The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 152: Insect Feast

In the center of the porcelain plate lay a few black and red centipedes, creating a striking visual contrast. A bamboo skewer pierced through several centipedes horizontally.

The one who got "deep-fried centipedes" was Ian Brooks of the Yellow Team, one of the members of the boy band FREE.

He trembled and took a few steps back. As his grip loosened, the plate lid closed again.

In disbelief, he said, "Aren’t these things only found in martial arts series? Why are they here? Aren’t... aren’t centipedes poisonous? Can these actually be eaten?"

As a popular idol, Ian was trying his best to control his expression. Even though he was good at managing his facial expressions, he couldn’t face the ghastly and ugly centipede in front of him.

Brian Bennett said, "Rest assured, all the food has been specially treated and there will absolutely be no residual toxins."

Kiki Monroe was next to Ian and quickly moved aside when he screamed. Seeing the centipedes on Ian’s plate, she first lamented the show’s madness and then breathed a sigh of relief, realizing hers wasn’t the worst...

The smell of stinky tofu reached her nose again, making Kiki gag uncontrollably.

"Ugh..."

Kiki regretted it. She shouldn’t have underestimated this game. If she had known, she wouldn’t have participated to gain popularity!

Before returning to The Monroe Family, Kiki’s life wasn’t affluent, and she had seen stinky tofu before. But she had always thought herself superior and would never eat something so foul-smelling.

Then came several more screams.

Besides stinky tofu and snails, there were even cow bile soup and fermented duck eggs...

Only one person remained calm, so calm that people doubted whether she had even opened her plate.

Leo Lancaster paused for a second when he saw the food on Maya Monroe’s plate. He frowned, "Maya..."

Maya’s plate was the same size as the others, except hers was covered with food, a variety of deep-fried insects...

Deep-fried sweet bee pupae, fried scorpions, sautéed grasshoppers, deep-fried bean worms, and fried clam worms...

Many foods rarely seen before were gathered here, known as the famous Insect Feast that many feared.

Ian initially wanted to throw in a few jokes, but the moment he saw Maya’s plate, he suddenly fell silent.

Compared to the food on Maya’s plate, his few skewers of centipedes were nothing, a small witch compared to a great witch...

Kiki was in front of Maya. The moment she saw what was on Maya’s plate, she let out a short scream and retreated in a rush. She didn’t stop until her lower back hit a wooden table, causing a slight pain, and the porcelain plate made a harsh sound as it scraped against the tabletop.

Kiki couldn’t even muster the energy to be schadenfreude. She slumped weakly in her seat, her heart beating so fast it was about to jump out of her chest, and she felt sweat on her back.

Clutching her chest, she tried with all her might to erase that scene from her mind.

She shouldn’t have looked back. She regretted it...

James Wallace was usually lively on the variety show, and facing this scene, he felt a chill and some sympathy for Maya.

Why was she so unlucky...

"Brother Brian, is this the legendary Insect Feast? I bet many can’t handle this. The show keeps making things harder!"

His face bore a complex expression.

Brian Bennett snapped out of his shock. He had long known about this "final dish," but he hadn’t expected it to land in the hands of Maya Monroe, a seemingly delicate female artist...

But with his high professional demeanor, Brian quickly readjusted his thoughts and expression.

He raised the microphone and comforted, "The Insect Feast is a local delicacy rich in protein and beneficial to the body."

He teased, "Such a grand finale dish was picked by Maya; looks like her luck’s pretty good!"

James wore a naïve smile on his face, but inside he was silently cursing the show’s crew.

Miles Wallace stood beside Brian, still in his yellow casual sportswear. He frowned slightly, showing a rare hint of worry on his face.

The audience below erupted:

"So many insects look terrifyingly disgusting; how can anyone eat that!"

"If it were me, I’d be traumatized!"

"The show’s gone too far! This is torment for anyone who can’t stomach bizarre foods!"

"After finishing this meal, Maya probably won’t want to eat for at least three days!"

"My dear Maya... Sob, sob, it breaks my heart, just looking at it shatters me..."

Leo lowered his eyes. He just stretched out his hand to hold a corner of Maya’s plate when he heard Bella Sanford’s reminder almost instantly: "The free selection time is over. No exchanges now, Mr. Lancaster."

Though Bella was the same age as Leo, he was so accomplished at such a young age, winning numerous awards others couldn’t even dream of, hence Bella respectfully called him Mr. Lancaster.

Leo’s hand didn’t let go. He gazed deeply at Maya: "Don’t eat it. It’s just a game."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Losing doesn’t mean anything either."

His voice was soft, audible only to the two of them.

"What?" Maya looked confusedly at Leo, then at her own plate, and swallowed.

Why was everyone around her looking at her as if they’d seen a ghost? Her plate’s food wasn’t that scary...

Maya picked up a skewer of insects.

She brought it close to her face and sniffed.

Nice, it had a rich barbecue aroma...

In her previous experiences, especially on that godforsaken survival island, she’d eaten all kinds of things, and bugs high in protein were decent meat. These insects, specially cooked and sprinkled with barbecue seasoning, seemed like pretty tasty kebabs.

Turning her head, Kiki saw Maya holding a skewer close to her fair cheek, seemingly sniffing it.

The ugly insects were less than three centimeters from her face. From her standing angle, Kiki could clearly see the bugs and count the legs on them...

"Ah!!" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

There was another scream. Kiki covered her mouth, looking utterly shocked, her shiny eyes brimming with tears, evoking deep sympathy.

Long deprived of snacks by the show, just when she was savoring the barbecue aroma, Maya was suddenly interrupted by the scream, sparking her fury.

She shot a cold glare, as if with barbed hooks: "Who are you screaming to, your mom?"