The bamboo toothpicks provided by the production team were quite ordinary.
She carefully inspected the toothpicks one by one, picking out any with splinters or irregular shapes, and then began patiently threading the marinated beef cubes onto the toothpicks one by one.
The process was tedious and required patience.Yet Lemon worked with meticulous care.
Each skewer was roughly the same size, ensuring they would heat evenly when fried.
Under the glare of the kitchen ceiling light, the soft contours of her profile were illuminated, her long eyelashes lowered to cast tiny shadows.
That intense focus gave her entire being a strange, captivating charm.
As Qin Zeyu watched, he found himself drifting off into a daze.
It was as if he were noticing for the first time that this girl, who seemed to care only about eating, looked quite striking when she was actually being serious.
Lin You had already transformed into an absolute fan, whispering to Su Manni beside her, "Sister Manni, look at Ning Meng! She's so amazing! The way she's skewering the meat is so focused, so charming!"
Su Manni smiled without a word, though a trace of surprise lingered in her gaze.
Lu Jingchen's fingers unconsciously stroked the rim of the water glass he held.
Watching Ning Meng lower her head to concentrate on skewering the meat, he recalled the satisfied expression she wore while eating a soft-boiled egg that morning.
Focus, total immersion, a heartfelt passion for food.
Among everyone he knew, this trait was entirely unique to her.
Especially since she seemed interested solely in the food itself.
Neither Qin Zeyu's overtures nor his own casual glances seemed capable of truly distracting her.
It was time.
Ning Meng straightened up, cast a glance at the little mountain of skewered beef on toothpicks resting in the basin, and nodded with satisfaction.
Next came the main event—deep frying!
She walked over to the stove and selected a deep, small milk pot.
When making toothpick beef, a small pot used less oil, and the oil temperature was much easier to control.
She turned on the stove and poured in a generous amount of cooking oil.
It wasn't the ordinary salad oil provided by the production team, but rather a small bucket of fine-looking rapeseed oil she had discovered earlier underneath the kitchen island.
Its deeper color suggested it would yield a richer aroma.
The oil heated slowly in the pot.
Without a thermometer, Ning Meng picked up a clean chopstick and inserted it into the oil.
Seeing tiny bubbles begin to form around the chopstick, she knew the oil temperature was just right.
She lowered the heat to medium.
Then, she picked up a small handful of the toothpick beef and gently dropped them into the sizzling oil.
"Sizzle—!!!!"
A crisp, loud explosion of sound!
It was like a signal!
The moment the beef cubes met the scorching hot oil, their surfaces rapidly shrank, locking the juices tightly inside.
Immediately following came an indescribably overbearing aroma, bursting forth like a shockwave released after being compressed to its absolute limit!
It was not merely the smell of meat.
It was the rich, mellow fat of top-grade Angus beef, blending with the savory marinade notes, garlic, and the spicy kick of ginger, undergoing a miraculous chemical reaction under high-temperature frying!
The fragrance grew so intense it almost felt tangible, aggressively and unreasonably flooding the entire kitchen in an instant!
It even drifted outward, permeating the entire first-floor living room!
"Hiss—!"
Zhou Yichen, who had been pretending to read a magazine in the living room while actually peeking at the kitchen out of the corner of his eye, drew in a sharp breath and widened his eyes.
"Good heavens..."
Lin You covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock.
Qin Zeyu's pork belly nearly dropped to the floor; he sniffed hard, looking utterly incredulous, "What—what is this smell? Why is it so ridiculously good?!"
Gu Xinglang and Su Manni's seafood pasta instantly lost its appeal. The two of them stopped moving in unison and looked toward the kitchen island, guided by the scent.
Jiang Yuwei also put down the vegetables in her hands, adjusted her glasses, and stared at the culprit behind it all.
Even Lu Jingchen, who had been leaning against the bar with an unchanged expression all this time, straightened his posture slightly at that moment.
He clearly smelled that aroma.
It was completely different from the "greasy smell" of all fried foods he had known in the past.
It was a scent... extremely alluring, overwhelmingly dominant, carrying the perfect combination of primitive and exquisite seasoning!
That fragrance seemed to possess hooks, drilling straight into his nasal cavity and traveling all the way down, awakening his long-dormant, almost forgotten... appetite?
His Adam's apple rolled uncontrollably.
His gaze, for the very first time, landed so directly and intently upon the figure methodically turning the beef in the pot with a slotted spoon.
[Holy shit holy shit holy shit!!!!]
[Ahhhhh this aroma! I can smell it right through the screen!!!]
[This is cheating! It's an absolute foul! How can anything smell this good?!]
[I swear! This is definitely the best-smelling thing I've ever smelled—oh no, sensed—in a food variety show!]
[Toothpick beef? Is this really what toothpick beef smells like? Everything I've eaten before must be fake!]
[Ning Meng! Who on earth are you?! Aren't you an actress?! Did you graduate from the New Oriental culinary school or something?!]
[The person above nailed it! This technique, this heat control, this aroma... it's definitely master-chef level!]
[I actually believe now that she found that piece of brisket purely through skill!]
[I'm starving, I'm starving! Production team! Get me a plate!]
[Is it only me who noticed Movie Emperor Lu's expression? He looks like... he's craving it?!!!]
The comment section exploded instantly.
Inside the kitchen, Ning Meng remained completely unaware of all this.
Her entire focus was concentrated on that pot of golden, alluring toothpick beef.
Listening to the sizzling sound in the frying pan, inhaling that overpowering fragrance, and watching the beef cubes tumble in the oil until they gradually turned an enticing golden-brown...
Only a single thought crossed her mind:
Brilliant! Look at this color! Look at this aroma! Absolutely top-tier quality!
Life extension! Life extension! So many life hours are beckoning to me!
The first batch was cooked in no time.
Ning Meng lifted the beef out with a slotted spoon, drained the excess oil, and poured it onto a plate lined with paper towels.
The golden-brown beef morsels seemed to carry a delicate, crispy shell on the outside while retaining piping-hot juices within.
The fragrance diffused even more directly.
"It smells so good!" Lin You was the first to cry out in admiration, her bright eyes locked onto the freshly cooked plate of beef. "Ning Meng, what kind of divine culinary skills do you have?"
The others cast looks of shock and curiosity as well.
This background character who had always remained silent and cared only about eating turned out to be... a hidden culinary god?!
Ning Meng picked up a piece, blew on it gently, and popped it into her mouth.
Mmm! Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside! Savory with a hint of sweetness, carrying the rich, mellow flavor of beef! Perfect!
Joy bloomed in Ning Meng's heart.
She raised her head and happened to meet a circle of gazes that were shocked, curious, probing, or... yearning.
Especially Lu Jingchen, who was looking right at her with profound eyes that seemed to ripple with shifting emotions.
Ning Meng: "..."
Huh? Why are they all staring at me?
Oh right, sharing brought extra rewards.
Blinking, she lifted the plate and flashed a standard corporate-slave smile.
"Um... would anyone like to try some?"