Chapter Fifty-Nine: Were it not for Zhao Dezhu, the world of livestreaming would be plunged into eternal night!
When Li Can followed Su Rui out with the dishes, he noticed the main hall was in an uproar; everyone’s gaze was fixed on a customer seated near the door.
This customer wore heavy makeup, a strapless top, and a short skirt, with a painted tattoo exposed on a porcelain-white belly—skin so fair it seemed it would bruise at a touch.
But the real shock was—
The customer was bald. And, damn it, he was a man!
A man?
Li Can’s mouth twitched violently. He, who had always been fearless, couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath; his teeth were chattering.
This guy…
He must be seriously ill, right?
Setting a plate of Eternal Volcano Pork before Tanya, Li Can was about to leave when he distinctly heard her chatting with her livestream viewers, the topic apparently revolving around that cross-dressing man. Curiosity piqued, he asked, “You know him?”
“You don’t?” Tanya’s lips parted in mild surprise.
“Should I?” Li Can was even more bewildered.
A truly baffling conversation.
“Well, it looks like you’re not one to scroll through your social feeds.” Tanya covered her mouth, giggling. “His name’s Zhao Dezhu. He’s a popular internet celebrity lately.”
“Can Handle It?” Li Can almost spit out a mouthful of blood.
“That’s his stage name; nobody knows his real one.” Tanya explained, “But you’d better be careful—he’s famous for his razor-sharp tongue. He loves to nitpick at the most acclaimed dishes, and his critiques are so incisive that no one can refute him. Over time, many trendy restaurants get headaches just seeing him and would rather pay him to leave.”
“So he’s the anti-hero type?” Li Can asked.
“Yes. People are used to endless praise, so his presence is like a disruptive force in the world of food reviews. Combined with his bizarre outfits and biting commentary, he shot to fame overnight. Now loads of streamers are emulating his style.” Tanya said with a note of envy.
“You’re better off sticking with what’s normal,” Li Can murmured.
“Why?” Tanya was curious.
“His style doesn’t suit you—and you might get beaten up for it.”
At this, Tanya instinctively glanced at the “Good Citizen Award” hanging high on the restaurant’s wall and suddenly felt alarmed. Was this chef already contemplating taking matters into his own hands?
If that were the case,
This Mr. Zhao Dezhu was in for a rough time…
“Don’t think of me as violent—I’m a pacifist,” Li Can immediately saw through Tanya’s thoughts and corrected her with a stern and earnest look.
“Yes, yes, I know.” Tanya couldn’t stop smiling, and the livestream chat filled with a barrage of “666s.”
“By the way, Chef Li, will the restaurant be offering the Flavored Bone and Meat Soup and the Atypical Secret Sauce again?”
“We’ll see,” Li Can replied honestly.
What dishes to serve wasn’t ultimately his call—it depended on what ingredients they could find. If another “Liu Huadong” type ingredient turned up, he wouldn’t mind making it again—it would even save him some research time.
“Oh, you really must bring them back,” Tanya pleaded pitifully.
“The restaurant’s menu is excellent; don’t get hung up on just one or two items.” Li Can pointed to the Eternal Volcano Pork in front of her, comforting her. “Look, the preparation for this dish is even more complex than the secret sauce.”
“I can feel it—in the price,” Tanya quipped, drawing laughter from the livestream audience.
“There’s a reason for the price,” Li Can let the comment slide with a smile.
Expensive? If the restaurant was better established and catered to wealthier clients, he’d have priced it over a thousand per plate!
“I understand. Honestly, it’s not only the taste that makes me crave the Atypical Secret Sauce. After having it yesterday, my sinusitis improved a lot.”
“Oh?” Li Can was mildly surprised. “Are you sure it’s because of the sauce?”
“Absolutely.” Tanya nodded emphatically. “People with sinusitis usually can’t handle spicy food—our noses react badly. But you saw yesterday’s sauce: so spicy, yet my nose didn’t react at all. In fact, it felt better. Did you add some kind of magical Chinese herbs?”
“That’s right,” Li Can replied, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
“Don’t worry—I know every chef has their secrets, so I won’t pry. I just really hope you’ll bring back the secret sauce and the bone and meat soup. Maybe if I eat them a few more times, my sinusitis will be cured for good.” Tanya winked, her expression clearly saying, “I get it.”
“I’ll do my best,” Li Can replied casually, though inwardly he was deeply shaken.
Monster meat actually has medicinal effects?
If that’s true,
He might need to add a zero to every price on the menu!
But this was just Tanya’s experience; more observation was needed before drawing any conclusions.
As Li Can and Tanya wrapped up their conversation, Zhao Dezhu finally received his order of Eternal Volcano Pork and Dark Star Soup.
“Oh, this is nothing like what I imagined.” He opened his mouth in a startlingly theatrical voice, exaggeratedly effeminate, his left hand forming an elegant orchid gesture—so flamboyant it made one itch to snap his fingers off.
“Is that person a man or a woman? I honestly can’t tell at my age.”
“A man. Just look at that Adam’s apple—more prominent than mine…”
“Life must be tough for young people these days, driving them to the brink of madness…”
“You don’t get it—it’s called fashion.”
“You call that fashion? Fine, I’ll pay for you to get a mini skirt and even throw in a pair of stockings!”
“His legs aren’t as slender as hers, and with all that leg hair, he’d probably shred the stockings.”
“Hahaha…”
“Oh, look, he’s touching up his makeup now…”
…
From the moment Zhao Dezhu established his livestream persona, he’d grown used to public scrutiny and never took it to heart. His inner strength was formidable.
After all, this was exactly what he wanted—attention, controversy, and traffic.
As long as traffic flowed in, he could be even more flamboyant, dress even more provocatively, even tie on a tail if he wanted to.
To put it bluntly, once he made enough money, he’d move house, wipe off the makeup, and no one would recognize him.
He rolled his eyes with campy flair at the crowd, snorted coldly, and then, unhurriedly, started his livestream. He set up his ring light to perfect his on-camera look.
“Thanks for waiting, everyone. I’m at a viewer-recommended dive today. The environment… well, let’s just say I’m grateful I put on mosquito repellent beforehand, or I’d be covered in bites by now.”
Heavy makeup, ring light, false lashes, filters, voice modulator—
With all these effects combined, this man on camera transformed into a jaw-droppingly glamorous bald beauty!
He hadn’t even started eating, and the virtual gifts were already pouring in—
At that moment, among the crowd,
Whether male or female,
Young or old,
Rich or poor,
They all looked on with envy, exclaiming in awe.
This was the kind of job they wanted too!
(To be continued…)