Surprise was written all over Zeng Xiaoqi's face.

She had just tasted these two snacks at Geng Lishan's home. She hadn't eaten much then because they were discussing the food program, but she had been thinking about them ever since.

Today was truly full of surprises.

Getting Mr. Lishan's calligraphy was a surprise, Mr. Lishan joining the program team was a surprise, tasting the Noodles With Black Bean Sauce was a surprise, and now, Boss Lin had given her a fourth wonderful surprise.

"It looks like it might rain again. You should head inside quickly," he said. "I'm off to visit Chairman Liu of the National Tourism Association to get him to promote and support our program."

After speaking, Lin Xu drove away.

Zeng Xiaoqi stood by the roadside holding two boxes of Snacks, watching the white G-Wagon disappear into the distance. She couldn't help but mutter,

"Why doesn't God mass-produce a few more perfect men like this one?"

「Very quickly,」

The news that Geng Lishan had provided his calligraphy for and joined the "Taste of Humanity" program team spread like wildfire.

Those media planners who had been rejected previously could hardly believe it.

A program on an insignificant channel, with no heavyweight guests, no hefty investments, and not even any initial sponsors, had actually won Mr. Lishan's favor.

Does this program team have someone extraordinary? they wondered.

Only after careful inquiries did they discover that Lin Xu, a two-time cooking competition champion, had joined the team, and subsequently, his close friend Geng Lishan had also come on board.

This was a real shocker.

A distinguished calligrapher was actually treating a young man as an equal.

He even personally cooked Noodles With Black Bean Sauce to host him.

This is treating him completely as one of their own! people thought.

Meanwhile, the TV station began to leverage Geng Lishan's involvement, doing their best to amplify the program's influence and attract sponsors.

After all, TV programs need advertising sponsorship to be sustainable.

This is especially true for culinary programs; with sponsors, they could use better venues, prepare more delicious food, and secure better broadcasting slots.

「Two days later.」

In the TV station's recording studio, which had been converted into a small kitchen, Lin Xu stood by the stove in a chef's uniform bearing the Lin Ji's Food logo, conducting pre-recording checks.

Next to him, Zeng Xiaoqi, dressed in a pink women's suit, had her sleeves rolled up and her hair tied back in a neat and youthful ponytail. She was practicing the opening remarks written by the director. Not far away, Geng Lishan, wearing reading glasses, sat in a chair, carefully examining the three dishes scheduled for recording:

Oil Braise Large Shrimp, Green Onion Explosion Mutton, and Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes.

All three were dishes people often heard about but didn't eat very commonly in daily life.

Especially the Oil Braise Large Shrimp; although available in restaurants, it was typically prepared as sweet and sour large shrimp. Geng Lishan had initially worried Lin Xu would make it the same way, but after their discussion, he realized it was actually an old recipe from decades ago.

This immediately filled Geng Lishan with anticipation for the dish.

As for the Green Onion Explosion Mutton, the piece of half-fat, half-lean mutton from the hind leg and the two half-human-height Shandong Green Onions Lin Xu had brought made it clear that this too was a classic, old-fashioned recipe.

Regarding the Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes, he didn't even inquire.

Hmm, I shouldn't ask for the recipe for every dish. Leaving a little suspense for myself might just turn into a pleasant surprise during today's recording, Geng Lishan thought.

After rehearsing her opening remarks several times, Zeng Xiaoqi finally looked at Lin Xu. They could start as soon as he was ready. She felt quite composed at the moment, remembering every word of her lines. If they waited any longer, she might have to find her rhythm again. "Are you ready, Boss Lin?" she asked.

Lin Xu wiped his hands with a towel. "All set," he said.

"Shall we begin then?" Zeng Xiaoqi asked.

"Sure," Lin Xu replied.

Next to Geng Lishan, Zhen Wensheng, serving as the on-site head director, immediately took his walkie-talkie and ordered, "All departments, pay attention. We are entering recording mode now. Extraneous personnel, please leave the set. We need to keep the area quiet."

It wasn't long before the program officially began recording.

After an opening segment about food and cooking, Zeng Xiaoqi slowly walked over to the stove, and Lin Xu appeared on camera.

"Today we are fortunate to have with us the dietary consultant from the Fishing Platform State Guesthouse and the founder of Lin Ji's Food, Boss Lin Xu, to explain the intricacies of cooking these dishes. Hello, Boss Lin."

"Hello, Xiaoqi."

"What are we cooking today?"

"Oil Braise Large Shrimp."

After answering, Lin Xu brought over several live Big Shrimp from the side workbench and also introduced the necessary seasonings and ingredients.

Following the introduction, the two interacted briefly, and then Lin Xu began to explain the key points and methods for preparing the Large Shrimp.

Not far away, Geng Lishan nodded repeatedly, whispering to Zhen Wensheng beside him, "The pacing is very well controlled, and the choice of dish is excellent. You all need to ramp up the promotion; don't let Lin Xu's efforts go to waste."

"Rest assured, Mr. Lishan," Zhen Wensheng replied. "We will promote this program through television, the internet, and various offline channels. We absolutely will not let Boss Lin's hard work be in vain."

Zhen Wensheng had bet correctly on Lin Xu in the last cooking competition, so this time he didn't hesitate to stake his career on him again.

He not only secured a high-frequency advertising schedule from the station but even managed to get ads placed at popular bus stops and in subway stations to build as much hype as possible.

The staff at the Tourism Channel were also working overtime.

Having been underperforming for so many years, they had finally encountered an opportunity to turn things around, and they were determined to seize it firmly.

Zeng Xiaoqi had eaten the Oil Braise Large Shrimp on Longqi Mountain that day, so now, watching Lin Xu cook step by step, she couldn't help but recall those large shrimp with their crisp skin and savory flavor.

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