Extra Update for Reader 【Emilx】

The originally neatly arranged chairs had been pushed to the sides, making room for over a dozen long tables draped in clean cloths. All the necessary ingredients were laid out: bamboo leaves, glutinous rice, mung beans, pork belly, and salted duck eggs.

Several bright studio lights illuminated the venue, making it as bright as day. A few cameramen were adjusting their equipment, their cables coiled across the floor like black vines.

Aside from the crew, most of the selected students from the other classes had already arrived. They stood in small groups of twos and threes, their faces sharing a similar mix of nervousness and curiosity.

Lin Mo casually swept his gaze across the room as his spiritual sense rippled outward, spreading silently like water.

A second later, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

What is she doing here?

"Lin Mo, you know how to make zongzi too?"

A booming voice rang out. Principal Shen Zhongping, who had been chatting with a TV station executive, spotted them. Smiling, he immediately excused himself from his companion and strode over briskly.

This sudden movement instantly drew the attention of everyone around them.

Shen Zhongping's actions attracted quite a few stares.

"Hello, Principal," Lin Mo responded with a polite nod.

Shen Zhongping walked right up to Lin Mo, looking him up and down with a hint of pleasant surprise. "Lin Mo, you really are full of hidden talents. You even know the art of making zongzi?"

His voice was quite loud, carrying an undisguised sense of admiration.

"I've made them with my elders before, but I only know the basics."

Shen Zhongping patted Lin Mo on the shoulder. "No need to be so modest. I have great faith in your ability to learn."

His gaze then shifted to Chu Miaomiao.

Chu Miaomiao had a remarkably pretty face and an outstanding figure, but she was a student after all, so Shen Zhongping quickly looked away.

Once everyone was present, they could begin.

The crisp click-clack of high heels on the floor approached from a distance, and a sharp, professional-looking figure stopped in front of the two of them.

The newcomer was dressed in a well-tailored women's suit and wore exquisite makeup, though a faint, almost imperceptible trace of exhaustion lingered between her brows.

"What are you doing here?"

Lin Mo grumbled, "It's not strange for me to be here. What's strange is that the great Reporter Jiang is here. Yunlu probably has no idea you came, does she?"

Jiang Chengyue sighed helplessly. "To be honest, I only found out I was coming here half an hour ago myself."

It was obvious. Whatever happened yesterday had caused Jiang Chengyue to be temporarily demoted to this sort of assignment, leaving her to cover fluff pieces about charity events.

Chu Miaomiao looked at Jiang Chengyue, who exuded the aura of a mature woman from head to toe, and carefully tugged at the corner of Lin Mo's shirt.

"Lin Mo, who is she?"

"Oh, she's Jiang Yunlu's aunt."

At that moment, Jiang Chengyue also noticed the young girl who was practically hiding behind Lin Mo.

She had a level of beauty comparable to her niece's, but boasted a pair of peaks that neither she nor her niece could ever hope to match.

However, her niece had long, slender legs with beautiful muscle definition. Such a top-heavy figure definitely couldn't beat her niece!

Jiang Chengyue continued to size her up, mentally comparing the two girls.

In the end, however, she had to admit that they were evenly matched.

Hearing that this was Jiang Yunlu's aunt, the young girl stepped out from behind Lin Mo and gave Jiang Chengyue a respectful, slight bow.

"Hello. I'm a friend of Jiang Yunlu's. My name is Chu Miaomiao."

Actually, just by looking at her figure, Jiang Chengyue already knew that this was the Chu Miaomiao her little Yunlu had mentioned.

Nevertheless, she pretended it was her first time hearing the name.

She extended a hand. "Nice to meet you. You're very cute, Miaomiao."

"Thank you, you're very beautiful too." Chu Miaomiao was still on the introverted side; the fierce momentum she had when arguing with Huang Haoyang that morning had completely vanished.

Just then, Director Huang, who was in charge of the event, walked over with a microphone in hand.

"Alright, the representatives from every class are all here. Let me first introduce the event. This activity is jointly organized by our school and Yinsheng Catering Company."

"Next, please welcome Mr. Li Ming, the General Manager of Yinsheng Catering Company, to give a speech for today's event."

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and many students began whispering to one another.

"Yinsheng Catering? Isn't that the super popular Cantonese restaurant downtown?"

"That's the one. My dad said their zongzi sell for eighty-eight yuan apiece. I can't believe they came here to do a charity event today."

Everyone enthusiastically clapped their hands.

They certainly hyped up the atmosphere.

Amidst the chatter, a man with a slightly balding head stepped up to the podium.

He didn't put on the airs of a big boss at all. Picking up the microphone, he offered a gentle smile that revealed a set of bright white teeth.

"I'm Li Ming. I also graduated from Guangba High School, so I suppose I'm your senior."

The moment he spoke, the atmosphere in the audience grew even more enthusiastic.

"I won't bore you with a long speech. I'm just thrilled to be back at my alma mater today, working alongside my juniors to prepare Dragon Boat Festival gifts for the children at the orphanage."

With that, he gave a deep bow to the audience and decisively stepped down from the stage.

There were no long-winded speeches, no empty promises, and no cheesy motivational quotes. This down-to-earth approach won him a much more genuine round of applause.

Director Huang returned to the stage, beaming as he took back the microphone. "Our alumnus Mr. Li is truly a straightforward man! Well then, let's not waste any more time. Without further ado, get ready to make some zongzi!"

He cleared his throat, raising his voice an octave.

"Although this isn't a competition, to encourage everyone's enthusiasm, this event will have a two-hour time limit! Ingredients will be in unlimited supply! In the end, the class that wraps the most zongzi will receive a grand Dragon Boat Festival zongzi gift basket, courtesy of Yinsheng Catering Company!"

Director Huang intentionally dragged out his words, emphasizing, "And that means a gift basket for every single student in the winning class!"

Boom! The venue completely erupted.

The students who had been completely laid-back just a second ago suddenly had a change in their eyes. They began rubbing their hands together in anticipation, glaring at the other classes with eyes full of fighting spirit.

If they won this and brought the prize back to their class, wouldn't they be treated like absolute legends?

Lin Mo rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Great. He knew this would happen. It was supposed to be a nice, wholesome charity event, but they just had to throw in some gunpowder.

He turned to look at Chu Miaomiao. Sure enough, the young girl was intimidated by the sudden intensity, nervously pinching the hem of her shirt.

Lin Mo softened his voice. "Don't listen to him. Let's just go at our own pace. We'll wrap however many we can."

"But, that gift basket..." Chu Miaomiao whispered.

"Don't worry about it. Our classmates aren't going to starve without it," Lin Mo said, patting her on the head.

There were over forty classes here. It wouldn't be a surprise if they didn't get first place.

Chu Miaomiao could only nod in agreement.

The ingredients in front of them had all been prepared in advance; they only needed to do the wrapping.

Li Ming walked over to the center of the room, where another table had been set up with ingredients ready to go.

"Let me give you a quick demonstration. We'll be making traditional five-cornered pork zongzi."

Li Ming put on a pair of disposable gloves. He picked up two dark green bamboo leaves, overlapped them, and with a quick twist of his fingers, formed a smooth, funnel-like shape.

His movements weren't fast, but every step was incredibly clear and flowed as smoothly as running water.

He scooped in the rice, added the pork, and topped it off with another layer of rice, pressing it down firmly. With a flip of his wrist, the bamboo leaves wrapped tightly around the ingredients. Finally, he swiftly wound a cotton thread around it a few times and tied it off with a neat slipknot.

A wave of amazed gasps erupted from the crowd below!

"Alright, let the event officially begin!"

At Li Ming's command, everyone eagerly sprang into action.