C70: Overturning Boat

[Ah Shu POV]

As the game progressed, the number of comments in the live broadcast room surged like stock prices, but we were too immersed in the game to pay attention to them.

The Liu-Zhuang siblings on the side have finally come to a ceasefire.

Well, truth be told, the Queen simply overpowered the rebellious prince, solidifying her commanding right. Regardless, with Liu taking the lead, their team was starting to get the hang of the regular cooking routine.

Meanwhile, Old Man Zhen and I were still caught up in the mixed-up battle for the throne. As we bickered, the pressure in the game mounted.

"What do we do? Think of something quick! We're going to lose!" I cried, noticing that our score had dropped to -140, while Zhuang and Liu had managed to climb from -140 to -70.

"Come on! What do you expect me to do when we're this far behind? I can't cook everything by myself! Just focus on serving the food fast!" Dong Zhen snapped as he hastily assembled dishes.

"Plates? How can I serve the food if I don't have any plates? You're the sole one who can wash them!" I yelled, frustrated, as I rushed to the serving station, only to be told I couldn't serve without a plate.

"Are you kidding me? Can't they just eat it with their hands? Who needs plates anyway?" Dong Zhen said in exasperation.

"Squad Leader Dong, this isn't the time for jokes! Wash the dishes, now!" I pleaded.

"Wash the dishes? That's a waste of time!" Dong Zhen huffed, clearly irritated. Eventually, a stroke of inspiration struck, he tossed the dirty plate aside and controlled his bearded chef character to run towards Liu and Zhuang's side without a word. He swiped a clean plate from their station.

"Take this plate, quick!" Dong Zhen shouted as he tossed the plate to me.

Then, glancing at the menu at the top of the screen and eyeing the freshly prepared dishes on the other team's stove that hadn't been served yet. A sly grin spread across Dong Zhen's face. "Grab the food!" he said while holding up the stolen dish and racing towards me.

"Nice move, Squad Leader Dong! We're getting somewhere!" I cheered as we served dishes in succession, bringing our score up from -140 to 0.

[Zhuang POV]

At that moment, Zhuang, who was still busy chopping vegetables and washing dishes, realized that the fruits of his hard work had been stolen.

"Sister! Our dishes and plates were stolen!" Without saying a word, I threw the dirty plate in their direction.

Though, it didn't help much.

"This is too much! How can you steal food like this?" I exclaimed, stunned at the event.

When I first started playing this game, it was warm and harmonious. But after actually experiencing it, I've come to realize one thing—it raises my blood pressure.

In cases when teammates can't seem to get their ideas together. It's honestly a bit frustrating. It's easy to feel mentally scattered in moments like these.

But now, I've discovered something even worse. In this game, not only can your teammates drive you up the wall, but even your opponents can do the same.

They can even steal the dishes and plates from your side and give them to the guests to score extra points. They stole the fruits of our labor!

"Shu'er! You're good at handling this, so I'll leave it to you!" Dong Zhen quickly shouted at Ah Shu when his actions were being condemned.

"Come on, does this even count as stealing?"

"What do you mean by stealing? Stealing is done when no one notices! Squad Leader Dong borrowed it right in front of you!"

"And Zhuang, listen up, all of you—this goes for everyone watching in the livestream rooms too—when we broadcast this game, it's not just for entertainment. We bring depth to what we show!" Ah Shu's tone suddenly became serious.

"We're here not only to entertain but also to teach you something. Right now, in society, all kinds of marketing accounts are pouring endless 'chicken soup' lessons onto you.

"Squad Leader Dong's actions highlight something very real—that this society can be quite sinister! You can be sitting here, working honestly, but there will always be people who don't play fair! Imagine you're doing your job, but there's always someone slacking off. Then, when the boss shows up, they swoop in, take the work you were about to complete, and grab all the credit!"

"We're not telling you to act this way; we're warning you that these types of people exist in the workplace! You don't have to harm others, but you should always be on guard!"

"This is what we aim to teach—stay vigilant! This is what we call a real live broadcast. How many bosses have gone bankrupt and had to rebuild after watching us? How many divorced couples have reunited? That's what this is all about—making you aware of life's realities. Do you feel like there's darkness around you? That's because your spirit isn't strong enough. You're too focused on material things and neglect the spiritual."

"So, we have to keep up with both the spirit and the material, right?" someone said.

"How can we keep up with Brother Shu's spirit?" The method is very simple—6 yuan! Let's get a card for 6 yuan and become a sapling every day. From afternoon to evening, we can enjoy the purest spiritual baptism in the live broadcast room!"

As Ah Shu spoke, the live broadcast room fell into silence.

"Shu'er! It's such a pity you don't spread the word more!" Dong Zhen sighed.

Old Zhen almost forgot that he ended up as the negative example.

But obviously, these words didn't fool Liu or Zhuang.

Facing Dong Zhen, who was still trying to grab the plate, Zhuang ran over, ready to pounce on it.

In an instant, the kitchen, which was originally for cooking, turned into a battlefield.

Ingredients and plates flew everywhere, and none of us were watching the pot on the stove.

The little sailboat of friendship flipped over.

_____________________

It's Valentine's Day, and with the recent VR games from Net Dragon and Tenghua, there aren't many interesting games right now.

In terms of livestream appeal, those two games are interesting only to a few livestream enthusiasts.

Most players watch for the visuals and plot, joining in for fun.

This is why the game "Overcooked" caught the spotlight for most streamers.

In just one day, plus the prior promotion buildup and spread by streamers on the platform, the game "Overcooked" gained popularity on major game live-streaming platforms.

After all, launching a multiplayer game on Valentine's Day felt relatively fitting for the occasion.

Of course, these are just labels people assigned to it.

When we called our friends and joined the game together, we saw something different.

The originally stable ship of friendship, in the sacred kitchen, encountered serious storms and flipped over and over. We saw how easily we turned on each other.

On major livestream platforms, streamers who were once good friends instantly turned on each other.

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Chicken Soup - a slang term used to describe useless encouragement or comfort.

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