Chinese Entertainment King: Starting as a Fat Boy and Becoming a Singing King

"Bai Lu, you have to trust my judgment."

Xu Yao leaned against the bar, looking into her eyes.

"Everyone has a first time, and everyone goes through an adaptation process. You're not slowing things down; you just haven't found your rhythm yet."

Bai Lu looked up at him: "But I don't know what kind of performance the director wants."

Xu Yao picked up his phone from the bar and put it in his pocket.

"Come on, let me take you out for lunch."

"Go out to eat?" Bai Lu was taken aback.

"How about some mala tang?"

Bai Lu's eyes lit up immediately: "You like spicy hot pot too?"

Xu Yao smiled but did not answer.

The two people walked out of the photography studio, through the corridor, and pushed open the glass door.

A cold wind swept in from outside, making my face feel chilly.

Bai Lu walked ahead, her hoodie hoodie open, her hair a little messy from the wind, which she brushed aside.

Xu Yao followed behind her, watching her skip and hop to adjust herself and slowly walk down the steps.

"Do you know where there's a mala tang (spicy hot pot) place nearby?" Bai Lu turned around and asked.

"Follow the navigation."

The two walked along the road for about ten minutes and then turned into a small alley.

The alley is narrow, with old-style residential buildings on both sides. The ground floor storefronts house various small shops, such as barbershops, fruit stalls, and tobacco and liquor stores.

The mala tang restaurant is located at the very back, with a small storefront and red price tags pasted on the glass door.

Pushing open the glass door, a wave of heat hits you, carrying the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers.

Bai Lu took a deep breath.

"This is the place. This is the place I eat the most mala tang (spicy hot pot)."

Xu Yao followed her inside.

The shop has seven or eight tables, white tiles on the floor, and menus and Wi-Fi passwords on the walls.

The freezer was placed at the very back, with two rows of food neatly stacked.

Several tables of customers were already seated in the shop; some were eating with their heads down, others were scrolling through their phones, and no one paid any attention to them.

Bai Lu picked up a plastic basin and a pair of clips from the doorway.

Xu Yao also picked up a plastic bowl: "Actually, I'm not much of a eater, so I'll just follow your choice."

"Okay, I know how to put together a great outfit."

Bai Lu's tone suddenly became lively, as if he had returned to his home turf.

She walked to the freezer, bent down, and pointed to the first row of ingredients with tongs.

"Let me tell you, the soul of Mala Tang is the soup base, but if the ingredients aren't well-matched, even the best soup base will be useless. Look, you must use leafy greens, such as spinach, garland chrysanthemum, and romaine lettuce. These vegetables have thin leaves, they cook in just a few seconds, and they absorb the soup well."

She picked up a handful of chrysanthemum greens and put them into her own bowl, and then picked up another handful and put them into Xu Yao's bowl.

"Then there are mushrooms: shiitake, enoki, and wood ear mushrooms. These three are the standard. Shiitake adds flavor, enoki mushrooms are chewy, and wood ear mushrooms are crunchy."

She picked up a few more shiitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms and divided them into two bowls.

Xu Yao smiled without saying a word. According to the information he remembered, Bai Lu was a foodie, and spicy hot pot was one of her favorites. It seemed that he had made the right choice.

"What do you eat for your main meal? Instant noodles? Rice noodles? Or udon noodles?"

Instant noodles.

"You have good taste." Bai Lu smiled and took out two packs of instant noodles from the bottom of the refrigerator. "Malatang and instant noodles are a perfect match. The noodles soak up the soup and taste better than any other staple food."

She continued walking forward, picking up fish tofu, crab sticks, shrimp paste, and beef balls, putting each one into her own bowl first, and then putting one portion into Xu Yao's bowl.

His movements were as practiced as if he were cooking in his own kitchen.

Bai Lu's fingers were slender, and her nails were neatly trimmed and unpainted.

What kind of meat do you like to eat? Beef, chicken, or pork belly?

"Anything is fine."

"Then take a little of everything." Bai Lu picked up a few slices of beef rolls and pork belly, turned to look at Xu Yao, and asked, "Do you eat spicy food?"

"eat."

"Should the soup base be medium spicy or extra spicy?"

Medium spicy.

Bai Lu nodded and handed the basin to the shopkeeper.

The owner, a woman in her forties, took the basin, weighed it, and quoted a price.

Bai Lu took out her phone to scan the QR code to pay, and Xu Yao was about to take out his money when she stopped him.

"I'll treat you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

Bai Lu smiled, revealing his tiger teeth, and his eyes crinkled with laughter.

The two found a seat by the window and sat down.

Sunlight streamed in through the glass window, landing on the tabletop, making it feel warm and cozy.

Bai Lu rested his chin on his hands, not knowing what to say, just looking at the street scene outside the window, his toes tapping lightly on the floor.

Xu Yao leaned back in his chair, looking at her: "Look, you're in great shape right now. Do you know why?"

Bai Lu turned her head, startled for a moment: "Why?"

"Because what you're doing now is something you enjoy, and something you're confident in."

Bai Lu blinked but didn't reply.

This is why Xu Yao chose to take Bai Lu out to eat spicy hot pot, and also why Xu Yao deliberately said that he didn't know how to choose ingredients. He continued to speak.

"You need to be confident and let go of the idea of ​​acting. You don't have formal training, so there's so much to learn when you act in something. You can only express your true self and present yourself. Whether it's me or the director, we value you not because we want you to replicate a fictional character, but because of you, Bai Lu."

Bai Lu didn't speak, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

After a long while, she raised her head, looked at Xu Yao, and her eyes shone.

"I think I understand a little bit."

Xu Yao nodded and continued, "At the start of the show this afternoon, I forgot to prove myself to others, and I also forgot that this was a performance class. You are Bai Lu. After listening to my song, if you were my ex-girlfriend, what would you think, what would you do? What would your state be?"

"Find your own home turf, and showcase the confident and relaxed Bailu – that's the result we need."

Bai Lu stared at him for three seconds, then nodded: "I understand. I'll try my best this afternoon."

The mala tang (spicy hot pot) was served in two large bowls, with a red oil broth and white sesame seeds and chopped green onions floating on top.

"Wait a moment."

Xu Yao was about to pick up his chopsticks when Bai Lu stopped him.

Bai Lu picked up the vinegar bottle on the table and dripped a few drops into Xu Yao's bowl.

"Add a touch of vinegar to enhance the flavor. Don't add too much, or it will turn sour. Now you can eat it and give it a try."

She looked at Xu Yao with anticipation.

Xu Yao picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of beef roll, and put it in his mouth.

The beef rolls were cooked to perfection, tender and bouncy. The spicy and numbing flavor of the broth exploded on the tongue, followed by a subtle hint of vinegar, which brought out all the flavors.

He picked up another mouthful of instant noodles, soaked them in the soup, and they became soft, chewy, and delicious.

Finally, I picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup. The hot, spicy broth slid down my throat, warming me completely.

"How is it? How is it?" Bai Lu hadn't eaten yet.

Xu Yao put down his bowl and looked at Bai Lu: "One word: Absolutely brilliant."

Bai Lu smiled, a very happy smile.

"Hehe, this is my favorite flavor, I'm glad you like it."

She picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

The way she ate was very genuine; she wasn't pretentious or coy. She picked up a piece of fish tofu, blew on it, and stuffed it into her mouth. It was so hot that she hissed, but she couldn't bear to spit it out. She chewed while breathing on it.

When she got to the crab stick, she dipped it in the soup to soak it up before picking it up and taking a bite. The soup spilled from the corner of her mouth, so she quickly wiped it off with the back of her hand before continuing to eat.

Xu Yao looked at her and saw that eating with a foodie was indeed exceptionally delicious.

The two walked out of the mala tang restaurant.

Bai Lu walked ahead, her steps much lighter than when she arrived, her ponytail swinging behind her.

Xu Yao walked behind her, watching her.

The studio door opened, and Cat Tree was sitting behind the monitor flipping through storyboards.

He looked up and saw two people come in, and put down the storyboard.

"You're back?"

"I'm back." Bai Lu walked to the set and stopped.

Director Cat's Tree spoke up: "Bai Lu, can't we use the footage we shot this morning? We need to reshoot."

"Okay, director, I will try my best," Bai Lu replied with a smile.

The cat glanced at her, then at Xu Yao, and finally said nothing. Filming continued.