Huayu Chef

Willow trees are everywhere along the riverbank. Behind Zhang Jinxuan, you can see two trees, one is a willow and the other is also a willow.

Zhang Jinxuan, carrying a basket, casually pulled over a willow branch, gesturing for Zhuangzhuang to take a close-up photo, and introduced it to Huang Mengying beside him: "Mengying, you see, the twigs growing out from the middle of the willow leaves are the willow catkins."

Huang Mengying exclaimed in surprise, "It looks like a caterpillar!"

"Ha ha."

Zhang Jinxuan grinned widely.

Huang Mengying thought of something and burst out laughing.

"Mengying, you're so witty."

"You're a funny guy, senior."

"You're really good at making jokes."

Zhuangzhuang was speechless. Was this a scene from "Wild Kitchen" or "Extra GG"?

Explain yourself, riddle teller, go to hell.

Actually, I was just thinking of Zhang Yunlong. Yang Mi calls him Little Dragon, right? Zhang Jinxuan gave him the nickname "Little Insect," and his fans are called Caterpillars.

This is not something to joke about; it's troublesome if the fans go crazy.

"Willow catkins are also called willow berries, a name derived from mulberries. They both grow on trees, are edible, and look somewhat similar."

"Hey, it really does look like it, like a mulberry before it turns red or purple."

"Junior Sister Mengying is so good at talking. Red and purple are both auspicious words, which means that this episode of 'Wild Kitchen' will definitely be a huge success."

Huang Mengying giggled and said, "Senior brother, you're too good at making connections. It's a little forced."

"Did you kick me into the ditch again?"

Haha~~

Afraid that she would laugh too much, Zhang Jinxuan quickly changed the subject: "In the past, when living conditions were poor and resources were scarce, we would pick willow catkins by grabbing the willow branches and pulling them all out to cook. Now we don't have to do that anymore. It's not nice to strip the willow trees bare. Like me, we just pluck the catkins off."

Huang Mengying learned it in no time. She tried to pluck a willow catkin, and a sweet smile immediately appeared on her face. She said, "Picking willow catkins is very simple."

"This is hard work, let's try to pick as many as possible so we can have a good meal tonight."

"Hmm."

"Zhuangzhuang, you can turn off the camera after shooting a few long shots."

"Understood, Mengying. Turn around and smile."

Huang Mengying holds a willow branch, turns around and smiles under the shade of the willow, creating a very beautiful scene.

A few minutes later, Zhuangzhuang turned off the camera, packed up the equipment, and came over to pick willow catkins with Zhang Jinxuan and Huang Mengying.

With no cameras in sight, the three of them were very relaxed, teasing each other and laughing heartily, creating an exceptionally joyful atmosphere.

"Beautiful bubbles | Though a fleeting spark"

All your promises, though so fragile.

| But love is like a bubble | If you could see through it…”

Suddenly, a cell phone rang, and Huang Mengying called out, "Brother Xuan, your phone is ringing."

"Zhuangzhuang, help me carry this basket, I need to take this call."

"Give it to me."

Zhang Jinxuan handed the basket to Zhuangzhuang, took out his phone and glanced at the caller ID. It was Yang Mi calling. He answered the call and held the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Honey."

"Xiao Xuanxuan, congratulations on making it onto Weibo's trending topics list, you're going to be famous."

"This is nothing. If it weren't for Sister Mi's help in promoting it, it wouldn't have even made it onto the trending topics list last night. Besides, 34th place isn't very high, the popularity is limited, and it will drop off easily."

Yang Mi was speechless: "What do you mean 34th place? Where did you drop? You've already broken into the top ten."

Zhang Jinxuan was taken aback. "They're in the top ten?"

"You don't know?"

"I checked this morning and there were no changes. I've been busy ever since and haven't even opened Weibo."

"What are you busy with?"

"I was making braised dishes at the shop this morning, and now I'm out filming 'Wild Kitchen,' picking willow catkins."

"Little Xuanxuan, you do have talent."

"Haha, Honey, stop teasing me."

"Yaoyao has already left for Beijing. You guys should sign the agency contract as soon as possible. Then the studio will issue a statement. You can forward it and help generate some buzz to try and get the top spot on the trending topics list."

Zhang Jinxuan said gratefully, "Thank you, boss. You're so generous, let's be friends."

"Haha." Yang Mi changed her tone and laughed, scolding, "Little Xuanxuan, are you trying to kill me? You almost made me choke on my water."

Zhang Jinxuan chuckled twice and asked with concern, "Sister Mi, are you confident about getting the role in 'Swords of Legends'?"

"The role of Ling Yue shouldn't be a problem," Yang Mi said confidently. After a slight pause, she added, "The role of Baili Tusu is hard to get. You have popularity now, so if you hype it up a bit more, it'll be easier to get the role once your popularity rises. When will the second episode of 'Wild Kitchen' be released?"

This Saturday.

"After you post on my WeChat, I'll get someone to help you promote it."

"Thank you, Sister Honey. Sister Honey, do you know anyone at Youku?"

"What do you want?"

"The first episode of 'Wild Kitchen' took more than ten hours to be reviewed. If you have connections, it's easier to get things done quickly. Also, I want to talk to Youku about promotion and deepen our cooperation," Zhang Jinxuan said, half-jokingly.

"I'm not familiar with Youku, so I'll have Jia Jie help you make connections. Wait for my news."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Mi."

"Keep it up, little Xuanxuan! I believe in you!"

"I definitely won't let Sister Honey down."

"You're busy, bye."

"Goodbye, Honey."

After the call ended, Zhang Jinxuan put his phone in his pocket and continued picking willow catkins.

Huang Mengying asked curiously, "Brother Xuan, are you signing with our studio?"

Zhang Jinxuan nodded and replied, "Yes, Sister Yaoyao came to Beijing today to sign a contract with me. I can't get any good film and television resources, so I have to rely on Sister Mi to help me get roles for now."

Zhuangzhuang asked, "Brother Xuan, what's going on since you signed a contract with 'Wild Kitchen'?"

"These are two different things. We'll continue filming; it won't affect anything."

Currently, "Wild Kitchen" is only a self-produced original outdoor cooking video, which has nothing to do with variety shows, nor can it be. If it were, it would trigger the State Administration of Radio and Television's review process, which would be very troublesome.

The full contract negotiated by the agency does not include long-form videos, live streaming, or publications. The entertainment industry does not pay much attention to the first two, and many people have no concept of them. Established stars would never lower their status to make long-form videos like Zhang Jinxuan, and very few do live streaming, as it is considered low-class.

A few years ago, Zheng Shuang became famous for "Meteor Shower". In an interview, she called it "a soap opera, nothing to say".

If even formally trained students are picky about serious TV dramas, categorizing them into different grades, then they'd be even more critical of long-form videos and live streams.

Zhuangzhuang's worries were actually unnecessary. Zhang Jinxuan had already decided to film "Wild Kitchen," and it wouldn't be difficult. The planning was done in advance, and a season could be filmed in half a month, so it wouldn't interfere with filming or making money by running a restaurant.

There aren't many dramas to film right now. Yang Mi's studio has signed a bunch of artists who are eagerly awaiting their return, so Zhang Jinxuan won't get many resources. He uses profit sharing and resources to gain autonomy, and he only needs to secure one or two hit drama roles each year.

The film industry is too closed off; I can't get a piece of the action in the film industry for now.

If Zhang Jinxuan's career takes off later, Yang Mi's studio or Jiaxing Media's resources won't be able to keep up, and he'll lose millions to get out of the situation.

In their past lives, Yang Mi and Li Shaohong took a photo together, Yu Zheng promoted Tangren's new drama, and Pan Yueming and Dong Bailian broke the ice and staged a reconciliation of the century. This shows that the love, hate, resentment and tearing apart in the entertainment industry is all about interests.

Not long after, Zhang Jinxuan's phone rang again; it was Yang Zi calling.

Xiaohouzi's reposted Weibo post was pushed to the top of the topic square, receiving some attention and exposure, and she made a special call to express her gratitude.

She's an impeccable person; she's known for her excellent interpersonal relationships in the industry.

On WeChat, Tan Songyun, Zhang Yunlong, Liu Ruilin, Lai Yanlin and others sent messages of congratulations, which made Zhang Jinxuan deeply understand the interpersonal relationships in the entertainment industry.

He hasn't become a big star yet, but he's already surrounded by good people.