Chapter 20.4

Yan Zhao put the boiled meat slices into the kitchen. “Let it absorb the essence of the sun and moon.”

Shen Yuanting remarked, “It won’t make it taste any better.”

Yan Zhao: “…” Sometimes he felt that Shen Yuanting was really nice, and sometimes he wanted to hit him.

Yan Zhao said dispiritedly, “Yes, I just cook really poorly, I can’t even plate the dishes nicely.”

Shen Yuanting smiled and said, “It’s okay. Until your cooking is palatable, I will supervise your practice.”

Yan Zhao humbly inquired, “What does ‘palatable’ mean exactly…?”

Shen Yuanting replied, “In terms of scores… on a hundred-point scale, maybe ninety.”

Yan Zhao: “…” Shen Yuanting is truly strict.

Wang Zai was a cat that enjoyed watching TV, particularly “Tom and Jerry.” Whenever Wang Zai meowed, Shen Yuanting put the disc on for it and sat in the living room to watch with the cat. Yan Zhao, on the other hand, was accustomed to playing games on the sofa after dinner. As a result, the living room scene of the family of three varied at unpredictable times.

While Yan Zhao was eating chicken, Song Jing suddenly messaged him on WeChat, asking him to repost the latest Weibo post from Elegante.

Yan Zhao’s major Weibo account was initially managed by Song Jing, but in recent days, he requested it back. Otherwise, when the fan app sent reminders like [“Your cutie is online”], fans would joyfully speculate about what their idol was up to. Little did they know that only the idol’s manager and the idol’s Weibo account were online, a rather lonely truth!

The comments and direct messages were lively. Yan Zhao glanced at them briefly and realized that the recently shot promotional advertisement for Elegante was now released.

Yan Zhao reposted the Weibo and watched the video. Elegante truly lived up to its luxury brand reputation. After editing and post-production, the advertisement was very high-end and impressive. However…

Yan Zhao dragged the video to the near end, and several scenes of showcasing rings alternated. There were close-ups of hands, caressing the rings, and kissing the rings, but the scene of him holding the ring in his mouth was missing.

“My most satisfying shot?” Yan Zhao muttered. That action of holding the ring in his mouth was his spontaneous idea during the script reading, and the director even praised him for it. Why didn’t it appear?

Shen Yuanting, holding a book with one hand and scratching Wang Zai’s chin with the other, paused.

“Meow!” Wang Zai discontentedly meowed, jumped down from Shen Yuanting’s lap, and ran over to Yan Zhao.

Yan Zhao, having the contact information of everyone he collaborated with stored on his phone, asked the director politely. The director replied, “Well… it didn’t pass the review.”

Yan Zhao was baffled, “??? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I???”

The director became angry when he mentioned this, and he cursed: “The recent censorship standards are getting stranger. They’ve approved scenes with exposed skin next door, but what’s wrong with Xiao Yan holding a ring? It’s the reviewers themselves with flawed thinking!”

The conversation gradually became risky, and Yan Zhao hastily said, “It’s fine, if it’s cut, it’s cut. The current effect is good, more innocent.”

“Haha,” the director laughed, “Have you seen the comments? Your fans are now saying they want to marry you.”

Yan Zhao also chuckled, “They’ll find someone better than me.”

It was what the idol said; but, did the fans agree?

[Zhao Zhao is the best in the world!!!]

[Zhao Zhao is a celestial being beyond the heavens!!!]

[Zhao Zhao, the god-like man in the universe!!!]

In the various fan groups of Yan Zhao, the 999^th Rainbow Fart Contest is in full swing. Fans are actively participating, determined to create beautiful, outstanding, and creative farts!

[ [Image] This angle, this jawline, perfect. It should be registered as a world cultural heritage!]

[The heart-arsonist is at it again, I must arrest him!!!]

[Hello, everyone, I’m the ring. My brother’s finger bones are made of snow-nurtured jade. I’m so happy. [Shy].]

[Wake up, you’ve already been returned to the director’s team [dog head].]

Compared to the enthusiastic operation of the Salt Soda Rainbow Fart Production Center, the reactions of passers-by were relatively calm, but mostly praised. Occasionally, there were comments like [Elegante has also fallen, actually inviting influencers for endorsements], but they were quickly overwhelmed by other comments.

The advertising campaign has already been successful, and now it depends on how much sales volume can be generated.

While Elegante’s new ring is opening for pre-sale, Yan Zhao also went to the recording studio of “Star Feast”.

This is an indoor variety show, with two hosts and five chefs from different regions as regular guests.

The director knows that just cooking and eating is too plain, so each episode will invite two flying guests. The chefs become judges, evaluate the dishes prepared by the guests on-site, and select the tastier one. Since it’s a live broadcast, the guests’ real cooking skills are exposed on camera, which is also one of the highlights of the show.

As soon as the live broadcast started, many netizens began to flood the barrage.

[I bet a pack of spicy strips that it’s not tasty.]

[I bet five packs! It’s unpalatable!]

[Every time influencers come, the food is not tasty… it’s all a show…]

[Chef Jiang in front seems unhappy!]

[Exactly, the veteran actors all do quite well, not many young actors really know how to cook]

[I’ve come out! Yan Zhao is also diligently managing his appearance today!]

[Zhao Bao’s charcoal dish, I’ll eat it even if it’s made of carbon!]

[Isn’t the Salt Soda in front too intense?!]

…

Yan Zhao wandered around backstage and asked, “Where’s Wanzi?”

The director, wearing a mask, explained, “Wanzi’s schedule clashed, so we pushed it to the next episode… Oh, why hasn’t Teacher Ding arrived yet? Xiao Liu, go remind her!”

“Coming, coming!” A soprano voice echoed as a woman in chef’s attire, wearing a chef’s hat, entered through the door.

Ding Ziwei is a popular chef in the country, having appeared on multiple food variety shows and occasionally sharing food vlogs. With millions of fans on Weibo, she differs from some influencers who only focus on presentation – she truly has culinary skills. Reflecting on the people he knows, Yan Zhao thought that only Shen Yuanting could rival her in knife skills.

Ding Ziwei is evidently the highlight of this episode, and the barrage goes crazy:

[Wow, it’s Sister Ding!]

[This episode is promising! Waiting for Sister Ding to showcase her skills!]

[Colliding with Ding Ziwei, some people are in trouble, public execution!]

[Salt Sodas, take note, maintain harmony, automatically cross the bar!]

Ding Ziwei placed a large box on the table, rubbed her shoulders, and extended her hand to Yan Zhao, saying, “Are you my opponent today? Young man, quite handsome!”

Yan Zhao shook hands with her and smiled, saying, “Hello, Teacher Ding. I’m Yan Zhao. Did the teacher bring her own kitchen utensils again?”

Ding Ziwei laughed, “Oh, you recognize me?”

Yan Zhao replied, “I watched your videos when I was learning to cook.”

Ding Ziwei, being cheerful, quickly engaged in conversation with Yan Zhao. The director interjected, “Since you’re chatting so enthusiastically, why not record the ‘Bold Statements’ segment?”

“Bold Statements” is a segment in the show where guests need to provoke their opponents and boast about themselves. It’s a favorite among netizens because it often involves challenging statements and unexpected revelations.

Yan Zhao sat on a chair, pondered for a moment, and said, “Actually, before recording, I had prepared some lines. I and Wanzi would playfully banter, and with post-production effects, we could portray a dragon-tiger showdown. But you suddenly changed the opponent, making it difficult for me.”

The director, enjoying the excitement, chuckled, “Haha, then imagine how Teacher Ding would talk about you.”

“Based on my experience watching her vlogs…” Yan Zhao rubbed his chin, smiled disdainfully, “It would be a swift and decisive move.”

“One swift move” is a famous saying of Ding Ziwei, originating from her video where she prepared stewed softshell turtle. Faced with a freshly caught softshell turtle, she declared, “One swift move,” and with a deft motion, the turtle’s blood splattered three feet. Since then, every time she handles ingredients that require on-the-spot slaughter, she utters the phrase “One swift move.”

Fans who have watched her videos have long been accustomed to seeing this phrase in the barrage, but they didn’t expect Yan Zhao to mention it.

[Mom, why is this person reading my barrage?]

[Hahaha, self-deprecating is okay, are you a softshell turtle?]

[He really watched the VLOG, I thought he was just being polite with Sister Ding.]

[This imitation is spot on, especially that smirk, so identical.]

[Some fans have too much face, dare to claim acting skills with just one sentence?]

[Is someone on explosive drugs???]