Huayu: This director specializes in promoting young actresses.

Chapter 66 Oda: "Volcanic Eruption"

"How is the teacher?" Li Yitong asked.

"It was great," Raymond Lam said. "He also praised your portrayal of Li Shiqing, saying it was very spirited and that he would look for you again if there's a suitable role for me next time."

"So, are you going to look for it or not?" Li Yitong raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I'll find her," Lin Feng said, taking her hand.

As Lin Feng pushed open the apartment door, a burnt smell wafted from the kitchen. Tian Xi stood in front of the stove, holding a spatula, and called out as soon as she saw Lin Feng enter, "Brother Feng, look! I made scrambled eggs with tomatoes!"

Lin Feng walked over and saw that the eggs in the plate were burnt black, and the tomato skins were wrinkled and shrunken. "Is this... a volcanic eruption?" he asked, suppressing a laugh.

"No way!" Tian Xiwei slammed the spatula on the table. "It was just a little too hot! Hao Chun's was a complete disaster!"

Liu Haochun blushed and pointed to the plate next to her, where the stir-fried vegetables were burnt. "I... this is the first time I've ever stir-fried vegetables," she explained softly.

Li Yitong leaned against the door frame and said helplessly, "I wanted to help just now, but they kicked me out, saying they had a surprise for you."

"This is quite a surprise indeed." Lin Feng smiled and rolled up his sleeves. "You two step aside, watch me."

Tian Xiwei was still unconvinced: "Brother Feng, we really can do it!"

"By the time you guys finish, I'll be starving." Lin Feng pushed them out of the kitchen. "Learn from the side; my cooking skills are no joke."

He tied on an apron, first discarded the slightly burnt eggs Tian Xi had fried, then cracked four new eggs. When the oil was hot, the egg mixture sizzled and bubbled up with golden bubbles.

Liu Haochun peered out from the kitchen doorway, his eyes wide: "Brother Feng chops vegetables so fast, it's like he's putting on a show."

"That's right," Tian Xi said with a hint of pride, "I ate Feng Ge's cooking when I was little, and it was even more delicious than my mom's!"

She suddenly leaned close to Liu Haochun's ear and said, "But he always lied to me back then, saying that there were chili peppers in the dishes, when there weren't any."

In less than half an hour, three dishes were served. The twice-cooked pork was a perfect balance of lean and fatty meat, glistening with the red oil from the fermented bean paste. The stir-fried vegetables were vibrant green, still glistening with moisture. The scrambled eggs with tomatoes were a beautiful mix of red and yellow, with a thick sauce just right for mixing with rice.

Finally, Raymond Lam quickly made a cucumber and preserved egg soup, sprinkled it with chopped green onions, and the refreshing aroma instantly masked the previous burnt smell.

"Wow!" Liu Haochun exclaimed, "It looks delicious!"

Tian Xiwei leaned closer to smell it and whispered, "It seems... a little more fragrant than what I made."

"Of course." Lin Feng took off his apron. "Go get the rice, let's eat."

Tian Xi excitedly ran to the rice cooker, but froze when she pressed the switch. "Oh no!" she slapped her forehead, "I forgot to press the cook button! It's been stuck on keep-warm!"

Lin Feng went over to take a look and saw that the rice in the pot was still raw. "As expected of a little rascal," he teased her on purpose.

"Don't call me 'Little Monster Corporal'!" Tian Xi pouted and punched his chest lightly, the blow landing almost imperceptibly. "I just forgot! It's no big deal, I can just cook it again!"

"Okay, okay," Lin Feng laughed and dodged away, "Eat the vegetables first, and we'll eat the rice when it's cooked."

Li Yitong placed the drinks on the table. "Actually, I don't eat much staple food at night," she said softly. Years of dance training have instilled in her a habit of eating less carbohydrates.

"Me too," Liu Haochun nodded. "My manager said that eating too much at night can easily make you gain weight."

"You guys are so picky." Tian Xiwei picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of twice-cooked pork, stuffed it into her mouth, and mumbled, "Brother Feng made it so delicious, it would be a shame not to eat it!"

Looking at her chubby cheeks, Lin Feng remembered how she used to snatch the meat from his bowl when they were little, and said with a smile, "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

He served himself a small bowl of soup and then put a piece of green vegetable on Li Yitong's plate. "Eat more, you've lost weight lately."

The food wasn't ready yet, but the group started eating and chatting. Tian Xiwei was most concerned about Brother Hu: "Brother Feng, is Brother Hu as handsome in person as he is on TV? I absolutely love his performance in 'Chinese Paladin'!"

"Pretty much," Raymond Lam said, "and he's even taller than he looks on camera, with a particularly good presence."

"Is he as handsome as you?" Tian Xiwei asked deliberately.

Raymond Lam raised an eyebrow: "What do you think? I'm 'Handsome Superman'."

"Shameless!" Tian Xi scolded with a smile. "No wonder you insisted on changing your name back in the group chat, you're too narcissistic!"

Liu Haochun couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Feng is indeed quite handsome. Last time during the roadshow, some fans said that they couldn't help but stare at the scene where you had a cameo while watching the movie."

"Really?" Lin Feng looked at Li Yitong. "How come I haven't heard of this?"

Li Yitong took a sip of her drink and said slowly, "People are too embarrassed to say it to your face, but they're discussing it in the super topic, saying that you 'could make a living off your looks, but you insist on relying on your talent.'"

"That's right," Lin Feng proudly raised his chin, "I have both talent and good looks."

Tian Xiwei made a face, then suddenly remembered the box office: "By the way, Brother Feng, did the box office drop again yesterday? I saw online that it only reached 2800 million on Tuesday."

"It's normal for box office to drop on weekdays," Raymond Lam explained. "Monster Hunt also drops every weekday, but it will rebound on weekends. The total box office has already reached 2.3 million, far exceeding expectations."

"Really?" Liu Haochun's eyes lit up. "Does that mean we've succeeded?"

"Of course it counts," Li Yitong said with a smile. "This movie only cost tens of millions to make, and it's already starting to make a profit."

Lin Feng nodded: "After your training tomorrow, I'll take you shopping in the afternoon. Whatever you want to buy is on me."

"Yay! Feng-ge is the most handsome!" Tian Xiwei immediately changed her tune, "What 'Big Monster General'? He's clearly the most handsome and dashing Superman in the world!"

Liu Haochun and Li Yitong both laughed. Li Yitong shook her head: "Xiaotian, your change of expression is too fast."

"Of course!" Tian Xiwei said matter-of-factly, "It's Feng-ge's treat! I want to buy the latest game console, and I also want to buy that dress I've been eyeing for so long!"

"Anything is fine, I'll reimburse you for everything."

The rice cooker beeped twice, indicating that the rice was cooked. Tian Xiwei volunteered to check on it, and this time, thankfully, nothing went wrong.

Lin Feng served himself a bowl of rice, while Li Yitong and Liu Haochun drank more soup and occasionally picked up a few bites of vegetables.

"Honestly," Tian Xiwei suddenly put down her chopsticks, "this is the first time I've felt at home in Beijing."

Liu Haochun nodded: "I used to think this place was too big and everything was unfamiliar, but now that you guys are here, I don't feel so scared anymore."

Li Yitong looked at the two of them and said, "From now on, we are family."

"Let's eat," he said with a smile, "the food's getting cold."

Tian Xiwei picked up a large piece of twice-cooked pork and put it in his bowl: "Brother Feng, you cook so well, can we often freeload on your meals from now on?"

"As long as you're not afraid of getting fat."

"Don't be afraid!"

After dinner, as night deepened, Tian Xiwei and Liu Haochun squeezed onto the sofa to watch a variety show, laughing heartily.