"Wow, this Pork Trotter is so soft and tender, absolutely delicious!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's perfect with rice!"

The tycoon Chen and the food-loving Shen Jiayue each held a bowl of rice, eating joyfully, as if the conversation about dieting a few minutes earlier had involved someone else entirely.

The Pork Trotter was stewed until incredibly tender. You could lift a piece with chopsticks, and without even needing to bite, just a gentle suck would make the skin slide right off the bone.

Upon chewing, the gelatinous skin and rich broth even felt pleasantly sticky in the mouth. This texture, combined with the savory and slightly spicy flavor, would unconsciously make one scoop up more rice.

And the faintly sweet aftertaste made the Pork Trotter flavorful but not greasy, leaving an endlessly delightful aftertaste.

As for the broth in the bowl, one could scoop a little and mix it into the rice, letting the rich, viscous sauce completely envelop the grains. One spoonful into the mouth…

It was truly deeply satisfying.

With a spoonful of rice warming the stomach, the only thought that surfaced was:

"I need two more bowls of this rice!"

As for dieting?

Sorry, I can't think about that right now. Let's talk after I'm full!

Before long, Lin Xu brought over the Jade Soup that Chen had specifically requested. Noticing that only the two 'plastic sisters' were still at the table, he curiously asked, "Yueyue, why haven't our parents arrived yet?"

Shen Baobao, shoveling rice into her mouth, mumbled indistinctly, "My dad secretly drank some liquor at noon, so he can't drive. Driver Xiao Zou is also a bit slow; they're still stuck on the elevated highway and haven't gotten off yet."

Upon hearing about the liquor, Lin Xu remembered the food he had arranged for a delivery person to take to his father-in-law at noon.

I wonder if my mother-in-law will blame me for this later?

Perhaps it's better if I don't send my father-in-law dishes that pair well with alcohol at noon in the future.

That way, he won't get too drunk and affect his work.

「Downstairs.」

As more guests arrived, Shu Yun and Song Tiantian came out together to greet everyone. At the restaurant entrance, they happened to see Zeng Xiaoqi arriving, ready to 'check in'.

"Manager Shu, I've come to freeload a meal! What delicious food do you have today? I saw the online discussions! They pushed our topic's popularity back into seventh place!"

When "The Flavor of Humanity" first aired, Lin Ji's Food had briefly reached seventh place in trending topics, but it was surpassed by a topic about the heatwave the next day.

Now, Lin Ji's Food had once again climbed to seventh place, which thrilled Zeng Xiaoqi.

Taking advantage of a less busy day at the station, this beautiful presenter had given herself an early day off. She came to Lin Ji's Food to 'check in' and also to discuss the show's recording schedule with Lin Xu.

"Welcome, Reporter Zeng! There are two places for freeloading now. Wu Kexin, Yue Liyue, and others are doing a live broadcast on the first floor, interacting with fans while eating. As for upstairs, Chen and the boss's wife are enjoying the Braised Pork Trotter that the boss made. I just snuck a piece—it was incredibly tasty!"

Upon hearing that Wu Kexin and the others were live-streaming, Zeng Xiaoqi took Shu Yun's hand and headed inside, saying, "Come on, come with me to say hello."

Wu Kexin and the others were live-streaming from a corner table. This spot didn't disturb the other diners and also allowed their fans to get a genuine feel for the interior layout of the new Lin Ji restaurant.

Seeing Zeng Xiaoqi, Geng Lele, who was eating Crystal Pork Hock, quickly waved her over, "Over here, over here! We specifically saved some pressed pig's head meat and Crystal Pork Hock for you; we couldn't bear to eat them ourselves!"

As "The Flavor of Humanity" grew more influential, Geng Lishan became more dedicated to the show. He now spent a significant amount of time each day at the Travel Channel, participating in the program's planning and recording.

Geng Lele was very grateful for this, because her grandfather had finally started to interact with the outside world instead of locking himself in his study all day.

Zeng Xiaoqi and Shu Yun walked over. After smiling and greeting everyone, Zeng Xiaoqi waved at the live broadcast camera, "Hello, hello, I'm Zeng Xiaoqi! Thank you for supporting Lin Ji's Food, and don't forget to follow 'The Flavor of Humanity,' the show that Boss Lin and I create!"

Her appearance immediately sent the live chat into a frenzy:

"Whoa, the star presenter from the Travel Channel is also here checking in at Lin Ji!"

"She and Boss Lin seem to have a good relationship; they even do a show together. It looks more like she's here to freeload a meal."

"Sister Xiaoqi knows that beautiful manager too!"

"Not only does she know her, but they're holding hands! They're obviously very close."

"So, it's true that beautiful women are drawn to each other, huh?"

"Damn, now that you mention it, it really is like that! Boss Lin is surrounded by beautiful women."

"What kind of 'winner-in-life' script is this?"

"..."

Today, Zeng Xiaoqi was wearing a white knee-length skirt and a short-sleeved chiffon blouse. Standing next to Shu Yun, who was dressed in her light grey professional attire, they indeed made for a delightful sight.

After her greeting, Zeng Xiaoqi tasted the Crystal Pork Hock and pressed pig's head meat, immediately praising them effusively, "I must talk with Boss Lin sometime about having him make these dishes on the show so the audience can learn too. The flavor is just fantastic!"

She's a true media professional, always thinking about how to drive traffic to the show.

Noticing comments in the live chat mentioning her, Shu Yun also took the initiative to greet the viewers, "Hi everyone, I'm Shu Yun, the general manager of Lin Ji's Food. To thank everyone for supporting Lin Ji, any viewer in the live stream with a fan badge who dines at our restaurant will receive a complimentary appetizer."

These so-called fan badges were special visual titles in the chat, obtained by contributing a certain amount in donations.

Upon hearing this, Wu Kexin's live stream immediately experienced a small surge in donations.

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