Chapter 261: Final Result

Qin Yun knew Deng Chao because of Chen He.

When they met last time at Miaofeng Mountain in Beijing, they exchanged contact information, but that was all.

Only later did Deng Chao actively ask Qin Yun for help, and only then did they begin to interact and build a relationship. People are like this: if interactions are as bland as water, and you're never needed, there's nothing to sustain the connection—any bond will slowly fade.

Human favor is the bond between people.

One favor last time established their connection; now, with Deng Chao bringing his whole family to Hangzhou to visit Qin Yun's home, their relationship has deepened further.

Soon, Qin Yun brought out each dish one by one.

"Xiao Huan, when are you two getting married?"

As soon as he stepped out, he heard Sun Li asking Su Huan.

Su Huan smiled and glanced at Qin Yun: "That's up to him—I don't make the decisions."

Qin Yun set down the dishes and rubbed his nose: "Sister Li, don't listen to her—she's the boss at home; I'm just an ornament."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Qin Yun clapped his hands: "Come on, let's eat—taste the cooking of the top chef, Qin Ye. I guarantee you'll be unforgettable."

The guests took their seats, eight dishes laid out before them—all visually stunning, rich in color, aroma, and flavor, instantly sparking appetite.

Deng Chao was the first to pick up a piece of red-braised pork and put it in his mouth; before he even chewed, his eyes lit up.

One bite, and his whole body seemed to relax by a third—tender, rich, fragrant, brimming with happiness.

"Holy shit, this is amazing—fatty but not greasy, melts in your mouth, not the slightest bit cloying."

Qin Yun smiled: "If it's good, eat more."

The others immediately picked up their bowls and began eating.

Sun Li picked up a piece of perch and bit into it—the moment her taste buds were stunned. She'd originally thought Qin Yun was just being modest, but now realized he'd undersold it.

This flavor was incredible.

She'd eaten dishes made by top chefs before, but compared to Qin Yun's, they seemed inferior. But how was that possible? Was my bias too strong?

Su Huan, who had long grown used to Qin Yun's cooking, didn't find it remarkable.

To her, these were daily meals—eaten often enough, they became ordinary.

The two children beside them, Deng Deng and Xiao Hua, had been shy at first, but once the food hit their stomachs, they nearly swallowed their tongues.

Red-braised pork, steamed perch, sweet-and-sour spare ribs, spicy chicken—each dish became irresistible. The two kids, who normally ate just one bowl of rice, asked for a second, stuffing themselves until their bellies were round and their faces beamed with joy.

"Uncle Qin, this is so good—way better than what Mom makes."

No sooner had Deng Deng spoken than a chill swept over him from the side.

This made Xiao Hua, who had also wanted to praise him, quickly grab a piece of honeydew and stuff it in her mouth. Deng Chao turned away and gave his son a look that said, "Good luck surviving this."

"No, Mom, I meant it's just as good as yours."

Deng Deng hurried to backtrack.

Sun Li smiled: "It's fine, son—your Uncle Qin's cooking really is better than mine. That's the truth."

Deng Deng sighed in relief: "Mom, so you think that too?"

Deng Chao rolled his eyes, thinking: You're hopeless, kid.

"Then from now on, you'll stay at Uncle Qin's house—I won't cook for you anymore."

Deng Deng turned pale with fear, sending everyone into fits of laughter.

Watching how the family interacted, Qin Yun couldn't help but feel envious—he wondered if his own child would be like this one day, and found himself strangely looking forward to it.

After eating their fill, the two women took charge of cleaning up.

The others went to the balcony to rest.

Qin Yun brewed a pot of tea and poured for the three; Deng Chao asked: "You're insanely popular—did a poll and held the trending spot for so long. Others spend fortunes just to get on trending."

"Fans are too kind—I'm grateful so many like me, so I must work harder."

"Uncle Qin, how do you train your body to be so strong?" Deng Deng, a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, was at the age of idolizing strength—he'd watched Qin Yun's videos and livestreams and become completely devoted.

"Haha," Qin Yun laughed. "Don't be picky, exercise regularly, and train with purpose. But achieving what I have? Nearly impossible. I have a natural talent—learning talent. Since childhood, I've absorbed things fast; what others need a year or two for, I can master in one or two weeks."

Xiao Hua pinched Qin Yun's arm, then told Deng Chao: "Dad, Uncle Qin is way stronger than you."

Deng Chao was speechless: "You two, stop teasing me. And don't compare anyone to Uncle Qin—he's not even human."

Xiao Hua glanced at Qin Yun's handsome face and bit back her retort.

Deng Chao said: "You should casually dip into this circle—it's not shameful to make money. With your traffic and popularity, even a few ads or events could earn you more than your livestreams."

Qin Yun shrugged: "I'm not an actor, not a singer—I survive on livestreaming. Jumping into this circle to compete for meals would make me look bad. I'll stick to my own patch. As for ads, I've taken a few, but only for my livestreams—for now, endorsements? We'll see later."

Brands had approached him for endorsements, but he hadn't decided yet.

Endorsements are a double-edged sword—so many stars have crashed because of them. So if I ever do one, I'll only pick brands unlikely to fail.

…

After seeing them off, Qin Yun posted a promotion for Deng Chao's new movie on Weibo that same day.

With his traffic and popularity, Deng Chao's new movie instantly topped trending.

The production team was thrilled—this would've cost a fortune to buy. Now, a single Weibo post from Qin Yun had landed them on trending, making him more than a superstar.

Some were envious. Some were jealous.

But it made no difference to Qin Yun. As time passed, the voting results gradually became clear.

Currently, the African savanna had thirty million votes; Mount Zhufeng had twenty-eight million. With only two days left, no change was likely. This also revealed just how loyal his fans were—absurdly so.

He hadn't asked anyone to vote—these were pure, real human votes. For other stars, a million fans might get twenty thousand votes at best.

These past few days, he'd also researched the African savanna—it's the largest grassland on Earth.

It was nearly August, peak dry season there—rare rain, huge day-night temperature swings. This was also the peak of animal migration. Dangers abounded: crocodiles, lion prides, cheetahs, hyenas, African elephants, water buffalo, venomous insects, scorching sun, and extreme drought.

Pulling off a survival livestream there would be the ultimate challenge.

However, for Qin Yun, there was another issue: when he went to the African savanna for live streaming, the system would inevitably trigger a check-in task; he could not separate the live stream from the check-in task, so the check-in task would definitely take priority.

The best solution was to go to Africa in advance and trigger the check-in task, so he could adapt more easily.

Soon, it was the night of the 31st; as the voting deadline approached, Qin Yun had already drafted his Weibo post and was only waiting for voting to end before publishing it.

But unexpectedly, at the very moment midnight arrived, the system responded.

【Publish check-in task: Host must carry a water bottle, a dagger, basic attire, and live streaming equipment, travel to Lake Ndutu in southern Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, hike across the Serengeti Savanna, and reach the Mara River Sanjiaozhou in northern Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, within 20 days; successful arrival completes the check-in.】

He paused in surprise, for the system always issued check-in tasks based on the host's current location—this time, it had changed.

But this change was better; now he could release his preview earlier.

He simply deleted his original Weibo content and replaced it with new content.

【Live Stream Preview: On August 5, I will carry only a water bottle, a dagger, and basic attire, and hike from Lake Ndutu in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, across the Serengeti Savanna, to the Mara River Sanjiaozhou in Kenya, within 20 days—stay tuned!】

Then he posted the Weibo link to X and Instagram, turned on Do Not Disturb mode, and went to sleep.

He slept, but his fans were stunned by the Weibo post.

"I was wondering if Brother Qin was going for survival or just living in the savanna—turns out he's hiking across it for survival."

"666, looking forward to it!"

"Insane—I checked the map, it's over five hundred kilometers. With August weather, reaching the destination in twenty days requires perfect conditions."

"Brother Qin's moves are unmatched—I'm so excited, I want to go too."

"I was just planning a trip to the East African savanna to see the great migration—haha, I wonder if I'll spot Brother Qin from a helicopter."

"Brother Qin: Savanna brats, get ready for your master to conquer you!"