred of potato…]

[How can you all think they’re pitiful? Looking at their composure and temperament, I really can’t empathize with them feeling miserable.]

When the landlady saw that Chen Xixi and Zhou Jinyuan really were just drinking free porridge without ordering dishes, she was instantly stunned!

No wonder they were so polite earlier, it was a soft approach before the hard tactics!

But that’s not right, the man looks quite wealthy, so why would he be reluctant to spend money on his girlfriend?

The landlady was utterly puzzled.

Although there were no dishes, thankfully the porridge itself had a mildly salty and palatable flavor, and after drinking her third bowl, Chen Xixi finally felt full.

She stood up and walked over to the landlady, smiling and asking, “Sister, is the event still on tomorrow?”

The landlady replied, “Yes.”

“When does the event end?”

“It ends this Wednesday, there are still two days left.” After answering, the landlady couldn’t help but curiously look at the man drinking porridge at the dining table and asked in a low voice, “Girl, is he your boyfriend?”

If he were her boyfriend, the landlady thought about advising her to break up with him as soon as possible.

Although the man has the looks and build that could make girls’ hearts beat faster, this young lady in front of her is no worse off, there’s no need to hang on to this stingy man, don’t be so bewitched by a few bowls of porridge, especially since the porridge was just freeloading.

Chen Xixi smiled: “No, he is my boss.”

The sponsor of the show should also count as her boss, right?

The landlady instantly understood: “That explains it.” So he was her boss, then his stingy behavior made sense.

The porridge shop only operated in the morning, otherwise, Chen Xixi would actually like to sit there all day, with air conditioning, something to eat, no hunger, and not tiring.

Zhou Jinyuan, on the other hand, didn’t eat as much as Chen Xixi, he only drank one bowl of porridge, but he drank it slowly.

After he finished drinking, Chen Xixi frowned, “Just a bowl of porridge, can you really get full?”

“Yup, I’m full.”

He’s picky about food, hardly touching anything that doesn’t appeal to his palate, but he worries if he doesn’t eat this bowl of porridge, he might have to face even less appetizing meals later on.

Joining this show wasn’t about enjoying luxuries, Zhou Jinyuan came prepared mentally, but it turns out… his mental preparation was still not enough…

After breakfast, Chen Xixi enthusiastically took him running all over the place – to the park, the entrance of a kindergarten, shopping malls and other public areas, where she got them free mineral water, masks, snacks, facial masks, and other stuff, using hospitality as an excuse.

Then it was lunchtime, and Chen Xixi actually wanted to take him for afternoon tea.

What about lunch?

Just like that, abruptly cancelled?

“I’ll treat you to a big meal tonight, for real,” Chen Xixi looked at him with sincere eyes. “I promise!”

Zhou Jinyuan didn’t make a fuss. He curled his lips up, looking easy to talk to. “Okay.”

Zhou Jinyuan looks a lot better when he smiles than when he doesn’t. His smile has this lazy and casual vibe to it, making him seem more approachable.

They say beauty is a feast for the eyes, but when you’re really hungry, good looks don’t help at all.

In front of food, there are no distinctions of you or me, gender, looks, or even sponsors, Chen Xixi thought.

[I feel like I can sense President Zhou’s despair through the screen hahaha!]

[President Zhou: What kind of life is this?]

[Chen Xixi: If you can’t get by, you’ve got to make do.]

[President Zhou is so unlucky, being teamed up with the stingy Chen Xixi. You should see how well the other guests are eating with their sponsors.]

[Now boasting is just temporary, what really matters is seeing who can ultimately take home the five million prize money.]

Afternoon tea turned out to be supermarket fruit dessert tastings.

Chen Xixi arrived a bit late today because it’s a fair distance from the park to here. By the time they got there, there wasn’t much fruit or dessert left.

Seeing only three segments of tangerine pitifully laying in the fruit dish, Chen Xixi, with a heavy heart, picked up a new toothpick from the side.

First she handed one to Zhou Jinyuan, then took one for herself, “Let’s make do for now. I’ll definitely give you a big meal tonight, you believe me!”

Then she skewered a tangerine segment and put it in her mouth. The juicy pulp spread between her teeth, and being extremely hungry, Chen Xixi instantly felt it was heavenly, “The tangerines today are so sweet, try it quick.”

Under her gaze, Zhou Jinyuan’s slender fingers gripped the toothpick and pierced the tangerine, while she watched the fruit move with eager eyes…

But Zhou Jinyuan seemed to deliberately move very slowly, in no rush to eat.

Chen Xixi silently swallowed her saliva, her eyes nearly turning green as she stared at the tangerine, then suddenly said, “Do you know, President Zhou, if you hadn’t come today, these three segments would’ve been all mine. But even so hungry, I still shared a piece with you, do you feel my sincerity in hosting you?”

Zhou Jinyuan suddenly smiled, “I feel it.”

Chen Xixi: “Good you feel it, the most important thing about hosting is sincerity. If the sincerity is there, nothing else matters…”

Then Zhou Jinyuan saw the tangerine he was holding and the last remaining piece in the dish both disappear in the blink of an eye.

She didn’t leave him even one piece…

Chen Xixi was truly hungry, otherwise she wouldn’t compete with him for that piece of tangerine.

Sponsors get to experience the thrifty life for just one day, while they have to live like this for 24 days. Zhou Jinyuan can go home after the show tonight and relish in delicacies, but she might have to keep alternating between hunger and fullness.

So that’s just how it had to be, she had to put the sponsor through a little hardship first.