In the afternoon, while Qin Hao napped, Su Wuyao set up cameras in the kitchen. She timed her departure precisely, then headed to a secluded café. Opening her livestream, she broadcasted footage from the cameras at home.
"The streamer is online! Attention, everyone. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."
"Time to act! Prepare for action!"
"How's everything going? Did your husband catch on?"
"Anyone still watching? If not, I'll close the stream!"
"Don't close it! I'm here."
Thanks to the buildup earlier, the stream's popularity soared the moment it went live, amassing an audience of twenty thousand viewers instantly.
"All set. Now we wait," Su Wuyao said with a solemn expression, as if undertaking a monumental task.
Truthfully, she wasn't too confident Qin Hao could make Lantern Shadow Beef. It was curiosity driving her, a need to verify his alleged chef identity.
She could already picture his confused face when he found the dish unavailable on the delivery app.
Half an hour later, Qin Hao woke up, rubbing his eyes as he shuffled out of the bedroom. After resting in the living room, he opened his phone and began scrolling through a delivery app.
"So, the certificates are fake, huh? The streamer's husband just happens to share a name with that legendary chef. Otherwise, why order takeout?"
"You're watching for fun, right? You really thought the streamer's husband could cook?"
"Finally! Is this where the fun starts, or does it end before it even begins?"
Watching Qin Hao frown at his phone, sliding his finger across the screen, a sly smile spread across Su Wuyao's face.
But wait!
Qin Hao put down his phone, walked to the fridge, and pulled out pre-prepped beef and a few pieces of ginger. He headed straight to the kitchen.
Su Wuyao quickly switched the camera view to the kitchen.
There, Qin Hao donned her pink cooking apron.
With a confident flick, he tied it around his waist, grabbed a kitchen knife, and spun it expertly in his hand. The motion was fluid and seamless, reminiscent of a seasoned royal chef with decades of experience.
Su Wuyao stared at the screen in disbelief.
Qin Hao knew how to spin a knife?
Was this some kind of joke?
She remembered asking him to peel an apple once, only for him to hand her the core. She'd mercilessly teased him about it.
But this knife trick—what on earth? Wasn't he afraid of cutting himself?
"The knife skills look impressive. This is serious business!"
"Hope it's not just for show. I'm excited to see him cook."
"Streamer, where did you buy that apron? Can you send me the link?"
At this point, Su Wuyao couldn't care less about the apron. All her focus was on Qin Hao.
He began preparing ingredients and seasoning. Laying the beef tendon on the cutting board, he skillfully removed the surface membrane and sinew with the knife. He trimmed the edges, then used absorbent paper to dab away the blood from the beef.
Viewers were puzzled.
"Why use paper towels to clean the beef instead of rinsing it with water?"
Su Wuyao glanced at the comment, unsure herself, and mentally dismissed it.
Meanwhile, in Kyoto…
Amid a towering cityscape stood a traditional courtyard house. Inside its kitchen, a young woman was watching the livestream on her phone. In front of her sat a cutting board made of rare rosewood, with half-sliced mushroom strips as thin as strands of hair, each perfectly uniform.
"Zixi! Why can't I hear you chopping? Are you slacking again? I've told you countless times—knife skills may look simple, but mastering them requires relentless effort," an elderly voice chided from outside.
"I know! I'm just watching someone cook right now. I'll get back to it after," the girl replied, pouting impatiently.
"With your skills, you're still watching others cook?" the old man grumbled.
"I'm watching, not learning. Based on what I've seen, this guy isn't even qualified to be my apprentice. As if I'd learn anything from him."
"What's he making?"
"Lantern Shadow Beef."
"Ah, Lantern Shadow Beef. Do you remember—"
"Master, I'm sorry! Give me a break, please. Let me finish this, and I'll practice knife work," she interrupted, wiping her hands. Using the username "Little Chef of Huaxia," she sent a comment in Su Wuyao's stream.
"I'm a chef, and I know why."
The audience immediately took notice of her ID, assuming she must be skilled. Whether her claim was true was unclear, but her professional tone caught their attention.
"Lantern Shadow Beef is one of the Eight Imperial Dishes, with an absurdly high degree of difficulty. Its only rival in complexity is Peony Fish Fillet."
"The reason the streamer's husband didn't rinse the beef with water is because of the dish's unique requirements. Water-washed beef, when sun-dried in the preparation process, is prone to mold."
Viewers were enlightened. So that's why Qin Hao had used paper towels!
Su Wuyao nodded instinctively. She'd learned something new!
Wait a minute!
How did Qin Hao know that?
"By the way, my master told me this, but it's not the key point. The success or failure of Lantern Shadow Beef hinges entirely on knife skills."
"As the name suggests, the beef must be sliced paper-thin, translucent under light, without any tears."
After finishing her explanation, the commentator quieted.
On the screen, Qin Hao began the next step—the critical test of knife skills that would determine the dish's success.
The livestream fell silent.
Only a few stray comments floated across the screen.
Qin Hao took up his knife, took a deep breath, and steadied the beef tendon.
The sound of slicing filled the room—sharp, precise, mesmerizing.
The gleam of the knife was cold as snow, striking with blinding speed.
The camera struggled to capture his movements clearly. All it showed was his wrist fluidly maneuvering the blade, leaving behind paper-thin slices of beef the size of a hand, each pristine and bright red.
Qin Hao even whistled as he worked, as though he were strolling leisurely in his garden.
Su Wuyao's jaw dropped as she stared at the screen.
This was the same man who had once handed her an apple core after peeling?
What kind of trickery was this?
"How is he doing that?" Little Chef of Huaxia was stunned.
What was this?
What kind of knife skills were these?
As a chef, she knew all too well what Qin Hao's speed represented.
Speedy knife work was nothing special—but to move at the speed of lightning? That was no ordinary chef!