CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 031 WHAT IS THIS FAIRY RESTAURANT? THE BEAUTIFUL ANCHOR WAS SHOCKED!

"Welcome!"

Wu Kexin had just walked into Lin Ji’s Food with her phone in hand when Song Tiantian, who was sitting behind the cash register, proactively greeted her.

The fans were in the middle of complaining about how the company’s comeback live stream arrangements were unfair. After seeing Song Tiantian’s doll-like face, they were immediately captivated.

"Not gonna lie, everyone, I have a real weakness for this look."

"What a coincidence, me too!"

"Her voice is so gentle! Goodness, I’m in love!"

"Where is this restaurant located again? No particular reason, I just want to go over and ask for directions."

"Same here, same here!"

Having worked in restaurants for several years, Song Tiantian was no stranger to people live streaming their visits. She handed Wu Kexin a pre-prepared order form.

"Hello, in our restaurant, you need to order and pay first. Then you can enter and dine with your payment receipt."

Wu Kexin paused for a moment, taking the order form, a little unaccustomed to this. In the past, when she did sponsored appearances, all the establishments welcomed her with great fanfare and utmost politeness. But this restaurant treated her just like any regular customer.

This reminded her of when she had first started in the business. Back then, she would wander the streets with her phone, entering any shop that caught her interest, eating and reviewing on the spot, then paying and leaving without any further involvement with the restaurant. But after she became famous, she never had to pay for her meals or order from a menu again. Every so-called "exploration" of a restaurant was a carefully scripted event. Though it was called live streaming, it often involved more acting than reality.

Is Manager Chen doing this to make me rediscover my initial passion?

Wu Kexin took a deep breath and began looking at the menu. As she did, she frowned.

Apart from a few types of hand-pulled noodles, Tiger Skin Chicken Feet, and Ginger Lotus Root, this restaurant didn’t have a single hot dish. Could it really attract business?

However, the limited variety of dishes was quite friendly to those who had difficulty choosing. She glanced at the menu and quickly decided on her meal.

"I’ll have three Chicken Feet, a plate of Ginger Lotus Root, and a small bowl of Tomato Egg Noodles. Oh, and a bottle of North Pole, please."

Song Tiantian quickly keyed the order into the cash register and printed the bill.

"That’ll be 64 yuan in total. Please scan the code here to pay."

By now, Wu Kexin had adjusted her mindset. Since the company arranged it, she would just follow their plan. Manager Chen had paid a high price to recruit her; he definitely intended to make money through her, not ruin her career.

She took out another phone and paid. Taking her payment receipt, she walked into the restaurant.

There weren’t many customers in the restaurant at this time. In the kitchen, a dark, skinny chef was dishing out rice—probably their staff meal, as a handsome chef and a young man with messy hair were also eating rice at nearby seats.

After the order printer in the kitchen beeped, the handsome chef put down his bowl, stood up, and went into the kitchen.

"WOW! Boss Lin is on camera!"

"Boss Lin’s first appearance on camera! Marking the occasion, marking the occasion!"

"Lin Ji boys checking in!"

"Lin Ji girls checking in!"

Wu Kexin was puzzled. She had merely captured the handsome chef on camera, yet the chat suddenly exploded with activity, with several fans repeatedly posting "marking the occasion." Is this boss really that famous?

Before long, the waiter brought over the Chicken Feet, Ginger Lotus Root, and the North Pole.

Wu Kexin looked at the number of viewers in her live stream. It was barely one-tenth of what it used to be. Her stream’s popularity hadn’t even made it onto the category rankings. This comeback is turning out to be quite dismal.

She sighed and continued the live stream.

"The dishes have arrived. The portions aren’t very large, but they look quite attractive, and the aroma is rich. As is customary, my fans get the first look—let me give you all a close-up."

Holding up her phone, she earnestly began filming the dishes.

"These chicken feet are really good; the tiger skin pattern is spot on."

"The lotus root is so white and evenly sliced; it looks very appetizing."

While the fans were discussing this, Wu Kexin repositioned her phone on the dining table. Then she picked up a slice of lotus root with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.

"This lotus root looks very good, and the taste is also..."

It’s just a sponsored stream, after all; basically, I’m just here to hype things up and advertise for them.

Just as she was about to mechanically recite some well-rehearsed adjectives used to describe food, she was shocked by the taste and texture of the lotus root. So much so that even she, who had always maintained an elegant and serene persona, couldn’t help but curse.

"HOLY SHIT! This lotus root is actually sweet and sour, and it’s so crisp! It’s incredibly delicious! I’ve never eaten lotus root this tasty before!"

She picked up another slice and put it in her mouth. AAAAAH! It’s unbelievably delicious!

「West Fourth Ring, Hanhai International Villa District.」

Shen Jiayue sat in the living room, fuming and playing with her phone. She never expected that her relatives, under the guise of celebrating her graduation, had called her home intending to set her up on blind dates—and not just with one person, but several.

She had considered telling them directly that she had a boyfriend, but then she worried about her relatives going to Yingchun Street to cause trouble for Lin Xu. So, she could only feign interest while playing on her phone.

"Do you like gourmet food, Miss Shen?"

"Yes."

"What a coincidence, I like it too. I love top-tier Angus steak—the texture is truly unique. Spanish red shrimp is excellent too. Plus, premium caviar and black truffles are my absolute favorites... What kind of food do you enjoy, Miss Shen?"

"Braised pork rice."

Shen Jiayue was currently looking at a picture of braised pork rice that Lin Xu had sent her. To see the details clearly, she had even zoomed in and studied it for a while.

AAAAAH! I really want to eat it! If I hadn’t come home for lunch, I definitely could have eaten it. That’s the braised pork rice he made with his own hands! The taste must be absolutely incredible!

After looking at the picture, Shen Jiayue casually browsed through the posts under the "Lin Ji’s Food" topic. She saw a netizen had posted a link with a message:

"Hey everyone, big-time streamer Wu Kexin is live at Lin Ji’s Food! Here’s the link to the stream. Let’s all help boost the viewer count and make Boss Lin and Lin Ji’s Food famous! I’ve posted in the stream chat too; folks from there will be dropping by our discussion, so let’s be polite and not embarrass the Lin Ji boys and girls!"

The stream started today? Shen Jiayue hadn’t paid much attention to it after mentioning it to her cousin, Chen Yan, a couple of days ago.

Since it had started, she might as well check out the live stream. She was pretty bored right now anyway.

She clicked on the link, and the screen switched to the live stream room.

At that moment, Wu Kexin was facing the camera, eating lotus root. She was praising how delicious the lotus root was as she ate.

Delighted, Shen Jiayue immediately sent three "Carnival" gifts in the live stream, adding the comment, "Thank you to the host for promoting Lin Ji’s Food!"

Wu Kexin, who was eating slices of lotus root, was so surprised by the successive "Carnival" gift notifications scrolling across her screen that she almost choked.

"COUGH, COUGH! Thank you... Thank you, Little Yueyue from the Shen Family, for the three Carnivals! You’re so generous, truly appreciate you splashing out!"

This was the first wave of gifts since she started streaming. Wu Kexin was so excited. Her voice unconsciously grew louder.

Yue Liyue, who was eating braised pork rice, curiously came over with his bowl.

"Are you doing a live stream here?"

Wu Kexin smiled apologetically at him.

"Yes, I’m live streaming. Sorry if I disturbed you."

Yue Liyue quickly waved his hand.

"No, no, I just heard you say ’Little Yueyue from the Shen Family’ and came over to take a look."

He leaned towards the phone she was using for the live stream and looked at the gift leaderboard.

"Whoa, it really is the lady boss’s account! Well, as a loyal customer, I should gift you too. Thanks for promoting Lin Ji’s Food, much appreciated!"

With that, he took out his phone, scanned the QR code to enter the live stream, and also sent a "Carnival" gift.

Wu Kexin was completely stunned.

My goodness, customers willingly spending their own money to help the owner promote the place? What kind of divine restaurant is this?!