Huayu Chef

066's debut under the spotlight

Hotel parking lot.

Zhang Jinxuan and Zeng Jia got into their respective cars, and the two cars drove out of the parking lot one after the other.

On the way, Zhang Jinxuan, who was so bored that he was spacing out, took out his phone and connected to the Internet. He saw that someone had tagged him in the newly created "Wild Kitchen Squad" group, so he clicked on it casually.

Several more long voice messages.

I have absolutely no desire to listen to it.

After exiting WeChat, Zhang Jinxuan called his senior from the directing department directly.

"Hey, Junior Brother Jinxuan."

"Senior, are you having fun?"

"What's there to be happy about? I'm out early and back late every day, I'm exhausted."

"Have you chosen a location?"

"The choice has been made, but there's a small problem."

"What minor problem?"

"We found a donkey farm that agreed to let us film videos and was willing to provide a place to cook. However, the ingredients weren't free; we had to pay for them."

Zhang Jinxuan frowned slightly and said, "Donkey meat isn't cheap. There are six of you—the three of you, plus me, Yang Zi, and Jingjing. If we don't make enough, it won't be enough. We need to buy more. It's a rare trip to Baoding, so we made some donkey ribs and donkey intestines for you to try. If they don't provide the ingredients, the filming costs for this episode will be a bit high."

"I think it's acceptable."

"What's the reason?"

"This donkey farm has a story."

Zhang Jinxuan became interested and said cheerfully, "It's good to have a story. Donkey meat and wine go well together. Tell me, what's the story?"

"The donkey farm owner's daughter is incredibly beautiful."

Zhang Jinxuan: "..."

"She's prettier than many female celebrities in the industry."

"Senior brother, the story you're telling me is basically creating a 'Donkey Farm Beauty' for me? Are you choosing a place or a concubine?"

Upon hearing this, Jingjing, who was in the driver's seat, suddenly perked up her ears.

This is huge gossip.

"Jinxuan, don't you think the beautiful women are the biggest attraction? Aren't the beautiful women at the donkey farm even more talkative?"

"You've got your eye on her?"

"no."

"So, Zhuangzhuang and his second senior brother have taken a liking to her?"

"No, not at all."

"That's strange. They don't even like her, so why are you defending her?"

"Her family has a donkey that knows how to act cute."

Zhang Jinxuan's face darkened, and he couldn't help but retort, "Keep making things up! Why don't you just say she has a cat that can do backflips?"

"Where did the cat come from at the donkey farm? That donkey can't do backflips, but it can kick people with its hooves. Zhuangzhuang almost got kicked."

"Is he alright?"

"He wasn't hurt. That donkey was just scaring Zhuangzhuang; it's really naughty."

Zhang Jinxuan laughed and said, "That's interesting. Is there anything else?"

"Her family has a donkey that smokes."

"Is this a folk remedy to warm the lungs?"

How did you know?

"I heard that from someone else, is there anything else?"

"Donkey Farm Beauty's father has been raising donkeys for twenty years. He is very experienced and has a deep affection for the donkey farm. He hopes his daughter will inherit his business. Donkey Farm Beauty is unwilling. She has high aspirations and looks down on the donkey-raising profession. I think we can make something of this."

"Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes; we should refrain from meddling in other people's family matters. What are the donkey farm beauty and her father like?"

"The conversation was quite fruitful."

"Is her family planning to slaughter a donkey soon?"

"If we pay for donkey meat, they can slaughter one for us and sell the meat to us at the local market price."

Zhang Jinxuan thought for a moment, then suddenly felt extravagant: "Print out that appearance agreement and have all the people at the donkey farm who are willing to appear on camera sign it."

"Raising donkeys isn't easy for them, so slaughtering one especially for us is quite a favor. Here's what you'll do, senior brother, you tell them I want the whole donkey head and offal, plus a few pounds of ribs and tendons, to make a whole donkey feast for everyone on the farm. By the way, how many people work on their donkey farm?"

Five people.

"We probably won't be able to finish it, but who cares? Just do as I say."

"Don't force yourself if you're short on cash. Let's look for somewhere else."

"This is it."

"Okay, let's settle things between the three of us. When are you coming to Baoding tomorrow?"

"Jingjing bought a high-speed rail ticket for 7 a.m. tomorrow, and will arrive in Baoding around 8 or 9 a.m."

"Let's meet at Baoding East Station tomorrow morning."

"Okay, I'll call you when we arrive."

Jingjing glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Zhang Jinxuan put down his phone. She asked impatiently, "Brother Xuan, are we having a whole donkey feast tomorrow?"

"Hmm, have you tried it?"

"No, never. It sounds incredibly delicious."

"Wipe your mouth, you're drooling."

"No way, Brother Xuan is talking nonsense."

Jingjing said coquettishly, her face full of anticipation and longing. "A whole donkey feast! We'll have to eat every part of the donkey!"

Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground.

Donkey intestines, the ceiling of the sewer.

Donkey meat sandwich...

Slurp, slurp, I'm getting hungry.

Upon arriving at Yang Mi's studio, Zhang Jinxuan changed into a suit borrowed from the studio. By the time he finished his look, it was already 3 PM. The signing ceremony was scheduled to start at 4 PM, so there wasn't much time left. He then headed to the Westin Hotel with Zeng Jia.

Huanrui attached great importance to this event and made it a grand affair. Although there was no elaborate red carpet ceremony, the venue was divided into an outdoor and an indoor area, just like a typical gala ceremony.

Create a lively atmosphere outside and organize activities inside.

So a group of fans of the celebrities and producers gathered outside, including Yang Mi's fans, Tang Yan's fans, Ming Dao's fans, and Liu Kaiwei's fans. They held up light boards, looked around from time to time, and patiently waited for their idols to appear.

In addition to fans, there were also reporters from twenty or thirty portal websites, video websites, TV stations, and media outlets, including Sina, NetEase, Sohu, LeTV, Tencent, Youku, and Beijing TV, all armed with cameras and microphones, ready to capture any emerging entertainment news.

"Someone's coming."

"Is that Mimi?"

"I hope it's Tangyan."

"There's a man there, it must be Weiwei."

"Director Ming...wait, who's this guy?"

"I don't even know Zhang Jinxuan. He's the guy from 'Wild Kitchen,' the man who lives in the world of memes."

"Oh, it's him. I've used his emojis before. Rich guy, let's be friends, haha."

Zeng Jia, dressed in a black business suit, and Zhang Jinxuan, also dressed in an all-black look, slowly entered the venue. As only the two of them came out of the passage, they instantly became the focus of attention.

"So handsome."

"OMG, he's so handsome!"

"I'm confused."

Today, Zhang Jinxuan sported a rather formal side-part hairstyle, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. The light and shadow on his facial makeup accentuated his features, giving him a cool and three-dimensional look. Paired with his broad shoulders and towering height of 184 cm, he exuded a sharp aura and seemed to radiate a strong sense of pressure.

Zhang Jinxuan suppressed a smile, glanced around, and when he didn't see any of his fans, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Just then, a series of screams suddenly rang out.

"Ahhh, Zhang Jinxuan."

"Brother Xuan is so handsome."

Then, the former moderator of the online forum who had bought braised food from the store last time led a few people to push forward, put their hands to their mouths like megaphones, and screamed and shouted loudly.

They were inexperienced and arrived late. All the good spots were taken by the four major fan groups, so they could only stand in the back. They also didn't prepare any support signs or banners, which is why Zhang Jinxuan didn't see them earlier.

Zhang Jinxuan's popularity was short-lived and his foundation was weak, so he couldn't compare to those young stars who had been popular for several years.

"Rain or shine, that's Xuanni."

"Brother Xuan, we'll always support you, keep it up!"

At that moment, Zhang Jinxuan felt as if he had been electrocuted, his body went numb for a moment, and he grinned and waved vigorously at Xuan Ni.

"Hello everyone, I'm Zhang Jinxuan."

Several reporters nearby pressed their shutters, and flashes of light captured the image of Zhang Jinxuan waving to his fans.