SBAB Chapter 26

In the few minutes before the competition started, Lin Xin idly looked around, only to notice Cheng Shiyin resting her chin in her hand, intently watching Wu Lian and Shang Xiaoxia.

When Cheng Shiyin caught Lin Xin looking her way, she tilted her chin and motioned slightly, exchanging a subtle glance with Lin Xin. Understanding her cue, Lin Xin joined her in observing Wu Lian and Shang Xiaoxia as they discussed how to decorate the competition venue.

Shang Xiaoxia stood before Wu Lian, gesturing wildly and brimming with excitement, as though planning the renovation of a new home. Her ideas were extravagant and impractical, but Wu Lian didn’t refute a single one. Instead, he carefully noted each suggestion and called over a poised, elegant head maid in her forties, instructing her to fulfill all of Shang Xiaoxia’s requests.

The final result was exactly what Shang Xiaoxia had envisioned.

Lin Xin suddenly realized that no matter what, Wu Lian was happy to indulge Shang Xiaoxia’s whims. Maybe Wu Lian and this wild woman were truly a match made in heaven.

While Lin Xin’s own love life was fraught with difficulties, their budding relationship was clear as day. Helping nudge them along a little wouldn’t hurt, right?

Pulling Cheng Shiyin aside, Lin Xin whispered in her ear, “How do you feel about playing matchmaker?”

“Absolutely,” Cheng Shiyin replied with enthusiasm, clasping Lin Xin’s hands and shaking them firmly in agreement.

However, Cheng Shiyin thought the pair were still in the early stages of attraction—perhaps even just beginning to flirt. Judging by Wu Lian’s overly flamboyant outfit, they might be in the initial pursuit phase. Shang Xiaoxia’s feelings for Wu Lian weren’t entirely obvious yet. To bring them together would require creating more opportunities for the two to spend time alone.

Exchanging a determined glance, Lin Xin and Cheng Shiyin decided to draft their matchmaking plan that very night.

“Ah!” Lin Xin cried out as something heavy struck his head, causing him to leap in pain. Turning around, he saw the culprit: none other than the mischievous Shang Xiaoxia. She swung a microphone like a baseball bat, while Wu Lian trailed behind her, pulling a yellow card from his suit jacket pocket.

“The competition is about to start,” Wu Lian said, holding up the card. “Contestants, please return to your positions, or you’ll be issued a warning.”

Lin Xin shot the two a begrudging look but obediently sat down in the chair labeled with his name. Cheng Shiyin found her seat in the audience, discreetly pumping her fist to cheer Lin Xin on.

With all the preparations complete, Shang Xiaoxia, the temporary host, stood center stage and declared, “The eating competition officially begins now!”

“…First, let me introduce the top contender seated to my right, the legendary devourer who converts every calorie into muscle—our very own Mighty Stomach Champ, He Xiangtong!”

“Ahhhhhh! He Xiangtong, I love you!” screamed Zhang Yun, the lone but fervent cheerleader.

After a full twenty seconds of Zhang Yun’s enthusiastic support, Wu Lian issued her a yellow card, silently urging her to quiet down. Once the room was calm, Shang Xiaoxia continued, “And on the other side, representing the ‘Not Gonna Win Anyway’ team, we have the challenger, Lin Xin!”

The room erupted again, though only with Zhang Yun’s continued cheers for He Xiangtong, while Cheng Shiyin’s polite clapping barely registered.

Round 1: Audience Support. Lin Xin: Defeated.

The competition still couldn’t begin immediately. Being an unofficial event, the highlight wasn’t the result but the sponsor’s acknowledgment.

Clearing her throat, Shang Xiaoxia announced, “Lastly, let’s extend our gratitude to Wu Lian for his generous sponsorship of this event. Each contestant has been provided with premium beef, courtesy of Wu Lian, and alongside them are top-tier chefs to prepare it…”

Shang Xiaoxia’s sponsor speech dragged on longer than a skin treatment ad Lin Xin had seen earlier. Both Lin Xin and He Xiangtong, hungry and drooling at the sight of sizzling beef, simultaneously rolled their eyes.

Mid-speech, Wu Lian snatched the microphone from Shang Xiaoxia, cutting her off just before she could delve into the life stories of the two cows being grilled.

“Let’s begin the competition together,” Wu Lian declared with a smile that was both charming and unsettling.

Though Shang Xiaoxia’s expression screamed, “This isn’t in the script!” she couldn’t protest as Wu Lian took her hand and led her to the grill. Together, they picked up the first slice of beef from the mountain of meat and placed it on the sizzling hot plate, signaling the start of the contest.

As the beef sizzled, Shang Xiaoxia pulled her hand back, but the residual warmth from Wu Lian’s touch lingered. Her face flushed red, and she trailed behind the head maid, avoiding Wu Lian’s gaze.

Settling beside Cheng Shiyin, Shang Xiaoxia watched Lin Xin compete. Though Cheng Shiyin’s cheering was much quieter than Zhang Yun’s, her intense gaze followed Lin Xin with unyielding focus. Her expression grew more determined than Lin Xin’s, as if she were the one competing.

Noticing this, Shang Xiaoxia chuckled and joined Zhang Yun in cheering for He Xiangtong. Meanwhile, Wu Lian remained composed, tending to Shang Xiaoxia’s throat after her loud announcements, his actions subtly marking him as part of He Xiangtong’s cheering squad.

Feeling the weight of being the lone warrior, Lin Xin suddenly saw Cheng Shiyin plant her foot on the table and shout at the top of her lungs, “Lin Xin! You’ve got this!”

Hearing her voice, Lin Xin looked up mid-bite and smiled in response. Cheng Shiyin’s wild, energetic cheer from atop the table, though far from her usual elegance, was utterly captivating.

Inspired, Lin Xin found the beef in his mouth melting like butter, and with renewed determination, he sped up his pace to ensure Cheng Shiyin’s cheers weren’t in vain.

Without realizing it, He Xiangtong caught a glimpse of Lin Xin out of the corner of her eye and noticed he was eating at nearly the same speed as she was.

However, Shang Xiaoxia, as a bystander, hadn’t yet noticed the narrowing gap between Lin Xin and He Xiangtong. Instead, her attention was drawn to Cheng Shiyin’s increasingly strained voice as she cheered fervently for Lin Xin. Feeling a twinge of guilt, Shang Xiaoxia, though intending to show concern, couldn’t help but deliver a jab.

Pulling on Cheng Shiyin’s sleeve, Shang Xiaoxia waited for her to quiet down before saying, “Once, our dorm went to an all-you-can-eat buffet, and Lin Xin refused to believe that our smallest roommate, He Xiangtong, had been blacklisted by over ten buffets back home. Lin insisted on challenging her to see who could eat more. But guess what? Lin barely ate a third of what He Xiangtong did before covering his mouth in surrender. He even ended up paying for the entire dorm’s buffet that day.”

Cheng Shiyin nodded thoughtfully at the story but quickly turned back to cheering for Lin Xin with even more enthusiasm.

Seeing this, Shang Xiaoxia sighed and asked, “Do you even know why I told you that story?”

Cheng Shiyin smiled and replied, “Of course I do. It shows that Lin Xin is a man of his word. He honors his bets.”

Just as Shang Xiaoxia was about to tease Cheng Shiyin’s peculiar logic, Cheng Shiyin added, “But I believe Lin Xin can win this time. He’s working so hard, isn’t he?”

Shang Xiaoxia glanced at the growing stack of empty plates in front of Lin Xin. Though amazed by his appetite, she still doubted anyone could out-eat He Xiangtong. Feeling competitive, she said, “If you’re so confident, why don’t we make a bet?”

“A bet?” Cheng Shiyin hesitated, initially intending to refuse Shang Xiaoxia’s playful suggestion. But when she caught Wu Lian watching Shang Xiaoxia with an affectionate gaze, she changed her mind. “Sure. Let’s bet on something.”

“What’s the bet?” Shang Xiaoxia asked, intrigued.

Cheng Shiyin glanced between Wu Lian and the oblivious Shang Xiaoxia, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “Anything will do.”

Shang Xiaoxia, feeling invincible as a single woman with nothing to lose, quickly agreed. She was certain Lin Xin would lose. If that happened, she planned to invite Cheng Shiyin and her boyfriend, along with Lin Xin, to a double date—creating a love triangle drama up close. It would be hilariously entertaining, she thought. With renewed energy, she threw herself into cheering for He Xiangtong.

Hearing Shang Xiaoxia’s sudden enthusiasm, He Xiangtong felt a chill. As her roommate, she knew Shang Xiaoxia’s excitement usually meant trouble. But there was no escaping the reality—He Xiangtong was nearing her limit. Today, she wouldn’t be able to indulge Shang Xiaoxia’s antics.

Oh, such delicious meat… Why don’t I have four stomachs like a cow? He Xiangtong lamented internally.

Reluctantly, she raised her hand and swallowed her last bite of meat. “I’m sorry… I forfeit.”

“What?!”

The room erupted in gasps of disbelief. Even Lin Xin, mid-bite, dropped his half-eaten piece of meat back onto his plate in shock. Shang Xiaoxia and Zhang Yun rushed to He Xiangtong’s side, their concern evident.

“Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?” they asked urgently.

He Xiangtong smiled wryly. “No, I’m fine. I’m just full. Lin Xin was too strong today.”

Lin Xin nodded in agreement, surprised by his performance. The dorm’s reigning eating champion had reached her limit, yet he felt only about 80% full. If the competition hadn’t ended, he was confident he could’ve eaten several more plates of pork belly.

Rubbing his now-round stomach, Lin Xin sighed inwardly. I’m doomed. I’ll probably gain five or six pounds from this. All that effort quitting milk tea for nothing.

While the others surrounded He Xiangtong with questions, Cheng Shiyin ran straight to Lin Xin’s side, beaming. “You were amazing, Eating Champion!”

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Lin Xin said, “I think I might’ve overdone it.”

Seeing his shy demeanor, Cheng Shiyin’s playful side kicked in. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered so softly it felt like a breeze, “I think…”

The tickle of her breath made Lin Xin’s ears tingle, and his face flushed even redder.

“…you look like a New Year’s doll.” With that, Cheng Shiyin darted away, leaving Lin Xin standing there, utterly confused.

“What does that even mean?” he muttered to himself, bewildered.

“It means she’s calling you fat,” Shang Xiaoxia, who couldn’t bear his cluelessness, explained bluntly.