The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 348: Chapter 347: Find a Few Shills to Go on Stage

Fu Yu, Li Linfeng, and everyone present turned to look.

Qi Shun was already standing, smiling as he looked at the stage.

In front of everyone, Zhao Bingbing waved with a smile, ”Alright, come on up, I’ve never enjoyed live accompaniment before.”

It was only then that everyone realized Qi Shun had already prepared. Under everyone’s gaze, he picked up a guitar from beside his chair and confidently walked toward the stage.

Fu Yu couldn’t help but look at Li Linfeng.

Li Linfeng’s expression was stiff, yet he maintained a certain grace and didn’t make any sarcastic remarks, simply keeping his eyes glued to the stage.

The beautiful chords he imagined did not materialize.

From the moment Qi Shun stepped onto the stage, he was already strumming a very strong ”Thunk, Thunk” accompaniment as he walked up.

Fu Yu didn’t understand music. He thought Qi Shun was planning to liven up the atmosphere first, and once he was on stage, he would switch to a song’s intro that matched the accompaniment.

That way, Zhao Bingbing could naturally start singing along with the music.

But Qi Shun unexpectedly kept playing that rhythm from start to finish, without a single chord Fu Yu recognized.

Zhao Bingbing was truly very graceful.

Even though the accompaniment was practically non-existent, she persisted in singing a whole song a cappella.

And the most bewildering part was that at the end of the music, he actually sidled up next to Zhao Bingbing and started singing along.

The applause below was enthusiastic; everyone was caught up in the festive atmosphere of the celebration. As for the performance on stage, it was all for fun; nobody really cared much about how well they sang or the quality of the accompaniment.

Fu Yu also joined in with vigorous applause.

But at the same time, he formed a somewhat negative impression of Qi Shun.

He thought, this was someone who was all show and no substance.

Fu Yu couldn’t play the guitar, but he felt that mastering any instrument was like honing one’s culinary skills.

Without long hours of hard practice, it’s impossible to play moving melodies.

Qi Shun was basically just keeping time with the guitar.

Not at all matching the melody variations of the song.

This flashy and seemingly cool style, anybody with long fingers could pull it off.

It was nothing more than keeping rhythm with the same moves.

To Fu Yu, Qi Shun was merely using the guitar as a prop to draw attention.

Just wanting to emphasize his presence.

After the celebration, everyone moved on to a different venue.

The previously spacious campus had already been set up as a bustling food street.

Students from different departments, led by their teachers, set up various stalls.

Showcasing their culinary skills honed at school to family members attending the school celebration and new students visiting the campus.

There were no tables or chairs in front of the stalls; everyone was moving around as they visited.

There were too many people; you could sample tastes, but you couldn’t linger at any one stall for too long.

Everyone had just been revved up by the performance, and now it was lunchtime, so they began browsing the stalls, choosing foods that interested them to taste.

The atmosphere on the playground was both lively and chaotic for a time.

Fu Yu, along with Li Linfeng and Zhao Bingbing, blended into the crowd.

After tasting a few foods, when Fu Yu was about to head to the next stall, Li Linfeng suddenly called out to him.

Holding a phone, Li Linfeng said urgently, ”Quick, Director Chen wants Bingbing to go to the performance stage now, you come with us!”

The performance stage was set up in the northwest corner of the playground, with the practical teaching building behind it.

When they arrived, several teachers had already gathered, enthusiastically crowding around Director Chen, offering suggestions.

Director Chen spotted Zhao Bingbing jogging over and quickly waved, ”Teacher Zhao, you’re just in time!”

Fu Yu, following Li Linfeng, squeezed to the front as well.

Director Chen anxiously asked, ”Teacher Zhao, do you know how to make walnut buns?”

Zhao Bingbing was taken aback, nodding, ”I know.”

Qiu Jingxiu was supposed to do a live demonstration today, cooking walnut buns for all the students, teachers, and parents, right?

Director Chen said straight out, ”If Teacher Qiu does live guidance, can you make them?”

Zhao Bingbing was dumbfounded, having her make them?

She had only heard of walnut buns, never seen them, let alone made them.

Truthfully, Zhao Bingbing said, ”I’m not sure, it depends on improvisation and whether the cooking method for the walnut buns is complex.”

Hearing that, Director Chen felt even less confident. With others around, he couldn’t say much more.

A straightforward male teacher nearby couldn’t help but complain, ”Seeing truly is believing; I used to admire Qiu Jingxiu, thinking she was very generous, willing to teach her cooking skills to others for free. That kind of open-mindedness is rare.”

”But look at this! Turns out it was all hyped up! This time, she clearly thinks she’s too good to perform on stage!”

Someone chimed in, ”Exactly! If she didn’t want to perform on stage, she shouldn’t have taken the money in the first place! In my opinion, Qiu Jingxiu is getting too full of herself!”

The crowd chattered and discussed a few more points.

At this point, Fu Yu also began to understand what was happening.

Principal Li had previously arranged for Qiu Jingxiu to come to the school as a guest performer, paying her a clear fee.

Both parties agreed that on the day of the school celebration, Qiu Jingxiu was to perform her signature walnut buns and golden crispy pork.

As it was a performance event, the promotion had been announced well in advance.

The large advertising background behind the stage featured Qiu Jingxiu’s personal portrait and a written promotion for the performance.

Photos of the walnut buns and golden crispy pork took up nearly half of the advertising background’s space.

This affair by Qiu Jingxiu was indeed upsetting, and it’s no wonder the school staff were indignant.

Being paid to do a job is only right, where’s the justification for reneging halfway?

Director Chen, being in charge of the school’s academic affairs, was overseeing the school celebration.

Now, Qiu Jingxiu suddenly wanted to change her performance style, planning to invite students on stage for her to guide.

Director Chen was immediately worried, feeling this was no joking matter!

He tried to communicate patiently with Qiu Jingxiu, but her haughty demeanor made her uncooperative.

Principal Li couldn’t do much about Qiu Jingxiu either, and given the time constraints, they had no choice but to first find a way to cooperate with Qiu Jingxiu to complete the performance smoothly.

As for the breach of contract, after the school celebration, Principal Li planned to have a detailed discussion with Qiu Jingxiu.

Before that, Director Chen, having received an emergency task, needed to quickly find two helpers to go on stage and perform with Qiu Jingxiu.

For this school celebration, the school had specially invited many new students and parents to visit the campus.

If ordinary students were brought up on stage and the outcome was not up to par, it might have a negative impact on recruiting new students.