Chapter 145: Quintet of the Sea

When she heard Bai Rinzong's words, Han Jiayi gave a noticeable start.

Bai Rinzong knew why Han Jiayi was nervous. After all, her "soup" was still completely nonexistent, and even the "kiss" dessert that had inspired her recently was still in the development stage.

Right now, she had nothing worthy of presenting that could dampen Yang Hua's arrogance.

Therefore, as soon as they got home, Han Jiayi dove straight into the kitchen to begin experimenting.

"Now you know what panic feels like?" Bai Rinzong teased, crossing his arms in the doorway. "Cramming at the last minute..."

"You should be encouraging me right now! I'm your girlfriend!" Han Jiayi said with a pout.

"I know, I know. You've been very busy lately, and there were way too many lingering messes to clean up after your business trip," Bai Rinzong laughed. "There's no need to rush, though. There's no deadline."

"It's just... I feel like if I don't bring something to the table, I won't be able to shut that guy's mouth tomorrow," Han Jiayi said anxiously, biting her fingernails. "What should I do? I can already imagine the mocking expression he'll have tomorrow."

"I have no idea what to do either," Bai Rinzong said with a smile, patting her head. "The only thing I can do is kiss you a few more times to help you lock in the feeling of a 'kiss'."

Curious, Han Jiayi looked at Bai Rinzong and asked, "When you kiss me, what does it feel like?"

"It's like... eating cherries," Bai Rinzong thought for a moment and said. "Smooth, rich, with a hint of subtle sweetness."

Han Jiayi immediately covered her mouth, her face flushing crimson. "That—that's way too specific!"

However, an idea suddenly struck her. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried back to work in front of the stove.

"Alright, do your thing," Bai Rinzong checked the time and smiled. "I should go start my stream."

"Okay! I'll make sure to bring you some upstairs to try once it's done!" Han Jiayi said cheerfully.

Bai Rinzong went upstairs, got everything ready, and officially started his livestream.

"Good evening, my friends," Bai Rinzong greeted the audience. "Tonight's restaurant visit was truly a disaster to put into words. And honestly, I don't think they'll ever improve. Once the flavor becomes mild, the swimming crabs have to be absolutely fresh, right? Of course, I'm just guessing; I'm not saying their swimming crabs aren't fresh..."

With restaurant-review streams to pad out his broadcast hours, Bai Rinzong didn't need to stream all the way until midnight. Since the streams mostly revolved around recording material, they were relatively relaxed.

Halfway through the stream, the chat room started scrolling rapidly: "Host, there's a human head by the doorway behind you!" "Holy shit, there actually is! Scared the hell out of me!" "Don't look back! That's too terrifying!"

"You guys are still playing these old memes in the year 9102," Bai Rinzong sighed, shaking his head. "I am deeply disappointed in this batch of viewers."

Even so, he glanced back over his shoulder, only to be startled by Han Jiayi's little head poking out from the doorway. He gave a slight shudder and scolded, "What are you sneaking around hiding back there for, you little weirdo?"

Chat: "2333, he actually shivered from the scare." "People are still getting scared by old memes in 9102? I am deeply disappointed in this batch of streamers."

"I was afraid of disturbing your stream, so I wanted to wait for a break in your rest to find you..." Han Jiayi whispered with a smile.

"Honestly..." Bai Rinzong rolled his eyes. "If you weren't so cute, I really would have been scared."

"It's done. A kiss..." Han Jiayi giggled softly. "Do you want to taste it?"

"My friends, give me just a moment," Bai Rinzong told the audience before stepping out into the hallway with Han Jiayi. Without a word, he cupped her face and planted a firm kiss on her lips. "Mmm, tastes pretty good."

"Hey, gross, that's not the kind of *kiss* I meant!" Han Jiayi lightly slapped his shoulder, feigning annoyance. "I meant the dessert *kiss*!"

"Oh, oh, you should've said so earlier. Geez..." Bai Rinzong laughed.

"I know you did that on purpose..." Han Jiayi shot him a sideways, dissatisfied glance and muttered, "Alright, hurry up and go back. Weren't you in the middle of a livestream? You shouldn't leave it for too long, right?"

Bai Rinzong headed back downstairs to the kitchen, where Han Jiayi proudly held up a plate with a cheerful grin. "Ta-da!"

On the plate sat a small cake-like dessert, predominantly pink in tone with tiny red granules sprinkled on top. At first glance, it looked somewhat like a miniature cake topped with a layer of strawberry cream—just about a single bite's worth.

Bai Rinzong took the plate and gave it a sniff. A subtle fragrance of cherries drifted into his nose.

"You really are a blockhead..." Bai Rinzong chuckled, then opened his mouth and ate the "kiss" in one go.

"Huh?!" Bai Rinzong raised his eyebrows in sudden surprise, while Han Jiayi flashed a proud, sweet smile.

The initial sensation of eating this dessert was reminiscent of a mousse cake, but it lacked the extreme delicacy and softness of mousse. Not only was the texture much firmer, but the cake also had a distinct granular feel. However, this graininess didn't come from cherry flesh, but rather... some kind of gluten.

With every bite, it was smooth, rich, and carried a trace of delicate sweetness, just like... eating cherries.

"How did you achieve this texture?" Bai Rinzong asked, looking at Han Jiayi in amazement.

"Well, you see..." Han Jiayi thought for a moment and explained, "Into the mousse powder used for making mousse cakes, you add a bit of high-gluten flour. That way, the texture becomes much more elastic and has a bit of graininess when you eat it. Then you add a little bit of cherry pulp inside, and..."

Bai Rinzong looked at Han Jiayi, cupped her chin, and leaned in to give her a deep kiss.

"Mmm! It really does feel like a kiss!" Bai Rinzong nodded with satisfaction.

"You big pervert..." Han Jiayi gave his shoulder a playful slap. "So, what do you think?"

"I think it's fantastic," Bai Rinzong smiled. "Now we won't have to worry about being mocked tomorrow."

"Yay!" Han Jiayi cheered happily. "It's all thanks to my dear Bai!"

And so, the following evening, Bai Rinzong brought Wang Bei and Han Jiayi to Lanwafang.

"Bai!" Yang Hua welcomed them with open arms, a warm smile on his face. As usual, Bai Rinzong shook his hand and said, "It's been a while. You finished even faster than I expected."

"That's because I poured my heart and soul into it! Naturally, I'm different from a woman who only knows how to romance around," Yang Hua sneered, casting a disdainful glare at Han Jiayi before waving a hand. "Please, come in."

"Why does this guy only target me..." Han Jiayi whispered, sounding a bit indignant.

"Because you stole his precious person, maybe?" Wang Bei guessed teasingly.

Bai Rinzong glanced around the restaurant. Although it was a weekday, business at Lanwafang was still thriving.

Led by Yang Hua, they went up to the second floor and took seats in a quiet corner.

"Do you mind if I livestream?" Bai Rinzong asked Yang Hua.

"By all means," Yang Hua raised a hand gracefully in gesture. "An upright gentleman has nothing to hide."

"Then I won't be polite." Bai Rinzong nodded at Wang Bei as he spoke.

Once Wang Bei had set up the streaming equipment and a decent number of viewers had gathered in the stream room, Bai Rinzong began his introduction.

"My friends, we are currently inside 'Lanwafang,' a two-star Michelin Western restaurant in Beichang City," Bai Rinzong said with a quiet smile. He glanced at the chat, noticed everyone asking about the average cost per person, and replied, "The average cost here is eight hundred and eighty."

Chat: "Can't afford it, can't afford it!" "Poverty limits my imagination!" "Eight hundred and eighty is my food budget for a whole month!"

"Don't say you can't afford it; I can't afford it either," Bai Rinzong whispered. "I'm an acquaintance of the head chef here, so I occasionally get to cadge a free meal. Of course, I didn't come here just for a free meal today. The chef has a new dish and wants me to try it. Having a sharp palate still has its perks, right?"

After chatting idly with the audience for a few minutes, Yang Hua brought out a serving plate about fifteen minutes later.

"Now then..." Yang Hua placed the plate before them and slowly lifted the lid with a theatrical air of mystery. "Please enjoy 'Heart of the Ocean,' the 'soup' from my ultimate tasting menu."

Bai Rinzong lowered his gaze to inspect the dish. In a semi-transparent dish sat just a few spoonfuls of thick soup.

The soup as a whole possessed an intensely deep, dark blue hue, with a few black granules floating on the surface—likely caviar. Beneath the soup, a layer of white substance was faintly visible. Looking through the deep blue liquid, it resembled a sandy beach submerged beneath the sea.

"This blue color... could it be..." Bai Rinzong asked curiously.

"Hmph, I got the inspiration from this woman," Yang Hua said with a proud grin. "Of course, I didn't use butterfly pea flower; I used a tiny bit of food coloring. The base soup is an essence extracted from seaweed using a centrifuge, which is naturally green. So, adding just a hint of blue food coloring makes it look like the deep, profound blue of the ocean."

With that, Yang Hua raised a hand and cheered, "Come on! Give it a try! Cooking ultimately comes down to taste!"

Bai Rinzong nodded, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and immediately furrowed his brow: the white "beach" at the bottom turned out to be some sort of mousse-like substance.

Anxious, Wang Bei pointed the camera directly at the spoon in Bai Rinzong's hand, waiting for the verdict.

Bai Rinzong swallowed the soup from the spoon. In that instant, he felt as though a roaring ocean wave had crashed over him, completely swallowing him whole, causing him to lean back involuntarily.

"This flavor..." Bai Rinzong closed his eyes, his brow deeply furrowed. "What astonishing umami!"

After savoring it carefully for a moment, Bai Rinzong explained, "That bottom layer is cod meat that has been pureed and pressed firm! With the very first bite, you taste the sweet freshness of the cod, followed immediately by the rich aroma of seaweed in the soup, accompanied by an incomparably intense seafood flavor. If I'm not mistaken, the broth was simmered using dried scallops and shrimp shells."

"Ah... my dearest friend, you never cease to disappoint me!" Yang Hua said with a moved expression.

"And finally, there's the Finnish caviar floating on top of the soup..." Bai Rinzong said, turning to Yang Hua. "You've added two more layers... The trio at Yijiaoxuan last time was already intense enough, but this time it's actually a quintet?"

"That's right!" Yang Hua nodded proudly. "All of this is to earn your approval!"

"What quintet?" Wang Bei tasted a spoonful of soup across from him, his head full of question marks.

Bai Rinzong explained, "Layer one comes from the sea salt used in the soup; layer two is the pureed cod; layer three is the rich seafood broth made from dried scallops and shrimp shells; layer four is the seaweed extract in the soup; and layer five is the caviar on top. Every single layer of 'ocean flavor' gradually intensifies, culminating in an explosion when they all come together."

Chat: "I don't get it, but it sounds impressive." "Damn, I really want to taste it too!"

"Exactly, that's it!" Yang Hua laughed joyfully. "Go on! Keep talking!"

"However... haven't you noticed a major flaw in this soup?" Bai Rinzong turned back to Yang Hua with a frown.

Yang Hua blinked in surprise. "A major flaw?"

Bai Rinzong nodded. "This soup is quite good when viewed as an independent dish, but have you considered its position within a tasting menu?"

"Huh?" Yang Hua turned to look at Bai Rinzong, cupped his chin in deep thought, and watched his complexion turn progressively worse.

"Right," Bai Rinzong nodded. "Appetizers in Western cuisine are generally seafood-based. Setting aside the fact that 'Heart of the Ocean' has such an overwhelmingly strong presence that it makes any subsequent 'appetizer' difficult to follow, its heavy seafood flavor also clashes with the upcoming courses. A dish like this simply cannot be integrated into your ultimate tasting menu."

Put simply, Yang Hua had simply wanted to create an outstanding "soup," but while the "soup" itself was brilliant, it wasn't suited for a multi-course meal.

Because it demanded to be the "protagonist," it couldn't serve to "complement" anything else.

When Bai Rinzong had first visited Lanwafang, Yang Hua had made the exact same mistake.

"Ah, I actually made the same blunder again..." Yang Hua slumped forward onto the table, staring desolately at the floor as he muttered to himself. Then, he abruptly stood up, swept the tableware off the table in a fit of hysteria, and raged, "A dish that cannot win your approval is mere trash, devoid of any reason to exist!"

The sudden commotion startled the surrounding diners, causing them to turn and stare, while the restaurant staff rushed forward to soothe him.

"It's not quite 'completely worthless'..." Bai Rinzong said with a wry smile. "Why don't we try modifying it?"

"Ah..." Hope flickered back into Yang Hua's eyes. "My dear friend, you still think a clumsy work like this has value?"

"The technique of this quintet is quite good. While its presence is too strong for a 'soup,' it would be fine if it were placed as the third course, the 'appetizer,'" Bai Rinzong nodded. "However, to lay the groundwork for the final 'main course,' you need to tone it down."

"Then, how about reverting it to a trio?" Yang Hua asked eagerly.

"We could try that," Bai Rinzong nodded. "I'd suggest removing the caviar layer... That stuff is too fishy and salty, making it difficult for the subsequent main dishes to take center stage."

"And if it doesn't need to be made into a soup, there's no need for dried scallops and seaweed either," Yang Hua agreed, nodding along. "My friend, what do you think about drying and crushing shrimp shells into a baking powder to sprinkle over salt-roasted cod fillets? The flavor should be much more mellow."

"That's a good idea..." Bai Rinzong said with growing interest. "Shall we give it another try? Let's create a true 'Heart of the Ocean.'"

"Yes! With your help, my friend, I will definitely complete it!" Yang Hua nodded excitedly.

Meanwhile, Han Jiayi was already simmering with jealousy on the side: Seriously, what is this? The two of them are acting in their own little world, completely ignoring their girlfriends...