She quickly served the dishes the customer ordered, placing them on the table and eagerly waiting for her to try them.
She even enthusiastically introduced the dishes:
“This dish uses ingredients selected from…”
“This seasoning has been modified…”
As the only customer in the restaurant, the fan felt a little awkward, uncomfortable with Liang Zhiwei’s warm attitude.
After all, it was someone she used to dislike.
Now, Liang Zhiwei was standing right in front of her, and she noticed that Liang Zhiwei smelled nice, had a bright smile, flawless skin, and spoke gently.
As she introduced each dish, she did so patiently, assuring her that there was no need to feel guilty—these were all low-calorie.
This was what they called a “beauty trap”!
With such a stunning woman and a handsome man standing by her side, both eagerly waiting for her feedback, she felt like even if the dishes were bombshells or diarrhea-inducing, she would still eat them and praise them as delicious.
Her hands even trembled as she held her chopsticks, forcing herself to start eating.
No matter how bad it was, she would give enough emotional value!
After all, what kind of restaurant could have two big stars, such handsome men and beautiful women, serving her so enthusiastically?
And a rumored rich young lady with a terrible temper welcoming her as she put up posters?
She thought the whole scene felt like a dream.
Especially when compared to her previous encounter in the elevator lobby with Ruan Nian’s team, she felt an odd mixture of dissatisfaction and confusion.
Why?
The people she disliked the most were treating her more kindly than Ruan Nian ever did.
Even though she had made it clear she was a fan of Ruan Nian, Ruan Nian never showed such warmth to Li Xunxi.
Suppressing her odd feelings, she took a bite of the so-called low-calorie hot pot.
Suddenly, she froze.
Her eyelids lifted in shock.
Then, she quickly grabbed some more food and began to eat like crazy.
After confirming the taste, her eyes started to tremble.
The spice level of the hot pot was just right. It was stimulating but not too spicy.
It was fragrant, but not greasy, and the ingredients were fresh.
When she bit into them, they burst in her mouth, releasing juices that filled her tongue.
Before she even realized it, she swallowed without chewing.
She couldn’t believe it. She quickly grabbed some fish from the side.
The fish was so flavorful, and the oil wasn’t overpowering.
The fish’s tenderness and freshness were fully preserved.
Looking at the so-called “card-controlled” beef, it wasn’t made with beef bone broth but a special clear broth.
Yet, the beef was so tender that she felt she could eat a whole bowl of rice with it—oh, and their rice was pure grain, with every grain distinct.
She couldn’t say a word, just stuffing her face with food.
Liang Zhiwei, who had been anxiously watching her reaction, finally smiled with relief.
Great! Her improved recipe seemed to be a hit!
As long as she can contribute to their team, Liang Zhiwei was afraid that she hadn’t helped much.
She always wanted to take charge when something came up in the group.
That’s just who she was.
When she saw others happily eating food she made, it made her happy.
This customer, the only one in the store, was almost in tears from how delicious the food was.
No one had told her that Liang Zhiwei’s cooking was this good—how could it taste so amazing?!
She truly felt like she had been struck by a thunderbolt, as if she were in a different world.
In the past, she had only heard that Ruan Nian was an excellent cook, a famous little chef in the entertainment industry.
She’d been praised on various variety shows, and when she cooked for friends at home, they always loved her dishes.
So, she had high expectations for Ruan Nian’s restaurant and no expectations at all for Liang Zhiwei. Liang Zhiwei had never really built up this kind of persona.
The only time anyone knew she was good at cooking was during the first episode of a show, where she hesitated to mention it in her self-introduction.
She was good at cooking and had even self-studied to get a nutritionist certificate.
At first, she thought being able to cook might only mean she could make decent home-cooked meals, nothing fancy.
And nutritionist?
Once you focus on nutrition, it’s hard for food to taste as good as unhealthy options.
But now she knew, healthy food could taste this amazing!
The fan of Ruan Nian was so moved by the food that she nearly cried.
|What kind of miserable meals had she been eating before?
She was so engrossed in eating that her face flushed slightly. |
After a while, she burped and asked, “How do I pay the bill?”
She felt embarrassed to talk to Liang Zhiwei, but Liang Zhiwei understood her introverted nature and smiled, “You don’t need to pay, dear. We’re in a trial run today. Tomorrow is our official opening, and as our first tasting customer, your meal is complimentary. Thank you for giving us feedback on the new dishes we’ve developed.”
She then took out a small notebook from her pocket and seriously wrote, “Can you tell me your thoughts on the dishes? Thank you.”
The girl was clearly caught off guard.
She didn’t have to pay?
The food was this good, and she got a free meal??
Wait, did Liang Zhiwei just call her “dear”?
Her face turned red, and she quietly said, “I think the hot pot is the best…”
Liang Zhiwei carefully recorded her feedback, nodded, put the notebook away, and ran to the side to grab a beautifully packaged small bag, handing it to her with a smile, “Thank you. This is a little gift for you!”
The girl was even more stunned.
A gift too?
She got a free meal and a gift to take home??
She quickly looked inside, and everything was packaged so carefully.
You could tell the person who made it had put a lot of thought into it.
She stood there a little dazed.
She hurriedly thanked her, about to leave, but suddenly remembered something and turned around, awkwardly asking, “Um… are your seasonings special? They taste so good. Could you tell me why they taste so great even without so much chili oil?”
Liang Zhiwei froze for a moment, then smiled proudly, pointing to Chu Yanzhe, who was tidying up the tables:
“That’s Chu Yanzhe’s homemade Sichuan seasoning. He makes amazing Sichuan dishes. I don’t know the secret recipe, but you can ask him.”
The girl’s pupils contracted.
Chu Yanzhe??
The seasoning was made by him??
How many times would she be shocked?
He looked so rebellious and didn’t seem like someone who would be good at cooking!
Chu Yanzhe looked over at her, seemed to ponder for a moment, then pulled out a small notebook from his pocket, took a pen, and asked her, “Would you like me to write it down for you?”
Then, he wrote a few notes in the notebook, detailing his seasoning secrets.
He was really going to write it down for her?
The girl was stunned, her words stumbled, and she could only hurriedly say, “Thank you, thank you.”
At that moment, Gu Zhaoping finally finished putting up all the posters on the wall.
She turned, looked up, and spoke in a friendly tone, “You’re welcome. Tomorrow is our official opening, and if you’re happy with the restaurant, feel free to bring your friends. We have many new dishes coming out soon.”
Earlier, when the girl had looked at Chu Yanzhe, she hadn’t felt much of an overwhelming presence, but now, facing Gu Zhaoping, she didn’t know why, but her face felt even redder and warmer.
She held onto the small note Chu Yanzhe had written for her, hurriedly nodded, and said, “I will definitely come!!”
After she got home, her heart was still racing.
Today’s experience had been so dreamy.
Only now did she begin to compare the two experiences, and the more she thought about it, the more unpleasant the feeling became.
She knew she should stop comparing to Ruan Nian, but the more she tried, the deeper the knot in her heart grew.
At this moment, she suddenly received a message from a fan:
[“Sister, I remember you’re in Haishi.
You always support Nian Nian’s activities.
You’re definitely going to support her tomorrow, right?
How much are you planning to support? Let’s go together.”]
But this time, she stayed silent for a while and finally replied, [“I’m not going.”]
The other side replied: [“?”]
The other side was in disbelief.
This girl was a bit well-known in Ruan Nian’s fan group and had always been very loyal, participating in every event.
She remembered that she worked nearby, so how could she not go, especially with such a close opportunity to see Ruan Nian?
[“? You’re not planning to switch sides, are you?”]
Normally, she would never admit something like this.
Her love for Ruan Nian was clear for all to see.
But at this moment, holding the note Chu Yanzhe wrote for her, thinking of Liang Zhiwei standing in front of her with bright eyes asking her if the food was good, and Gu Zhaoping standing on the ladder putting up posters, turning around to politely and faintly welcome her—she finally typed out: [“…Yes, I’m switching sides. I’m thinking of unfollowing her.”]
[???]
[“Are you crazy?”]
Ignoring their words, the girl went back to her fan group for tomorrow.
She had initially wanted to tell them what had happened today, but seeing their overly enthusiastic reactions, she realized that even if she shared her experience, they wouldn’t believe her and might even scold her.
She didn’t want to speak anymore, but one of the fans in the group immediately screenshot their conversation and accused her:
[“As a core fan of Ruan Nian, she’s actually openly unfollowing her! I think we need to investigate whether she’s been infiltrated by some anti-fan!”]
The fan group immediately became agitated, and many people began voicing their opinions. The girl was suddenly stunned!
After a moment, she couldn’t hold her frustration and posted a Weibo update:
“I’ve loved her for many years, and I’m confident that the time, effort, and money I’ve spent on her is no less than most other fans. But today, after all the doubt you’ve cast on me, I’m telling you, I met her today.”
“ Maybe I’m an exception, but she really isn’t that enthusiastic about her fans. When others bullied me, she just acted like she didn’t see it and continued talking and laughing with the person, even cutting in line for the elevator!”
“If you want to continue supporting her, go ahead. Good luck.”
After she posted, the fan group exploded!
Messages flooded in, and she saw people saying things like:
“Nian Nian could never be like this, what kind of nonsense are you spreading? Have none of us seen her with our own eyes?”
“You’re definitely a spy from another fan group, infiltrating ours to slander Nian Nian! Expose her!”
“Nian Nian is so pitiful, getting stabbed in the back by a fan she’s supported for so long!”
“Did Gu Zhaoping pay you off, or did you bribe her?”
Reading these, the girl’s anger surged!
“Gu Zhaoping paid me off? You guys must be out of your minds!”
She sneered: “Fine, you all go on ahead. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
She believed many people were going to regret it tomorrow!
But the fans still didn’t believe her. It was as if they had been brainwashed by Ruan Nian:
“Laughable, Nian Nian is like family to us fans. Tomorrow, we’re going to take photos with her and even get her autograph. Anyone who doesn’t go should regret it and not get jealous!”
“What about Liang Zhiwei and Chu Yanze? They’re also on the show, but they didn’t even mobilize their fans to support them. This time, Nian Nian’s popularity will totally crush them! Let them see what true top-tier celebrity power looks like!”
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