Many of Xu Zifan's fans opened the video to see his stunning good looks, but the first thing they saw was spicy crayfish! Three huge plates of spicy crayfish!!!
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the crayfish. The video began with Xu Zifan taking the crayfish out of the bucket and patiently cleaning it, saying as he cleaned, "You have to clean every part, especially the claws, tail, and abdomen. Make sure you don't miss any spots. This way it's more hygienic and healthy."
After brushing them all over, he started teaching everyone how to remove the shrimp vein. With a gentle snap and pull, the shrimp vein came out. "Look, it's actually very simple. With a few practice sessions, everyone can do it. After removing the shrimp vein, it looks like this."
He pulled the shrimp vein off each crayfish while facing the camera, and after a small bucketful, even the fans watching the video thought it was very simple and really wanted to try it right away, as it seemed like a lot of fun.
Next, Xu Zifan fried the crayfish in the pot. "I think it tastes better this way. If you find it troublesome, you can skip the frying. Now, let's start making the chili oil. I've prepared the fermented bean paste myself. These are the spices I've listed here. You can see the quantities. Adjust the sauce to your own taste. You can also buy the store-bought kind if you don't want to make it yourself."
He heated a wok, added oil, fermented bean paste, and various spices to make a red sauce that looked like it was emitting a fragrant aroma. Then he poured the crayfish into the wok and quickly stir-fried them into a beautiful red color.
As he stir-fried, he said, "Don't stir-fry for too long, otherwise the shrimp won't be tender and won't taste good. By the way, it's best not to buy frozen ones, the meat isn't tender and it doesn't taste as good as fresh ones."
"Pour in some more beer and sugar. Add more sugar if you like it sweeter, and less salt if you like it saltier. The sauce is already salty, so be careful not to make it too salty." After adding the ingredients, Xu Zifan stirred it a few more times. "Okay, now reduce the sauce. Chop some scallions and minced garlic."
The crayfish were ready quickly. He served them on plates, arranging them in three layers like a pyramid, with three plates containing about a hundred crayfish.
"Alright, eating crayfish on a summer night is so refreshing. It's so easy to make, everyone should give it a try. Bye~" Xu Zifan smiled and waved to the camera, ending the video.
Fans of his looks and foodies alike went wild, with comments on his Weibo account skyrocketing. Xu Zifan has such a handsome face and such beautiful hands; the crayfish he makes look exceptionally delicious. Most importantly, his voice is incredibly soothing, and his explanations while cooking have a gentle, comforting quality.
The comments section immediately featured three main types of remarks: one saying her husband was so handsome, another saying she was so hungry she wanted to eat, and the third saying his voice was so soothing she wanted to record it as a ringtone.
Those haters who criticized Xu Zifan were completely drowned out. Xu Zifan's fans didn't even care about criticizing them. They were all leaving messages for Xu Zifan. A large number of them said that Xu Zifan made too much and definitely couldn't eat it all. They suggested that he give it to them instead of wasting it, or that he could buy it. They said that seeing their idol make it made it felt a million times better than what they could eat outside!
Xu Zifan glanced at the comments, first storing the crayfish in his spatial storage to keep them fresh, then posted a Weibo message: "[Everyone's right, let's do a giveaway! Just retweet and say "I love Brother Fan" to enter. Two winners will be chosen, one plate each, and I'll keep the last plate for myself. Winners will be announced in twenty minutes.]"
His previous food video attracted almost all his online fans and haters, and a large number of passersby also came to watch. Now that he posted a giveaway on Weibo, everyone immediately forwarded it.
The haters are still diligently criticizing him, but it's useless. After watching the video, casual viewers, thinking "might as well take advantage of it," readily reposted it. Xu Zifan's Weibo is now dominated by fans and casual viewers, leaving no room for haters.
This Weibo post quickly spread, and many celebrities saw it. Xu Zifan received calls from Chen Zaimin and Yi Xiao, both wanting to eat crayfish. He could only regretfully explain that a lottery had already been held to ensure fairness. The two then posted on Weibo.
[Chen Zaimin V: Zifan, you didn't give it to me? I should have gone to mooch some food if I'd seen it earlier! No way, if you didn't pick me, I have to have half of the remaining plate! I love Fan-ge!!! @Xu Zifan]
[Yi Xiao v: You have to share half with me too. I'll bring you some good food in exchange. My girlfriend has to get some too. I love Fan Ge. @Xu Zifan]
[Song Yunjian v: I'll join in the fun too! I love Fan-ge! I miss the food Lao Yao made on the island so much—it was absolutely delicious, a true delicacy! @Xu Zifan]
Song Yunjian also jumped on the bandwagon, deliberately mentioning life on the island, which further boosted the popularity of "Survival on a Desert Island." Even the show's director, planners, and other staff members retweeted the giveaway post. They were promoting the show, but they genuinely wanted to try it too; they hadn't had a chance to taste Xu Zifan's cooking on the island!
Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and the draw resulted in two of Xu Zifan's fans winning the lottery. Xu Zifan checked their Weibo accounts to confirm they were real fans, so he quickly packed the spicy crayfish into an insulated lunchbox and sent it out as express. One of them was a local and received it in just half an hour. She was so excited that she took a picture and posted it online.
[Oh my god, my idol is so sweet! He actually brought me a thermal lunchbox! It's from a top brand! I feel like I received a double gift from him! Oh my god! I'm so excited! The crayfish is still hot, it's so delicious, I'm not kidding, I'll gain 30 pounds if I lie! I've never eaten such delicious crayfish before, I wish I could swallow my tongue! I'm going to eat it now, or my sister will eat it all! My sister said she's going to be a true fan of Fan Ge from today onwards. Fan Ge, I love you! Love you love you love you! @徐子凡]
This girl posted a high-definition nine-grid photo of the crayfish, the lunchbox, and the peeled crayfish meat. The photos were really well taken, making it look like a crayfish feast that makes your mouth water.
Fans who didn't win were even more disappointed, saying they had already ordered crayfish delivery, choosing the most expensive kind, just to console themselves that even if they couldn't eat what Fan Ge made, they would still eat something delicious.
Another person who won the lottery was in another city and posted several messages expressing their anxiety, saying they were overwhelmed by fans who swarmed them. They didn't even get to win a lottery!
Xu Zifan was browsing Weibo when the doorbell rang. Shao Hua reminded him: [Host, Chen Zaimin is outside the door.]
Xu Zifan got up and opened the door, both amused and exasperated. "Brother Chen, are you serious? If you want to eat it, I can make it another day."
Chen Zaimin patted his shoulder and laughed, "Our two families live close by, and your niece saw it and kept asking for some, so I shamelessly came over to ask for some. Oh, here, take this, I can't let you go hungry."
Xu Zifan took the large bag of food handed to him. It contained dry pot chicken and sweet and sour pork ribs bought from Zuixiangju, along with several side dishes and rice.
Xu Zifan chuckled and led him inside, bringing out the crayfish. Suddenly remembering Yi Xiao, he called Yi Xiao as well, and told him he would be at his house in ten minutes. He added that Yi Xiao's wife loved crayfish and he wanted some to share.
Xu Zifan said helplessly to Chen Zaimin, "If I had known, I would have made more. Brother Chen, you and Brother Yi can each have half."
"Okay, we can't let Yi Xiao fail to deliver." Chen Zaimin laughed knowingly, and together they packed the crayfish into portions, took a picture, and said, "I'm going to post this on Weibo. Right now, my fans are all sympathizing with me for not winning, haha."
[Chen Zaimin V: Got it! Stole Zifan's crayfish, hahaha. Too bad Yixiao took the other half, not enough to eat!]
Yi Xiao arrived quickly, carrying a large bag of food from a famous restaurant for Xu Zifan, just like Chen Zaimin. He took the other half of the bag. He saw that Chen Zaimin had posted on Weibo, and he followed suit with his own post.
[Yi Xiao v: Don't worry about me kneeling on a washboard, Zifan is loyal, I got him.]
Fans were laughing their heads off, creating a huge buzz on the three men's Weibo accounts, truly acknowledging their brotherly relationship.
Xu Zifan then posted another Weibo post, showing a picture of the table the two had brought: four main dishes, a soup, six side dishes, and four bowls of rice.
[Xu Zifan v: Who knows if I made a profit or a loss? [laughing and crying emoji]]
The comments section was filled with laughter, the haters completely disappeared without a trace, and the two trending topics #XuZifanCrayfish# and #ILoveBrotherFan# quickly entered the top ten and are still rising. Xu Zifan's number of fans is growing rapidly.
Soon everyone started posting pictures of the crayfish they ordered, saying that even if they didn't win the prize, they would still take better pictures than the lucky fan. It suddenly became like a crayfish-photography competition, and it was incredibly lively.
Su Yanchen and Xue Ninglu's fans wanted to criticize Xu Zifan and the production team, but they couldn't get any attention. The screen was filled with comments about crayfish and laughter, with "Brother Fan" and "Brother Fan" everywhere. Even casual viewers were more interested in the crayfish and didn't even glance at the negative comments.
Xu Zifan has gained a new fixed nickname, "Brother Fan," and his culinary skills have been proven once again to be exceptional. He is handsome even without makeup, completely refreshing the public's impression of him and taking a big step in a positive direction.
Seeing the changes online, Tan Yi was so angry that he slammed his phone against the wall and paced back and forth in his study with his hands on his hips. He knew it; given Xu Zifan a little opportunity, this guy could become famous—it was incredibly uncanny. If it weren't for the need to carefully maintain his own image, he would have used all his connections to blacklist Xu Zifan.
But no, if his image is ruined, he might lose everything. He's still Xu Zifan's friend, so there's no reason for him to turn against him. This feeling of being restricted is awful; he's never felt so stifled since his rebirth.
Su Yanchen was even more frustrated. It was supposed to be his show, and he wanted to take advantage of leaving the program to create some hype. But then, out of nowhere, someone dragged Xu Zifan into it, and Xu Zifan used an even more inexplicable method to resolve the crisis. The whole internet forgot about him, and he missed the opportunity to create hype. Participating in this program was like losing both his wife and his army.
Xue Ninglu was filled with regret. If only she had stayed with Xu Zifan from the moment she arrived on the island, what would have been the point of creating a CP with Su Yanchen? She would have been better off sticking with Xu Zifan for more screen time, which would have directly created a CP between her and Xu Zifan, and her popularity would have exploded by now.
Now look what's happened; she's been dropped by the show, and there's no chance to get back on her side. Posting on Weibo like Song Yunjian did is even more awkward. Those two actually came to her house and fought over crayfish, instantly showing how close they were to Song Yunjian. He must be regretting it now.
Song Yunjian truly regretted his impulsive actions, which had made him look foolish.
In one program, Xu Zifan suddenly became the most popular one. Now all he needs is a work that can live up to his popularity.