svetikya Chapter 35: Instant Fame
Chapter 35: Instant Fame
The camera shifts to focus on the long table in the center of the stage. Behind the table sit five contestants, all thin, with pale or sallow complexions and eyes that show obvious weariness.
Each of them looked like they were about to die, dressed in white hospital gowns, looking utterly pathetic. These were patients whom Song Zhaowen had "invited" from several sanatoriums, patients who had long suffered from anorexia! A doctor in a white coat stood beside them, "watching over" them with a serious expression.
The host, microphone in hand, announced: "Welcome to our five brave challengers. Today's task is simple: whoever eats the most Deng Ji Pissing Beef Balls is the champion, and the prize is generous."
The staff served up steaming hot, fragrant beef balls.
The five anorexic patients looked at the round meatballs in their bowls with furrowed brows. Some even shrank back subconsciously, and their hands trembled slightly as they picked up their chopsticks.
The onlookers whispered among themselves.
"Are you kidding me? Shouldn't the God of Cookery invite competitive eaters? Why did they invite a bunch of sickly people? The organizers must be out of their minds."
"Aren't you short of money to hire a few skinny beauties?"
"Could they be hired to act? They eat a couple and then pretend it's delicious?"
Even Xiao Zhuoxiao, Feiji, and the others looked at Song Zhaowen with some confusion. Ye Rongtian nervously swallowed and whispered in Song Zhaowen's ear, "Brother Wen, is this...is this okay? What if they really can't eat a single bite, or they vomit after a couple of bites? Wouldn't that be..."
Song Zhaowen, however, remained calm and collected: "That's exactly the effect we want. The greater the contrast, the better the effect. Just wait and see."
On stage, at Ah May's prompting, the host forced himself to continue: "Challengers, please...please begin your meal. Ten minutes remaining, now begin."
With a command from the PD, the timer started ticking. The five anorexic patients looked at each other, then at the fragrant beef balls in front of them, their expressions pained. One of the young girls picked up her chopsticks, took one, her hand trembling violently, brought it to her mouth, hesitated for a good ten seconds, then closed her eyes and took a very reluctant small bite.
Her chewing motion was as slow as a movie slow motion. Her face initially showed resistance and numbness, but as her teeth broke through the chewy outer layer, the scalding hot and delicious broth burst open in her mouth with a "plop!"
The girl suddenly opened her eyes, and a light flashed in them—it really was light!
He paused for a moment, then chewed much faster, his expression shifting from pain to astonishment, and then from astonishment to an indescribable longing, like a parched land finally receiving rain.
She didn't stop; almost impatiently, she stuffed the remaining half of the beef ball into her mouth, chewed quickly, and swallowed. Then, she picked up a second one.
The other four patients also showed similar changes. A middle-aged man who had been frowning and looking disgusted suddenly relaxed his brows, widened his eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed rapidly after taking the first bite. He finished one in just a few bites and immediately went to pick up a second one! Another old man who had been holding his chopsticks in a daze stopped shaking after taking a bite and started eating quickly, even making satisfied "mmm" sounds.
They ate faster and faster, their expressions becoming more and more vivid, no longer lifeless, but full of longing and enjoyment for the food! The young girl even scalded her tongue with the scalding soup while eating so fast, but she just gasped for breath and continued to eat heartily.
The previously noisy crowd gradually quieted down. Everyone stared in disbelief at the incredible scene unfolding on stage. These "anorexic warriors," who had previously shown no interest in food and even resisted it, were now wolfing down beef balls as if they hadn't eaten for days, and judging from their expressions, it was definitely not an act!
"No way... he really ate it?"
"Look at that old man, he's eating so heartily! He looked like he was about to die just a moment ago."
"That little girl almost finished her whole bowl! Doesn't she have anorexia?"
"These beef balls...are they really that delicious?"
The tone of the discussion began to shift, from skepticism to surprise and curiosity.
In an apartment in Tsim Sha Tsui, junior high school student Ah Wen skips and turns on the TV to find his favorite city-themed program.
Because this show is so amazing, it features entertaining local urban legends every day.
For example, a haunted building in Yuen Long turned out to be infested with rats in the water pipes; another place had a thousand-year-old "Tai Sui" (a type of rare fungus) that turned out to be a sex toy, but an old man was using it as a remedy to make wine.
With its engaging content and the witty and humorous host, Ah May, the show achieved decent ratings and garnered a considerable audience.
"Wow~ Hahaha, that genius actually thought of inviting anorexic patients to eat competitive eaters?"
On the screen, Ah May's round face turned bright red with excitement, while in the background, five anorexia patients dressed in hospital gowns were frantically devouring beef balls in their bowls like hungry ghosts.
The mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, was drawn in by her son's laughter and the exaggerated commentary coming from the TV. She grabbed a spatula and rushed out: "You little rascal, what are you laughing at that's making you want to tear down the roof? Huh?"
Her gaze swept across the TV screen: "Wow, really?" Mrs. Li even forgot to put down the spatula in her hand, leaning closer to the TV. "The beef balls look pretty good... but the splattering of juice is so exaggerated?" She instinctively covered her lower body; this scene was even more intense than her own orgasm!
"Mom, I remember the 'Xiang Ji' tea restaurant downstairs seems to sell it. How about we buy some to try?" Ah Wen's eyes lit up, his stomach rumbling with anticipation.
"Try it, we definitely have to try it!" Mrs. Li said decisively. "Let's see if it's really that good. If it is, we'll buy a few more packs every day and give them to Mrs. Zhang next door! She's had a really bad appetite lately."
Sham Shui Po, "Wing Kee" tea restaurant.
It was a brief respite after the morning tea rush. The television hanging in the corner was on, the volume low, but the picture was captivating enough.
Uncle Rong, the boss, a middle-aged man with a beer belly, was chatting with a few regular customers while chewing on a toothpick. Suddenly, cheers and Ah May's screams from the TV interrupted his conversation.
"What the hell is going on?" Uncle Rong frowned and looked at the TV.
On screen, five people in hospital gowns were devouring beef balls with gusto, the sizzling sound almost palpable through the screen. Uncle Rong's eyes widened instantly: "Am I seeing things? A bunch of skinny, starving bastards reincarnated?"
An elderly customer next to me pointed at the TV and said, "Hey, Uncle Rong, look at that logo! Wen Ji Beef Balls. I remember you got some this morning? Is it the box on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator?"