One hour!
Ning Meng’s eyes lit up again in an instant.
Although the soft-boiled egg had been a failure, it was still a fully cooked, hard-boiled egg.
Because she had made it herself, she had actually gained an hour!
This was a much better deal than the piece of chocolate she had snuck earlier!
As expected, self-cooking for efficiency bonuses was the golden rule!
【Current life countdown: 65 hours, 33 minutes, 58 seconds.】
Looking at the countdown that had ticked up ever so slightly, Ning Meng felt much better.
Even if it was only an hour, it was a good start!
It proved her theory was correct:
If you want to survive (and keep your life ticking), you have to do it yourself!
She quickly peeled the other egg and popped it into her mouth.
It had the same hard-boiled, powdery texture.
But now, it tasted much more delicious than the first one.
After all, this represented yet another hour of life!
【Beep!】
【Consumed 'Ordinary Egg'.】
【Cooking method: Boiled (Hard-boiled).】
【Prepared by the host, effects doubled.】
【Life time increased: 1 hour (0.5 hours x 2).】
Another hour credited!
Two eggs, two hours!
【Current life countdown: 66 hours, 33 minutes, 45 seconds.】
Excellent! Absolutely excellent!
Ning Meng felt as if she had come back to life!
Although she was still far from being completely safe, at least the situation wasn’t so dire for the moment.
She let out a satisfied burp.
Her stomach felt warm and no longer uncomfortably empty.
The dizziness from her hypoglycemia had completely vanished.
Indeed, food is the fuel of life; skipping a meal makes a person miserable.
Especially for someone like her who needed to eat to extend her life.
Just as she was about to clean up the "crime scene" and see what other goodies were hidden in this luxurious kitchen, the director’s assistant from earlier found her again.
She still wore a professional smile.
"Ning Meng, are you feeling better?"
Ning Meng nodded. "Much better, thank you for your concern."
"That’s good." The assistant let out a sigh of relief and continued, "The director asked me to inform everyone: the pre-show livestream for the *Heart Signal Cabin* has already begun."
"Hidden cameras have been installed in the villa, and everyone’s individual livestream channels are now active."
"From now on, all your activities inside the cabin will be followed by cameras."
"The audience can already see you all."
What? The livestream had already started?
Ning Meng froze.
So sudden? They weren't even going to give her time to prepare?
She subconsciously smoothed out her clothes and hair.
【【【Warning: High-energy content ahead! Egg-boiling girl is on camera without makeup!】】】
【【【No way? It’s already started? I just clicked in!】】】
【【【Who is this girl? A new substitute? She looks so haggard.】】】
【【【Camera, pan away! I want to see Movie Emperor Lu! I want to see Young Master Qin!】】】
It was as if comments were scrolling through her mind.
Ning Meng shook her head; it must be the system’s built-in commentary function.
However, if the livestream had started, did that mean her every move would be exposed to the cameras?
How was she supposed to find food and cook as she pleased?
Wouldn't she be watched no matter what she did?
That was a bit of a problem.
The assistant continued, "Don't be too nervous, everyone. Just treat it like your daily life. Feel free to walk around and get to know each other. Once we have lunch in a while, the official recording of the show will begin. By then, guests in the secondary studio and the audience will be watching the livestream together."
After finishing, she added, "The kitchen is well-stocked with ingredients; please feel free to help yourselves. There are drinks and fruits in the refrigerator as well."
She then left with a smile.
The kitchen was well-stocked? Free to help herself?
Ning Meng’s eyes brightened by another eight degrees!
She had been in too much of a rush earlier to look closely.
She immediately turned around and lunged at the double-door refrigerator that looked expensive even from a distance.
She pulled the door open—
Wow!
It was packed to the brim!
Various vegetables, fruits, fresh meat, seafood, milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese…
It was a dazzling array of everything one could want!
And judging by the packaging and appearance, the quality was quite high!
It was far better than the clearance items she used to buy at the supermarket!
There were several kinds of eggs, in particular.
Standard ones, free-range eggs, and a box with particularly exquisite packaging…
"Sterilized Eggs"!
Ning Meng picked up the box of sterilized eggs.
She had only ever seen this kind of egg in high-end supermarkets, and they weren't cheap.
It was said they were high-quality enough to be eaten raw.
According to the System's rules, "ingredient quality/rarity" was an important bonus factor!
Using these eggs would definitely add more time than those two ordinary ones from before!
No, she had to try again!
The reason the hard-boiled egg had failed earlier was because she had been interrupted.
This time, she would focus, be single-minded, and make a perfect soft-boiled egg!
She had to verify exactly how many points she could gain from "culinary complexity" and "dish completion/difficulty"!
【Current life countdown: 66 hours, 28 minutes, 10 seconds.】
Time was still passing; she couldn't waste it.
Ning Meng got right to work.
She took out the small milk pot again, filled it with water, and turned on the heat.
This time, she was even more focused.
Her eyes were glued to the surface of the water.
Just as the water was about to boil, she carefully lowered a sterilized egg in with a spoon.
At the same time, she pulled out her phone and started the stopwatch.
Three minutes and fifty seconds!
That was the golden time she remembered for making the perfect soft-boiled egg.
One second more, and it would be overcooked; one second less, and it would be too runny.
【【【Egg-boiling girl is back at it? Does she have a grudge against eggs?】】】
【【【Seriously, isn't she going to interact with the others? Hiding in the kitchen to boil eggs?】】】
【【【Hilarious, everyone else is socializing in the living room, and she’s hunched over in the kitchen, focused on gorging herself.】】】
【【【Is this girl here for a dating show or to attend culinary school?】】】
Ning Meng completely ignored the comments that might be floating by.
In her world, there was only this pot of water, this egg, and the ticking stopwatch on her phone.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Her heart was in her throat.
Three minutes, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty!
Time’s up!
Ning Meng quickly turned off the heat and used a slotted spoon to fish out the egg.
She immediately plunged it into the ice water she had prepared on the side.
The rapid cooling locked the yolk in its perfect, runny state.
The entire process was smooth and fluid, as if she had practiced it a thousand times.
After all, this was about her life span!
Once the egg had cooled, she carefully peeled the shell.
It came off easily, revealing the smooth, white, tender egg white underneath.
The egg white had just the right amount of elasticity, trembling slightly.
Ning Meng picked up a small knife and gently sliced it in half.
A perfect soft-boiled center!
The yolk was an alluring orange-red.
The outer layer was slightly set, while the inside was thick and slowly flowing, just like a sunset melting into the egg white.
Fantastic! She had succeeded!
Ning Meng was so excited she almost jumped for joy.
She picked up one half and couldn't wait to put it into her mouth.
Mmm!
The egg white was tender and springy, with an excellent texture.
The yolk was rich and fragrant, with a hint of natural sweetness.
There was no trace of an eggy smell.
The molten center coated her taste buds perfectly.
Delicious! It was even more delicious than she had imagined!
As expected of a high-quality sterilized egg!
【Beep!】