Under the overwhelming charm of Xing Lixuan's stunning looks, Yu Antong resisted for a mere half a minute before relenting, "Fine, have it your way."

Indeed, being handsome does have its privileges.

Xing Lixuan chuckled softly, his deep magnetic laughter almost made Yu Antong's ears pregnant with delight.

Oh, no! The cunning man might as well kill him with his charm!

"Honey, kiss me," Yu Antong pouted, unable to resist any longer.

With his eyes slightly squinted, almond-shaped and elongated, and his luscious lips puckered up, his face was a mix of breathtaking beauty with a touch of endearing naivety, making Xing Lixuan irresistibly drawn.

Xing Lixuan gazed at Yu Antong for a moment before gently planting a kiss, cautious not to let things escalate. He then started the car.

"Stingy husband, not even a proper kiss!" Yu Antong complained, unsatisfied, "Why flirt with me out of the blue? Now I'm in the mood for some car fun with you."

Xing Lixuan's throat tightened, "Don't talk nonsense."

At the time, he wanted to kiss Yu Antong just by seeing that meme. But now, he somewhat regrets trying to flirt with Yu Antong, as this guy has no filter.

"How am I talking nonsense?" Yu Antong retorted with a glint in his eye, "Come to think of it, we've never done it in the car. Maybe it's something to consider."

Xing Lixuan, with his eyes fixed on the road ahead, responded darkly, "Don't even think about it."

Yu Antong was eager to continue, but he suddenly felt like cold water had been thrown on him. He persisted, "Why not? I really want to!"

"Aren't you wild enough at home? Thinking of doing it outside... What if someone sees us?"

A fierce possessiveness within Xing Lixuan wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.

"Surely you don't think I meant a public parking lot?" Yu Antong teased with a mischievous grin, "I meant our home garage. If anyone's wild, it's you for thinking that, not me."

Xing Lixuan glanced at him, "Wait until you give birth to our son. We'll settle all accounts then."

"I'm waiting!" Yu Antong wasn't the least bit afraid of Xing Lixuan's threat; in fact, he seemed to look forward to it.

The first episode of "The Cooking God Arrives!" was recorded on a Tuesday and seemed to be scheduled for broadcast the following weekend.

The show was sponsored by Han Lele's family company, and it was filmed at Jiang City Broadcasting Building. On Tuesday, Yu Antong arrived at the recording site with Lin Haoning and Jiang Yuxiu.

The show's crew led them into the recording area, asking them to wait for about half an hour before the official start.

The scene was a bit different than Yu Antong had imagined.

Inside a vast studio, there were many participants. Yu Antong roughly estimated that there were over a hundred. Some had arrived earlier and were already seated, with more being ushered in steadily.

Contrary to Yu Antong's assumption that all participants would be culinary experts, the gathering seemed to have all sorts of odd characters.

"Master, are we in the right place?" Lin Haoning, surveying the crowd, especially noticed someone dressed as the legendary Bai Suzhen. He asked Yu Antong with suspicion.

'Master' was the new term Lin Haoning and Jiang Yuxiu used for Yu Antong. Calling him 'boss' felt too impersonal, especially for a TV show. Since Yu Antong was younger than both of them, 'brother' didn't fit either. With Yu Antong guiding them, Jiang Yuxiu suggested calling him 'master'.

Yu Antong shook his head in confusion, "I'm just as clueless. Han Lele didn't mention this kind of peculiar setup."

Their phones had been collected by the staff upon arrival, so Yu Antong couldn't call Han Lele to clarify.

Spotting a guy showing off with a basketball, Jiang Yuxiu couldn't help but twitch, exclaiming, "Is this a culinary show or some kind of talent show audition?!"

What on earth is happening here?

Yu Antong turned to an older lady dressed in a traditional Northeastern Chinese padded jacket, holding a dance handkerchief, "Ma'am, are you here for 'The Cooking God Arrives!' as well?"

He began to seriously doubt they were in the right place.

"Yes, young man, are you one of the plants?" The older lady whispered upon being approached.

A plant? (Note: "托儿" can refer to a shill or plant, someone who is planted in an audience for a specific purpose, often to sway the group's behavior or reactions)

Yu Antong was full of doubts but didn't show it, and very tactfully asked, "What a coincidence, are you one as well?"

The old lady was played by Yu Antong, thinking he was also a shill hired by the production team. The recording hadn’t started yet, so out of boredom, she happily engaged in a chat with him.

"My son is the assistant director of this show. They needed people to fill seats to add some spice to the program. If you act well, they pay three hundred yuan a day. And if you're good-looking, they even add a bonus. When I heard about it, I thought, 'Wow! Easy money!' I was just dancing in the square at home, so I decided to join the show and make some cash."

2k novel.

The old lady spilled all the beans and then asked Yu Antong, "Who referred you here? How much are they paying you? Handsome young lads like you should be earning more than us, right?"

Yu Antong quickly grasped the situation. This was a gimmick by the production team to attract viewers. They start off with a large group of plants mixed with truly skilled chefs, creating buzz. Of course, these fillers would be eliminated in the first round, and then the real competition would begin.

He responded with a grin, making up a story, "A friend introduced me. He knows the boss of this show. If I perform well, I might be in several episodes."

"Oh, I see," the old lady said knowingly, "Handsome young men like you are a hit with the young ladies. You boost the ratings. You surely won’t be eliminated easily."

After chatting with the old lady for a while, Yu Antong carefully observed the crowd and noticed a small group dressed normally. Several groups wore identical chef uniforms, clearly from the same team. They must be the real chefs.

Yu Antong said to Lin Haoning and Jiang Yuxiu, "We should have thought of team uniforms."

Uniform attire looks so smart!

Jiang Yuxiu suggested, "Can we wear the chef uniforms from our restaurant? We could also display our logo, giving our place some publicity."

Yu Antong responded, "The uniforms from our place are too baggy. They're comfortable but not aesthetically pleasing."

The main principle behind the design of their chef uniforms was comfort, but they looked as unflattering as many school uniforms. They definitely weren't suitable for appearing on TV. Some modifications were needed.

Yu Antong continued, “With so many participants in this episode, our recording should be pretty relaxed. Whether we wear the uniforms or not isn’t a big deal. After we finish filming, I’ll check with my friend if the production team allows customized uniforms. If they do, I’ll get some made for us.”

As they chatted, half an hour passed. The production team staff began to organize things.

Once everyone had settled down, the host took the stage: "Welcome to the set of 'I am the Culinary God!' As you can see, we have many participants today, but only one of you will become the Culinary God!"

"Furthermore, only those who pass the first challenge will get the opportunity to meet our five judges and qualify for the ultimate competition," the host added, stirring up the audience's excitement, "Are you confident that you can complete the challenge and meet the judges?"

"Yes, we are!"

The shills were particularly enthusiastic, shouting so loudly that it hurt Yu Antong's ears.

Han Lele is really dependable.

"Without further ado, let's reveal our first challenge," the host announced, pulling a card from an envelope. "To be a Culinary God, your knife skills must be impeccable. Soon, ten ingredients will be placed in front of each of you. You must employ at least five different cutting techniques on them within ten minutes. Let's begin!"

This challenge was a piece of cake for Yu Antong, hardly qualifying as one. He said to Lin Haoning, "You do it. I'll make it harder for you: use ten different cutting techniques on the ingredients."

Lin Haoning didn't respond verbally, just gave an 'ok' gesture.

Yu Antong casually folded his arms, looking around as if he was a clueless student trying to cheat during an exam.

On our side, it's just a small dish; elsewhere, the buzz is undeniable. The show's approach is refreshingly inventive.

The author has something to say:

Han Lele: Rest assured, I've got this!

Tongtong: I can't believe I fell for your tricks!

A big shout-out to my angels who supported me with generous votes or provided nutritional gifts between 2020-01-27 22:17:03 and 2020-01-28 22:47:27!

A heartfelt thanks to the angel who gifted me a "landmine": Moon (1x).

To the angels who gifted me nutritional drinks: kai_yuni (50 bottles); Ming Yue Qi Song Yue (17 bottles); Shi San (8 bottles); mLu m143 (7 bottles); Wei Jun (5 bottles); Ling Hu Yu Rou, funny, He Mu (2 bottles each); Qi Zhao You Huo, Strawberry Blackberry, Wu You, Mo Ying (1 bottle each).

A massive thank you for your support. I promise to keep up the hard work!

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