Chapter 74: Eight Culinary Traditions

Soon an ambulance arrived and took the person away, accompanied by the assistant director and several crew members to the hospital.

Meanwhile, filming had to go on.

Originally, after such an incident, the lead actor could have simply used the wire rig once as the director suggested, but this guy refused, making the director so furious he nearly quit.

Qin Yun asked around and found out this lead actor was still a little fresh meat—he thought, in this day and age, are little fresh meats still popular?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he saw a scene that made his scalp tingle.

The little fresh meat ran into a luxury van, threw himself into the arms of an auntie, and kissed her right there without even closing the door.

Qin Yun stood stunned, his worldview nearly shattered. So it wasn't just women—men got targeted too. Thank goodness he wasn't in this circle; otherwise, with his looks, he'd definitely be fought over by these aunties.

"Go find another stunt double. Three thousand."

Hearing the director and casting director's conversation, Qin Yun immediately pushed through the crowd and walked over.

"Director, how about I give it a try?"

The director turned to look, his eyes lighting up at first, then immediately furrowing his brow.

"Who are you?"

"Director, I'm an extra. I used to train in martial arts. Give me three thousand, and I'll do the stunt."

"You're sure?" The director looked at him and couldn't believe it—this guy's looks were more than enough for a star; how could he possibly be an extra?

Qin Yun did a backflip right there, his agile movements making the director slightly convinced.

Still, he hesitated.

Seeing this, Qin Yun feared the director would demand certificates—he quickly said, "Just let me try. If it doesn't work, I won't take a single cent. It won't take much time anyway."

The director was persuaded. It was already late today, and if they didn't finish this shot, they'd have no idea when they'd get another chance.

"Alright." The director nodded and shouted loudly, "Makeup and costume, come over! Action director, come explain the stunt!"

Qin Yun happily followed them along—no surprise, the three thousand was in his pocket.

After changing clothes and getting his look done, Qin Yun stood on the second floor of the inn. He didn't need to act—he just had to grab a sword and jump backward off the second floor. The camera would only capture the moment he flew out until he landed; the start and end would be covered by the lead actor.

That's what a stunt double is: you take the dangerous parts, I take the face time, and we both earn hard-earned money.

"Props, double-check everything one last time. If there's another problem, I'll make you regret it."

The props crew hurried to check, drenched in sweat: "Director, no issues, absolutely no issues."

"Hmph. All departments, attention… ACTION—"

At the director's command, Qin Yun received the signal, took a few steps forward, then quickly retreated, slamming into the window railing, and fell straight down, limbs flailing helplessly, before crashing through a table with a loud "Boom—" and landing on the air cushion.

"Cut!"

The director nodded in satisfaction and gave Qin Yun a thumbs-up: "Bro, awesome. Clean and sharp."

"Haha, thanks, Director. Three thousand deserves three thousand's worth."

The director understood Qin Yun's meaning and immediately had someone settle the payment. Qin Yun didn't bother watching the rest of the shoot—he took the money and left.

He was a complete outsider with no actor's license or stunt registration—if the director was corrupt, he could've just withheld the pay. But very few people would do something that ruined their reputation.

So far, Qin Yun had worked on six film sets, not only completing the system's task but also earning over ten thousand. Sometimes the ease of making money varies wildly—he used to work overtime late into the night, barely scraping together a monthly wage.

But now he didn't care much about money anymore—and yet his income skyrocketed.

It seemed the more you cared about money, the less it came; the less you cared, the more this gorgeous, sneaky thing popped up in all sorts of ways.

Chen He had already left Hengdian yesterday. Zhao Liying and Xiao Zhan were still filming, but they'd soon be moving to outdoor locations. Qin Yun had finished his business in Jinhua and could leave anytime.

……

"Yun Ge, how's it going?"

After several days, Lin Yao's restaurant was fully cleaned out. The kitchen equipment, tables, and chairs were already there—he only added a few items. After cleaning inside and out, the whole place looked much brighter.

"Not bad. It's starting to look like something." Qin Yun nodded. "Where's Shi Lulu?"

"She's busy with work." Lin Yao didn't dare say it was because he refused to borrow more money from her, which had upset Shi Lulu and kept her away.

He loved Shi Lulu deeply, with all the traits of a love-struck fool, but he still had basic principles.

"The business license and health permit are both done. I plan to start trial operations on Monday."

Qin Yun thought for a moment: "What cuisine are you good at?"

Lin Yao scratched his head: "Mainly Hunan cuisine. I know a bit about others, but I mainly trained in Hunan cuisine."

Hunan cuisine—that's Xiang cuisine.

Its main feature is spiciness: classic dishes include chopped pepper fish head, stir-fried chili with pork, Mao's braised pork, and stir-fried yellow beef.

It's definitely a distinctive style.

In other places, that might be fine, but if you want to break into film crews, knowing just one cuisine isn't nearly enough. Many crews stay in Hengdian for months—if you can cater to different regional tastes, that's a huge advantage.

So he voiced this idea.

Lin Yao listened and nodded: "Yun Ge, your idea's great, but I can't do it. I can't hire chefs—I'm barely scraping by. I can't afford chefs who know so many cuisines."

"No problem. You do it yourself." Qin Yun pointed at himself. "I've learned all these cuisines. I'll give you a list. You already know Hunan cuisine. Over the next few days, I'll teach you two home-style dishes from each of the other seven."

Lin Yao's mouth slowly opened, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Yun Ge, you can cook?"

Qin Yun glanced at him: "Is it strange that I can cook?"

"Cooking isn't strange—but knowing all eight cuisines? That's strange." Lin Yao thought: Could Yun Ge have been studying how to win Song Ya's heart through her stomach since they got married?

"Stop talking nonsense."

Qin Yun pulled out his phone and started listing ingredients for fourteen dishes, typing as he spoke: "This way, knowing all eight cuisines becomes a selling point. When you pitch to film crews, you can use it to build your reputation."

"I'll follow your lead, Yun Ge."

Lin Yao was deeply moved. Qin Yun didn't just lend him money—he gave him advice. He'd asked many people for the ten thousand, including friends he thought were close.

But when he asked for ten thousand, they all refused.

He didn't blame them, but it still hurt—and comparing their actions to Qin Yun's, he felt even more that Yun Ge was truly generous.

In the next two days, Qin Yun stayed holed up in this shabby eatery, teaching Lin Yao how to cook step by step.

Lin Yao realized that even though he'd been cooking Hunan cuisine for over a decade, he still couldn't match Qin Yun's cooking—or rather, he didn't even have the right to compare.

The gap between them was simply incomparable.

If Qin Yun hadn't said his cooking was passable, he wouldn't have had the confidence to keep the place open.

"Don't compare yourself to me—I could take the special chef exam right now. If you had my skills, you wouldn't be running some damn little eatery here."

Just as he spoke, someone arrived outside.

"Ah Yao, Senior."

Lin Yao immediately went out to greet them, completely missing the subtle disdain in Shi Lulu's eyes.

"Lulu, you're here—how have things been these past few days? Any progress?"

Shi Lulu nodded: "Lately I've been stakeout at the Tianyun Mountain legend crew, filming Zhao Liying and Xiao Zhan."

She glanced inside: "Where's Senior?"

Qin Yun washed his hands and walked out of the kitchen, nodding at her.

"Ah Yao, you keep busy—I need to talk to Senior."

Lin Yao looked reluctant, opened his mouth, but Shi Lulu glared at him and he fell silent, then turned back to the kitchen.

Qin Yun frowned: "What is it?"

Shi Lulu nervously smoothed her hair: "Um… Senior, my friend and I started a small company, and I need to borrow some money—just a little, five ten thousand will do."

She lowered her target, afraid saying ten would scare him off.

Qin Yun found it amusing: borrowing from Su Huan, borrowing from Lin Yao—he'd probably borrowed from everyone else too, yet still kept asking; no doubt those people would never see their money again.

He refused without hesitation: "Sorry, I'm tight on cash right now. After lending Lin Yao ten, I've got nothing left. Don't you see me running around doing bit parts and extras these days, just scraping together gas money for my return trip?"

Shi Lulu's expression froze. She'd assumed he'd at least pretend to be polite and lend her one or two ten thousand—but he left absolutely no room.

She cursed inwardly: Running around as an extra? Isn't that just your own little hobby? Why suddenly turn it into a plea for gas money? Couldn't you at least give me a better excuse to refuse?

But Shi Lulu wasn't the same person she used to be—what was pride? Something she could discard anytime.

"Then two ten thousand would be fine too, Senior—I can try borrowing elsewhere. Please." Shi Lulu put on a pitiful look.

Qin Yun was about to tell her to get lost when his phone rang. He checked the caller ID—it was Zhao Liying.

"Hello, Sister Ying."

"Master Qin, are you still in Hengdian?"

"Still here. What's up?"

"There's a scene in the crew's shoot—a long-take action sequence, not mine—it's Xiao Zhan's. He can't do it, and the director says the whole thing can be handled by a stunt double, with close-ups swapped in later. I thought you might be interested, so I'm asking."

"How much?"

"..." Zhao Liying hadn't expected Qin Yun to be so direct, but she was prepared: "Thirty thousand."

"Done. When?"

"Now."

"Alright, send me the location. I'm on my way."

He hung up, then saw Shi Lulu staring at him oddly. He didn't care: "Sorry, right now I can't even spare two ten thousand, let alone two. Ask someone else. I've got something urgent—I can't chat anymore."

He called out to Lin Yao in the kitchen and walked out.

Watching Qin Yun's back, Shi Lulu thought she must have misheard.

"Same name? Same name my ass—he's a director… stunt double? It's definitely Xiao Zhan."

Shi Lulu's eyes lit up. She felt she'd uncovered a major secret—this senior had broken into the entertainment industry and even had connections with Zhao Liying and Xiao Zhan. If she could get an introduction, wouldn't she finally secure her footing in the fan-paparazzi business?

"Senior…"

"Boom—!" The car roared to life; Shi Lulu swallowed exhaust fumes as the Land Rover vanished from sight.