Huayu Chef

Just skim through the comments on Weibo to get a general idea; there aren't too many, and they're not important, so there's no need to waste time reading them in detail.

Zhang Jinxuan responded briefly to the tag interaction from his colleagues, but Yang Zi's Weibo post surprised him quite a bit. She wanted to film "Wild Kitchen," was she serious?

Could it be that he saw Huang Mengying, the first person to try something new, reaping the benefits, and became tempted?

The addition of the food taster role to "Wild Kitchen" is not simply to accommodate Huang Mengying and repay her for her introduction, but also to increase the appeal of the videos, enrich the plot, and build connections within the industry.

In her previous life, Yang Zi had a very successful career. She was righteous, kind, and had excellent interpersonal relationships. She was ambitious and had collaborated with many film and television companies. She was a valuable person in the industry to win over. Zhang Jinxuan was more than happy to have her film the movie.

He then picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to Yang Zi: "Junior Sister Yang Zi, you want to film an episode of 'Wild Kitchen', right? I'm all set. Have your agent or someone from your agency contact me and explain the situation to avoid any trouble."

Ding Dong

Yang Zi quickly replied, "Senior brother, is it really possible? Won't it be too much trouble for you?"

"It's not a problem, but there's something I need to tell you. I'm so poor that all I have left is a makeshift kitchen. I can't afford to pay you for the appearance, so I can only cover your food, lodging, and transportation. You'll be working with me and the photographer. The conditions are basic, and the filming process might be quite tough, so be prepared. For the second episode that Mengying filmed, she and I spent a whole day picking willow catkins."

"I can accept what my senior said. I'm not that delicate. When will the next episode be filmed?"

"We already have food tasters for the third episode. If you can come, let's arrange the fourth episode. We'll film in Hebei next door. It's a two-day trip, and filming will start the week after next, on Monday and Tuesday."

"Okay, I'll ask the studio and get back to my senior tomorrow."

"A studio? Aren't you with Huayi Brothers anymore?"

"The contract was terminated; I had just signed with Huajie Studio not long ago."

"Huo Jianhua's studio?"

"Yes, it's said on Weibo that my senior brother signed with Yang Mi's studio?"

"I signed the contract last week. If I hadn't signed, I wouldn't have been able to get any acting roles."

"Senior brother is too modest. You are so talented, so capable, so famous, and so popular. You must have film crews asking you to act in movies."

"Zimei, you have too high expectations for the entertainment industry."

"Haha, Brother Xuan, keep it up!"

"Keep it up, Zimei!"

"I won't bother you any longer, Brother Xuan. You should get some rest. I'll buy some braised food from your shop tomorrow."

"Welcome! Don't forget to wear a hat, mask, and sunglasses. I'm afraid your fans will overwhelm my Wild Kitchen."

"Brother Xuan, do you think I don't know? Your store is always packed with customers. Hurry up and expand, open more branches."

"Thank you for your kind words, Zimei. Let's try to move to a bigger place this year."

"Keep it up, Brother Xuan!"

"Hmm."

"See you tomorrow."

"(goodbye)"

After finishing his conversation with Yang Zi, Zhang Jinxuan casually read and replied to all the unread messages on WeChat.

Next, close the Weibo webpage with the mouse, open Youku and Bilibili, log in to your personal account, and view the detailed data in the background.

The second episode of "Willow Tassel Banquet" has garnered an incredible number of views. In less than 12 hours since it passed review, it has already received hundreds of thousands of views on Youku. At this rate of increase, it will definitely break one million views within 24 hours.

This data isn't too exaggerated. Last March, the program "Xiaoshuo," named by Han Han and co-produced by Youku and Gao Xiaosong, garnered over a million views within 24 hours of its first episode's release.

The number of clicks and views of the hottest news on the Youku homepage that day exceeded one million.

But for an original food video series like "Wild Kitchen," created by an unknown creator, to reach this level in just two episodes is already quite impressive.

Bilibili gave it the best recommendation spot on the homepage, and it got a few hundred thousand views. The barrage of comments was overwhelming, and the comment section had nearly ten thousand comments, all posted by people who were just having fun and making memes.

He gained 8500 followers in two phases, ranking 19th on Bilibili's list of most followed UP masters. Even the most followed "Tear Gland Warrior" only has 33,800 followers. If there had been a list of the top 100 UP masters in 2014, Zhang Jinxuan would definitely have been on it.

There's no doubt about Bilibili's capabilities. This year's New Year's Festival had 200 content creators participating in its production, making it easy to select 100 winners.

Just as I was enthusiastically admiring the brilliant achievements of the second Willow Catkin Banquet, my phone suddenly rang.

It was Huang Mengying calling.

Zhang Jinxuan answered: "Hello, Mengying."

"Brother Xuan, I'm sorry, I didn't see your message just now."

A rather loud background music blared from the speakers, and Zhang Jinxuan asked curiously, "Where did you guys go having fun? The music's so loud!"

Huang Mengying said coquettishly, "What are you complaining about? It's all your fault, Brother Xuan, you made me lose money."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"How can it be okay? The second Willow Banquet was so popular that I gained tens of thousands of followers on Weibo. Lazy and the others are so jealous that they insisted that I treat them to karaoke. I paid for everything, including fruit platters and drinks. I felt bad about spending the money."

Zhang Jinxuan: "..."

So you're saying it's my fault for gaining followers?

What's so enviable about gaining tens of thousands of followers? Did I get proud of gaining one or two hundred thousand followers?

Huang Mengying said matter-of-factly, "Brother Xuan, I'll give you a chance to apologize. Come over and sing a few songs when you're done at the shop, and then drink three cups of wine as punishment."

"Thank you."

"Haha, are you done with your work?"

"I'm done with work."

"Hurry up and come."

"Hey everyone, I have something to do at home."

"Okay, I won't bother you anymore, I'm hanging up."

"Wait, did you tell Yao Yao about filming the third episode of 'Wild Kitchen'?"

"Not yet, do we need to say that?"

"It would be best to report it to them."

"It's too late now, I'll call Sister Yao Yao tomorrow."

"Okay, have fun, and be careful."

"Okay, bye-bye."

"Bye-Bye."

Zhang Jinxuan put down his phone, turned off his laptop, took a hot shower, and went to bed early.

Since Wild Kitchen opened, he hasn't had a full night's sleep.

I slept soundly until six or seven o'clock the next morning. My young body seemed to have eliminated all the debuffs and returned to its peak state. I felt incredibly energetic.

At 7:30, Zhang Jinxuan strolled into the store and found that the employees were all doing their jobs in an orderly manner, which made him feel even better.

As the saying goes, good things come in pairs, and when the time is right, heaven and earth lend their support.

As Wild Kitchen opened, Zhang Jinxuan received a call from his agent Yao Yao. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he heard two pieces of good news.

"Jinxuan, MOON Studio wants to take a set of outdoor landscape photos of you and Mengying, something like when you were picking willow catkins. Can you spare a day next week?"

"The timing is fine. Any of the other four days is fine, except Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. You can arrange it, Yao Yao."

"Then let's do it on Wednesday."

"Okay, Sister Yao, what's the background of this MOON Studio?"

"The photography studio was established in 09. We have a very good relationship with the owner. After this photo shoot is completed, we will recommend you to Aige magazine through MOON Studio."

Zhang Jinxuan understood; MOON Studio had the same reliable network of connections as Yang Mi's studio.

In their past lives, MOON Studio and Jaywalk Studio were deeply intertwined, having both taken photoshoots for Jaywalk artists. The studio owner was even appointed as the photographer for Yang Mi's wedding, indicating a very close relationship between the two parties.

The treatment Zhang Jinxuan is enjoying now is the same set of resources and career advancement paths that all previous artists under Jaywalk Studio had.

"The studio has secured a commercial endorsement deal for you with Guangyuan Biscuits, worth 50 yuan a year. We'll sign a one-year contract for now."

According to a company's financial report, from 2014 to 2016, the company hired Fan Bingbing as its spokesperson, with an endorsement fee of over 1000 million yuan, approximately 500 million yuan per year.

50 a year, 100 million in two years, is already a lot for a celebrity of Zhang Jinxuan's caliber.

The studio takes 60%, leaving Zhang Jinxuan with 200,000 yuan. After deducting income tax, he still has over 100,000 yuan left, which is equivalent to one or two years' salary for an average person.

The endorsement fee is not the most important thing. With this business resource, Zhang Jinxuan can try to deepen the cooperation through "Wild Kitchen". The profits obtained do not need to be shared with Yang Mi's studio and belong entirely to Zhang Jinxuan.

This good news is more invigorating than a photoshoot.

Zhang Jinxuan asked, both surprised and excited, "Sister Yao Yao, when will the contract be signed?"

Yao Yao's voice carried a hint of amusement, "The brand representative wants to talk to you about a promotional collaboration for 'Wild Kitchen.' I've set the date for the 31st. We can sign the contract together when you come to Shanghai, saving you the trouble of running around."

Zhang Jinxuan praised, "Sister Yao Yao's arrangements are so thoughtful, professional, and considerate. She truly deserves to be called a top agent in the entertainment industry."

"Haha, what kind of top agent am I? Don't try to sweet-talk me. Jinxuan, how about helping the studio manage some of the artists?"

Zhang Jinxuan asked bluntly, "How do you want me to take care of it?"

"How about I get Yunlong and the others to be food tasters on 'Wild Kitchen'? What do you think?"

Zhang Jinxuan had anticipated this, so he didn't rush to answer. Instead, he asked, "Sister Yao Yao, a few days ago I asked Sister Mi to help contact people at Youku. Is there any progress?"