Huayu Chef

026 Should you help an elderly woman who has fallen down?

At noon, Zhang Jinxuan treated Huang Mengying and Zhuangzhuang to hot pot. He found an authentic Sichuan hot pot restaurant and served them as many meat and vegetable dishes as he wanted, trying his best to make sure Huang Mengying was full and satisfied.

She came to film the video, working tirelessly all morning picking willow catkins without accepting a penny, and even contributed a memorable scene with a streetlight. She certainly deserves to be treated well for her meals.

Zhang Jinxuan was browsing Weibo while eating hotpot. He had bought a data surcharge package and now had plenty of data to browse as much as he wanted.

From last night until now, about ten hours have passed, and the hashtag #WildKitchenZhangJinxuan# has broken into the top ten, ranking seventh. The top posts on the topic's forum are Weibo posts that Yang Mi, Gulnazar, Yang Zi, and Zhang Yunlong helped to retweet. Netizens are actively posting, some making serious comments, others playing with memes, creating a lively atmosphere.

The emoji provided by Zhang Jinxuan was cropped out and posted separately for fun, spreading like a virus across all platforms.

The number of Weibo followers surged from over 4 last night to over 10. If the topic doesn't drop off the charts, it could rise even more this afternoon.

The number of followers gained in one day is equivalent to the number of times Gulnazar played Xiaoxue.

It's terrifying.

On Youku's homepage, in the "Original" section, "Wild Kitchen Episode 1: Peking Duck" stands out with over 1.5 million views, becoming the most viewed and commented video on the homepage besides trending news, with no other original video able to compete with it.

The most interesting thing is the number of views on Bilibili.

At that time, Bilibili had around a million users, and the total number of views for the first episode of Wild Kitchen, "Beijing Roast Duck," reached hundreds of thousands. It stood out alone among a bunch of anime videos, with cute anime girls on the left and anime boys on the right. Zhang Jinxuan was the only real person, and he was extremely conspicuous.

"What's going on? Has Bilibili changed hands?"

"Dude, you've posted this on Bilibili, aren't you? You've got the wrong place!"

"Where's the reviewer? Come out and defend us!"

"Hundreds of thousands of views, this thing definitely had its views inflated, we don't have that many people on Bilibili."

"Who's watching this? Stop clicking it, it's interfering with my anime viewing."

"Xiao Zhang is really capable. He's trending on Weibo, featured on the homepage of Youku's original content section, and he's even getting on Bilibili. Why is a real person competing with a two-dimensional character?"

"(Rich guy, let's be friends.jpg)"

"(Juejuezi.jpg)"

"Why is everyone posting pictures of this person? Can someone explain this?"

"He's famous now."

"How did it become so popular?"

"He can cook duck."

"Even male prostitutes can become famous, the world is going to the dogs."

"They're making Peking duck, what are you guys thinking? (My mind is full of colorful nonsense.jpg)"

"Was the video good?"

"Highly recommended. I think Xiao Zhang is a breath of fresh air on Bilibili."

"Welcome Xiao Zhang to Bilibili! Looking forward to the second episode of 'Wild Kitchen'..."

Zhang Jinxuan browsed the comments from Bilibili users with great interest, feeling that he might become Bilibili's first "limited-time top influencer".

Why is it a limited-time top star?

Because Bilibili has fewer users, and its users are often unconventional. When celebrities aren't popular, they're seen as "gods and goddesses" or "ideals," but once they become famous, they're immediately subjected to intense criticism. There's a significant difference between the top celebrities and hit dramas recognized by Bilibili and the general public.

In reality, the data is just so-so.

"Brother Xuan, what are you looking at?" Huang Mengying asked, peeking out.

Zhang Jinxuan laughed and said, "Judging from the comments on Bilibili, everyone really likes 'Wild Kitchen'."

"It's fun and visually appealing, I'm sure you'll love it."

"That's true, but Wild Kitchen isn't money; it's impossible for everyone to like it."

Zhuangzhuang fished a piece of beef out of the hot pot, dipped it in the sauce, and ate it in one bite, saying indistinctly, "I really didn't expect 'Wild Kitchen' to become so popular."

Zhang Jinxuan turned off his phone screen, scooped out a piece of tripe that had been in the pot for a while, and said, "I didn't expect it either. I just filmed it for fun at first, but Mengying, Zhang Yunlong, and Yang Zi, you guys reposted it and it became a little popular. Yesterday, Sister Mi helped promote it, and it went viral in the middle of the night."

What he said was the truth.

When they first modified "Wild Kitchen", they had a clear positioning, using "food, handsome men, outdoor activities, reality show, and funny popular memes" as their selling points. They rode the popularity of "A Bite of China" and used the mature reality show model from the previous generation to subvert the aesthetic fatigue of studio-based variety shows.

It's highly likely to become popular, but the fact that it became this popular in the first episode was truly beyond Zhang Jinxuan's expectations.

All I can say is that he chose the right path.

They rode the wave of opportunity, reaping the benefits of reality TV before the second half of the year when "Where Are We Going, Dad?" aired. Multiple factors combined to propel their explosive growth.

Huang Mengying wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth with a tissue and said to Zhang Jinxuan, "Brother Xuan, 'Wild Kitchen' is so popular. It's an excellent, positive, and meaningful original work. I think you should continue making it. You can totally treat it as a career."

"Don't worry, Mengying, I won't give up halfway. Before the first season started filming, I had already roughly planned three seasons with 36 episodes, which is enough for three years."

Upon hearing this, Huang Mengying quickly asked, "What dishes will be featured in the third episode?"

"I'm planning to have a nice meal in Tianjin, either Eight Treasures Tofu or Stir-fried Three Delicacies."

Zhuangzhuang laughed and said, "I thought you were going to make Goubuli steamed buns, fried dough twists, and jianbing guozi."

"You want to eat it?"

"I want to eat it."

"It's that simple. We'll just go to Tianjin, buy plenty of food, and film it on video."

Huang Mengying no longer found the hot pot in front of her appealing, and said sweetly, "I really envy you two, being able to enjoy delicious food everywhere you go."

Zhang Jinxuan laughed and said, "No need to be envious. Sister Mi is willing to let people go. As long as you can coordinate your schedule, you can come anytime you want. I couldn't be happier to have another assistant."

Huang Mengying said happily, "It's a deal!"

A gentleman's word is as good as his bond.

Huang Mengying quickly made a decision: "I also want to go to Tianjin, and I'll come again next time."

"OK."

Zhang Jinxuan readily agreed, but whether Yang Mi was willing to release him was none of his concern.

Halfway through the hot pot meal, Yao Yao arrived, and Zhang Jinxuan signed a five-year management contract with her at the dinner table, officially joining Yang Mi's studio.

Yao Yao didn't stand on ceremony with Zhang Jinxuan. She picked up her chopsticks and started scooping meat from the hot pot, saying as she ate, "Jinxuan, your assistant's studio is already making arrangements. They'll send one over to you in a while."

"Thank you for your help, Sister Yao Yao."

"No trouble at all." Yao Yao then asked, "You weren't planning on taking any roles before 'Swords of Legends' started filming, right?"

Zhang Jinxuan nodded and said, "Yes, we need to arrange things at the store. Although I don't act anymore, I'm still interested in commercial endorsements. Now that I'm popular and have continued exposure thanks to 'Wild Kitchen,' some brands should want to collaborate with me. The studio might as well take the initiative to reach out to them."

Last year alone, Yang Mi had 23 endorsements, covering a wide range of products, demonstrating her considerable business resources. Some of these resources can be passed down through Yang Mi as the official spokesperson, similar to how many film and television companies have "hereditary endorsements" in the past.

"Wild Kitchen" needs monetization channels to accumulate capital for Zhang Jinxuan. Now that he has signed with Yang Mi's studio, he should strive for and make full use of the resources the studio has.

Yao Yao's eyes lit up, feeling that Zhang Jinxuan's suggestion was very practical.

Yang Mi's endorsements are expiring one after another. Some brands don't renew them, which is a real shame. If they can use their own artists to renew them, it's a win-win situation.

Currently, in terms of online buzz, Zhang Jinxuan is truly the most popular among the new artists signed by the studio, surpassing Gao Weiguang, Dilraba, Zhang Yunlong, Li Xirui, Zhang Bingbin, and others.

"Let me discuss it with Jia-jie and Mi-mi. Jin-xuan, what other ideas do you have?"

"That's all."

After finishing their hotpot, Yao Yao left, and Zhang Jinxuan, Huang Mengying, and Zhuangzhuang returned to the riverbank to take a walk to digest their food and pick willow catkins.

It was hot in the afternoon, so Huang Mengying took off her coat, revealing a yellow-green knitted top underneath. The color was like tender grass, making her look lively, energetic, sweet, and charming.

She tiptoed and put a sun hat on Zhang Jinxuan's head, then put one on herself and got to work first.

Seeing other people picking willow catkins by the river, Zhang Jinxuan instructed Zhuangzhuang, "Zhuangzhuang, just like this morning, take a few long shots. Try not to include passersby in the shots to avoid trouble."

"Got it. Cheer up, give me a smile."

Zhang Jinxuan grinned and turned to walk towards Huang Mengying, who was as hardworking as a little bee.

Just as I was about to speak, I suddenly heard a scream from not far away. I saw an old woman in sportswear reach for a willow branch, miss, sway twice, lose her balance, and fall to the ground with a thud, knocking over the basket at her feet and scattering willow catkins everywhere.

Huang Mengying was about to go over to help when Zhang Jinxuan grabbed her arm with lightning speed.