The livestream exploded with activity!
"That knife skill is too fast! You can't even see the cutting clearly!"
"Streamer, next time get a higher-quality camera. We need to see this more clearly!"
"With such skill, he must've spent at least a decade honing it."
"Hey, the person claiming to be a chef—give us some insights!"
On the other side of the screen, Little Chef of Huaxia was astonished. Seeing viewers calling for an explanation, she replied:
"Those knife skills are truly extraordinary. As a chef, I must admit his expertise far surpasses mine."
"Cutting raw beef at room temperature is incredibly difficult. I usually freeze it slightly to make slicing easier, though frozen beef loses some texture."
"Unfortunately, the stream quality isn't good enough to show the beef slices in detail. Speed alone isn't everything—it's the end result that matters."
Reading this, Su Wuyao was stunned. The cameras she used weren't low-quality, but the focus hadn't been adjusted properly.
She immediately grabbed her phone, adjusted the camera to focus on the sliced beef, just in time to capture Qin Hao picking up a slice to inspect his work.
Soft lighting passed through the beef slice, revealing intricate textures. Each slice, as thin as a cicada's wing, stacked together like brilliant red peonies blooming in April—flawless, without a single tear. Each piece was uniformly cut, as if mass-produced by a machine.
Gasp!
Little Chef of Huaxia drew a sharp breath and quickly sent another comment:
"Only three people in the world could have knife skills like this!"
Su Wuyao was utterly dumbfounded.
Three people in the world—and she had married one of them. For years, she had been blissfully unaware, played all along.
Who could understand this mix of emotions? Why had Qin Hao hidden this from her? Was it simply that he didn't want to cook?
"With skills like this, does that mean all those certificates are real?"
"Impossible! I still don't believe it. If the streamer's husband really is a culinary master, why hide his identity for so many years?"
"Maybe get him to cook another dish. If he's a master, he won't just know one recipe."
"Even if he isn't a legendary chef, his skills alone make him a top-tier professional."
Meanwhile, Little Chef of Huaxia couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen, her curiosity about Qin Hao growing stronger.
"Zixi, what are you watching?" At some point, an elderly man had appeared behind her, startling her with a pat on the shoulder.
Realizing it was her mentor, she hurriedly showed him the stream. "Master, do you know this person?"
The elderly man squinted at the screen. "He seems unfamiliar. Why do you ask?"
"Look at how he sliced the beef!" she exclaimed.
The old man's gaze shifted to the cutting board on the screen, and his expression changed dramatically.
"Those knife skills!"
"This young man!"
Even this seasoned mentor, not easily impressed, was stunned. Few knew his identity, but Little Chef of Huaxia knew all too well—he was Wei Tianlin, a once-in-a-century culinary master and the head chef of Huaxia's national banquets. His culinary prowess was legendary, reaching near-mythical heights.
For Wei Tianlin to show admiration was an incredibly rare occurrence. He murmured, "Who is this guy?"
"A regular person who's hidden his chef identity for three years," Little Chef explained, recounting the story.
Wei Tianlin furrowed his brows, quickly pulling up the livestream recording. Watching Qin Hao's cutting technique, his expression turned grave.
There was a sense of familiarity—he'd seen this cutting style somewhere before.
"It's impossible. This man isn't just any chef, and he's definitely not an ordinary person," Wei Tianlin declared.
"Who is he, then? A chef from the Culinary Association? But I've never seen him before," Little Chef asked.
"Shh!" Wei Tianlin pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. His focus was now entirely on the video of Qin Hao cooking. He watched, utterly captivated.
...
The livestream of Qin Hao preparing Lantern Shadow Beef began circulating online, drawing massive attention for his extraordinary knife skills.
"No doubt about it—this is the work of a national-level master chef. Those knife skills are divine!"
"I heard he's on a streamer's channel. Where's the link? I want to watch and learn!"
"As if watching would teach you anything. If learning were that easy, the world would be full of master chefs."
"Exactly, haha."
Of course, the internet being what it is, there were dissenting voices as well. Online, support and criticism always coexisted, with keyboard warriors ever-present.
"Heh, I laughed. People call this guy a master chef?"
"I watched the video. What's so impressive? It's just cutting beef—anyone with hands could do it."
"Clearly a publicity stunt. Hiding his identity as a chef? Those certificates are obviously fake. Do you think national-level chefs grow on trees?"
Regardless of the opinions, Su Wuyao's livestream gained undeniable traction. Her viewership surged to 300,000, topping the charts in the cooking and lifestyle category on the platform.
The influx of viewers all wanted to see this mysterious man's cooking skills, hidden for three years.
Not everyone was thrilled, though. Another streamer in the same category, named Baby ChuChu, watched her numbers plummet. Usually boasting over 300,000 viewers, her stream struggled to reach 200,000 that day. Gifts and tips from her regular fans were scarce.
Baby ChuChu felt something was off. What was going on? Where had her audience gone? Surely they weren't offline all at once?
Demoralized by the lack of engagement, she decided to wind down her stream. Picking up her phone, she casually scrolled through social media.
A headline caught her eye:
"Hidden for Three Years: The Secret of a Nationally Recognized Master Chef Unveiled on Live!"