Rebirth in 2011: Starting as an Advertising Genius

Su Tang ate with increasing gusto and went to get another serving of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

In the exquisite purple clay pot, the soup is golden and clear, and you can vaguely see abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, dried scallops, tendons, and pigeon eggs.

She scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it towards the camera, and drank it.

"This soup..." She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, "It's not just one flavor, it's a combination of many flavors. The richness of abalone, the tenderness of sea cucumber, the gelatinous texture of fish maw, the umami of dried scallops, and the savory aroma of ham. When you take a sip, you feel like your entire body is being soothed, warming you from your throat to your stomach."

She looked down at the ingredients in the bowl and smiled: "And there really is abalone and sea cucumber in it. It's not that kind of 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' flavored soup, it's the real Buddha Jumps Over the Wall."

Chen Jianghe watched from a distance, a slight smile playing on his lips.

This little girl is talented.

Next, Su Tang swept through the hot dishes section—the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the sweet and sour sauce coating it just right; the black pepper beef short ribs were tender and juicy, with the spiciness of black pepper and the fat of beef blending perfectly; the steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli were even tastier than the scallops themselves, as the vermicelli soaked up the garlic and seafood broth.

Finally, she brought back three scoops of Häagen-Dazs ice cream: one matcha, one strawberry, and one chocolate.

"No matter how full you are, you still have to have dessert," she said seriously to the camera, "because dessert is in a different stomach."

She scooped up a spoonful of matcha ice cream and put it in her mouth, squinting her eyes: "This matcha has a slightly bitter sweetness, it's very sophisticated, not just artificial flavoring. After eating something greasy, a bite of this makes me feel refreshed."

The filming lasted for an hour and a half.

Su Tang ate more than a dozen dishes, describing each one to the camera.

She's not the kind of food blogger who exaggerates or says things like "absolutely amazing" or "it's so delicious." Instead, she uses the simplest metaphors to visualize the flavors.

"These shrimp are like they were just pulled from the lake; they're crisp and you can even hear a 'pop' when you bite into them."

"The sauce for this short rib is a bit like the broth my mom makes for braised pork, but it's more upscale. It has a red wine flavor, so it must have been simmered with beef bones for a long time."

"This macaron has a crumbly shell that crumbles at the slightest touch, and a soft filling inside. It's sweet but not cloying, and it would be absolutely amazing with black coffee."

Chen Jianghe didn't interrupt her at all, so the rhythm was fine.

Xia An carried her camera and took countless photos of Su Tang from various angles—close-ups, extreme close-ups, shots from below, shots from above, her back as she picked up the food, her profile as she sat down, and close-ups of her expression as she took her first bite.

Lin Yi watched his girlfriend from the side, swallowing countless times.

After filming ended, Su Tang slumped in a chair, rubbing her stomach: "I can't eat anymore."

"This video is missing two things!" Chen Jianghe said.

Su Tang thought she was still going to be asked to eat, so she immediately waved her hand and said:

"Boss, I really can't eat anymore!"

"Burp~"

Chen Jianghe: "I won't let you eat anymore. You need to calculate the bill, how much each dish costs, and wait a bit before filming! Then, when you leave, add another opening scene at the hotel entrance!"

The core of this video is actually the opening and the money-counting part, so he basically didn't interrupt Su Tang's meal in the middle.

The meal itself is the highlight and content, while the opening and billing parts are the soul of this video.

I rested for a while.

Continue shooting.

Su Tang counted on her fingers:

"Two lobsters, a plate of salmon belly, a serving of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, two servings of scallops, a serving of beef short ribs, a serving of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, a serving of river shrimp, three scoops of ice cream, and macarons and tiramisu..."

"Today's total spending was 3400!"

"Wow, this is how rich people are happy! I wish I could eat like this every day!"

"Fans, feel free to leave a comment below! We'll pick one person from the comments to film their challenge in the next video!"

This is basically the end; Chen Jianghe has already come up with the lyrics for her.

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"Alright, that's enough filming inside. Let's share the rest of the food!"

After all, it cost 3400, and there were five people present, which means each person spent 700!

Wow!

Lin Yi exclaimed in surprise. He thought he wouldn't get a single bite, but now that the boss had spoken, he immediately started eating.

Xia An and another photographer she brought also joined the battle.

After all, they had never eaten at a hotel of this standard before, and a single meal there would cost them a month's living expenses.

Su Tang chuckled beside him; he was already full anyway.

Then she leaned closer to Chen Jianghe and asked in a low voice, "Boss, how did my filming go?"

"It's alright," Chen Jianghe said casually. "I'll edit it out and take a look later."

"Just 'okay'?" Su Tang pouted. "I described each dish so meticulously..."

Chen Jianghe glanced at her and smiled, a rare occurrence for him: "You can use that line you just said, 'The vermicelli is even tastier than scallops,' more often in the future. The audience will remember this kind of counterintuitive expression."

"Also, you can increase your interaction with the camera. You can treat the camera like your boyfriend and express your emotions. You might not be able to say things to the camera, but you can say the same things you would to your boyfriend!"

Su Tang paused for a moment, then took out her phone and wrote it down.

Su Tang is a fashion performance major and has some knowledge of acting. Coupled with her cheerful personality, she doesn't feel unnatural in front of the camera. However, since she has never filmed this type of vlog before, it's more like she's acting out a story.

Chen Jianghe wanted her to add a sense of casualness and interaction to their lives.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group paid the bill and left.

"Chen, this video you guys filmed is quite interesting. Can I take a look at it after you post it?"

Before leaving, Manager Li gave each of them a gift bag, a qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling) from Suzhou.

He initially thought these people were just randomly filming, or shooting some kind of rigid promotional video.

As he watched, he found it quite interesting. A little girl was eating like crazy, and she described each dish very well. He thought that the video would definitely be much more interesting than those dull promotional videos when it was edited together.

I just don't know if the company likes this style of video.

"No problem! You can follow our Bilibili account called [Su Tang Just Plays], it should be posted in a couple of days!"

"Okay, I'll write that down!"

He knew about Bilibili, although he hadn't used it much, but he still remembered the account name.

As for a free meal?

Then forget about it!

Unless it's a TV station or other media outlet specifically invited by company executives, which might offer a free meal, it's already quite generous to send a small gift to those who approach you unsolicited.