I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

Back in the makeshift kitchen, the live stream officially began.

Six people sat around the worktable, a hot pot with two broths simmering and a wok placed on the stove.

Song Yuqi rolled up her sleeves and began preparing the ingredients.

The knife fell steadily, the lotus root slices were thin, and the potato chunks were all the same size.

Jiang Che stood next to her, taking charge of washing the vegetables.

More accurately, they were responsible for taking the vegetables out of the water and putting them in the basket.

Lu Han glanced at it as she passed by and said, "That's it? This is all you do?"

"I'm studying."

"You've been studying for ten minutes, and you've washed the enoki mushrooms three times."

"Enoki mushrooms must be washed thoroughly."

Song Yuqi didn't even turn her head: "Two washes are enough. Washing it any more will just leave it smelling like water."

Jiang Che silently pulled his hand out of the basin.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments.

[Haha, he's pretending to help! He just wants to stand next to her!]

I laughed for a century after washing enoki mushrooms three times.

[Qiqi: Go away, don't cause trouble. Jiang Che: I'm not leaving, I'm staying here.]

On the other side, Deng Chao and Chen He were in charge of frying the bottom of the pot.

To be precise, it was Deng Chao who was stirring things up, and Chen He who was directing things.

"Melt the butter first." Chen He sat on the stool next to him, legs crossed.

Deng Chao threw the whole block of butter into the pot, and oil splattered out.

"Small fire! Small fire!" Chen He jumped up from the stool.

Deng Chao frantically adjusted the fire, and the butter in the pot had already started to smoke.

"Fermented broad bean paste! Quickly add the fermented broad bean paste!"

Deng Chao grabbed the jar of fermented soybean paste, and in his nervousness, he poured the whole jar in.

The contents of the pot quickly turned dark red.

Chen He stared at the pot for two seconds.

"It's over."

Deng Chao stood there, holding the empty bottle: "Is there any way to save it?"

"You poured the whole bottle out, and now you're asking me how to salvage it?"

Wang Mian peeked out from behind and asked, "Is this color a base coat or paint?"

Lu Han leaned in for a sniff, then immediately took three steps back.

"Spicy! This broth is way too spicy!"

Deng Chao panicked: "Add water! Dilute it with water!"

Chen He pressed down on his hand: "Adding water will only make the spiciness spread more. Have you never cooked before?"

"I've done it!"

"What have you done?"

"I cooked instant noodles."

Chen He closed his eyes briefly: "Alright."

The live stream chat was already in stitches.

[Deng Chao, please stay away from the pot!]

A whole bottle of fermented soybean paste! A whole bottle!!

[Chen He's expression was priceless, hahaha!]

Is this hot pot still safe to eat...?

Song Yuqi put down the knife and walked over, glancing at the situation in the pot.

She paused for three seconds.

"Add a piece of rock sugar and a little vinegar, it will help to weigh it down a bit."

Deng Chao grasped at a straw: "Rock sugar! Does anyone have rock sugar?!"

Wang Mian flipped through the condiment section: "I didn't buy rock sugar."

The entire room fell silent.

Song Yuqi turned to Jiang Che and said, "Go to that convenience store over there and buy a bag of rock sugar."

"How much?"

"Three or four pieces, I guess."

Deng Chao reluctantly took out his emergency funds.

"Go on, hurry up. There's only..." He counted the money in his hand, "Fifteen dollars."

Jiang Che took the money and ran to the convenience store.

A minute later, he ran back holding the rock candy.

Song Yuqi took it, threw four into the pot, and then poured vinegar around it.

The color of the bottom of the pot changed from dark red to brownish-red, which looked a bit more normal.

Deng Chao wiped his sweat: "We're saved."

Chen He sat back down on the stool: "From now on, stay away from the stove."

At that moment, Wu Zheng's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"Everyone, the live stream voting channel is now open. The first batch of mandatory ingredients selected by viewers will be announced in five minutes."

The six people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lu Han whispered, "I have a bad feeling."

Five minutes later, the voting results popped up on the screen.

Wu Zheng read it aloud.

"The three ingredients that received the most votes in the first round of audience voting."

"First place: Houttuynia cordata."

Song Yuqi raised an eyebrow.

Second place: Brains.

Deng Chao's expression changed.

Third place: Stinky tofu.

Chen He stood up: "Are you serious, audience?"

The live stream chat was flooded with wicked "hahahaha".

I voted for houttuynia cordata!

[I submitted the pig brain dish, thank you.]

[Who has tried stinky tofu hot pot? It's amazing!]

Oh no, their expressions are priceless!

Deng Chao turned to look at the pot: "Houttuynia cordata hot pot? What kind of culinary abomination is this?"

Song Yuqi remained calm: "It's very common to have houttuynia cordata in hot pot in Chongqing."

"real?"

"It's true, the locals love to eat it."

Lu Han shook her head: "I can accept pig brains, but stinky tofu in hot pot, that smell..."

Wang Mian covered his nose: "Just thinking about it isn't enough."

Jiang Che looked at the names of the three ingredients, then turned to Song Yuqi: "You eat houttuynia cordata and pig brain?"

Song Yuqi nodded: "I can eat a whole plate of houttuynia cordata mixed with soy sauce and chili. Tender pig brains are fine too."

Jiang Che frowned slightly.

Song Yuqi noticed: "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Brains..." he paused, "...the texture."

"What does it taste like?"

"Never mind, I won't describe it."

Deng Chao gagged slightly and said, "Please stop talking."

Chen He took out his phone, checked the comments, and read one out: "I suggest voting for snail rice noodles next round."

The entire audience groaned in despair.

Wu Zheng's voice came through the walkie-talkie again: "The ingredients have been prepared by the staff and will be delivered soon."

"Also, please remember that every batch of mandatory ingredients must be cooked completely; there can be no waste."

Deng Chao looked up and sighed deeply.

Three minutes later, a staff member came in carrying three trays.

After washing and cutting the houttuynia cordata into sections, the white rootstocks carried the scent of earth.

The pig brains were served in a bowl, a soft, mushy mess.

Stinky tofu is a deep-fried, golden-brown cube; you can smell it from two meters away.

Chen He took three steps back.

Lu Han pinched her nose and placed the pig brains by the pot: "Who's going to cook them?"

Everyone looked at Deng Chao.

Deng Chao pointed to his own nose: "Why are you looking at me?"

Chen He spoke coldly: "You are the regimental commander."

"Does the regimental commander deserve to have his brains ripped off?"

"The team leader is responsible for covering all costs; you said it yourself."

Deng Chao took a breath, picked up a piece of pig brain, and put it into the pot with trembling hands.

The pig brains were put into the pot, the beef tallow soup bubbled, and a few drops of red oil splashed onto the back of Deng Chao's hand.

"Hiss!" He shook his hand.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments.

[Deng Chao got a burn from the pig brain, haha!]

[A small step for the group leader, a giant leap for hot pot]

His expression, as if he'd been sentenced to death, was utterly distraught.

Song Yuqi took the houttuynia cordata and sprinkled a handful directly into the clear broth side of the hot pot.

"Houttuynia cordata tastes better in clear broth."

Jiang Che looked at the houttuynia cordata floating in the pot and his lips twitched slightly: "You're quite accepting of these things."

Song Yuqi glanced at him sideways: "Not being a picky eater is a good thing."

She picked up a piece of boiled houttuynia cordata, blew on it, and put it in her mouth.

He chewed twice and nodded, "Hmm, okay."

Then she picked up another one and held it up in front of Jiang Che.

"Want to try some?"

Jiang Che stared at the houttuynia cordata, then looked into Song Yuqi's eyes.

The chopsticks were less than ten centimeters apart.

She was feeding him.

Feeding him in front of the live stream camera.

The speed of the live stream chat tripled.

【Ahhh, she's feeding him!】

[What kind of public display of affection is this?!]

[Jiang Che, open your mouth! If you don't eat, I'll eat it for you!]

[I'm totally obsessed with this pairing.]

Jiang Che paused for two seconds.

He opened his mouth and ate the houttuynia cordata.

He chewed a couple of times, and his expression changed.

"How is it?" Song Yuqi asked, looking at him.

Jiang Che swallowed and picked up his water glass to suppress the taste.

"It has a muddy, fishy smell."

Song Yuqi laughed, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"That's the normal smell of houttuynia cordata."

"You'll get used to it after eating it a few more times."

Jiang Che shook his head: "There won't be a next time."

Are you sure?

She looked at him with a smile, her eyes full of triumph.

Deng Chao watched the whole thing from the sidelines, then turned to the camera and said, word by word, "Dear viewers, I, Deng Chao, hereby declare that I'm completely committed to this CP."

Chen He added, "Me too."

Lu Han raised her hand: "Count me in."

Wang Mian nodded silently.

Jiang Che picked up his water glass, took a big gulp, and yelled at the four of them, "Can't you guys just shut up?"

The four people said in unison, "No."