noffsinger Chapter 153 I won't be able to sleep well tonight.
Chapter 153 I won't be able to sleep well tonight.
"Family! I'll drink this last sip of the golden broth first as a sign of respect! The Su Group is a huge enterprise, the quality is truly unquestionable, just rinse it and be done!!"
In front of the bright floor-to-ceiling windows of "Extreme Flavor Space," "Ah Hao," a top food influencer with millions of followers, raised a huge celadon bowl high and, facing the full-frame camera flashing a red dot, drank the last half bowl of clear yellow free-range chicken broth in one gulp. His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and at the end, he professionally showed the empty bottom of the bowl to the camera and breathed out a puff of hot air.
"Click".
The moment the assistant cut off the live stream signal, Ah Hao's professional smile vanished completely.
With a slightly pale face, he ripped off the wireless microphone hanging from his collar and slammed the porcelain bowl onto the alloy cutting board with a jarring thud.
He clutched his slightly bloated stomach, his hands fidgeting under the table, picking at the seams of his pants, his mouth filled with a restless feeling as if it had been forcibly marinated in a high-concentration broth.
The free-range chicken hot pot that Su Ang gave us for 9.9 yuan is made with high-quality ingredients and is definitely not bad for people who are not picky eaters.
But Ah Hao is a true gourmand who loves to eat, knows how to eat, and has carved out a niche for himself in the self-media world with his discerning palate.
The moment the chicken entered his mouth, his tongue tasted a cold, industrial flavor.
It feels like a standardized product made with fully automated seasoning packets, precise milligram-level compound flavor enhancers, and cold-chain frozen for who knows how many days.
Eating this meal felt like stuffing a bunch of exquisite "plastic" into my stomach—not unpalatable, but utterly devoid of any soul.
It even gave him an extremely nauseating, sticky feeling.
However, as a blogger who has developed in this area, it is impossible for him to act like a diva and refuse to come when invited by a local tycoon, which is why this scene happened today.
But for a true gourmand who considers food as life itself, eating this soulless, mass-produced "feed" is nothing short of a silent execution of the palate, akin to torture.
What's worse, at this very moment, an extremely unreasonable and domineering spicy aroma is wafting into the air.
The aroma of the braised loach with red peppers on the long street has completely cleared away all the strange smells from the old street.
The unique aroma, a blend of the fiery spiciness of chili peppers and the fresh, meaty scent of loach, seeped into the corners of Su Ang's upscale ventilation system, like tiny steel needles, and relentlessly pierced into Ah Hao's nostrils.
With each sip of the industrial chicken soup he swallowed, the alluring aroma wafting from next door conjured up an image in his mind of bubbling red oil and tender, succulent meat.
The contrast is simply too cruel. On one side is dry, standardized broth, and on the other side is a unique dish so fresh that it almost burns into your stomach with your breath.
Ah Hao's Adam's apple bobbed up and down involuntarily, and his salivary glands seemed to be completely activated by the spicy aroma, secreting saliva like crazy.
"Brother Hao, the appearance fee has arrived. President Su's secretary said we can..." the assistant whispered, shaking the statement in his hand.
"You guys go back to the car and wait for me. I'm going to the restroom; my stomach is upset."
Ah-hao snatched his work bag and strode into the restroom with a sullen face.
He stood in front of the mirror, listening to the cold, monotonous tone of the black-clad salesman's walkie-talkie outside, listening to the mechanical broadcast announcements, and then looking at his own face, which was filled with frustration.
He took another sniff of the increasingly strong aroma of loach in the air, which seemed to be seeping in from the dead corners of the ventilation ducts. Ah Hao's irrepressible foodie nature finally made him lose control.
To hell with capitalism!
I got paid today, and I didn't cut the live stream time stipulated in the contract by even a second. The task is done!
This is my private time. I'm spending my own money to eat and wash my mouth, and nobody can tell me what to do!
Without any hesitation, Ah-hao activated his "physical disguise" in the cramped cubicle.
He skillfully ripped off the coat with the giant "Extreme Flavor Space Invited Influencer" logo, crumpled it into a ball, stuffed it into the bottom of his commuter bag, and put on a black hooded sweatshirt inside out.
Then, he pulled hard on the drawstring of his hoodie, pulling the brim down so low that it almost covered most of his forehead.
Then he pulled out a pair of slightly worn, large black sunglasses from the bottom of his bag and fastened them tightly to his face.
Finally, he even took out two fake beards from his small makeup box, which he had prepared for making funny videos, and skillfully stuck them above his lips. He breathed on them in the mirror to make sure they were in place before nodding.
Five minutes later, at the back door of "Extreme Flavor Space".
A black figure, with its rear end sticking out and a slightly hunched posture, like a spy making a rendezvous, cautiously and furtively slipped out from a corner covered in glitter and mud.
Ah-hao buried his head in his chest, his leather shoes making anxious "patter" sounds on the wet stone pavement.
The strange fragrance grew stronger and stronger, like an invisible rope tightly pulling at his nose, preventing him from pausing for even a second, and forcing him to cross the fifty-meter distance.
He glanced away from the two black-clad salesmen who were hawking their wares through loudspeakers, and with a swift movement, like a gust of wind, he deftly lifted the bamboo curtain and slipped inside the wooden door of "Human Fireworks".
As soon as he stepped across the threshold, the aroma of sizzling garlic and spicy chili oil hit him, instantly causing the veins on Ah Hao's forehead to throb twice in pleasure.
The rich, spicy aroma, still warm from the charcoal fire at the bottom of the pot, instantly swept away all the stickiness and nausea he had accumulated at the next table.
"The cashier is on the right. Today's main dish is braised loach with red peppers, thirty-six yuan." Xingruo, with her neat ponytail, was wiping a rag with water when she saw a strangely dressed man come in. She didn't ask any questions and dutifully greeted him from behind the counter.
"I know! I'll scan the code right away!!"
Ah-hao lowered his rough voice, hurriedly took out his phone, and quickly paid by scanning the QR code on the counter.
Thirty-six yuan was much more expensive than nine yuan and ninety cents at Su Ang's place, but Ah Hao felt incredibly happy to spend the money.
After paying, he didn't even dare to look up at Xiao Mengmeng, who was staring at him with wide eyes on the high wooden stool. He grabbed the number plate that Xiao Su handed him, crouched down, and shrank into a square table in the far corner of the lobby.
He pulled the hoodie hood up tightly to his forehead, adjusted his sunglasses, and his large eyes scanned the store warily.
Not far away, Lin Xiaoyu and Yuanyuan were engrossed in their large bowls at a table, completely absorbed in their own bowls, oblivious to everyone else.
This top-rated food vlogger with millions of followers finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He clenched his fists tightly under the table, his eyes fixed on the curtain in the back kitchen that was constantly emitting thick white steam.
Hurry up and serve the food... My tongue is about to be disgusted to death by the horrific technological feast next door!!
If I don't fill my stomach with this plate of bursting red pepper braised loach tonight, I, Lin, won't be able to sleep soundly at all!