Grab The Heroine and Run Away Ch.26.2
“Let’s go record first,” Laurel said nonchalantly. “There’s no point in speculating.”
“Yeah.”
Xu Heran: “Hey!”
Behind her, Xin Nuo chuckled and raised her hand, pinching Xu Heran’s earlobe from behind. “Let’s go, mature Little Pearl. We should start recording.”
Xin Nuo’s gaze fell on Jiang Qiong, who was lost in thought, and she raised an eyebrow.
“Jiang Qiong?”
“Hmm? Oh, oh!” Jiang Qiong smiled at the two and quickly threw the leftover corn into the trash bin before turning to catch up with Haya and Laurel.
Xin Nuo watched her pretend like nothing was amiss, deep in thought. She chuckled lightly and when Xu Heran held her hand, she showed a reassuring smile.
Don’t worry, little piggy. With me here, I won’t let anyone take advantage of you.
If you ultimately become the person I despise, considering our relationship over these days, it should be me who deals with you.
Xin Nuo’s heart grew heavy, and she squeezed the hand held by Xu Heran.
Don’t let me down, Xu Heran.
Xu Heran strode forward, hand in hand with Xin Nuo, and entered the recording hall. As soon as they entered, they found themselves face to face with their own images on the large screens.
“Hmm?”
“Ah ah ah, damn it, Ran Ran!!! Damn it, Nuo Nuo!!!”
“Xu Heran, I love you! He Xeran, radiant and mighty! Princess, go for it—”
“A myriad of danxins, one call, a hundred promises! Congratulations, Xin Nuo, for ranking first!!!”
A dense barrage of comments flew across the livestream room.
Xu Heran: “…”
What the hell?
Could you please show some respect for idioms? Do your Chinese teachers know you’re using language like this?
“No one told me we were live streaming today?”
Xu Heran looked at the bustling hall. In front of the hall, there were three large screens on the left and right, each corresponding to a livestream room. The audience was madly flooding the rooms with comments. The popularity values in the top right corner of each livestream room were all different, and the highest room’s popularity had already reached seven figures.
Though surprised, Xu Heran extended her hand and waved to the camera that was focused on her. “Good morning, everyone. I’m Xu Heran.”
The few people accompanying her immediately raised their hands and greeted the camera.
“What’s that smell?” Xin Nuo remarked casually. Xu Heran saw the abundance of things arranged in the hall and widened her eyes. Holding Xin Nuo’s hand, she walked over.
“Hey! Xin Nuo hasn’t even greeted yet, and the little princess is being so domineering!”
“Nonsense, Xin Nuo isn’t even mad!”
“Little pearl can’t be a moment away from Nuo Nuo, huh~”
“Did anyone notice that both Ran Ran and Nuo Nuo haven’t put on makeup? Hua Hua and Ya Ya haven’t either. Qiong Qiong is being left out!”
“Did anyone watch the behind-the-scenes of Team Ten? This group of people relies on their high looks and appears on camera without makeup all day, fearlessly!”
“Don’t you think they just find removing makeup tiring? Check out the extras from Episode 7 of Team Ten, where Song Fenghua says ‘Life is troublesome.'”
Xu Heran led Xin Nuo to a row of shelves and exclaimed, “So many ingredients!”
It seemed like the production team had moved an entire fresh supermarket to the training camp – vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and seafood filled the shelves. Apart from fresh produce, there was also a shelf filled with various condiments and seasonings.
“Want to cook?” Xu Heran raised her hand, pinching a lively and squirmy big shrimp, then turned to offer it to Xin Nuo. Xin Nuo’s expression remained unchanged as she raised her hand and tapped Xu Heran on the head.
“Put it down.”
“Oh!”
“Is everyone here?” The director raised his megaphone. “Group up, Teams One and Two stand in the middle, Teams Three and Four on the left, Teams Five and Six on the right. Let’s get moving, ladies!”
Xu Heran quickly pulled Xin Nuo to the middle. The previously empty hall now had six large tables, two arranged side by side. On the tables, various pots, bowls, ladles, and basins were neatly placed.
“As you can see, today’s live stream is specially opened to thank our Star Makers,” Director Liu said. “Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, and besides cooking a good meal, each trainee is also required to make ten rice dumplings.”
“Ah…”
Trainees wailed one after another. Cooking? They had no clue about cooking! And making rice dumplings?
“But hold on, the dishes made by each team will be judged by the judges. The winning team will have the right to distribute the performance order for the next competition!”
Not just drawing lots then.
Xu Heran thought with a dilemma as she looked at the clean tabletop.
However, she couldn’t cook; she only knew how to make instant noodles!
And Nuo Nuo…
Xu Heran raised her head, her bright eyes looking at Xin Nuo. However, she noticed Xin Nuo furrowing her brows, her expression even more troubled than hers.
Got it.
Xu Heran rolled up her sleeves.
Then she’ll do it!
“The rice dumplings made by the trainees themselves will be chosen to be given away by lucky Star Makers during the livestream. Note that each selected Star Makers will receive rice dumplings made by a team of seven people. A total of sixty Star Makers will receive rice dumplings hand-made by the trainees – of course, the taste cannot be guaranteed by the production team,” the director joked with a smile.
The barrage in the livestream room instantly became lively.
“They’re actually giving us the rice dumplings they make!”
“Me me me, choose me!!!”
“I want to eat the rice dumplings made by Nuo Nuo’s own hands! Nuo Nuo—”
“Ah ah ah ah, how do I get chosen!”
“Fairy Fairy! The rice dumplings that our Fairy Fairy, beautiful and sweet-voiced, makes will definitely be amazing!”
“Well, for our Little Pearl… just being able to make a rice dumpling is good enough.”
Xu Heran, rolling up her sleeves, caught sight of the barrage about herself.
“…”
I’ll show you how it’s done!
“Cooking and making rice dumplings are limited to a total of two hours. The production team’s staff members will act as judges and vote after tasting everyone’s finished products!” The director held up a megaphone, his other hand pointing to a timer.
“So, now, let’s begin!”
Amidst the trainees’ wails, each team gathered together.
Each large screen faced two teams of trainees.
Xu Heran looked at her teammates. “Those who can cook, please raise your hand!”
The air fell silent. Xu Heran blinked, wondering if she really had to do it. She wasn’t sure if there would be enough time for the production team to get antacid now. Just as she was considering whether to start with oil or fire first, Laurel raised her hand.
“I’ll do it.”
“Huh?!”
Everyone looked at the girl with golden short hair in surprise, their expressions full of disbelief.
“You can cook? Who would’ve thought!”
“Hmph.” Laurel snapped her fingers. “Present my royal robe.”
Xu Heran looked around, pulled an apron from the basket where it was neatly folded, and along with Jiang Qiong, they helped their majesty put it on.
“Just do whatever,” Laurel flexed her wrist. “Three dishes and a soup. I’ll call out the ingredients, and you guys will assist, okay?”
Xu Heran and Jiang Qiong were the most cooperative. They quickly grabbed a small basket and listened attentively to Laurel’s instructions.
“Chicken legs, potatoes, carrots, onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, eggs, chili, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, cooking wine…” Laurel listed off a string of ingredients while adjusting her clothes, speaking nonchalantly. She was a rapper, so her speech was extremely fast. Xu Heran and Jiang Qiong’s eyes were spinning.
“Go,” Laurel pointed to the shelves.
“Charge!” Xu Heran took the lead.
Xin Nuo and Lin Weining stood in the vegetable-washing area, waiting. Lin Ran and Sun Lingxi went to pick up the bamboo leaves and filling for the rice dumplings. While other teams were still discussing who would cook and what dish to make, Xu Heran and Jiang Qiong were already in front of the shelves, seeking help.
“Chicken legs! So many chicken legs, which one?”
“Mother hen legs!” Laurel shouted.
“How do we know which one is from a mother hen? They don’t label them as male or female on top!” Xu Heran was distressed.
Laurel: “…”
Live chat: “Hahahahahaha”
“What the hell is a mother leg?”
“Why are you laughing? Did Pearl say something wrong? Who can tell the gender of chicken legs? Pffhahahaha, sorry, Mom was wrong!”
“Why are there so many varieties of chili peppers!” Jiang Qiong was also seeking help. She had a bright idea. “Whatever, I’ll just take some of each.”
She pretended to be shopping and started moving things back.
Laurel had already started boiling water over the fire. Seeing Xu Heran still trying to figure out the gender of the chicken legs, she walked over. Putting on disposable gloves, she directly put two larger chicken legs into a basket.
“Yeah, I was going to pick those two too!” Xu Heran said without changing her expression.
“Good job,” Laurel cooed like a mother soothing a child, then carried the chicken legs back to start chopping.
Team Two responsible for cooking was led by Jian Yueyin. The reason was that Jian Yueyin was usually gentle and kind, looking like a good mother, so she must know how to cook. Jian Yueyin, who had never even touched a kitchen knife before, was forced onto the cooking platform to play the role of a mother.
“See what Little Pearl is using and follow suit!” She directed Haya, preparing for whatever Laurel was doing.
“Tsk.”
Laurel chuckled and drew a sharp and gleaming bone chopper from the rack.
“Wow—”
The trainees from Team One and Team Two stepped back one after another.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
The sound of chopping meat echoed throughout the hall and reverberated in the live chat. The girl with golden hair was cold and indifferent, her every chop powerful, making people involuntarily flinch.
“Oh my, it’s so damn intense!”
“Is this the legendary contrasting cuteness?”
“I suggest everyone watch Laurel’s rare rap performance. Fierce and savage, matching the meat chopping right now, it’s really exciting!”
Xu Heran returned holding a basket and placed it at Xin Nuo’s feet, wanting to wash vegetables together.
“You’re not needed here, go wrap the rice dumplings,” Xin Nuo whispered.
“But I don’t know how to wrap them,” Xu Heran lifted her eyes, speaking softly and honestly.
Xin Nuo, who also didn’t know, fell silent.
The sound of water flowed, the hall was bustling, cries of distress filled the air, and the audience watching the livestream couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces.
Sun Lingxi and Lin Ran had already started working. Xu Heran looked at them and felt like they weren’t wrapping rice dumplings but playing with leaves.
“Your Majesty—” Xu Heran cried for help.
Laurel walked over, standing at the table and picked up two rice dumpling leaves. “Watch.”
She folded the two leaves halfway, folded the bottom leaf upward, gently pressed it, holding the cone-shaped leaf in her palm. Laurel stuffed rice inside, added a red date, wrapped the remaining leaf around the cone, and tied it up with a string.
A delicate and plump triangular rice dumpling was quickly wrapped.
“Wow—” the people watching applauded.
“It’s simple,” Laurel said expressionlessly, raising her right eyebrow and picking up another rice dumpling leaf. This time, she made a rectangular meat dumpling. Both the filling and leaves were prepared in advance by the program team. Trainees only needed to stuff the filling into the leaves, and they could fill them with whatever they wanted, giving them creative freedom.
To prove that wrapping rice dumplings was easy, Laurel also made a four-cornered one and a tower-shaped one. She quickly wrapped four in total. Just as she finished, her chicken nuggets were blanched, so she put down the wrapped dumplings and went to cook.
“Have you kids learned?”
Xu Heran confidently held up a rice dumpling leaf, trying to wrap it together like Laurel. Two seconds later, the sticky rice fell from the bottom of the leaf with a snap.
Xu Heran didn’t give up and started again. She turned the leaf over and over several times, and the well-formed leaf was crushed.
“Kids can’t learn!” Xu Heran angrily slammed the leaf onto the table.
Sun Lingxi and Lin Ran, standing by the table, burst into laughter, and the audience in the livestream room laughed even louder.
Xu Heran threw the ruined leaf into the trash can, turned around with a look of grievance, walked over to Xin Nuo, and squatted down beside her. She leaned on Xin Nuo’s back and complained pitifully, “Nuo Nuo, sister…”
Well, someone called me sister again.
Xin Nuo placed the last cleaned vegetable into the basket, stood up, took off her gloves, and without turning around, let out a soft sigh.
“Why does it sound like ‘sister’ when you say it, but I hear ‘mom’?” Xin Nuo wondered.
“Ha!-“
Lin Weining couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh, forgetting that she was wearing rubber gloves, and the wet drops stuck to her face. Haya, who was washing vegetables with them, lifted her head, and a clear droplet slid down Lin Weining’s fair cheek, falling to the ground at her dainty chin.
Without hesitation, Haya raised her hand and with a “pop,” the droplet hit her palm.
Haya: “…”
Lin Weining gave her a puzzled look.
The tall girl with long legs spread apart, looked at her own gloved hand, remained silent for two seconds, suddenly raised her hand, and pressed her wet palm onto Lin Weining’s face.
“Don’t waste it, moisturize your skin.”
Lin Weining: “…”
“Hey!”
“Don’t play with these two childish fools. Let’s go do something serious.” Xu Heran pulled Xin Nuo away from the water fight battlefield in all seriousness, dragging her to a table with rice dumpling ingredients.
Everyone stood there. Xu Heran looked left and right, her eyes lit up. She dashed towards the crowded team of staff members, “borrowed” a chair from the logistics team, evaded the staff who wanted to “help” her carry the chair, cheerfully shouted, “I can handle it myself,” and gleefully returned to the camera. She placed the chair beside Xin Nuo.
“Sister Nuo Nuo, please take a seat!”
Xin Nuo sat down with a smiling expression.
Others: “…”
“Where’s mine? I want one too.” Haya, drenched all over, asked.
Without hesitation, Xu Heran pointed in the direction of the logistics team.
The director thought this wasn’t good and immediately raised the megaphone. Before he could say anything, dozens of girls rushed out at lightning speed, breaking through the staff’s human wall, and launched a ruthless attack on the high stools.
Among them, some, like Haya, were genuinely tired of standing and wanted a chair, while others simply wanted to compete for solo camera time. Regardless, the live broadcast effect was quite something. The audience in the livestream room watched the chaotic hall and laughed until their stomachs hurt.
The instigator stood with hands on hips, pointing the way, instructing them where the staff was weak so they could break through. There were only a dozen or so chairs, and even within the trainees, they were fighting over them. The production team had no choice but to step in and moderate, assigning three chairs to each team to quell the situation.
The director wiped the sweat off his forehead, looked at the live stream viewership that had jumped by a million, and reassured himself that it was all due to the enthusiasm! He had just caught his breath when he saw a certain troublemaker floating over, seemingly unconcerned.
“Director, play a song! It’s boring to just wrap rice dumplings!” Xu Heran raised her beautiful face, looked at the director with clear innocent eyes, and appeared completely harmless.
Director: “…”
He swallowed a mouthful of frustration and immediately handed her the phone connected to the speaker, just hoping she would behave for a while.
“Thank you, Director!” Xu Heran was unfazed, took the phone happily, and returned to Xin Nuo’s side.
“Nuo Nuo, can you wrap?” Xu Heran selected a song while glancing sideways, and saw that the rice dumpling in Xin Nuo’s hand, though a bit lopsided, was at least taking shape!
“Nuo Nuo, you’re amazing!” Xu Heran praised with an expression as if she had discovered a precious treasure, then clicked on the song.
The energetic and mesmerizing music mixed with the singer’s unrestrained vocals made people involuntarily want to nod and dance. In the hall, many music-sensitive trainees subconsciously followed the music and swayed their heads.
“you gotta do it“①
“i said do it“①
“do it man!“①
“do it!“①
With a rice dumpling in each hand, Xu Heran pretended to strum two leaves like playing a guitar and shouted, “Take action, my friends! Just go for it! There’s not a single rice dumpling that can’t be wrapped! Do it!“
Xin Nuo: “…”
Drinking fake alcohol, huh?
Laurel, who had turned down the heat, walked over, pretending to remove her apron.
“Take the throne, Your Majesty!”
Xu Heran raised both hands, and the long rice dumpling fell on her sides. “Take it!”
“Hahaha!”
“Little princess, so funny in private?”
“May I ask if making me laugh benefits you, Little Pearl? Are you a designated capricious spirit from the Yin and Yang Bureau of the Underworld? Lord Yama, it was she who made me laugh to death! You must punish her in the next life for me!”
“Being with Ran Ran must be joyful every day! No wonder everyone likes her.”
“Hahaha, did you see Xin Nuo’s expression? Xin Nuo is getting so annoyed!”
“Xin Nuo: Our own child, no way to deal with her, life is meaningless, calmly wrapping rice dumplings.jpg”
In the three live stream rooms, Teams One and Two were surging ahead in popularity, especially when the camera focused on Xu Heran. The viewership in the live stream room soared like a rocket, with hearts floating all over the screen. The production team needed hype and popularity, and the camera noticeably lingered around Xu Heran more often.
In Team Two, Xu Yanran, who had been sitting on a chair peeling scallions, raised her eyes and coldly looked at them laughing nearby. She felt that the people in her team were both pitiable and ridiculous. If they couldn’t reclaim the camera from Xu Heran, that was fine, but they were actually joining in and echoing her!
Losing and still making jokes for others?
She angrily flicked a scallion, and the end of it “popped” onto the side of a young girl who was peeling garlic. Shu Yuemeng silently glanced at her, seeing her face twisted in anger then fearfully avoiding eye contact.
Strange and peculiar.
The laughter around them grew louder, not just from Team Two. Trainees from nearby teams curiously ran over, chatting and laughing together. Where Xu Yanran was seated, there was no camera filming her at all.
“Mu Yueying must be doing it on purpose, throwing this kind of task at me. I’m stuck in a corner without any camera coverage!” Xu Yanran grew angrier the more she thought about it. In her line of sight, Xu Heran’s laughter was radiant and bright, like a beam of light deliberately shining on her. The beautiful girl was surrounded by a group of young, pretty girls, but she still stood out.
She was the one shining in the crowd, and in Xu Yanran’s eyes, she stood out even more… glaringly.
It was glaring enough to make her eyes ache.
Xu Yanran clenched her teeth, thoughts of the lost SD card filling her heart with frustration and anxiety. Seeing Xu Heran so cheerful like this, a pang of jealousy stabbed at her chest.
“No, this isn’t right! Why should you be so smug!” She suddenly stood up and angrily threw the vegetable leaves in her hand to the ground.
Shu Yuemeng, who had already moved away, and the fallen scallion leaves at her feet exchanged glances for a couple of seconds. The young girl took a step back in silence.
Well, she couldn’t afford to provoke, but she could afford to avoid.
“Alright, Xu Heran, stop fooling around and get back to work.” Xin Nuo, who had completed the task of making ten rice dumplings, clapped her hands and calmly picked up the dog leash.
The tired little dog, who had finished playing with its friends, obediently ran back and sat on the chair.
“Xin Nuo, I’ll make rice dumplings for you!” Xu Heran completely forgot about her failed rice dumpling venture. She felt accomplished, picking up two leaves and placing them together. A tiny bead of sweat danced down her nose, glistening under the hall’s light. However, it couldn’t compare to the brilliance in her eyes.
“I’m giving you this rice dumpling~ It represents my ‘rice-t’ for you~”1
Xu Heran hummed.
Xin Nuo couldn’t help but curl her lips, her mouth slightly agape. Before she could speak, a soft voice came from behind her, “Xin Nuo, Heran.”
“… ” Xin Nuo’s smile faltered for a moment. She sat up straight, turned around, and tilted her lips into a polite smile. “Hello, Xu Yanran.”
“Um… I was looking for ‘my’ sister,” she emphasized the word “my,”. “Can I bother you for a moment?”
Xu Yanran lowered her head slightly, hands clasped together. She appeared reserved and bashful, a faint blush on her pale face. To anyone looking, she seemed quite shy.
Before the camera shifted away from Team Two, many viewers in the livestream room noticed the trio on the left side of the frame. The barrage “Xu Yanran and Xu Heran’s names are quite similar” hadn’t even left the screen yet when the music suddenly transitioned to a lively tune, filling the livestream room.
Xu Heran stood up, picking up a fresh corn from the basket, and started dancing again.
“I ain’t lookin’ for enemies, But I ain’t playin’ nice “②
“You got it bad all over your head”②
“Think that you cool, but you ain’t got a crown②”
Xu Heran twirled a rice dumpling wrapper and locked eyes with Xu Yanran, raising an eyebrow and smirking. In the bustling hall where the sound of a needle dropping could be heard, she sang along to the music.
“what the f**k” ②
The author has something to say:
Due to certain reasons, Xu Heran, who was very excited: A good dog doesn’t curse at people. I’m just singing, really! I promise! Wang Defa!
Let’s share the names of the two songs, the artists, and some lyrics~ (I can only say they’re really lively, hahaha)
② 《WTF》 by Amber Van Day
We gonna make the girls dance
I ain’t lookin’ for enemies
But I ain’t playin’ nice
The way you testing me and look me in the eyes
Want some of my own candy
I love to see you try
Ain’t nothing real about the way you look tonight
‘Cause I know in the morning
You’ll be wakin’ up all alone
Posing all over your story
With nothing to hold but your phone
You got it bad all over your head
Are you upset
You think that you cool
But you ain’t got a crown
Be watchin’ and learning ’cause I show you how
Lookin at me like you want my man
What the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
Ain’t lookin for drama
Promise I’m not gonna compete
So keep on movin ’cause you got nothing on me
What you know about karma
Oh I heard she ain’t so sweet (yeah so sweet)
Get your self out of the club
If you can’t take the heat
‘Cause I know in the morning
You’ll be wakin’ up all alone
Posing all over your story
With nothing to hold but your phone
You got it bad all over your head
Are you upset?
You think that you cool
But you ain’t got a crown
Be watchin’ and learning ’cause I show you how
Lookin at me like you want my man
What the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
Another beat, another banger
We out here uniting the hip-hop and the house
HUGEL, for sure
What the fuck
① “Do It” – The BossHoss
Do it, set your soul on flame,
You got high octane in your vein
And if the flames jump higher
Your love is on fire.
Do it!
You gotta do it
What you’re talking about
I said do it
Without any doubt
You gotta do it
If you think it’s alright
I said do it
No fuss no fight
Do it
And if they tell you not, still do it
You only got one shot
You gotta kick butt, give all you got
Turn on, tune in, it’s all your show
Alright fight!
You don’t need a master plan,
Just do it, baby oh yes you can
Do it man hot damn!
Set your love on fire
And let the flames burn higher
So set fire
To your heart, to your soul, to your mind
Let it shine
To your dream, your everything
It’s your flame of fame
So set your love on fire
You gotta do it
Take the money and run
Quit your job and have fun
Live, love, kiss and tell
Party on, till the break of dawn
And when they tell you stop
Stick do it
Whether they dig it or not
Put your big foot down, you’re wearing the crown,
You gotta go go baby go burn it down!
Do it ma’am, hot damn
Set your love on fire
And let the flames burn higher
So set fire
To your heart, to your soul, to your mind
Let it shine
To your dream, your everything
It’s your flame of fame
So set your love on fire
No can do
If it sucks, you can do if it rocks
No can do
If you’re not in the flow no go
Do it
Things that you adore
Do it
You would die for
Do it
Do it
Damn!
Set your love on fire
And let the flames burn higher, higher
Set your love on fire
And let the flames burn higher
So set fire
To your heart, to your soul, to your mind
Let it shine
To your dream, your everything
It’s your flame of fame
So set your love on fire
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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Sinensis
- “rice-t” seems to be a play on words, combining “rice” with “heart.” The speaker is using wordplay to express their affection, suggesting that the rice dumpling they’re giving symbolizes their feelings or “heart” for the person they’re giving it to. It’s a playful and creative way to convey a sentiment. ↩︎
Discussion (2)
Haha
Took a long break, now I’m back to this baby
Ty for the translations! ✨