Chapter 478: Chapter 497: Following the Scent

Cooking in an evening gown was out of the question.

Meimei had placed Jiang Qiuqiu’s regular clothes in her room in advance. It took Jiang Qiuqiu nearly ten minutes to change. She still had makeup on, so after a moment’s thought, she washed her face as well.

Once she was ready, she sent a message to Chen Yu.

Just as Jiang Qiuqiu was about to leave, someone knocked on her door. When she opened it, she saw all eight streamers from the food section standing there, looking at her.

Jiang Qiuqiu: ?

"Um, well..."

Langlibaitiao looked a bit embarrassed. "We were discussing some cooking methods earlier, right? We still have a few questions we’d like to ask you."

"Tonight?"

"No, no." They all shook their heads. "It’s already so late, and you should be resting. We were hoping to ask you tomorrow. How about we go out for a meal together and talk then?"

Cooking isn’t something you can master just by talking about it; it’s very difficult to make everyone understand and execute well through words alone.

Jiang Qiuqiu thought for a moment, then looked up. "Actually, I’m on my way to the kitchen right now. If you’re free, why don’t we head there together and discuss things?"

An offer this good! All of them immediately agreed!

The truth was, they had also hoped Qiuqiu would give them a demonstration in the kitchen. But it was so late, and she was already kindly offering to guide them; making more demands would feel like they were pushing their luck.

But now that Jiang Qiuqiu had suggested it herself, everything fell into place.

And so, the group headed enthusiastically toward the kitchen.

On the way, Jiang Qiuqiu sent another short message to Chen Yu.

Jiang Qiuqiu: Might have a few extra people cooking for you.

Chen Yu: ???

Chen Yu, standing at the kitchen entrance, hadn’t even figured out the message yet when he heard footsteps approaching in the distance. He looked up, and a whole group of people appeared before him.

They didn’t look like they were here to cook for him. They looked like they were here to cook *him*.

-

Wang Zaozao was an outdoor streamer who specialized in on-site reviews.

Her daily job was to go out and review locations, which included but was not limited to clothing stores, home goods shops, Mecha dealerships, hotels, and Nutrient Liquid stations. Because her review process was clear and her experiences felt authentic, she had a respectable number of fans on the Federation’s streaming platform.

Due to the special nature of her stream, she didn’t participate in this year’s annual conference competition, but the organizers still gave her a special invitation to attend.

They also hoped she could stream her review of the Star Hotel, giving the hotel some free publicity.

She had originally planned to do her walkthrough on the morning of the 20th, but both the organizers and her fans demanded she start exploring tonight—

"All the streamers will be gone by the 20th!"

"Just start exploring tonight! Maybe we’ll run into some of the big shots in the hallways or the rec room!"

"Let’s enjoy the fun of celebrity-spotting with Zaozao!"

Well, with everyone so excited, Wang Zaozao naturally wasn’t going to let them down.

She started filming from the first floor.

"The overall decor of the Star Hotel is quite nice. The first four floors lean toward a lavish style, while floors four through six are more minimalist..."

"The seventh floor is the rec room. That’s right, there’s a huge rec room here."

"If you’re staying at the Star Hotel on a trip or for fun, you might have a chance to meet someone in the rec room who shares your hobbies."

"Perhaps the perfect encounter starts right here."

Of course, the video wasn’t just about the good points. Wang Zaozao also streamed from her own room and offered a few small suggestions about the layout.

Continuing upward, Wang Zaozao headed for the ninth-floor restaurant to check it out. "I’ve heard the Star Hotel has a natural food restaurant, which is one of its biggest selling points on the Star Network."

But after saying that, Wang Zaozao cleared her throat and lowered her voice. "But as anyone who’s watched my reviews knows, the chefs hired by these hotel natural food restaurants—"

It wasn’t that they were just a little bad; they were completely awful.

"So, whether it’s a selling point or a drawback, we’ll just have to..." Wang Zaozao trailed off, then suddenly froze.

"?? Did the stream freeze?"

"No way, did she get censored for talking smack about her sponsor?"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP, Zaozao, are you still there?! I’m gonna call the cops!"

The comments flew past. Wang Zaozao moved slightly. She first glanced up at the floor indicator, then her nostrils flared. "Strange. We’re still on the eighth floor, but I can already smell... a very strong, fragrant aroma."

"Could the Star Hotel’s natural food restaurant actually be the real deal?"

As she spoke, she followed the scent toward the west end of the eighth floor.

There, a different world awaited.