I’ve Gone Viral Because of a Money-Saving Variety Show

Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Chen Xixi’s 3rd Step to Saving Money: Free Lunch Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Chen Xixi’s 3rd Step to Saving Money: Free Lunch Zheng He also followed Han Qianyi’s gaze and immediately shivered from guilt.
But from Chen Xixi’s reaction, it seemed she hadn’t heard what he had just said.
“Do you need to use the kitchen?” Han Qianyi looked at Chen Xixi, breaking the somewhat awkward atmosphere first.
“No need, I’m going out to eat,” Chen Xixi looked at Han Qianyi’s slender figure, then noticed the instant noodles in her hand. A glimmer of her scant conscience urged her to ask, “Do you want to join?”
Anyway, she would be mooching off others, not her, so she didn’t mind bringing them along for a free meal.
In the coming days, who knows how many more meals they would have to skip? If they could get a free meal now, they should take advantage of it.
Zheng He cleared his throat and spoke in a weird tone, “I won’t go. You’re so good at doing business; eating with you may end up costing extra unnecessary money.”
He had hinted so much to her this morning just waiting for this invitation, but she never offered until now—too late!
And who knew if she’d come up with some new tricks from this morning’s egg-selling incident, scheming to swindle money from them?
At this moment, Chen Xixi finally gave Zheng He a glance. She pretended to look confused, looking around, then curiously asked, “I didn’t speak to you; who are you answering to?”
Chen Xixi’s series of actions coupled with her somewhat dramatic expression instantly made Zheng He lose face, almost causing Han Qianyi and Wan Chen to burst out laughing at her words and behavior.
Zheng He’s face darkened, admitting he was responding to Chen Xixi would seem presumptuous; denying it felt frustrating. Either way, it seemed best to drop the subject.
[Hahaha, Chen Xixi can converse with a sarcastic fellow.]
[Why is this guy backstabbing Chen Xixi, trying to isolate her from everybody? Why doesn’t he mention that he wanted to mooch her eggs?]
[The villain’s defense is broken! He can’t handle the game!]
[Does Chen Xixi have another method to mooch meals for free? I’m kind of looking forward to it!]
[There’s no such thing as a free lunch in the sky. If Chen Xixi keeps scrounging for free meals, she’ll surely be tricked sooner or later.]
[Now Instant Noodles Brother and Instant Noodles Sister have the least assets, as they both bought half a box of instant noodles on the first day. I wonder what they’ll do next? Are they really going to survive a month on instant noodles?]
Han Qianyi turned her head, exchanged a glance with Wan Chen beside her, then tore open her instant noodles package and smiled awkwardly, “Our lunch is already prepared, we won’t go. You go ahead.”
Han Qianyi thought to herself, no matter what kind of person Chen Xixi was, considering they were competitors for the five million prize money and a contract with Nanxing Entertainment, it was always better to be cautious.
“Alright then.” Chen Xixi nodded regretfully, and without saying much else, turned around and left.
Zheng He curled his lips, feeling secretly pleased watching Chen Xixi walk away alone after being rejected.
He then retracted his gaze, sat down at the dining table, and watched Han Qianyi and Wan Chen prepare their instant noodles.
When the rich aroma of seasoning and noodles slowly wafted from the bowl, he swallowed and with a polite smile, revealed the purpose of his long chat, “You guys are having an early lunch, huh? I haven’t eaten yet.”
[This familiar line—is it Chen Xixi who is scheming to mooch off others, or is he the one doing the scheming?]
[Instant Noodles Brother and Instant Noodles Sister, please don’t fall for it! Reject him firmly like Chen Xixi, or there will be a second time after a first, and you two, already having the least funds, will surely lose if he targets you!]
[Ah! I’m already getting anxious for Instant Noodles Brother and Instant Noodles Sister! Please don’t let him eat for free!]
Zheng He stared intently at the bowls of instant noodles in front of them, inadvertently swallowing, while Han Qianyi frowned, at a loss.
To invite him to join them meant aiding a competitor to save money on a meal; refusing would be awkward given his expression.
And with the cameras rolling, if she seemed too heartless, the viewers would definitely criticize her for being as stingy as Chen Xixi.
Actually, winning the five million prize money wasn’t a big deal to her.
She was primarily aiming for the popularity award.
Wasn’t a bright future as a contracted artist with Nanxing Entertainment more valuable than five million?
For the sake of getting popularity votes, to avoid being criticized by the viewers for being stingy…
“You haven’t eaten yet? Let’s have something together then.” Han Qianyi took out a pack of instant noodles from her half-empty box and handed it to Zheng He.
Finally successful in his freeloading, Zheng He smiled as he said, “How can I accept this…”
Then he quickly reached out and took the bag of instant noodles.
Wan Chen, who had been silent, saw this and shifted his bowl of instant noodles to the side, subtly distancing himself from Han Qianyi and Zheng He.
[What’s Instant Noodles Sister doing exactly? Did she graduate from Holy Mother University?]
[Instant Noodles Sister, why don’t you just give him the five million prize money?]
[Ah! Watching this is killing me! Instant Noodles Sister is so naive!]
[This guy finally managed to mooch off another guest’s meal.]
[I’ll go check out Chen Xixi, it’s better for my mental health.]
[Go and watch! They three are eating instant noodles in the dorm, while Chen Xixi is sitting in a restaurant enjoying a free feast, the difference is just too big!]
[Damn it! Let them refuse Chen Xixi and regret it!]
In a hot pot and BBQ restaurant, there was a promotional poster announcing the opening of a new store, saying that you could eat for free if you solved three riddles, and Chen Xixi was sitting inside enjoying a free lunch.
The promotional poster stated that each person was limited to one free meal opportunity and should not waste excessively, as unfinished food would result in a fine. Therefore, Chen Xixi registered her mobile number and name as requested by the staff and ordered a portion for one.
Chen Xixi, with the menu in hand, said to the server, “One plate of fatty beef, one plate of signature beef, one plate of sweet potato slices, ten lamb skewers, one grilled sausage, one serving of mixed cauliflower, plus a bowl of noodles and a bottle of soda. That’s all for now, thank you.”
[Is this really a portion for one? I’d be full with just a bowl of noodles and a grilled sausage, and she’s got two plates of meat and sweet potatoes. Can she really finish it all?]
[Maybe she’s got a big appetite, but I still can’t believe her small frame can handle all that food. She might end up being fined, right?]
[She really found a free lunch, incredible!]
[Am I the only one worried about the catch in this free lunch?]
[I’m concerned too. I don’t think there’s such a thing as a free lunch!]
The online audience was too curious about whether Chen Xixi could actually get a free lunch, so they all waited in her live stream to see her finish.
As everyone got hungry and ordered takeout, they continued to wait.
Chen Xixi’s live stream popularity soared, ranking her number one among the five guests.
When Chen Xixi finally finished eating and was about to leave, the server came up and said, “Your total is thirteen yuan. Will you be paying by mobile or with cash?”
[I knew it! There’s no such thing as a free lunch!]
[Although thirteen yuan for a meal is a bargain, the other Guests’ instant noodles were only one yuan per pack, and Zheng He didn’t spend a dime on his lunch, so Chen Xixi’s lunch turned out to be a loss.]
[This is a small lesson. I have a friend who went to a ‘free’ event and ended up tricked into spending thousands! Deals that seem too good to be true usually are.]
[I’m more curious about what exactly this thirteen yuan is for?]
Chen Xixi was also curious, “Isn’t eating for free after solving the three riddles? I’ve already cleared them, so why am I being charged?”
Server: “It’s for the tea fee and utensil fee.”
This detail wasn’t specified in the promotional activity, and Chen Xixi was not aware.
She was silent for two seconds, then pulled out a one hundred yuan note from her pocket, handed it to the server, and waited for the change and the receipt before getting up and leaving the store.
However, once she reached the store’s entrance, she didn’t leave immediately but took out her phone and made a call: “Hello, I’d like to make a report…”
Generally speaking, utensils should be provided for free by the restaurant, and it’s illegal to charge customers without their consent. As for the tea fee, she didn’t even order any tea.
Isn’t this a clear case of fraud?!