My Idol System: An Idol, But Also A Savior-Chapter 194: Mushroom Hotpot

The fans were still clamoring noisily, and by this time Joshua had searched everywhere without finding a single additional matsutake. On top of that, it was already time to head back, so he and the cameraman could only leave. In Joshua’s basket were eight matsutake mushrooms, each one plump and round. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that today was the luckiest day of Joshua’s life.

If the mountain paths hadn’t been so treacherous, he probably wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from skipping all the way back.

By then, everyone else had already returned. Among them, Luther had picked the most mushrooms, while Leonard had the fewest, though it wasn’t too bad. He muttered irritably, "What kind of forest is this, full of nothing but mosquitoes. Good thing I dressed thickly, or I’d have been bitten all over!"

Ben stood to the side, silently taking the brunt of it. Luther, however, looked toward the mountains with some concern. "Why hasn’t Joshua come back yet?"

Ben quickly said, "It’s not time yet, and the cameraman reported that they’re still fine..."

Almost as soon as Ben finished speaking, Joshua came running in from the distance. He looked extremely cheerful, and even his fatigue couldn’t hide the brightness in his eyes.

Luther couldn’t help but smile. "Running like that, you must’ve picked a lot of mushrooms, huh?"

Joshua stopped in front of them and lifted his chin. "You’re all going to be surprised."

Every time Joshua put on this smug look, Luther just wanted to bite him. He put on an exaggeratedly curious expression.

Ben and the others stepped forward to take a look. Inside Joshua’s basket, several matsutake mushrooms lay there, still giving off a rich fragrance.

Justin looked at Joshua with some confusion. "What kind of mushrooms are these?"

Joshua rubbed his head lightly. "They’re matsutake. They’ll be really delicious when cooked!"

Then he said excitedly, "Since we picked so many mushrooms, how about we make a mushroom hotpot!"

Ben said, "...The rules of the show say we’re supposed to take the mushrooms to sell in exchange for food."

But these were matsutake mushrooms. Matsutake!

Ben didn’t even know this mountain had matsutake. He had never heard of anyone picking matsutake here before. Joshua was really defying the heavens.

He thought to himself, and under Joshua’s pleading gaze, finally said, "Alright then. Let’s make mushroom hotpot."

"Yay!"

Joshua immediately cheered up. They waved goodbye to the fans and began getting busy preparing the food.

Their earlier sorry state up in the mountains had already been more than enough. When it came time for cutting and editing, ending that hard work with a pot of mushroom hotpot they had painstakingly gathered themselves would also give viewers a sense of achievement and joy.

Ben still had to inspect their basket of mushrooms, making sure there weren’t any strange or unfamiliar ones inside, before letting someone start the prep work. By noon, their hotpot was finally ready. Shrimp, meat, vegetables, and of course the most important part—the mushrooms—along with other dishes, were all beautifully arranged on the table.

Joshua stood on tiptoe to take a photo and asked Ben, "Can I post this on Uinter?"

Ben nodded when he heard that. "Sure. Just remember to mention us a bit."

Joshua smiled, and Luther immediately leaned in close to him. "Not bad, Joshua. Why don’t we take two photos?"

Joshua pushed Luther away. "Stop dreaming. This shot is just me and my beloved mushrooms."

Luther: "...Beloved mushrooms, huh. If you love them so much, why are you still eating them?"

Joshua replied, perfectly justified, "Because I love them so much, I want to savor their flavor properly."

Luther: "..."

But there was no denying how amazing the matsutake tasted. The hotpot dipping sauce was excellent too, and the other kinds of mushrooms were equally enticing.

The others drank noisily, but Joshua didn’t touch any alcohol.

Ben said the liquor was locally brewed and extremely rare, but to Joshua it only tasted fiercely spicy, rushing straight to his brain. After just licking a single drop, he didn’t dare drink any more.

At first, the others didn’t realize how potent the liquor was either. By the time they felt dizzy and saw one Joshua turn into three, it was already too late.

"Joshua... hngh... haha, let me borrow your shoulder for a bit."

Luther said this and then leaned toward Joshua. Before Joshua could even react, he had already slumped to the ground.

Joshua hurriedly pulled Luther back up. "I’m right here. Where are you leaning to?"

Luther was still grinning foolishly.

Leonard was already sprawled over the table, still muttering something under his breath. You could vaguely make out mentions of chickens and a few eggs in the coop.

Henry looked calm, but his entire face had flushed red, while Justin sat blankly to the side, staring at Joshua.

Joshua couldn’t help but look toward Ben, only to see him raise his voice and call out, "Alright, everyone’s worked hard today. Go rest early!"

Joshua looked at Ben in surprise. "You’re not drunk?"

You had to know that Luther’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t bad at all, yet he was already stumbling all over the place.

Ben lifted his chin. "To me, this stuff is no different from plain water."

Joshua: "...You really don’t have to put it that way."

It didn’t sound believable at all.

At the very least, Luther and Leonard could still walk on their own. Henry and Justin only felt a headache and didn’t need anyone to support them as they went back to their rooms.

Joshua carried Luther and tossed him onto the bed. Who would have thought that Luther would grab tightly onto the hem of Joshua’s clothes, dragging Joshua down onto the bed with him.

Luther didn’t even give Joshua a chance to struggle. He wrapped his arms around Joshua directly, nuzzled him once or twice, and then fell fast asleep—his arms still locked around Joshua as if afraid he might run away.

Joshua silently let out a sigh. A whole morning of jumping around and climbing had left his entire body exhausted.

He blinked, yawned, and in the end couldn’t resist the drowsiness, closing his eyes and falling sound asleep.

This nap lasted until evening before he woke up.

Joshua rubbed his eyes instinctively. The moment he opened them, he heard his phone vibrating nonstop.

He blinked again, his eyes still a little blurry. As soon as he unlocked his phone, he saw messages from Nine flooding in, saying that his terrified reaction to the dragonfly had made it onto the hot topic list.

Joshua: "..."

Why did that embarrassing moment have to trend? Was it really that funny to mock him?

In truth, the reason it trended wasn’t simply because Joshua was being laughed at. A wave of antis had jumped in to ridicule him for putting on an act—saying he was even scared of a dragonfly. The fans immediately fired back, and the two sides started trading insults. Then a bunch of casual viewers piled in to defend him, sharing their own experiences and listing all sorts of strange things a person could be afraid of.

In the end, Joshua’s topic had completely turned into a massive fear-confession thread.

[Haha, some people are even afraid of balloons.]

[Joshua, don’t worry, I’ll wipe dragonflies off the face of the earth for you!]

Joshua: "..."

MyJ: [Don’t actually do it. I can’t bear the responsibility of throwing the ecosystem into chaos.]

The moment Nine saw Joshua reply, he became even more excited. Messages came in so fast it was like he didn’t even need to type.

[When are you coming back? I miss you so much!!!!]

[Be careful not to trigger your allergy again.]

MyJ: [:3]

[Why are you acting cute even while texting, you annoying thing!]

Joshua: "..."

Nine’s texting style was genuinely adorable.

Just then, Joshua’s cheek was suddenly pinched. He turned his head and, sure enough, saw Luther looking at him with dissatisfaction. "Who are you texting that has you smiling like that?"

Joshua shook off Luther’s hand and sat up.

He looked at Luther, then suddenly yawned.

Luther lay on his side on the bed. Seeing that, he laughed, his eyes narrowing, and patted the spot beside him in a deliberately seductive manner. "Looking at me makes you sleepy, doesn’t it? Come on over."

Joshua: "..."

Joshua: "No need."

He jumped straight off the bed, grabbed his clothes, and went into the bathroom.

At that moment, there was a knock on their door. Ben looked at Luther and said with a smile, "The dinner task is still waiting for everyone. Get ready."

Luther’s first thought was that Joshua had just gone to take a shower, and when he came back later, he would definitely shower again.

He replied to Ben, then went to change his clothes. After knocking on the bathroom door to remind Joshua, he headed outside.

The others were already seated out there, and none of them looked drunk anymore. Leonard looked perfectly clear-headed; no one remembered his lunchtime insistence on going to wipe the chickens’ bottoms.

As soon as Luther appeared, everyone’s gaze immediately shifted to him. Leonard asked suspiciously, "Where’s Joshua?"

Luther sat down to the side. "He’s showering."

They didn’t wait long before Joshua came out, his hair still slightly damp.

Henry couldn’t help frowning when he saw him. "Dry your hair, Joshua."

Joshua shook his head. "I already did. It’s not dripping anymore."

Luther snorted with laughter. "Like a little puppy that fell into water."

Joshua shot him a look, and Luther immediately fell silent.

At this moment, Ben also began explaining their dinner task...