Chapter 314: Chapter 197: Shen Baobao Pins Against the Wall! Preparing a Dish for Dad and Father-in-law to Enjoy with Drinks! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]
No matter the type of banquet or the level of restaurant, whenever there’s roast whole lamb, it’s undeniably the grand finale dish.
Lin Xu had not anticipated such a big surprise waiting for him after winning the championship.
With the roast whole lamb, won’t his new store’s opening drive sales through the roof?
He always felt Lin Ji’s Food lacked a true signature dish, but now, he had one, and it was the kind that could rank amongst the top worldwide.
He really wanted to try it out immediately.
Unfortunately, the competition wasn’t over yet, as there was still the award ceremony to go.
「On the video broadcasting truck at the back door of Building One.」
Zhen Wensheng had just been sweating over Lin Xu’s dish, but unexpectedly, the result turned out so well. When the petals bloomed, his heart bloomed along with them.
"Xiaoqi, what’s our viewership ranking now?"
Zeng Xiaoqi, who was constantly monitoring the real-time viewership data, said, "Our viewership has now surpassed all other channels except Yanjing Satellite TV. Mr. Zhen, our Travel Channel has topped the Yanjing Region’s viewership ratings for the first time!"
What?
It rose that fast?
Zhen Wensheng stood up and came over to look at the viewership curve chart. It had been steadily increasing, but about ten minutes ago, right when Lin Xu was making his heartfelt declaration, the viewership spiked by about thirty percent.
It seems that to achieve high ratings, TV shows really need to stir things up... Zhen Wensheng reflected for a moment, feeling that he definitely owed Lin Xu a big thank you.
Without his actions, who knows how long it would have taken for the Travel Channel to reach the top. Now, at last, they had the viewership. The leaders at the station wouldn’t be nitpicking any longer.
What’s more, after this live broadcast, advertisers related to cooking would flock to them. The advertising revenue for the Travel Channel was bound to surge significantly.
He could finally strut around the station with his head held high.
"Xiaoqi, take a team to Lin Xu’s scenic area this weekend to shoot a promotional video. Make it as classy as possible. He’s done us a huge favor, and it’s our turn to repay the favor."
"Okay, Mr. Zhen. I’ll head out first thing Saturday morning," Xiaoqi agreed.
Zhen Wensheng picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Next up is the award ceremony. Everyone in all departments, brace yourselves! After it’s over, I’m paying out of my own pocket to treat everyone to drinks!"
Laughter from the camera crew chief came through the walkie-talkie, "Where are we drinking, Mr. Zhen? How about we just go to Fishing Platform?"
Zhen Wensheng burst out laughing, "Are you trying to bankrupt me, kid? This place isn’t suitable for a rowdy drinking session. Let’s find a barbecue spot instead. Lamb skewers, crawfish, beer—have as much as you want!"
"Alright!"
As Zhen Wensheng mentioned crawfish, Zeng Xiaoqi couldn’t help but recall the last time they ate it at Lin Xu’s house.
After that meal of crawfish, she had lost interest in other crawfish; she wondered when she could taste Lin Xu’s cooking again.
「At the competition venue.」
After the scoring concluded, it was time for the awards ceremony. Lin Xu, as he hoped, received the championship prize money and the first-place platinum trophy for his team.
Beyond the trophy, he also received 100,000 yuan in prize money.
In the points column, -700,000 instantly became -600,000. This made Lin Xu overjoyed, and he was eager to ask Liu Zhengyu if there were any more competitions coming up.
If there were more competitions, he would definitely continue to participate.
As a person in the catering industry, he had to contribute to the promotion and development of Chinese cuisine.
Definitely not because he was greedy for the championship money.
After the awards ceremony, Liu Zhengyu and Lin Xu exchanged WeChat contacts, then Liu Zhengyu announced the official end of the competition.
Holding his trophy, Lin Xu was about to step down from the stage to hug Shen Baobao when Zeng Xiaoqi suddenly came over with a microphone, accompanied by a cameraman.
"Lin Xu, congratulations on winning this cooking competition. What are your feelings right now?"
"I want to hurry up and hug my girlfriend."
Zeng Xiaoqi: "..."
You’re making this interview impossible for me.
It then dawned on Lin Xu that this was being broadcast on television, not a live internet stream. He immediately wiped the smile from his face and adopted a more serious expression. He talked about his experience participating in the competition and mentioned the people he needed to thank, such as his parents, parents-in-law, his master, senior apprentice-brothers, Fishing Platform, and the organizers, among others.
After he had thanked everyone involved, Zeng Xiaoqi finally let him go and led the cameraman to interview Liu Zhengyu.
But just as Lin Xu breathed a sigh of relief, Wu Kexin approached him.
The viewership for the TV broadcast and the popularity of the online stream were both frighteningly high, which was why Zeng Xiaoqi had hurried over right after the award ceremony.
It’d be such a waste to end it like this!
"Boss Lin, when you confessed to the lady boss just now, the fans were all worried sick. Say a few words to everyone," Wu Kexin said.
At that moment, the live stream chat exploded with messages. Many fans who had missed the blooming of the flowers were beating their chests and stamping their feet in regret.
"Boss Lin, could you give us a hint before you pull a stunt like that again next time?"
"Someone like me, an old fossil over twenty, really can’t handle this kind of excitement!"
"The magic community wants you to join them! Boss Lin, are you considering a career change to become a magician?"
"It’s not just the magic community, guys! Metalworking, hairdressing, carving, and more—so many fields think Boss Lin is the talent they desperately need."
"..."
Lin Xu casually glanced at a few of the bullet comments and said with a smile, "Sorry for making everyone worry. But you should have a little confidence in my culinary skills. Would I have chosen this dish for the finals if I wasn’t sure I could pull it off?"
Taking advantage of his current popularity, he seized the opportunity to promote the Lin Ji’s Food discussion topic, "Everyone, please follow the Lin Ji’s Food topic! When I have some free time in a couple of days, I’ll release a tutorial for this dish. As long as you follow my instructions, you’ll also be able to make flowers bloom with a snap of your fingers."