The Game of Life

“You’re going to make spicy stir-fried rice cakes on this thing?” Ji Yue looked incredulous.

It wasn’t just Ji Yue, Liu Qian and Liu Zixuan also had expressions that screamed, ‘Did I hear that wrong?’.

Even in Liu Qian’s live stream, which was as still as dead water, a comment drifted by: ‘I must have heard wrong, the person eating with the host said he could make spicy rice cakes on barbecue paper.’

Unfortunately, Liu Qian wasn’t looking at her phone, focusing instead with a stunned expression on Jiang Feng.

Liu Zixuan looked at him admiringly, thinking to himself: ‘Worthy of being the Chess Club President, he blows his own trumpet so confidently and distinctively.’

“Yes, yes!” Liu Qian nodded repeatedly.

Jiang Feng went to the seasoning area to get condiments.

In addition to the basic salt, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce, there were also a variety of chili options in the seasoning area-chopped chili, Xiaomi peppers, garlic chili sauce, chili paste, and chili oil. Since he wasn’t sure about the taste, Jiang Feng took a little of each, picking up a lot of seasonings back and forth, not even skipping seafood sauce and spareribs sauce.

Since Ji Yue had already picked up some napa cabbage, there was no need for Jiang Feng to go get some more. There were no onions, but they could make do.

First, he tossed the finger rice cakes into his own pot to boil. Ji Yue and the others had already put things in their pots, and Liu Zixuan’s pot was spicy, while only Jiang Feng’s pot was suited for boiling rice cakes, with just a few pieces of green onion and not much salt in a light broth.

Then, Jiang Feng began tearing the napa cabbage into small pieces.

That’s when Liu Qian remembered that she was live streaming.

Still, there were some active viewers in her live stream, intensely curious to hear that Jiang Feng said he would make spicy stir-fried rice cakes. Liu Qian, utterly neglecting her own live stream, hadn’t glanced at her phone once, no’ matter how much her audience spammed the comments asking to turn the camera towards Jiang Feng.

Three or four active viewers created the chat activity of several dozen people.

Liu Qian glanced at her phone unintentionally and was startled by the sheer number of comments floating across the screen.

“Host, could you show us that handsome guy cooking? What’s the point of the camera on you?”

“Cooking, I want to see the cooking!”

“Please, host, look at the comments, I beg you!”

“Host, stop being so dazed, check the comments, I beg you!!!”

“Annoying host, unfollowing, unfollowing.”

“I want to see cooking, not your nostrils(> ’□’)> ?-i______________ l-

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t see it just now,” Liu Qian was also a bit shocked to find that there were actually live people in her stream, and hurriedly explained to everyone.

W goodness, the host finally saw the comments.”

“Quick, film the cooking, I want to see the cooking.”

Right, film the cooking, I want to see the spicy stir-fried rice cakes made on barbecue paper.”

“President, the viewers in my live stream say they want to watch you cook, may I film?” Liu Qian asked.

Jiang Feng had doubted that the 46 people in Liu Qian’s live stream were all system-generated zombie followers; he didn’t expect that there would actually be viewers.

Filming wasn’t a big deal, and it’s not like it was some secret family recipe. Jiang Feng nodded his head, “Go ahead, just don’t film my face.”

The distance between Liu Qian and Jiang Feng was actually quite significant, so filming his face was rather difficult.

Liu Qian switched from the front to the rear camera for her live stream, stood up holding her phone with both hands, and started filming Jiang Feng’s hands, effectively going from a host to a camerawoman.

Jiang Feng was tasting the seasonings.

The chih sauce at this store was too salty, definitely not usable, but surprisingly, the seafood sauce was quite good-homemade, not something bought off the shelves. Using chopsticks, Jiang Feng tasted all the seasonings he’d brought over and began mixing them.

Liu Qian, mindful of Jiang Feng’s request not to show his face, kept the phone’s camera fixed on a few bowls of condiments. Viewers could only see Jiang Feng’s hands appear and disappear.

“Is he tasting seasonings?”

“Looks quite professional.”

Can the host’s hand stop shaking? It’s making me dizzy!”

The live stream audience certainly became more engaged.

“Sorry, I’ll try not to shake. Our President is tasting the seasonings,” Liu Qian responded to the comments.

“Host, you should change the name of your live stream, no one’s going to watch it with that title.”

The live streaming room is now called “Club Gathering Routine”.

Liu Qian thought for a moment, then changed the name to “Cooking Spicy Stir-fried Rice Cake in a Self-service BBQRestaurant”.

Jiang Feng had already prepared the spicy sauce, and the rice cakes were fished out and ready, he began to stir-fry the cabbage.

After brushing a layer of oil on the paper, Jiang Feng used chopsticks to push half of the spicy sauce onto the paper, poured the torn cabbage on top, and then ladled a spoonful of soup over it.

With a “whoosh”, a large amount of white smoke billowed up, quickly disappearing as Jiang Feng rapidly stirred the cabbage with his chopsticks to coat it in the spicy sauce.

Everyone’s attention was captivated by the white smoke.

“What’s Feng doing?” asked a club member sitting quite far away, craning his neck to look towards Jiang Feng’s table.

“Looks like he’s stir-frying cabbage, Feng is so 6!”

“Why didn’t I think of that? Let’s stir-fry cabbage ourselves, later.”

Even the waiters came over to watch the commotion; having worked in a self-service BBQ restaurant, they had seen their fair share of flashy moves. Waiters who’d been there for a long time were unfazed and after a couple of glances, told a newcomer, “It’s not caught fire, no need to worry.”

It actually smells pretty good,” the new waiter said, taking a deep sniff.

Because Liu Qian’s live stream title was quite curious, some netizens clicked in, seeing Jiang Feng stir-frying cabbage on the grill paper, and several sent “666- in the comments.

There were those who had done this before who came to throw cold water on it.

“I did this the last time I ate at a self-service BBQ but it ended up burning and sticking to the paper, couldn’t flip it with chopsticks, it was useless and didn’t taste good.”

But that comment was quickly proven wrong, as Jiang Feng not only was able to flip it, but did so with ease.

Even through the smoky live broadcast screen, the cabbage wrapped in spicy sauce on the grill paper still looked mouthwatering.

“The cabbage looks so delicious.”

“Right, now I’m craving spicy cabbage.”

“The streamer has some great culinary skills, so 6!”

New viewers who just tuned in thought the cook, Jiang Feng, was the host of the stream.

Liu Qian didn’t usually respond to most of the comments. Questions like how he seasoned it, how it didn’t stick to the paper-she couldn’t answer, she didn’t even know herself. But now someone had mistaken Jiang Feng for the host and she had to speak up to explain.

“The cook is the president of our club, today is our club’s gathering.”

“Wow, the president is impressive, and there’s even a male president in a cooking club,” a comment flew by.

“We are the Chess Club,” Liu Qian clarified.

The cabbage on the grill paper was almost done.

Jiang Feng poured the cooked rice cakes and the remaining half of the spicy sauce in, scooped a spoonful of vinegar, and finally sprinkled some sugar.

Still using chopsticks to stir, when every strand of rice cake was covered in the bright red spicy sauce and the cabbage was fully cooked, Jiang Feng pushed them apart with chopsticks and prodded, “Ready to eat.”

The aroma alone was incredibly tempting.

Even the experienced waiters who had walked away were lured back by the fragrance.

Be careful, it’s hot,” Jiang Feng cautioned.

Liu Qian couldn’t pay attention to the live stream anymore; she was the closest, and the longer she smelled it, the longer she endured. If her hands weren’t holding her phone, she would have reached for the cabbage as soon as it was nearly done.

She casually placed her phone on the table and grabbed a chopstick full of rice cakes eagerly.

“It’s so delicious!” Liu Qian exclaimed while puffing to cool it down.

Originally filled with a flood of “666” comments, the live stream went dark when Liu Qian casually put down her phone.

After a while, a comment drifted by leisurely.

Streamer, now I have only one thing to say, mmp, unfollow!!”