Previously, when swimming, Huo Ting had indeed seen Yu Mian in his mermaid form.
Aside from the fish tail, there were no scales on his upper body.
Yu Mian reached out and touched the translucent, golden scales on his wrist. They formed a fine, thin ring, looking just like a bracelet.
“Although Dr. Maggie’s medicine should help a lot, I just won’t be able to roll up my sleeves during the afternoon live broadcast.”
Yu Mian tried pulling down his sleeve again, and it perfectly covered the area.
The key point was that the scales only appeared for a short time, and their color was so light and transparent that they were hard to notice.
Even if someone did see them, an ordinary person would hardly associate them with actual scales.
Otherwise, wouldn’t the rumor that Fish Soup Noodles is a monster end up on the hot searches?
Yu Mian let out a subtle sigh of relief. “Maybe we should ask her if she’s made any progress since last time.”
Huo Ting, however, recalled how Dr. Maggie had mentioned needing to return to check old records before leaving.
After all, there was barely any information available on the mermaid race.
Back when his grandfather was trying to track down Yu Mian’s parents, he had the secretarial office comb through every possible lead. In the end, the conclusion they reached was that this race seemed to exist only in myths and legends.
But since Maggie was an aquatic race and had lived for hundreds of years, perhaps she had access to special channels of information?
Not long after the live broadcast, which lasted less than half an hour, ended, the food research institute was the first to reach out to Yu Mian.
“Unbelievable! In just a few dozen minutes, our sales have already surpassed our total for the past six months!”
“And it’s not just the chili peppers, every single kitchen tool and seasoning in our inventory is sold out too.”
Uncle Harrison spoke while helping with shipping. The entire food research institute had gone into full mobilization.
“That many people bought them?”
Yu Mian, carefully tending to the burn on the back of his hand, felt a deep sense of satisfaction upon hearing the news.
“Yes! And it’s a good thing you ended early. By the way, is your hand injury okay? We’ve also sent over some of our herbal-based ointment, make sure to check your mail!”
Clearly, Harrison was aware of the accident during Yu Mian’s live broadcast and was concerned.
“It’s fine, Uncle Harrison, just focus on getting the orders shipped.”
After Yu Mian reassured him, Harrison still had one last question.
“By the way, child, are you still planning to do a live broadcast this afternoon? If you’re making milk tea, we need to stock up on more tea leaves!”
“Yes, as long as nothing unexpected happens, I’ll continue and finish the live broadcast this afternoon.”
Hearing Yu Mian’s confirmation, Harrison immediately grabbed a pen and started calculating on the supply list with renewed enthusiasm.
To be honest, even though they had prepared more stock than usual for today’s live broadcast, no one had anticipated such an explosive surge in sales.
These incredibly passionate netizens had wiped out their entire inventory, practically sweeping the whole website clean.
The speed at which things sold out was so fast that they didn’t even have time to react.
As a result, the backend customer service team had been flooded with constant complaints and inquiries about out-of-stock items. They repeatedly reassured people that new stock would be available as soon as possible and that notifications would be sent out.
“But Professor Harrison, we have to make sure we have enough tea leaves this afternoon. Otherwise, the complaint hotline is definitely going to explode again.”
An assistant researcher, who was helping transport the tea leaves alongside the delivery robots, spoke up with lingering apprehension.
Shipping out stock was infinitely preferable to being forced into customer service. Only heaven knew how desperate and resentful the netizens who failed to purchase ingredients and cookware had become.
“You’re right. We need to take advantage of these precious few hours to transport supplies from greenhouses and warehouses across the major star systems.”
Harrison glanced at the time, then immediately rallied the entire institute to work at full throttle.
After spending so long researching these products, it was beyond exciting to finally see interstellar residents taking an interest in them.
And the extreme speed at which the food research institute ran out of stock had left the star network in a state of mourning.
[Help! Whose hand speed is so abnormal? I was just a few seconds late, and now the chili peppers are gone, the seasonings are gone, the pots are gone…how am I supposed to post my dish for Teacher Fish Soup Noodles now?!]
[Same here! I barely did any better. I managed to get the chili peppers but not the chicken thighs. Someone tell me, how am I supposed to eat plain chili peppers?! I’m crying.]
[Hey, you punk! I got the chicken thighs but not the chili peppers! Why don’t you sell me some of yours?]
[Hold up, brother…why don’t you sell me your chicken thighs instead?】
All sorts of chaotic situations were popping up. Some people had managed to grab meat, others had secured chili peppers, but neither group was willing to part with what they had. After all, who knew when the food research institute would restock?
[Who is as miserable as me? I was only able to buy a single, tiny pack of salt. Wuuu…Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, the research institute is too unreliable! Now I can’t turn in my homework!]
The appearance of this miserable netizen who only bought salt immediately brought joy to the mournful atmosphere in the comment section, and everyone expressed their sympathy.
Of course, there were some lucky people who managed to buy everything they needed.
Among them was Monster Feather, Noel.
His hands, usually used for esports, were now cautiously handling the long-neglected kitchenware in his home.
On the other side, a video of Fish Soup Noodles teaching how to make spicy chicken was playing.
The first time Noel tried making it, he felt completely overwhelmed–his eyes couldn’t keep up with his hands, and his hands couldn’t keep up with his brain.
“Why does Teacher Fish Soup Noodles make it look so effortless?”
Yet he was struggling so much?
When Noel stared at the plate of charred blackened chicken he had just produced, he fell into a deep silence.
This time, he rewatched the video several more times, even printing out the text-based guide Fish Soup Noodles had posted on StarBlog. He studied it with the same level of intensity as he would an esports tournament.
He had to be the first to successfully make Spicy Chicken!
And he wasn’t the only one.
At the same time, Kane and his sister Audrey were also enthusiastically cooking in the kitchen on this weekend afternoon.
The housekeeper stood to the side with a horrified expression, watching as these two siblings, who had never once stepped foot in a kitchen, eagerly fumbled with their newly arrived cookware.
Every now and then, they would argue, blaming each other for the failures.
“This was your fault, Audrey!”
“No, this was your fault, Brother!”
Even on the distant Eternal Star System, inside a mysterious castle’s kitchen, a loud explosion suddenly echoed through the air.
“Miss, what are you doing!?”
The old steward who had always followed Lilith lost his usual elegant demeanor at this moment, looking rather disheveled as he stared at the kitchen billowing with black smoke.
“…I can’t do it.”
Lilith frowned in confusion as she looked at the recording and tutorial analysis on her light brain, unable to figure out which step had gone wrong.
“This is a very dangerous attempt. Can’t you leave it to the attendants?”
“No. I must do it myself and turn in the homework.”
Recalling the passionate comments from netizens on star network, Lilith muttered with deep determination.
She had stared at the figure in the video countless times, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
But she definitely liked him even more now, he was just as she had imagined.
Fish Soup Noodles had made an appearance, and for his first appearance, he stirred up a huge sensation with his cooking live broadcast, attracting an immense amount of attention.
Many people, after seeing the screenshots, discussions, and reviews of the live broadcast across various platforms, couldn’t help but develop a strong curiosity about Spicy Chicken and the new book “God of Cooking”.
[But how can you be sure this is really Fish Soup Noodles? He could have just hired someone to play the role. After all, can someone really have that much energy to write novels while also live broadcasting cooking?]
Seeing the massive attention Yu Mian’s first live broadcast had attracted, some people subconsciously felt a bit skeptical.
[No, no, no, this is a fan’s intuition! Before the live broadcast, I had countless guesses about what Teacher Fish Soup Noodles might be like, but after watching yesterday’s live broadcast, I’m absolutely sure, this is him!]
[Yeah, and honestly, who else but the author could be this familiar with the food described in “God of Cooking”?]
As the comments suggested, the fact that “God of Cooking” introduced such novel and unheard-of dishes meant that only the author himself could have a deep understanding of them.
There was simply no other possibility.
It only proved how incredibly mysterious Fish Soup Noodles really was.
Not only were his novels always fresh and intriguing, but he also had such profound expertise in cooking…
[If he’s so amazing, and doesn’t seem as down-and-out as some people speculated, why has he never shown his face?]
In fact, even the editorial department at Huanyu was baffled by this.
“Shaxs, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles is clearly not as miserable as those rumors had speculated. So why won’t he show himself?”
The immense attention generated by today’s live broadcast had caused a huge spike in subscriptions for “God of Cooking”.
One could only imagine the kind of impact it would have if Fish Soup Noodles ever attended book signings or public events.
“Besides, I have a feeling he’s probably not bad-looking… His voice is just too pleasant to listen to!”
As the editorial department had a heated discussion, Shaxs propped his chin on his hand and let out a satisfied sigh.
Fish Soup Noodles’ appearance this time had completely shut down all the baseless rumors. At least now, he wouldn’t have to endure the annoying comments from black fans anymore.
As for why he wouldn’t show his face…
“I don’t know either.”
Shaxs’ tight-lipped response left everyone in the editorial department slightly disappointed.
“And Teacher Fish Soup Noodles even did product endorsements! That bracelet on his wrist…so many people are begging for a purchase link. I really want to buy one too.”
Those who were constantly keeping an eye on the hot searches had naturally noticed a small but fanatical group of fans frantically searching for the same crystal bracelet as Fish Soup Noodles.
[But honestly, you guys shouldn’t obsess over getting the exact same one. What you’re actually admiring might just be the Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ hands, not the bracelet itself qwq]
[True. Instead of that, why not focus on learning how to cook? The chances of successfully making Spicy Chicken are way higher.]
Many fans who had scoured the internet but failed to find the exact bracelet design were instantly shattered by the ruthless comment section.
[Ahhh… We have no grudges against each other, why did you suddenly attack me? TwT How did you know my Spicy Chicken was a disaster? My kitchen almost exploded!]
[Forget it. I can’t compete with the masters who posted their successful dishes. I’ll just sit and wait for Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ afternoon live broadcast. What exactly is milk tea, anyway? And isn’t the giveaway winner supposed to be announced soon?]
As that comment appeared, Yu Mian’s StarBlog just so happened to post a link to his latest live broadcast room.
Meanwhile, some sharp-eyed individuals noticed that the Food Research Institute’s official site had suddenly restocked a massive batch of “tea leaves” at the same time.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Did you all manage to make Spicy Chicken?”
As Yu Mian started his afternoon live broadcast, the viewer count skyrocketed even faster than during his first live broadcast at noon.
The previous live broadcast had mostly attracted long-time fans of Fish Soup Noodles.
But the afternoon live broadcast was completely different. Many viewers had been drawn in purely by the flood of Spicy Chicken homework photos circulating online, and only then did they know that there was such a magical cooking live broadcast room.
Even though many hadn’t been able to buy the ingredients or seasonings, some masters had managed to get all the tools and, after repeated practice, successfully replicated the dish just in time for Yu Mian’s afternoon live broadcast.
[Teacher Fish Soup Noodles! Check out God Noel’s StarBlog, grade his homework first! His dish looks incredible!]
[Yes, yes! It’s amazing! After seeing it, I felt like I might actually give it another try.]
As soon as Yu Mian asked, countless fans began recommending Noel’s StarBlog.
After Yu Mian opened StarBlog and shared the screen to his live broadcast room, everyone witnessed Noel’s progress.
From a pile of burnt black charcoal to gradually improving with each attempt, the final picture showcased a perfectly cooked plate of Spicy Chicken!
“This looks delicious. The key is that it’s the result of repeated practice. Noel, are you like Lu Zhen in the book, with some kind of experience points system?”
Even Yu Mian was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected someone to successfully recreate the dish so soon, and it just so happened to be Noel, an acquaintance from his trial live broadcast.
