Canned Souls 12

Yan Xianchuan wasn't a great cook—she could keep herself from starving, and she wasn't a disaster in the kitchen, but she definitely wasn't going to produce anything delicious. The instances didn't give her time to perfect her culinary skills, and there was no environment to learn such a time-consuming craft. She wasn't a kitchen genius; being able to cook things through with common sense was already a win.

As for Lu Mingqiu, she was even worse. Her two public personas—movie queen and daughter of the Bolov family—meant she never had to cook for herself, and her other identity didn't require her to be a chef either.

But Yan Xianchuan was excellent at cleaning fish. That didn't require special technique or talent, just good knife skills.

When she returned with the prepared fish, Lu Mingqiu had already gathered dry branches. Lu might not have been a cook, but she was equally good at hiding her true colors, so most of the branches she picked were usable, with only a few damp ones mixed in for appearances.

Yan Xianchuan rinsed the pot, poured in oil, tossed in garlic and scallion, and started frying the fish.

While spearing fish, she'd also grabbed a handful of mantis shrimp, which she set to steam in another pot. Steamed shrimp needed no culinary skill—just cook and dip in soy sauce.

There was a trick to frying fish: let it sit in the pan for three minutes to set the skin, but Yan Xianchuan obviously didn't know that. She just remembered that you fry the fish and then add water to make a good fish soup. She hadn't read a recipe; she'd seen others do it and had a rough idea. But when it came time for her to actually execute, she flipped the fish and it stuck, then flipped it again and the other side stuck too.

Yan Xianchuan's expression didn't change. She flipped the fish into a mess, decided it was roughly "golden on both sides," and added water.

If you only looked at her face—that unflappable look, like the sky could fall and she wouldn't blink—you'd think she was an expert cook. But then you'd see the fish in the pan, a pitiful sight, and every viewer would be frantic, wanting to jump out of the screen and snatch the chopsticks away.

The chopsticks were whittled by Yan Xianchuan from a branch. Two pairs, uniformly thick, perfectly straight, one end thicker than the other. While waiting for the pot to boil, she moved her fingers up and down, wood shavings scattering, and also carved out two spoons. Her knifework was impeccable.

Compare the neatly crafted utensils to the fish in the pot, and its flavor was anyone's guess.

The live comments were scrolling:

【Don't give Qiuqiu food poisoning!】

【One door closes, another opens—another example right here.】

【How does she manage to be funny with such a straight face?】

【Honestly, she seems like she actually takes care of people, way better than those Alphas who only talk sweet.】

【Anyway, I still don't approve of this marriage!】

【A beautiful, considerate Omega and her silent, loyal Alpha—I'm shipping it!】

【The other group is still looking for tools.】

"Achuan, your hands are so nimble. We wouldn't even have anything to eat with otherwise," Lu Mingqiu said with a smile, looking at her. "What are the others going to do?"

Yan Xianchuan kept working, answering casually: "They'll eat, or they'll go hungry."

"This probably isn't enough. I'll go grab a couple more crabs." She set down the finished utensils. "Keep an eye on the fire. I'll be right back, wife."

Lu Mingqiu sat on the rock that Yan had moved over for her, propping her chin on her hand, watching the retreating figure with smiling eyes full of joy and affection, as if the love between them was so deep nothing could tear it apart.

Yan Xianchuan had a big appetite—she ate a lot in one sitting. This amount was definitely not enough. She could function on an empty stomach if needed, but there was no reason to put herself through that now.

Why go hungry when you can eat your fill?

Whether the food was good or not, she could fill her stomach. If Lu Mingqiu didn't like it, that wasn't on her.

She wasn't a miracle worker who could be perfect at everything.

She might be able to play the part of a perfect partner, but only if she was comfortable first.

This wasn't a survival instance. No one was chasing her, forcing her to summon every ounce of energy and focus just to stay alive.

Yan Xianchuan reached the shore and scanned the area. In many little pools, crabs lounged, each about the size of a palm. It was hard not to suspect the production team had stocked them—how else could so many plump, fresh shellfish just pile up in the shallows of a normal little island?

Yan Xianchuan was so thick-skinned that the crabs couldn't even pinch her hands. No need for protective gear; she just grabbed them barehanded.

She looked to the side and spotted oysters, enormous too. She took off her jacket, gathered them up in the fabric, and when a crab clamped onto her finger, she casually snapped its claw off.

Carrying a huge bundle of seafood, she still moved at top speed. When she got back, the mantis shrimp were just done steaming.

The soy sauce was poured into a small lid from the spice box. The shrimp gave off a rich, savory scent, and dipped in soy sauce, they weren't some heavenly, once-in-a-lifetime delicacy, but their freshness was top-tier.

She set the shrimp on a bag off to one side, then tossed in the crabs she'd brought back. The crabs and oysters had spotless shells, so no need to wait for them to purge sand.

The soup in the other pot came to a boil. She sprinkled in salt and pepper. The color wasn't a rich white, and the taste was mediocre—definitely not lethal.

For Lu Mingqiu, a meal that wasn't exactly delicious wasn't beyond her tolerance. But for the image she projected, Lu Mingqiu still allowed a slight frown to cross her face, and Yan Xianchuan, fitting her role, said with concern: "My cooking isn't good. Eat more of the steamed stuff."

That couldn't go wrong no matter what.

"It's already quite good," Lu Mingqiu said, following the lines she'd been given. "If I were on my own, I'd be wandering around in the woods like a headless fly, starving and dizzy."

"And I didn't even help. You did everything," Lu Mingqiu said. She peeled a shrimp and set it on Yan's spoon, tilting her head in a charming, apologetic smile. "Thanks—you worked hard."

Yan Xianchuan glanced at the shrimp and then at her fingers, lifted the spoon, and ate it. "I should."

"You eat it yourself. Don't peel for me," Yan said.

While they enjoyed a seaside seafood lunch, the other two groups were still making their way out of the woods, truly wandering around like headless flies and going hungry.

There was no suspense about first place, but the production team wouldn't actually let the guests starve. Staff collected the scattered tools and placed them on the path ahead for those two groups, and soon they'd found several as well.

There were no wild fruits in the forest, and the small animals weren't anything these celebrities could catch, so they all headed for the beach, hoping to find some coconuts to eat.

Having trekked through the woods, Xie Chuxiao's spirits were completely gone. If the livestream camera hadn't been on, he'd have turned around and left.

Ever since he'd gained fame, everyone treated him with respect, flattered him, fawned over him. Omegas in the entertainment industry were everywhere, like a trip to the market—he could pick and choose.

Those Omegas were easy to fool. Say a few pretty words about the future, promise to marry them, and they'd let him take what he wanted.

But Dordona was unexpectedly tough—impervious to flattery, always giving him a sour look.

Xie Chuxiao came out of the woods. The noon sun was scorching, enough to bake a person's soul.

To keep his figure, he was careful about his diet. He hadn't eaten much before leaving in the morning, and after hours of walking, he was exhausted and famished, on the verge of collapse.

He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun and caught a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of his eye. Xie Chuxiao turned to look—a crab, a big green one, crawling across the sand, leaving a trail of tiny footprints.

"Crab!"

Overjoyed, he forgot all his troubles and thought only of food.

He mustered his energy and sprinted over, but hesitated before reaching out to grab it. He was afraid the claws would pinch. A thought struck him—he stripped off his T-shirt, revealing his toned, muscular upper body, bent down, and wrapped the crab in the shirt.

His honey-glazed skin glistened under the sun like molten chocolate. With a smug smile, he deliberately turned to let the camera capture his perfect back, then raised a hand and waved to Dordona.

"There's a crab here! Come quick!"

Soon, three more phrases hit the trending list: "Movie Emperor Xie Chuxiao takes off his shirt," "Xie Chuxiao showing off his body," and "Dordona rude—gives the movie emperor a dirty look."

Dordona saw right through him. She rolled her eyes without pretense, pointed in the opposite direction, and said, "Catch your own if you want them. I don't eat crab. I'm going to find some coconuts over there."

Xie Chuxiao gave a helpless smile and shook his head, like Dordona was just a child who hadn't grown up.