Inside the room.
Li Wei was busy filming for "Employment Guidance 06: Mapo Tofu", and Red had urged him twice to update.
Li Wei's account was close to breaking the 100,000 follower mark, and this episode was particularly crucial.
Because the previous episode on essential oil care was a bit niche, the video's views didn't reach 1 million.
So Li Wei still needed one more million-view video.
Food videos were still universally appealing.
However, before that, the appearance of Lance and the discussion about the Master League almost made Li Wei obsessed.
Fortunately, Cynthia's questioning voice stopped Li Wei from getting lost in group chats.
From Cynthia's perspective, Li Wei kept smiling at the screen, so it was natural for her to be curious.
"I'm chatting with Red, Qinglv, and Gold. Gold is asking for trouble, and Lance is discussing the Master League," Li Wei explained.
Li Wei showed Cynthia the chat interface of [Did You Battle Today?].
Xiao Qian and Gold were greeting each other there, which ended with both of them being muted.
Cynthia couldn't help but smile. She had never officially met Gold, but she had heard of him.
No wonder Li Wei seemed so familiar with Red and Qinglv.
Now Cynthia finally understood.
"I was also just looking at the new Master League document," Cynthia said.
Cynthia opened the document Palmer had sent her and showed it to Li Wei.
Compared to what Lance had verbally described, this document was very long.
Since it was all the same, Li Wei didn't read it in detail.
Unlike Li Wei, as a regional Champion, Cynthia had to participate in the Master League.
Of course, Cynthia was participating in the Master League voluntarily.
Cynthia still maintained a very high level of enthusiasm for Pokemon battles and for the strongest Trainer.
Although Red had not participated for many seasons, which Cynthia found very regrettable.
This time, the establishment of the Master League,
besides commercial changes, was also to make the competition more vibrant and see if there could be any variables.
Cynthia did not invite Li Wei to participate in the Master League, as Li Wei currently hadn't even gathered six Pokemon.
If Li Wei expressed a desire to participate, Cynthia could use her Champion authority to invite him.
Cynthia considered for a moment that given Li Wei's familiarity with Qinglv and the others, participating would not be difficult.
...
Outside the window, Da You and Incineroar were engaged in a silent, intense close-quarters battle.
[Are we making food or not?!]
Da You roared internally while wrestling with Incineroar!
They were the regular guests for taste-testing.
Rui Xi was originally too, but this time she refused.
One reason was Cynthia's presence, and another was that she had eaten Mapo Tofu for two consecutive days and would gain weight.
Fortunately, the Master League matter was put aside, and Li Wei finally started making Mapo Tofu.
Li Wei was already proficient in making Mapo Tofu.
Cynthia watched from an angle not captured by the camera.
"Today, I'm teaching a rice killer dish. This dish has a crucial characteristic: it's numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, hot, tender, and smooth."
"First, trim the outer skin of the tofu, then cut it into uniform small cubes, and then mince the beef into small pieces."
"Add salt to water and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat. This step removes the beany smell and also makes the tofu firmer and more flavorful."
"Once boiled, let it soak aside."
"As usual, I've put the precise ingredient list by gram on the screen, so screenshot it yourself."
"First, stir-fry the minced beef. Add cooking wine, a little salt, and soy sauce for color."
While Li Wei stir-fried the minced beef, Cynthia could gradually smell the aroma, and she could clearly see the minced meat crisping up.
"This is why this dish has a crispy element, crispy and fragrant."
When Li Wei took the beef out of the wok, he specifically filmed the crispy minced beef in the oil.
"The only issue is that it's heavy on oil and salt. It's delicious, but I recommend eating it in moderation."
"Continue with plenty of oil... stir constantly over low heat, finally add chili powder, and then add enough broth to cover all the tofu."
Li Wei thickened the sauce three times before serving.
The regular guests for the taste-testing immediately appeared.
Da You, Incineroar, and Lucario appeared one after another.
To avoid disturbing their alone time, Da You forcibly stopped Incineroar from coming in,
almost leading to a full-blown brawl outside.
Although Cynthia was present, Li Wei did not ask her to be a guest.
Even if Cynthia joined in, this video would instantly go viral.
Cynthia, as a Champion combining popularity and strength, did not have her own social media account.
This made her fans feel very regretful, as there was no way to learn more about their idol.
Cynthia did not eat this time.
Because Li Wei had already mentioned during filming that this dish was heavy on oil and salt, it was better to eat less of it, as it would lead to weight gain.
The filming ended here; Li Wei still needed to edit and upload it tonight.
After asking Da You to take the Mapo Tofu out to eat, Li Wei immediately started making Poffins.
Poffins could be eaten by both humans and Pokemon.
Compared to Energy Cubes, Poffins were more like biscuits.
After tasting the Poffins Li Wei made, Cynthia commented, "They are indeed not as good as your Energy Cubes and Pokemon food."
Her feedback was very objective.
[Ding, gained 9 Poffin proficiency points]
"I'll practice diligently. It's not too late to feed them to Garchomp and the others once the quality improves."
Poffins themselves could sell for a good price, and their market prospects were even broader than Energy Cubes.
Cynthia nodded and said, "Alright, then for now, stick to Pokemon food and Energy Cubes."
Alternating them would also prevent Garchomp and the others from getting tired of eating the same thing.
Cynthia wanted only perfect quality Energy Cubes.
For Li Wei, it was also very simple.
He would sell the high-quality ones normally, and the perfect-quality ones would be sold to Cynthia or fed to Lucario and the others.
For deliveries, it had been decided that Dragapult would make a fixed delivery once every weekend.
Even though Cynthia was wealthy, Li Wei still gave her a discount on the price.
Cynthia gladly accepted.
Given the relationship between their two families, there was no need to be too distant.
...
The next day, Zhuqing Breeding Center.
Li Wei was browsing Eevee Net.
The new Mapo Tofu episode received high praise, with many celebrities bearing the Eevee tag, such as Red and Brock, commenting below.
But this time, the most eye-catching comment came from the account named [Professor Oak's Backyard],
"Master Ball, capture!"
"My two favorite streamers are in the same frame!"
Thanks to Professor Oak's influence, Li Wei's account successfully reached 100,000 followers.
A million video views were just around the corner.
Li Wei estimated that his second-stage mission would be completed tomorrow or the day after.
Cynthia's arrival inadvertently helped Li Wei solve a problem.
Because Tian Guan Breeding House was engaged in a price war, offering 50% off everything, it had a certain impact on the Breeding Center's business.
However, all of this was resolved when Li Wei performed a coarse salt sand bath for Garchomp yesterday.
"Welcome, what would you like to book?"
This was the most frequent phrase spoken by Xiaorou and Gardevoir at the front desk.
The Breeding Center had become popular because of Cynthia!