“Ahhhhhhh this hand, this voice, Mom, I’m in love”
“The host’s voice… sounds nice, but not what I expected”
“A cooking stream? The host is so talented”
“Kind of boring. I want to see more mutant beast hunting”
The moment Lin Yi finished speaking, another wave of excitement rippled through the chat.
Most viewers had been drawn in by Lin Yi’s video edits, which had left a strong first impression of the host as someone incredibly fierce.
So, they had assumed that this livestream would be similar to the last one, simple, raw combat footage.
But in the livestream, the host’s voice was clear and gentle, and the hand that appeared in the frame was slender and fair. He came across more like a polite scholar, hard to connect with the tense, intense hunting scenes from before.
Moreover, the content of the livestream caught all the viewers off guard. Inside the frame was a modest but tidy kitchen setup, with washed synthetic ingredients neatly arranged on the cutting board.
The truth was, most streamers stuck to a single theme. While some did venture into different categories, a jump from hunting to cooking like Lin Yi’s… was a first.
Viewers had been bracing themselves for thrilling action, only to be met with such a peaceful, serene scene, it left them with mixed feelings.
A few viewers sporadically claimed they were bored and left. Lin Yi glanced at it but didn’t pay much attention. He had already mentally prepared himself for this when he started the stream.
He could have easily catered to the majority’s expectations and continued hunting mutant beasts, but that wasn’t what he wanted to do. Besides, constantly streaming repetitive content, while pleasing the audience, would only cement the impression that the host was a one-trick pony.
Lin Yi’s goal was never just fleeting popularity.
Fortunately, only a small number left. The majority of viewers remained in the stream, still curious, waiting to see what the host would do next.
Lin Yi adjusted the camera, aiming it at the kitchen counter and the synthetic ingredients on it. “What I’m going to cook today is a fairly simple dessert, crème caramel.”
He glanced at the chat. He had initially worried that the dish might be too simple and that viewers wouldn’t be interested. But to his surprise, the chat was filled with variations of “What’s that?”
“Crème caramel? What’s that? Is it some kind of dessert the host came up with?”
“I’ve been watching the food section for years, and I’ve never heard of this dish…”
Lin Yi: …He had miscalculated.
He truly didn’t expect that people in the interstellar era wouldn’t even know what crème caramel was.
He explained, “Crème caramel is a classic dessert from ancient Blue Star. The method and ingredients are very simple. While I make it, I’ll list the ingredients and steps so you can try it yourselves.”
As he spoke, his hands moved without pause, methodically beginning the preparation.
The milk, egg mixture, and sugar needed for the crème caramel had already been prepared in advance, each placed in separate bowls.
Lin Yi poured the milk into a pot, added sugar and vanilla seeds, and began heating it over low heat. “The main ingredients for crème caramel are milk and egg mixture. First, heat the milk with the sugar. If possible, add some vanilla seeds to enhance the aroma. While waiting for the milk to heat up, let’s prepare the caramel…”
The young man’s voice was calm and gentle as he introduced the steps unhurriedly. His slender, fair hands appeared and disappeared through the rising steam, handling the ingredients with orderly precision. Even without paying attention to the content, just watching the scene was already a top-tier visual delight.
At the bottom of the molds, a layer of solidified caramel had been laid out in advance. After the hot egg-milk mixture was cooked, it was poured into the molds. The milky white egg-milk and the brownish-yellow caramel formed distinct layers, just looking at it was enough to whet the appetite.
Lin Yi placed the molds filled with crème caramel mixture into a steamer, completing the final step. “Alright, now we just need to wait twenty minutes.”
During the waiting time, Lin Yi made sure to interact with the viewers in the chat.
At that moment, the chat was unusually harmonious, everyone was praising how no matter what the handsome guy did, it was pleasing to watch.
From hunting mutant beasts to cooking, the host’s entire aura was worlds apart, yet both scenes were beautifully captivating.
But Lin Yi also noticed that the chat’s focus was mostly on his voice and looks, hardly anyone seemed to have any expectations for the dish itself.
Some viewers even commented things like, “Just give up cooking and become a celebrity already.”
Although he knew they meant well, Lin Yi still felt a little disheartened.
It seemed everyone lacked confidence in his cooking skills.
But then again, the viewers could only see the visuals, they couldn’t smell or taste anything, so naturally, they had no idea how stunning the dessert’s flavor actually was.
To convey how delicious it was, he needed to add a tasting segment. Lin Yi’s gaze shifted toward Ah Yun, who was nearby.
From the very beginning, Ah Yun, who had always had a sweet tooth, had followed Lin Yi into the kitchen and was quietly crouching in the camera’s blind spot, swallowing her saliva.
Just as the crème caramel finished steaming, Lin Yi beckoned to Ah Yun, inviting her to be the first to taste it.
The adorable little girl suddenly appeared in the frame, blinking her big eyes as she stared intently at the freshly steamed crème caramel still radiating heat. Many viewers’ hearts instantly melted as they watched her every move.
She scooped up a spoonful of the soft, tender crème caramel and brought it to her mouth. Her eyes visibly lit up, and she eagerly scooped up another large spoonful. But since the freshly steamed dessert was still too hot, she could only pout at it and blow gently to cool it down.
This scene had many viewers in stitches:
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone wear their emotions so clearly on their face. Way too cute!”
“The little girl looks like she’s about to cry, but I just can’t stop laughing”
“The little girl is eating so happily… Is it really that delicious?”
Is it really that delicious?
That was exactly what countless viewers were thinking. The audience members who had originally tuned in for the host’s good looks now turned their attention to the crème caramel they had previously overlooked.
After all, the little girl in front of the camera was eating with such pure joy that just watching her made people crave a taste themselves.
With that in mind, even the naysayers who had firmly believed the dessert wouldn’t be good began to hesitate—
The soft, tender crème caramel had a slight jiggle to it, topped with a layer of golden caramel syrup. No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like something that could taste bad.
As a result, viewers who had initially dismissed the crème caramel now did a complete one-eighty, expressing:
I really want to know what it tastes like…
Lin Yi had already explained how to make the crème caramel during the livestream, but most people had been too busy admiring the visuals to take it seriously. Now, they were belatedly starting to regret it.
Just as they were about to shamelessly ask the host again, they saw Lin Yi wave his hand in front of the camera. “That’s all for today’s livestream. Thank you all for watching.”
The next second, the screen went black.
The viewers, who had nowhere near gotten their fill: This is karma. It has to be karma.
And so, under Lin Yi’s account, a neat row of comments appeared:
“A petition in blood for the recipe! So sorry, host, for not paying attention in class, boohoo, but now I’m totally hooked”
“Seconded in blood!”
“n+1 in blood!”
…
Lin Yi wasn’t surprised by the comments beneath his post, in fact, he had deliberately achieved this effect.
Who told them to doubt his cooking skills? Lin Yi thought to himself, completely guilt-free.
Of course, despite saying that, he still compiled the recipe as requested by his fans and thoughtfully included some common mistakes beginners tend to make.
That evening, he opened the Star Network, ready to upload the compiled post to his account, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Because he noticed that his highlight reel, whose popularity had just begun to cool down, had once again made it to the trending list, and had shot straight to number one.