—["(Spitting out my drink) Damn, contestant No. 10... Hahahaha! He's too much!"]
—["(Laughing and crying) 'I'll eat anything,' he says, and then immediately orders shrimp tails. Bro, please, at least pretend to be humble!"]
—["(Pounding the table in laughter) No. 10 is pure comedy! The photographer is completely stunned, hahaha…"]
—["(Tears in my eyes) Did he really just say 'let's spend less'? I think he meant the photographer should spend less… Pfft!"]
—["Photographer: My mental stability is officially shattered!"]
—["(Laughing uncontrollably) The poor photographer looked at his plain shredded potato rice bowl and fell into deep contemplation."]
—["WTF! Guys, I just realized something… I thought this restaurant looked familiar, so I did some digging… Turns out, contestant No. 32 is here too!"]
—["But… No. 32 isn't eating. He's working in the kitchen!"]
Back in the Kitchen…
A young man carefully dried a plate and placed it in front of the chef.
The chef nodded. "This shrimp tail order is for table 6. Make sure the plate is dry before serving."
Luo Bin, contestant No. 32, grinned. "Relax, I got this."
Unlike many other contestants, Luo Bin had been lucky. Within half a day of Perfect Man airing, he had already found a job. And not just any job—a paying one with three meals included!
Given that the show had confiscated all contestants' assets and even their IDs, securing employment in an unfamiliar city was no easy feat. Luo Bin knew he had it good.
He turned to his photographer. "Here, take this to table 6."
The photographer frowned. "Why me?"
"Oh, come on. One simple task is tiring you out?" Luo Bin scoffed. "If I hadn't found this job, you wouldn't even have food today. Less complaining, more moving!"
The photographer sighed but, realizing food was at stake, reluctantly put down his camera and carried the shrimp tails to table 6.
As he approached, his expression turned strange.
Because right there, on table 6, was a camera.
And it looked exactly like his own. Same model, same brand.
A wild thought crossed his mind. Hesitantly, he asked, "Uh… you guys wouldn't happen to be contestants and follow-up photographers from Perfect Man, would you?"
Meanwhile, at Table 6…
It was only the first day of Perfect Man. While viewership wasn't at its peak yet, the show had received plenty of promotion. It wasn't surprising to get recognized.
Cao Shengming looked up and smiled. "Yep, you a fan? Oh, wait—I'm not allowed to reveal my contestant number. But hey, nice to meet you! Hope you support me in the future!"
His words were polite.
But photographer No. 32, standing frozen, was anything but at ease.
He glanced down at the plate of steaming shrimp tails in his hands… then at Cao Shengming… and finally at Cao Shengming's photographer.
Then, without a word, he set down the plate, patted his fellow photographer on the shoulder, and sighed deeply.
"Bro… you lucked out with your contestant."
"…What!?"
With that, he turned and walked back into the kitchen.
Tears filled his eyes.
Back in the Kitchen…
The moment he stepped inside, Luo Bin's cheerful voice rang out.
"Hey, you're back! Perfect timing, let's eat! We're having a feast today—fried eggplant with chili, stir-fried potatoes with chili, sautéed green peppers with red chili, and seaweed egg soup!"
Luo Bin grinned proudly, clutching his rice bowl. "Not bad, huh? Stick with me, and I promise—three dishes and a soup every day!"
The photographer looked at the so-called 'feast', then at Luo Bin, then back at the food.
After a long, deep sigh, he muttered, "You know… watching you eat so happily just reminded me of something I forgot to mention."
Luo Bin, mid-bite, raised a brow. "What?"
"That table 6? Yeah… I think you might know someone sitting there. Maybe you should go check it out."
Luo Bin frowned. "Acquaintance? No way, I don't know anyone in Linhai City. Who is it?"
Still suspicious, he walked out of the kitchen, bowl and chopsticks in hand.
Two minutes later…
He came back.
With dead eyes.
Silently, he placed down his bowl and chopsticks.
Then, without a word, he slumped down next to his photographer, staring blankly into space.
Thirty minutes passed.
Finally, Luo Bin muttered under his breath, "I'm tired… Just destroy everything… Life is meaningless."
The photographer nodded solemnly.
And so, the two sat there, lost in thought together.