The group walked out of the shop and saw a crowd of people chasing something outside. Liang Yin ran over to join them.
"Wang Zhi, watch the shop!"
Wang Zhi: …
The street was packed. Lin Chudong hopped onto Liang Yin's electric scooter and sped off.
Previously, he hadn't participated in the reality show, not because he wasn't interested, but because the system wouldn't allow it.
Now, he wanted to participate, but he no longer had the chance.
He had to take a chance today, just to promote his song.
Lin Chudong opened the Lucky Card in his mind. With a thought, one card vanished.
He hoped it would be helpful at this crucial moment.
Liang Yin and Jia Lu had run a few steps and were completely exhausted. They said helplessly,
"These guys can really run. We thought it was just for show on TV, but they're actually running!"
"Did you see which celebrity it was?"
"I did. It looked like Lin Qiqi!"
"It's her! She's so beautiful. Too bad we didn't get to see her!"
At this moment, a tall and slender young woman was running at full speed, holding a task card in her hand. The cameramen around her were also panting heavily.
Lin Qiqi looked a little anxious and said to the camera, "I'm sorry, cameramen, I have to run."
"This time, the task is to randomly pick someone from the street to compete with a Top-Level Chef. I have to go to the snack street in the back!"
Lin Qiqi was a rising darling of the otaku, having starred as the female lead in several idol dramas. She had very high popularity, and her image on the reality show was that of a sweet and well-behaved girl, which made her very likable.
She was young, she could really run.
A director whispered, "Qiqi, you're running too fast, there's not much footage. Slow down, and when you find someone, look for those with a good hook, someone who's obviously funny or interesting, understand?"
Lin Qiqi nodded. Reality shows weren't real; they were all scripted. Even randomly finding someone on the street had to follow the director's instructions.
The director's team had hinted that they didn't really need to find a chef; they needed to find someone with a good hook, someone with character.
Lin Qiqi started searching on the pedestrian street.
Suddenly, a shout came from behind.
"Get out of the way! Beep beep!"
A horn sounded, and everyone turned to look. They saw a black electric scooter speeding towards them. The man on the scooter was wearing a helmet, and he pulled up in front of Lin Qiqi with a beautiful drift.
"Pretty lady, need a ride?"
This entrance was perfectly recorded by the camera, and the flashy entrance immediately drew laughter from the onlookers.
Lin Qiqi glanced back at the director's team, and they immediately nodded.
"Yes, brother, we're the Super Challenge program team. Can you help me with a task?"
Lin Chudong said, "No problem, little sister, hop on."
Lin Qiqi hopped onto the electric scooter, "Big brother, go to the square up ahead. I'm participating in a competition. Do you know how to cook?"
"I do. When I cook at home, they say my dishes taste like they're from a restaurant. When I worked in a restaurant, the customers said my food tasted like home. Do you think I know how to cook?"
Lin Qiqi was amused, "You're really funny. Well, I'm counting on you then. Our opponent is a Top-Level Chef!"
"Top-Level? Then he's finished. I'm at least a Second-Level Chef."
"Big brother, Top-Level is better than Second-Level! The lower the number, the higher the rank!"
"Then I'm a Zero-Level Chef, just watch!"
The director's team picked up the entire conversation, and the director said into the walkie-talkie, "This audience member is high-quality. Give them more screen time, let them speak more, create some show effects."
"Understood!"
Soon, they arrived at the competition square.
The square was already packed with people. The camera positions were set, and the lights were ready. Five celebrities, four men and one woman, were already in position.
When Lin Qiqi appeared on Lin Chudong's electric scooter, it immediately caused a stir.
Reaching the front, Lin Chudong made a sudden stop.
Lin Qiqi hugged him tightly, her back feeling like it had been hit by a giant marshmallow. He swore, it wasn't on purpose.
A middle-aged man said, "Qiqi, where did you find this driver? Time is running out!"
The speaker was the popular actor Li Bo, a box office champion with billions in earnings and a highly popular figure. He was also the backbone of this Super Challenge program.
Lin Qiqi said, "This is the chef I found. Let's begin!"
Li Bo chuckled, cracking a few jokes before the competition officially began.
Up until now, no one had recognized Lin Chudong.
Firstly, Lin Chudong was dressed extremely casually today, lacking the air of a professional singer.
Secondly, these people were all from the film and television industry and didn't know much about the music scene. They certainly knew about Da Fei Band, but they hadn't actually met Da Fei himself.
"This competition pairs celebrities with ordinary people to cook. The final round will be against a Top-Level Chef, judged by professional food critics. The winner will receive a mysterious prize!"
Reality shows are all about entertainment and drama. The audience really wanted to see an ordinary person beat a Top-Level Chef.
Lin Qiqi asked, "Sir, what's your surname?"
"My name is Lin, Lin Chudong."
Lin Chudong tried to chat as much as possible, even though most of it would probably be cut later. The more screen time, the better the effect.
"The opponent is a Top-Level Chef. What are we going to do? Are you confident?" Lin Qiqi was very naive and cheerful. He didn't know if it was genuine or an act. If it was an act, then these actors were amazing.
"I'll be the main chef. You help me with the ingredients. We're making Nine-Turn Intestines!"
Lin Qiqi started chopping vegetables with a knife, while Lin Chudong handled the intestines on the side.
The process of handling the intestines would cause discomfort to the audience, so there were basically no shots of it.
Lin Qiqi's vegetable chopping was a beautiful sight, so there were naturally many shots of her.
Fortunately, Lin Qiqi also took very good care of Lin Chudong, constantly talking to him even though the cameras weren't on them.
"Brother Lin, we're from the same family, what a coincidence. How did you think of making Nine-Turn Intestines?"
Lin Chudong said, "It's a famous Shandong dish. If I want to make an impression on the judges, it has to be something strong."
Lin Qiqi smiled. "That's a good approach! Either they'll be charmed to death, or they'll be disgusted to death!"
Lin Chudong's cooking skills were quite remarkable. With the boost from his Intermediate Cooking Skill, he prepared his ingredients with the grace of flowing water.
He cleaned several intestines thoroughly, marinating them inside and out with cooking wine and white vinegar. Then, he linked them together one by one and cut them into small, two-centimeter-long segments.
He heated the wok and began to slice the green onions.
At the same time, the dark-skinned Top-Level Chef also began to slice green onions.
Both of them moved in sync, their speed incredibly fast. The shredded scallions were thin and even, and the rhythm of their knife work was impressive, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Who exactly was this young man?
He could match the knife skills of a Top-Level Chef?
And even faster?
Lin Chudong placed the seasonings, stir-fried, and then simmered over low heat.
A moment later, the aroma filled the air. He sprinkled the scallions, arranged the dish, and took it off the heat.
A beautifully presented Nine-Turn Intestines was placed in front of the camera.
Li Bo said with exaggeration, "Qiqi, I never thought a pretty girl like you would have such a strong taste!"
Lin Qiqi smiled. "I've found a treasure! Our Lin-ge's level is no less than a Top-Level Chef's!"
The Top-Level Chef standing nearby frowned slightly and snorted.
"This dish, Nine-Turn Intestines, is a recipe that's bound to fail. It's not about skill, it's just about looking good. It's not tasty."
"If I can't even beat an amateur, then I can just quit being a Top-Level Chef of Lu Cuisine!"
(End of chapter)