Chapter 107

Chapter 107

"Really? Is this possible?" Cong Ruyi still felt it was unreal.

Before Yun Wan could answer her, she lowered her head and denied herself. "I can't do it; I'm just a pretty face, I can't do anything..."

"Why not? Where did all that cleverness you showed when dealing with me go?" Yun Wan chuckled.

"Don't tease me, Lord," Cong Ruyi said with a bitter smile.

No one had ever called her smart; her worthless brother only belittled her, saying she only had a face to offer, otherwise she would have ended up in the lab, just like her mother.

Right! Mother... that was why she came to Shennong Star.

Yun Wan saw the deep-rooted insecurity and caution hidden within her. Self-denial had become her defense mechanism. She seemed to only want to maintain this somewhat useful but ultimately limited state, afraid to show herself, afraid of getting hurt, afraid of potential dangers.

Growing up in a cutthroat environment, she had long become cautious, constantly downplaying her own worth to numb herself. Perhaps this was the only justification she could find for herself—she wasn't smart enough, so she couldn't change the status quo.

But sometimes, people can't just look inward for reasons; they also have to examine external factors.

Wasn't the external environment also to blame? It was the enemies who were too strong, not herself who was too weak.

Yun Wan wanted to tell Ruyi not to always blame herself, but the concepts formed since childhood had become her survival rules. Forcing a different mindset on her would only push her into a more closed state.

So Yun Wan changed her approach.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

Cong Ruyi didn't know how the topic suddenly turned to a question of trust, but she nodded. "I trust."

Regardless of the Lord's gender, she trusted her.

Perhaps it was because the Lord had eyes that inspired trust, or perhaps it was the aura of power that surrounded the Lord. In any case, she trusted.

"Since you trust me, if I say you can do it, then you can. Don't doubt yourself," Yun Wan said domineeringly.

Seeing Ruyi still hesitant, she resorted to playing the pity card.

"I really need you. There's a planet gunning for me, and they're challenging us to a PK battle. I can't find the right person to host the broadcast. Can you help me with this?"

Suddenly, Cong Ruyi felt the weight of a great responsibility.

"Alright! I'll help the Lord!" She liked the Shennong Star Lord and was very willing to help, just—

"I’m not sure if I can actually help..."

"No problem!" With her goal achieved, Yun Wan flashed an encouraging smile.

Cong Ruyi thought it over and added, "What if I mess up..."

"No big deal!"

Cong Ruyi: ...If it's no big deal, it feels like this PK battle doesn't really need her.

However, whether the Lord needed her or not, she wanted to take on this commission, and she was determined to complete this task well, so that bringing up her mother's matter with the Lord would be justifiable.

Cong Ruyi's face was serious. Failure was not an option!

She secretly hoped that if she succeeded, this would be the first time she accomplished something without relying on her looks.

No, perhaps it was still her beauty at work, but the way she used it was entirely different from before.

Becoming a star? That didn’t sound half bad.

...

Berry Star’s live stream.

"Is Shennong Star chickening out?! The so-called ‘Paradise of Gluttony’ and ‘King of Vegetables’—what a joke! In front of Berry Star, they’re just tucking tail and running!"

The stream featured a host and a guest seated at a white table. Below the broadcast was a PK battle invitation that had yet to receive a response.

The words just spoken were from the impatient guest.

The comment reeked of superiority, making Berry Star’s fans in the live stream feel proud, and they took to social media to taunt Shennong Star.

But the host was sweating bullets.

Today’s guest wasn’t just anyone—it was Mao Hao, Berry Star’s leader, and this leader was far from wise.

Berry Star’s challenge was rigged from the start, turning off neutral viewers. Berry Star had the upper hand, and if the leader kept pushing, it would backfire, which wouldn’t be good for Berry Star’s reputation.

The leader couldn’t care less about reputation, but if public relations went wrong, he would vent his anger on his subordinates.

Worried Mao Hao might shoot his mouth off again, the host used his professional skills to capitalize on the high heat and promote a product. “Leader, Shennong Star hasn’t arrived yet. While we wait, let’s try some of our newly developed Red Berry 70. Viewers in the live stream might be surprised—yes, our Red Berry 70 has been successfully developed and cultivated. Let’s get the sensory sharing fired up, and we’ll all taste the flavor of Red Berry 70 together...”

Mao Hao sneered, displeased that the host had interrupted him.

He had been sitting in front of the camera for three consecutive days, and Shennong Star still hadn’t responded. They’re probably too scared to show up. After all, when it came to fruits, Berry Star was second to none in the entire galaxy. Not to mention some small planet he’d never heard of—even the Ji family couldn’t hold a candle to Berry Star in fruits.

He always called Shennong Star a paper tiger, all hype online. How could it be as terrifying as Little Ji said? It’s just a bunch of cowards hiding in the shadows!

If he hadn’t lost a bet, he wouldn’t be stuck here.

The logistics team brought out several plates of berries. The rose-red berries in crystal bowls were a sight to behold. Under the high-definition camera, the berry flesh showed fine veins, and the tiny hairs were clearly visible, with dewdrops glistening on them, as if they had just been picked from the tree—very fresh.

The berries were delicate and hard to keep fresh. Mao Hao casually picked one up and tossed it into his mouth. The burst of sweetness flooded his mouth, and the fine seeds mixed with the flesh, giving it a slightly grainy texture, with plenty of juice.

Red Berry 70, bred for sweetness, hit a whopping 50%. The berry’s scent was cranked up to the max, detectable from several meters away, and it was highly productive, called Berry Star’s crowning achievement.

As the sensory sharing was activated, Berry Star fans were amazed by Red Berry 70, and praise flooded in.

[It’s legendary! Berry Star is forever the best!]

[When will it be available? I want to eat it so badly!]

[Red Berry 70 is so much better than the previous generations.]

[Shennong Star doesn’t need to come anymore. There’s no comparison. They can’t win. Red Berry 70 is already legendary.]

[To be fair, Shennong Star’s vegetables are said to taste good, and they supposedly have a fruit called peach or something, but it’s just one type, and we don’t even know how it tastes. Trying to compete with Berry Star, the king of fruits, is a bit overreaching.]

The chat was full of Shennong Star hate. Shennong Star fans stationed in the broadcast room felt aggrieved but didn’t know the specifics of Shennong Star’s situation. Afraid that speaking out might embarrass their beloved star, they could only watch coldly as Berry Star danced wildly in front of them.

However, while they didn’t dare comment on the fruit aspect, they could still criticize the competition mechanism.

[How pathetic is Berry Star, flexing only in their comfort zone? How about competing with Shennong Star in vegetables?!]

[Seriously, is it fun to just entertain yourselves? Who made you think you’re so superior?]

Many Shennong Star fans started spamming the chat with these comments, hoping the host would address them directly. However, even though the screen was filled with questions from Shennong Star fans, the host pretended not to see, completely ignoring them, waiting for the comments to die down.

The host knew how to steer clear of trouble, but Mao Hao, oblivious to what nerve the comments had hit, said smugly, "What? Too scared to compete? Shennong Star fans, if you’re so brave, bring out your star for a challenge! If you’re so bold, then come and compete! Why don’t you dare? Berry Star is the best at fruits—jealous much?"

The moment Mao Hao spoke, the host knew it was a disaster.

Hearing his lord’s rant, he nearly passed out.

How could Red Berry 70, so delicious, not shut him up?!

The host, used to big moments, immediately began to control the situation, signaling the PR team to handle the comments, while he started to cover for Mao Hao.

"The lord is blunt and speaks his mind. Actually, this challenge was initiated because the lord lost a bet, so it’s more of a friendly exchange, not that strict, just a friendly match for fun."

With just a few words, the host defined an unfair competition as a friendly exchange, a move that was quite skillful.

Just as Yun Wan tuned into the Berry Star live stream, she heard this explanation that tried to cover up the truth, and she scoffed to herself.

Calling it a friendly match to the fans, but if Shennong Star really lost, they wouldn’t talk about "friendship."

Yun Wan glanced at the burly lord of Berry Star and the skinny host, and in terms of live stream aesthetics, Shennong Star had already won.

Cong Ruyi, on camera for the first time, was extremely nervous, her body tense, her hands tightly clasped, unsure of where to put them or what to say. Her gaze involuntarily shifted from the camera to Yun Wan, seeking help.

Yun Wan, backstage, gave her a fist pump of encouragement, mouthing "You’ve got this" to her.

Cong Ruyi mustered her courage, took a deep breath, and looked directly into the camera, greeting, "Welcome to the Shennong Star live stream. I’m Cong Ruyi, and today I’ll be taking you to taste the fruits of Shennong Star."

After saying this, she paused and glanced at the comments.

At this moment, the live stream had been split into two sections, one showing the Berry Star camera, the other showing the Shennong Star camera, with the challenge content in the middle, written in gradient colors, flashy and gaudy. Above the camera was a bar divided into red and blue, with vote counts at both ends, used to tally votes during the competition.

The tone of the comments scrolling above the live stream had shifted completely when Cong Ruyi appeared, deviating from the competition theme.

[Although I haven’t seen the lord, this lady is stunning!]

[Oh my, where did the lord find such a beauty!!]

[Can Octopus Star learn from this? This is the kind of beauty I’m here for. Anyone below this sister shouldn’t embarrass themselves!]

[Although I’m a Berry Star fan, this time Shennong Star has won!]

[No way, no way, people really let their morals follow their eyes, seeing a pretty girl and voting randomly?]

Some comments voiced the concerns of the Berry Star host.

Originally, this kind of online voting competition wasn’t very formal, with many variables. Shennong Star didn’t have an advantage in the competition content, so it was normal to spend a lot of effort to attract attention with a beauty. The key was that the beauty they found was too stunning, almost otherworldly.

The host broke into a cold sweat, unsure if the netizens would vote against their conscience.

He cast a worried glance at his lord, but Mao Hao didn’t pick up on his signal at all, as he had his own logic.

"It seems Shennong Star is at its wit’s end? Resorting to these underhanded tactics to compete with me? Thinking that sending a pretty face to stand on stage will win? If you had put your minds to it, you might have found ten fruits by now! Maybe you could have had a chance to compete with me…"

Mao Hao’s eyes were filled with disdain and contempt, as if he was certain that Shennong Star was at a dead end and absolutely could not defeat Berry Star in fruits.