Ning Xiaoyu loved playing single-player farming games. As soon as a game involved online features, it inevitably required relentless grinding. If she didn’t grind, she would fall behind, and not only would she struggle to defeat monsters, but she wouldn’t even be able to complete the most basic tasks.

But single-player farming games were different.

She could play anytime, anywhere. There was no need to worry about others stealing her crops, nor did she have to stress about missing a day and falling behind. Relaxing, entertaining, and stress-free— it was simply the perfect choice for a laid-back player.

Hearing Ning Xiaoyu’s explanation, the audience became increasingly interested in such a farming game, feeling it was worth checking out.

The director, looking conflicted, said, “Then I’ll inform the farming game’s representative. She will reach out to you later.”

Ning Xiaoyu nodded while eating a piping hot roasted sweet potato. “Alright.”

────ρя


That evening, the exhausted guests returned to the guesthouse. Taking care of children at the amusement park was even more tiring than pulling an all-nighter on set.

As soon as they got back, they heard that Ning Xiaoyu had received endorsement invitations from gaming companies.

However, when they learned that she had turned down offers from major companies like XT and instead chose an obscure farming game, the guests had mixed reactions.

Some were envious, some were simply watching the drama unfold, and some couldn’t understand her decision.

Mu Jiajia couldn’t help but whisper to Ning Yuwei, “Do you think Ning Xiaoyu is stupid? She actually rejected XT!” If it were her, she would have chosen XT without hesitation— she wouldn’t even consider any other gaming companies.

Ning Yuwei let out a disdainful scoff. “With her background, what kind of vision could she possibly have?”

Out of so many options, she had picked the least well-known company. Only someone as clueless as Ning Xiaoyu would make such a choice. It was such a simple decision, yet she couldn’t even make the right one.

But the more Ning Xiaoyu made these kinds of choices, the better it was for Ning Yuwei.

She had no desire to watch Ning Xiaoyu rise to fame.

────ρя


Before dinner, the director announced the final task of the day. Once the task was completed, it would be time for the children to rate the guests.

The task? Interacting with fans through voice chat.

After all, variety shows needed an audience and engagement. And how did they gain popularity? Naturally, through audience support.

Fan interaction was essential.

As long as it was within reason, the guests could fulfill small requests from the viewers.

Most of the celebrities present were not newcomers. They had been in the industry for a while and were well-versed in these segments.

Soon, each guest had a phone in front of them, started a livestream, and entered the interaction session.

Unlike the other guests, this was Ning Xiaoyu’s first time interacting with the audience. Following the prompts, she randomly selected a lucky viewer for a voice chat.

The first lucky fan was a male with a deep, resonant voice.

“Hello, is this Xiao Yu?”

As soon as the voice rang out, the comment section in Ning Xiaoyu’s livestream exploded.

【A deep voice! Absolutely incredible!】

【Is he speaking right into the mic? It feels like he’s whispering in my ear!】

【Unbelievable! He called her ‘Xiao Yu’ so casually. Way too intimate!】

【I’m jealous. Seriously, I’m jealous of this guy for being able to talk to Xiao Yu.】

Ning Xiaoyu responded with a simple “Mm.”

She wasn’t very used to chatting with fans, and not everyone in the livestream room was necessarily her fan. If she ran into a hater, she would have to kick them out.

The male fan lowered his voice and continued, “Xiao Yu, winter is coming soon and the temperature is dropping. Make sure to keep warm.”

【Ahhh, hearing such caring words in a deep voice is just perfect.】

【I’m following this guy! My ears are melting, seriously.】

【Is he a voice actor? A streamer? His voice is incredible.】

The fans in the livestream room were enjoying the show, while the love system was fuming, its mainframe practically overheating.

Anyone trying to break up its CP was the enemy. What was this guy up to? Flirting with its host like this? Was the movie king dead?!

As the love system muttered and complained to itself, Ning Xiaoyu simply responded with an “Mhm”, indicating that she got the message.

She didn’t need him to remind her to keep warm.

She wasn’t a three-year-old who didn’t know how to dress properly. With the recent drop in temperature, she had already switched to a thick coat at the first opportunity.

Since she had only responded with a brief “Mhm” twice in a row, the male fan chuckled and said in his deep voice, “Xiao Yu, don’t you have anything to say to me? Anything at all?”

【Tsk tsk, this fan is really bold.】

【Getting major playboy vibes from him.】

【Of course, we fans need to be proactive when interacting with Xiao Yu, the salted fish queen!】

【If the fan weren’t taking the initiative, this interaction would’ve ended ages ago, hahaha. Eating melon.jpg】

Ning Xiaoyu rubbed her ear and slowly asked, “Are you straining your voice to talk?”

Male Fan: “???”

Audience: “???”

Thinking of herself as a considerate idol, Ning Xiaoyu kindly suggested, “If you’re feeling tired, you don’t have to force it. Just speak in your normal voice.” She really didn’t care whether a fan’s voice sounded good or not.

Forcing himself to talk like this must be exhausting, right?

And if he did it often, it probably wasn’t good for his throat either.

Male Fan: “…….”

For a moment, the male fan was at a loss for words. The fans in the livestream room, however, quickly caught on and burst into laughter.

【This is classic Xiao Yu! Absolutely savage.】

【Confirmed! Xiao Yu is the unromantic salted fish queen!】

【What? A deep voice is attractive? Nah, he’s just forcing it. Must be tiring.】

【Ning Xiaoyu: No need to suffer, just use your real voice. Doge.jpg】

【Listen up, everyone! When talking to Xiao Yu, don’t fake your voice! You might think it sounds amazing, but to her, it’s just one thing: exhausting!】

【I’m dying! In the entire entertainment industry, only Xiao Yu would react like this.】

The male fan wanted to say he wasn’t tired, but wouldn’t that just prove he was forcing his voice?

If he admitted he was tired, that would be even worse.

His deep and irresistible voice, which had always been a winning card, had just met its match with Ning Xiaoyu.

Left with no other choice, he hastily said goodnight and ended the call.

Ning Xiaoyu didn’t think much of the male fan’s abrupt departure. She quickly moved on to the second lucky viewer.

Meanwhile, the love system let out a long sigh of relief.

Having an emotionally oblivious host wasn’t all bad. At least she had no idea that the previous male fan had been using his voice to flirt with her!

But speaking of voices, how could that guy possibly compare to the movie king’s deep and magnetic tone?

The second fan’s voice sounded much more natural.

Coincidentally, it was another male fan.

“Xiao Yu, I’m so happy to be chosen as the lucky fan!”

Ning Xiaoyu responded with a simple “Mhm.”

The fan’s voice sounded young, probably someone who had just recently become an adult. Being randomly selected, he wasn’t sure what to talk about, so he asked awkwardly, “Xiao Yu, what…… what are you thinking about right now?”

Ning Xiaoyu answered honestly, “Thinking about eating.”

After this interaction, there was still the segment where the children would rate the guests. Dinner would probably be delayed.

But Ning Xiaoyu had always been strict about eating on time.

Being forced to work without a proper meal meant all she could think about was food.

【Hahaha, classic Xiao Yu answer!】

【Damn! Why is the production team starving our Xiao Yu?!】

【It’s exactly the time for the salted fish queen to eat!】

The male fan awkwardly continued the conversation, “Then what do you want to eat?”

Ning Xiaoyu wasn’t picky. “I’ll eat whatever the production team provides.”

【The salted fish queen is really honest, hahaha!】

【But honestly, during these days when the two variety shows were collaborating, the production team’s meals have been pretty good.】

【LOL, since our Xiao Yu is so easygoing, shouldn’t the production team at least give our Salted Fish Queen a drumstick?】

Perhaps after seeing the audience’s bullet comments, the production team didn’t immediately move on to the next activity after the interaction session. Instead, they first let the guests have dinner, postponing the scoring segment until after they had eaten.

The children weren’t hungry though, so the production team just gave them steamed egg custard, which was both nutritious and healthy.

After dinner, it was finally time for the last segment. Once the scoring session ended, everyone could return to their respective rooms and rest.

The director smiled and said, “Three days have flown by so quickly, and now it’s time for everyone to say goodbye.”

Three days wasn’t long, nor was it short— just enough time for the children to grow familiar with the guests.

However, children have short memories. They might feel sad about parting today, but in a few days or months, they might not even remember these people at all.

“After spending this time together, do you children like the brothers and sisters who played with you? If you do, give them a score. The score ranges from 0 to 100. I believe you all have learned arithmetic by now, so you know the higher the score, the better. Now, please give the guests their scores.”

【It’s time for the scoring segment!】

【Let’s see if there are any surprising scores.】

【There probably will be, considering the child Mu Jiajia was paired with is really difficult to handle.】

【She’s a little princess, so she’s spoiled from birth.】

【Speaking of little princesses, can she even compare to Xiangxiang? Xiangxiang is so well-behaved and sensible.】

【It’s different, completely different. Xiangxiang is CEO Huo’s only heiress. There’s no way she would be anything less than exceptional.】

Under the audience’s eager anticipation, the children gave their scores one by one.

The results were completely unexpected.

【Xiangxiang is such a sweetheart! She actually gave two perfect scores!】

【Xiangxiang is definitely going to be an outstanding CEO in the future! She really knows what she’s doing!】

【LOL, compared to Xiangxiang, what even are the others? The little princess actually gave Mu Jiajia a zero. Brutal!】

【She really holds grudges. Mu Jiajia looks like she’s about to cry.】

【Even Ning Yuwei’s score wasn’t high. That Xiao Wei kid seemed obedient and polite, but turns out he’s a ‘white-cut black^[1]innocent on the outside, shrewd on the inside’.】

【White-cut black +1! I always thought he got along well with both guests, but in the end, he only gave them a barely passing 60.】

【Why is everyone talking about Xiao Wei? Maybe he just saw through those two guests’ true colors? Ning Yuwei appeared kind to Xiao Wei, but most of the time, she had no patience for him. Children were the most perceptive and they knew very well who truly cared for them and who was just pretending. To be honest, Xiao Wei’s score didn’t surprise me at all.】

【So our Xiao Yu genuinely cares about Xiangxiang, and Xiangxiang genuinely adores Xiao Yu? Perfect!】

Seeing these scores, the director was visibly shocked.

So, among the guest scores, there were both perfect scores and complete zeros?

That gap…… seemed a little extreme.

Given how vast the score differences were, the director refrained from saying too much. He simply wrapped things up with some polite words, officially bringing the dream-like collaboration between the two variety shows to a close.

────ρя


When it was time to head back and rest, Shen Yueyue whispered gossip into Ning Xiaoyu’s ear, “Did you see Ning Yuwei and Mu Jiajia’s expressions just now? They looked like they had swallowed raw garlic— completely awful.”

Ning Xiaoyu simply shrugged, unconcerned. “They didn’t like those two children, and those two children didn’t like them either.”

On the surface, Ning Yuwei and Mu Jiajia seemed to treat their assigned children well. But if one paid closer attention, it was clear that their kindness was superficial— something performed in front of the livestream cameras rather than genuine care.

Hearing that, Shen Yueyue glanced at Ning Xiaoyu in surprise.

She knew Ning Xiaoyu was a salted fish, but she didn’t expect her to be such a perceptive one— seeing through everything at a glance.

Shen Yueyue teased, “So, you had Xiangxiang dig a sand pit, make a hammock, and ride a tricycle because you like her?”

Ning Xiaoyu answered honestly, “Half and half. Half because I wanted to be lazy, and half because I figured she hadn’t experienced those things before and would probably enjoy them.”

Experiencing different aspects of life was never a bad thing.

By considering both her own comfort and the child’s enjoyment, Ning Xiaoyu managed to create an engaging show. The other guests barely made an impression, and in the end, Ning Xiaoyu’s group’s overall score was the highest in the entire event.

Shen Yueyue couldn’t help but think that the salted fish queen truly was a salted fish who lived with clarity.

────ρя


The next day, the guests and children parted ways. Most of the guests from 《Hi, My Friend》 returned to Friendship House, while Ning Xiaoyu went to the gaming company to negotiate the endorsement deal.

Both parties were highly satisfied. Ning Xiaoyu was happy because it was one of her favorite games, while the company’s representatives were pleased with her image and personality. Without hesitation, they signed the contract on the spot and scheduled the endorsement photoshoot for the following day.

Unlike her previous endorsement for the makeup brand Qingxin, this time, as soon as the game’s endorsement shoot was completed, the official Weibo account immediately released the promotional photo.

In the photo, Ning Xiaoyu wore a salted fish headband, held a large cabbage in her arms, and stood amidst a pile of carrots, cucumbers, papayas, and other vegetables.

As soon as the picture was posted, it was shared widely, and before long, it seemed poised to go viral!