Volume One, Chapter 92: The Taste of Love

Soon, a video was extracted. Yu Mo copied it onto a USB drive and turned to Chu Xirui behind her.

"Let's go downstairs."

Seeing Yu Mo's determined demeanor, Chu Xirui finally relaxed.

On the first floor.

Yu Mo asked Zhang Zheng, "Director, can you set up a screen projection? I’d like to show everyone here and our friends in the livestream something interesting."

Zhang Zheng took out a white handkerchief and wiped his sweat. "Of course."

Though it was somewhat inappropriate, he was willing to do anything for the show's ratings.

The video was soon projected onto the big screen, showing the entrance to Yu Mo's room.

Xie Mengqi's eyes widened as she covered her mouth, her face full of disbelief.

"How is this possible?"

She had thoroughly investigated—the corridor of the luxury suite on the third floor had no surveillance cameras.

Where had Yu Mo gotten this footage?

The video clearly showed Xie Mengqi sneaking into Yu Mo’s room around eleven in the morning. At that time, Yu Mo had gone to Chu Xirui’s room. In the footage, Xie Mengqi was holding a design draft, though she had entered empty-handed.

The evidence was irrefutable: Xie Mengqi had stolen Yu Mo’s idea.

The video ended.

Yu Mo folded her arms, her tone lazy. "It was just a cake design draft, nothing worth digging so deeply into—but you tried to bite back at me."

That, she could not tolerate.

She glanced at the livestream comments, which had shifted from two-sided arguments to a torrent of insults aimed at Xie Mengqi.

[Wow, Xie Mengqi is shameless, stealing someone else's design draft. How could the show let someone like her participate?]

[I protest in my real name. I’m Pangolin, and I insist Xie Mengqi leave the show, or I’ll unfollow all the director’s programs.]

[I was wrong. I shouldn’t have doubted Yu Mo. She doesn’t look like someone who’d plagiarize. I’m rooting for Yu Mo and Mu Shaozhou—give me more of them!]

[I don’t know why I ship Chu Xirui and Su Beican so much. The two of them are hilarious.]

[Did none of you notice Chu Muxing and Lin Yue? When they were making cakes, their eyes were locked, practically sparkling.]

Watching the shifting tide, Yu Mo set down her phone.

"Director, does the show have any rules for punishing theft?"

Zhang Zheng, delighted by the skyrocketing viewer count, quickly replied, "No, Teacher Yu. What punishment do you think is appropriate?"

Xie Mengqi’s eyes widened in panic. She had never heard of such a punishment for contestants.

Yu Mo lifted her beautiful face, looking at the flustered Xie Mengqi with a calm tone. "Then please, Teacher Xie, come with me to the second floor."

Negative emotions were not good for the livestream, and fighting was strictly forbidden.

Xie Mengqi tried to feign illness, but caught sight of Mu Shaozhou’s hawk-like gaze from afar.

She followed Yu Mo upstairs.

Once Xie Mengqi was standing still, Yu Mo rubbed her wrist and delivered a slap.

"Smack!"

A clear handprint appeared on Xie Mengqi's face.

Before she could react, another harsh slap landed on the other side of her face.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound echoed; Yu Mo had used skillful force—enough to punish Xie Mengqi without tiring herself or hurting her own hand.

"One, two, three, four..."

Yu Mo counted as she slapped.

After a long while, the number reached one hundred.

She withdrew her hand and rubbed her wrist again.

Xie Mengqi’s face was now swollen and red, resembling a pig’s head, her mouth misshapen.

Yu Mo took out a small mirror and held it up to Xie Mengqi, letting her see herself.

"Ah!"

Xie Mengqi screamed as if she’d seen a ghost, then rushed back to her room.

Yu Mo let out a long breath, the frustration of the past days finally released. She walked downstairs at a leisurely pace.

Downstairs, the others had nearly finished their cakes; Yu Mo began making hers.

Chu Xirui approached her, eager. "Mo Mo, how did you deal with that woman?"

While spreading cream on her cake, Yu Mo replied, "You’ll find out soon enough."

Chu Muxing’s two-tier cake was ready; after placing it in the fridge, he went to Lin Yue’s side.

"Do you need any help?"

A faint blush appeared on Lin Yue’s face as she nodded gently. "Mm."

Chu Muxing helped pour the cream, while Lin Yue smoothed it out.

Chu Xirui was soon drawn to them, letting out a meaningful "Oh."

She leaned close to Chu Muxing, pulling him aside to whisper, "Brother, do you like Lin Yue? The way you look at her is so sweet it’s killing me. Can you not be so obvious? Though, I wouldn’t mind her as my sister-in-law."

A trace of discomfort flashed in Chu Muxing’s eyes, but he quickly regained composure.

He straightened up and tapped Chu Xirui’s forehead, his tone affectionate. "You always think about these things, but you see others quite clearly."

"What do you mean by that, second brother?" Chu Xirui pouted and rubbed her forehead, puzzled by his words.

What did he mean by seeing others clearly?

Chu Muxing glanced at Su Beican, then withdrew his gaze and said lightly, "You’ll understand one day, silly."

Chu Xirui wasn’t offended. Instead, she squeezed in between Chu Muxing and Lin Yue, acting as a third wheel, relentlessly listing her brother’s good qualities to Lin Yue.

Everyone’s cakes were finished. The staff tasted them and voted for the top three.

Yu Mo’s cake took first place, Chu Xirui’s second, and Lin Yue’s third.

The director stepped forward, facing the livestream camera.

"Now, I announce that the first part of 'Warmhearted Time Machine' has come to a perfect conclusion."

Yu Mo was puzzled—what did "first part" mean?

Was there a second part?

The viewers sent their blessings in the livestream.

Zhang Zheng continued, "Next, the guests will participate in the second part of 'Warmhearted Time Machine.' The theme is 'The Taste of Love.' Ten male and female guests will form five couples to explore the flavors of love together. Let’s look forward to it!"

[Wow—I knew Zhang Zheng never did cooking shows, romance reality is the real deal! I’ll ship ‘Xibei’ CP forever!]

[My ‘Xingyue’ CP is a perfect match, love them so much, everyone charge in!]

[Am I the only one shipping ‘Zhoumo’? Weekend, weekend, I love them to death!]

Watching the rising popularity in the livestream, Zhang Zheng continued, "Due to personal reasons, Xie Mengqi will temporarily leave the show. We’ll invite another guest to replace her, so stay tuned."

Yu Wenbai, who had been virtually invisible until now, spoke up.

"Director, I’d like to withdraw from the show."