"Take out one of the bowls of marinated shrimp and drain the excess water. Add cornstarch and mix well so the shrimp are evenly coated in the batter. Heat the oil until it’s about seventy percent hot, then fry them in the wok. Scoop them out once they change color.
"In a separate, oil-free pan, add Sichuan peppercorn powder and an appropriate amount of salt. Toast it over low heat, then sprinkle this salt and pepper mix over the fried shrimp."
Gan Lan looked at her finished dish. The room was filled with a mouthwatering aroma, and a deep sense of accomplishment welled up inside her.
"It’s done. Give it a try, everyone. Did anyone manage to make it successfully?" Gan Lan asked, her tone a bit perfunctory since she had already lost hope in some of her viewers.
I Love Barbecue: [I made it. It’s done, but... the taste... I’m so ashamed!]
Sky Blue: [Same here... Junior, are these immortal shrimp? It’s so simple to make, yet it’s already so delicious!]
Tomorrow Will Come: [I finished making it, and it was a success! My roommates all say it’s delicious! Even though it can’t compare to the streamer’s cooking, it’s definitely edible!]
Gan Lan turned the camera to face herself and sat down. She unhurriedly picked up a salt and pepper shrimp, removed the head, and took a large bite. As she chewed, her mouth filled with a savory and fragrant flavor, perfectly complementing the fresh, sweet meat.
Listening to Gan Lan’s CRUNCH CRUNCH as she chewed, the audience in the livestream room swallowed their saliva in unison. It sounded incredibly delicious, and the virtual data they were tasting instantly lost its appeal.
Livestream Audience: [...] This streamer was too wicked!
Seeing the uniform ellipses floating across the screen, Gan Lan smiled in satisfaction. Taking this tiny bit of revenge made her feel thoroughly refreshed!
Immortal Barbecue: [I didn’t expect you to be this kind of junior! You’re so incredibly petty!]
Love Ugly Shellfish, Love Kale: [Even though I think so too, the goddess is so cute even when she’s taking revenge!!]
Gan Lan took a sip of orange juice, stood up, and clapped her hands. "Alright, let’s go see if the Qingtuan is cooked." She lifted the lid and nodded. "The Qingtuan is ready. The color is a translucent green, and it has a faint, grassy fragrance."
She carefully took out the Qingtuan, let it cool for a moment, and peeled off the plastic wrap. Ready to do a mukbang segment, she announced, "Let’s taste test it."
The Audience: [...] Even though watching her eat on stream was highly entertaining, it was also a bit cruel.
Gan Lan took a small bite and nodded as she chewed, a look of pure satisfaction on her face. She deliberately shoved the half-eaten Qingtuan right up to the screen and said wickedly, "The texture is soft and sticky, with a subtle hint of fresh grass. The red bean paste filling is sweet but not cloying. What do you guys think? Delicious, isn’t it?"
Sky Blue: [Delicious! It tastes like nature! Amazing!]
Immortal Barbecue: [Am I the only one who thinks the taste is a bit weird, but the more I eat it, the more addictive it gets?]
Gan Lan finished the small Qingtuan and started packing up to set up her stall. "Let’s go, it’s time to set up shop. It’s getting a bit late." With that, she left without a second glance, completely ignoring the audience in the livestream room.
Walking along the Food Street, she noticed that even the dishes she had just made were already being sold at some of the stalls.
She had carefully considered her approach, deliberately choosing the simplest methods to prepare the food. If they still couldn’t learn it, she genuinely wouldn’t know what else to do.
Passing by a stall selling Qingtuan, she bought one to try. The first bite surprised her—the filling was fruit-flavored, giving it a refreshing taste. She had braced herself for the worst, so this pleasant twist was completely unexpected.
Immortal Barbecue: [This one is delicious too! The fruit flavor is rich, and the grassy fragrance is just right. They’ve graduated! Junior, are you feeling the pressure yet? Don’t let the new generation leave you in the dust!]
I Love Barbecue: [I still think my goddess’s flavor suits my taste best, but this stall owner isn’t bad either!]
Meanwhile, back at Gan Lan’s stall, dozens of people were already crouching in front of it. They were grumbling, chatting, and bantering with one another, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
Seeing this scene was the greatest encouragement any chef could ask for. People loved her food and proved their approval through their actions. It made her believe that, one day, Huaxia’s cuisine would definitely conquer the entire interstellar era!
Gan Lan waved and greeted the line gently, "Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone."
The diners immediately responded with a flurry of excited cheers.
"Junior, you’re finally here! I felt so weak all over today without having eaten your food. But really, you should eat more yourself. One glance at the crowd and you just..."
A person crouching nearby looked at the speaker in surprise. "Aren’t you afraid of incurring the barbecue master’s wrath?"
The young man proudly waved his hand. "I can handle spicy food now, so I’m not scared! Hehe."
Various praises and teasing remarks floated from the sidelines. Did calling her short count as a compliment? Gan Lan rolled her eyes. They were definitely much cuter when they kept their mouths shut.
Early the next morning, Gan Lan woke up to the sound of her communication device ringing.
The moment she answered, Wen Ningyue’s furious and worried voice poured through the line. "Junior, hurry up and check the school forum and the Star Network homepage! Someone hired a massive troll army to intentionally smear your name online!"
Gan Lan was speechless. It was the same old trick. She had already encountered this sort of thing when she first set up her barbecue stall. Were they really trying this again?
Wen Ningyue paused for a moment before continuing indignantly, "And there’s more! They actually spent a fortune to hire a somewhat famous Culinary Master, and he’s currently publishing articles to maliciously slander you. I can’t explain it all clearly over the comms, so just go online and see for yourself. Also, don’t worry, I’m going to go scold them until they cry right now!"
Without waiting for Gan Lan to reply, she abruptly hung up.
Gan Lan stared at the disconnected comms in a daze. Instead of immediately logging onto the Star Network, she got up to wash up. She had classes today, and her studies were much more important.
She figured this was what Zhao Mengru’s little lackey meant when she threatened to "make her pay." Shaking her head helplessly, she sighed. All she wanted was to live a quiet, ordinary life.
Meanwhile, inside a dormitory of the Journalism Department.
Having just hung up, Wen Ningyue rolled up her sleeves. Cursing under her breath, her fingers tapped against the virtual keyboard so fast they were practically a blur.
Displayed on her virtual screen was an article published by the verified Culinary Master, Wei Donghe.
[The Culinary Department of Mingyang Star Comprehensive University is going down the drain. They treat a piece of trash from a poverty star like a treasure while throwing away a future pearl.]
The very first page of the article contained Gan Lan’s personal information, exposing every little detail. Slapped right over her profile picture was the word "TRASH" in giant red letters.
The article continued:
"Some people will definitely ask me why I’m being so vicious to an eighteen-year-old child. I can responsibly tell you what this eighteen-year-old did to the child of my old friend, leading to her being directly expelled from school. What is more important than a student’s future prospects?
"I’m not afraid of them suing me. I have everything this piece of trash did in my hands, and it’s absolutely hair-raising. I will post the evidence below, and I believe justice lies in the hearts of the people."
When Wen Ningyue clicked on the so-called evidence, she completely flew into a rage!
This was a complete distortion of the truth, turning black into white! They pinned every filthy, despicable act onto Gan Lan. They even claimed she engaged in school bullying and verbal abuse, and that she stole a new recipe her old friend’s daughter had spent years researching. They added that the school covered up for this sinner, and so on. It painted Gan Lan as an unforgivable villain!
However, after looking at the "evidence" photos and documents, Wen Ningyue calmed down. She would never believe that Gan Lan was capable of such things. What was far more likely was that these were the very things Zhao Mengru had done to Gan Lan. If the roles in these pictures were reversed, the credibility would be incredibly high!
Her heart ached for Gan Lan. The junior had suffered through such difficult times in the past. Now that things were finally settling down, something like this had to happen.
Clenching her fists, she ground her teeth and muttered, "That damn Zhao Mengru!"
Down in the comments section of the article, everyone was saying how pitiful Wei Donghe’s friend’s daughter was and how Gan Lan deserved to die. They demanded that Mingzong School give an explanation and tell this piece of trash to roll back to where she belonged.
But Wen Ningyue wasn’t scared at all! There were plenty of Gan Lan’s fans in the school, and even more in other schools. All she had to do was put out a call in the fan groups, and rallying three to five million people would be a piece of cake!
Pointing at the virtual screen, she spat, "Just you wait!"
She immediately went to rally the fans. She even started a dedicated thread on the school forum, urging the students to upvote it and fire back! Mingzong University was by no means a small school!
The combat power of Gan Lan’s fans was equally astonishing. One might have thought her account would definitely be overrun by haters, but her fans displayed the momentum of one taking on a hundred. They scolded the trolls until they hung their heads in shame. The forum thread was flooded with messages of support and encouragement. The moment a hater popped up, they were swiftly buried.
Wen Ningyue grew even more satisfied. As expected of Lan fans, they were just as powerful as she was.
She dialed the comms of a still-sleeping Wang Bin. The second he connected, she shouted, "Something huge happened! If you don’t get out of bed right now, you’ll never get to eat Junior’s cooking ever again!"
Wang Bin sobered up instantly, scrambling out of bed in a panic. "What’s wrong? What happened to Junior?"
Hearing the reaction she wanted, Wen Ningyue said, "Hurry up and check the Star Network forum! Someone hired a troll army to smear Junior, and a somewhat famous Culinary Master published an article full of dirty slander against her. At this rate, if Junior takes a hit from this and stops cooking, what are we going to do?"
Upon hearing the entire story, Wang Bin hurriedly opened his Light Brain to search for the articles and comments about Gan Lan. His face darkened as he read, teeth grinding in anger. Without even saying goodbye to Wen Ningyue, he rapidly joined the battlefield.
Despite Wang Bin’s honest and simple appearance, his combat power was phenomenal—he could easily take on a thousand by himself! He just needed the right conditions to be triggered, and right now, Gan Lan was the exact trigger he needed.
Just as expected, this guy was a rock-solid, die-hard fan who never missed a day of lining up at her stall or watching her streams.
Seeing Wang Bin get into the zone so quickly, Wen Ningyue smirked and hung up the comms.