Chapter 154: The Best Benefactor

The Prince's Wine Pavilion was already quite famous in Beichang City, and having gained its reputation even before the establishment of the Fantasy World Group, it was well-funded and did not particularly need the "help" of the group.

After accepting the commercial partnership with the Prince's Wine Pavilion, Bai Renzong immediately scheduled a time and went to the establishment.

The interior decoration was grand and imposing, but because the restaurant was part of a five-star hotel, it often intimidated people, resulting in almost no customers inside. Moreover, in the eyes of the locals in Beichang City, the Prince's Wine Pavilion was a place reserved for banquets and weddings; very few people would ever think of coming here for a regular, casual meal.

This commercial collaboration with the Prince's Wine Pavilion was precisely aimed at changing this perception and encouraging people to come here for everyday dining as well.

"Hello, hello." A man around one meter seventy and roughly thirty years old stepped forward to shake hands with Bai Renzong. "I am Wang Zeyu, the manager of this establishment. I am a big fan of yours, and it is a tremendous honor to collaborate with you."

"You are too kind," Bai Renzong smiled. "Mealtime is approaching, which is prime time for streaming. Shall we get straight to the point?"

"You got it!" Wang Zeyu responded with a smile and personally led them into the restaurant.

Bai Renzong looked around. Each floor of the Prince's Wine Pavilion was about three to four hundred square meters, spanning a total of three floors, decorated in a very typical modern Chinese restaurant style.

Yet, in such a massive restaurant, the entire first floor had only three tables of customers, adding up to fewer than twenty people.

"Sigh, although our Prince's Wine Pavilion has a great reputation in Beichang City, I don't know when or how people formed this... concept that you only come here for wedding banquets," Wang Zeyu sighed with heartache. "That's why you see this contradictory scene right now: absolutely no customers on regular days, while bookings during holidays are fully packed far in advance."

"Alright, I understand," Bai Renzong nodded with a smile. "Today, I'll show everyone another side of the Prince's Wine Pavilion."

After sitting down in the restaurant, Bai Renzong nodded to Wang Bei to signal her: "We can start the broadcast now."

"Right now? We haven't ordered the food yet," Wang Bei asked, looking somewhat surprised.

"Start now, it's fine. Their kitchen serves food very fast," Bai Renzong replied. "Think about it, in a hotel this big, how massive must the kitchen be? And there are no other customers in the restaurant."

"Alright then," Wang Bei said, adjusting the streaming camera, and then raised her hand to count down "3, 2, 1" for Bai Renzong.

"Good afternoon, my dear viewers and friends," Bai Renzong greeted the audience. "Today we are at the Prince's Wine Pavilion. If you are from Beichang City, you must have heard of this place because whenever there is a wedding or a funeral, people always come here to host banquets. But in fact, the food here is also very suitable for everyday dining. Today, I'll showcase some of their dishes for you."

With that, Bai Renzong picked up the menu.

The restaurant's request was for him to order as many varieties as possible, covering all price ranges from high-end to affordable, so that the audience could get a comprehensive understanding of their menu.

Therefore, after scanning the menu, Bai Renzong began ordering: "Let's start with... the Golden Broth Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, then the Open-Oven Roasted Goose, Silk Shrimp Dumplings, Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs, Crab Roe Pan-Fried Buns..."

After ordering these items, Bai Renzong actually felt it was already enough, especially since there were only three of them eating. However, Wang Zeyu kept winking at him, his expression seemingly saying: "Order a few more, it's not like you have to pay for it anyway!"

Bai Renzong had no choice but to add a few more dishes: "Then let's also have the Crispy Pork Knuckle, Stir-Fried Lotus Root Shoots, Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef, and that should be it for now."

While the restaurant staff hurried off to busy themselves, Bai Renzong casually interacted with the live chat: "I've ordered dishes from basically every price tier. As for whether they are expensive or not, I'll announce the price of each dish later, and you can judge for yourselves."

Since there were practically no other customers in the restaurant, the food was served very quickly.

The first dish Bai Renzong tasted was, naturally, the most eye-catching Golden Broth Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Various ingredients floated atop a bright yellow, viscous broth. Visible to the naked eye were abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, dried scallops, and fish maw. Scooping up a spoonful, there were also quail eggs, spare ribs, and winter bamboo shoots hidden underneath.

Putting taste aside, the portion was definitely generous. Of course, the price was also quite high, but a dish like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall features inherently expensive ingredients and requires a lot of time to prepare, making it pricey no matter where you go.

"Here it is, the Golden Broth Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, large portion, eight hundred and eighty-eight yuan," Bai Renzong said as he served some into a bowl. "However, this is a five-person portion. If you come here by yourselves, you can order a single-person portion for ninety-eight yuan a small bowl."

Having said that, Bai Renzong took a bite: "Sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, dried scallops, fish maw, winter bamboo shoots, quail eggs... there are simply too many ingredients to list all at once. The broth is very viscous, and as for the taste... although it feels light on the palate, it is exceptionally rich."

Live chat: "???"

"I know you guys think this sounds a bit far-fetched, but it truly lacks heavy salty or sweet notes, yet you can taste a concentrated variety of umami flavors—meat, seafood, mountain delicacies, and poultry—combined with that viscous texture, making it deeply savory. This is the best Buddha Jumps Over the Wall I've ever had so far," Bai Renzong said deadpan.

"How many times have you even eaten Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?" Han Jiayi asked curiously.

"Including this time, twice," Bai Renzong smiled slightly.

Live chat: "Understood."

After tasting each dish one by one, Bai Renzong also summarized his thoughts.

"Let's do a summary and talk about the prices first," Bai Renzong replied. "The Crispy Pork Knuckle is one hundred and sixty yuan for a whole knuckle; the Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs are seventy-eight yuan for eight pieces; the stir-fried lotus root shoots are twenty-three yuan; the stir-fried beef noodles are eighteen yuan; the silk shrimp dumplings are thirty-two yuan; the crab roe pan-fried buns are fifty-six yuan; and the open-oven roasted goose is one hundred and sixty yuan. These prices are about the same as a roadside diner, right? Maybe slightly more expensive, but think about it, this is a five-star hotel."

Bai Renzong showcased the dishes in front of him one by one: "And every dish is quite authentic. The crispy pork knuckle and salt and pepper ribs have a crispy exterior while remaining soft, tender, and juicy on the inside..."

"Silk shrimp dumplings... look, the wrapper is so thin you can see the patterns on the shrimp meat inside."

"Stir-fried beef noodles—the basic requirement for this dish is that there must be no pooling sauce on the plate after you finish eating. Look at this plate, it's very clean. And I didn't lick it clean, I swear."

"Open-oven roasted goose: crispy skin and tender meat, and the plum sauce is also very authentic. Goose is very expensive; these creatures don't grow as fast as chickens or ducks."

"Crab roe pan-fried buns—as you saw when Jiayi ate one just now, the broth actually squirted onto my face." At this point, Han Jiayi kicked him under the table and glared fiercely at him.

"Overall," Bai Renzong rubbed the spot where he was kicked and muttered, "I think this price is worth every penny. Moreover, if you come to dine on weekdays, there is a twenty percent discount. The reason the restaurant does this is actually to drum up some business during regular days, just to cover costs and operating expenses. Their main source of income remains holidays and wedding banquets."

At this, Bai Renzong turned serious: "If you don't deliberately order extremely expensive dishes like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, two people can order four or five dishes and be completely full for three to four hundred yuan. And when you tell people about it, you were dining at a five-star hotel—you didn't spend much money, but you gained a lot of prestige. It's especially suitable for bringing friends from out of town. Don't you agree?"

Live chat: "True that." "That's fair, the price isn't particularly high, but the bragging rights are real."

"That's about it," Bai Renzong nodded with satisfaction. "So, shall we wrap up today's restaurant review here?"

After leaving the restaurant, Bai Renzong had Wang Bei restart the livestream.

"We've stepped out of the restaurant now, just chatting with you guys privately for a moment," Bai Renzong said. "Actually, the reason I took on this gig with the Prince's Wine Pavilion today is mainly because..." Thinking of this, Bai Renzong paused, then laughed a bit sheepishly, "They paid way too much..."

Live chat: "666." "Called it." "Getting paid isn't shameful."

"However!" Bai Renzong added another sentence, "Another reason is that I've always had a great impression of the Prince's Wine Pavilion. Back when I had just graduated from university and hadn't been working long, I only made a little over three thousand a month. At that time, a friend from out of town came to visit, so naturally I wanted to take her around to eat some good food. That's when I came here to the Prince's Wine Pavilion."

At this, Bai Renzong looked slightly embarrassed: "Back then, the waiter probably could tell I was a young man who had just entered society, but anyway, they gave me a lot of face. Even though there were only two of us, their service was very attentive, especially patient and polite, and when ordering... how should I put it, when I asked them for recommendations, they suggested some inexpensive yet representative dishes in a way that made me look very cool. That's what I love most about this place."

Live chat: "That's quite rare; gained a fan right there." "The service attitude at the Prince's Wine Pavilion has always been top-notch."

"So, when they approached me for a business collaboration this time, I came right over," Bai Renzong said, adding, "Of course, the people at the Prince's Wine Pavilion didn't know about this part; I didn't tell them. Just chatting with you guys privately..."

Live chat: "Then why didn't you proactively promote them?"

Bai Renzong froze for a moment and replied, "How was I supposed to know they had this need? You guys have to realize, this place is already a household name in Beichang City. Did they really need me to promote them?"

At this point, Han Jiayi smiled slightly from the side: "That friend of yours—was it a guy or a girl? Are you still in touch?"

Bai Renzong skipped a beat and quickly smiled, "No, we don't really keep in touch much anymore. It's just... a friend I knew online back then came to visit, so we met up just that once, and after that, we only chatted online."

Han Jiayi crossed her glamorous legs, folded her arms, and smiled benevolently: "So it was a girl, then."

"Uh... yeah." Bai Renzong cleared his throat awkwardly and nodded.

"Is that the girl you had an online relationship with in a game?" Han Jiayi pressed on.

Live chat: "Online romance!" "Oh? Old Bai actually had an online romance?!"

"No, no!" Bai Renzong hurriedly replied, "I've never met that online romance girl in real life!"

"Oh my, so this was a different girl, then," Han Jiayi nodded with a charming smile. "My, my, our Old Bai is truly so popular among girls online. I had no idea before. How many female netizens do you still have in your friends list right now? Tell us about it."

"Uh, this..." Bai Renzong immediately stammered. He thought he had escaped disaster, only to fall right into a new trap! He immediately shot a look at Wang Bei: What are you standing there for? Help me out!

"Is that girl pretty?" Wang Bei asked with a amused smile. "Is she prettier, or is Sister Jiayi prettier?"

"Of course my Mu... Jiayi is prettier!" Bai Renzong glared at her fiercely: Not helping and yet stirring up trouble!

Han Jiayi gave him a sweet smile: "We'll discuss this in detail when we get back."

Live chat: "No, don't wait till you get back, talk about it now!" "Exactly, we want to watch! This is too dramatic!"

At this moment, Bai Renzong turned back to the livestream and said solemnly: "All those evaluations I made earlier were completely genuine. Their culinary skills are truly unquestionable. They definitely fall into the category of absolute value for money. You might be able to find cheaper places outside, but to find a place that is cheaper, tastes even better, and still lets you save face—there really aren't many."

With that, Bai Renzong waved his hand and smiled, "Today's livestream ends here. Bye-bye everyone."

Wang Bei promptly cut the stream, and only then did Bai Renzong step forward to take Han Jiayi's hand: "Mumu, are you really angry?"

Han Jiayi slanted a cold glance at him, then suddenly cupped her face and smiled sweetly: "Just helping you create some stream engagement."

Wang Bei chimed in from the side: "Indeed, the activity in the chatroom just now was exceptionally high, soaring right to the homepage of the entire platform."

"You little brat..." Bai Renzong said, exasperated, "You gave me a scare!"

"Hmph, who told you to have so many women..." Han Jiayi glared at him, wrapped her arms around his arm, and leaned against his shoulder: "You can only have one woman by your side, I don't care."

"Did you hear that? You're fired," Bai Renzong said, looking at Wang Bei.

"Fine, then there's also Xiaobei," Han Jiayi added, then pulled Wang Bei over to her side, hugged her, and smiled triumphantly: "Heh heh, big sis is the true winner in life."

Upon returning home, Bai Renzong edited the video and wrote a food review about the Prince's Wine Pavilion, officially concluding this commercial partnership.

The Prince's Wine Pavilion was by far the best sponsor Bai Renzong had encountered: generous with their spending, rock-solid in quality, and possessing a genuine conscience in the industry. Most importantly, their needs happened to fall right within his capabilities; what they needed was precisely this form of promotion from Bai Renzong.

Bai Renzong only hoped his promotion would yield the corresponding results.

Back home, it was the usual routine: taking a shower, blow-drying his hair, and preparing to stream.

However, after drying his hair, Bai Renzong suddenly hugged Han Jiayi from behind around her slender waist, gently kissing the back of her delicate neck.

"What's wrong? So clingy today..." Han Jiayi asked with a smile.

"I think..." Bai Renzong hesitated, "It might be because of that Golden Broth Buddha Jumps Over the Wall... I'm feeling a bit heated right now."

Han Jiayi turned her head to look at him and smiled: "You mean..."

"Yeah, I might need to act like a little sunshine tonight," Bai Renzong laughed bitterly.

"Heh heh, then you'll have to give me a massage first," Han Jiayi held his hand and smiled mischievously, "A full-body one."

"With absolute pleasure..." Bai Renzong gave her a firm kiss, "Though let's start the livestream first, shall we?"