O’Neal pulled a long face and asked Chen Yu what was on the menu for today.
"Duck?" O’Neal’s eyebrows furrowed.
In the United States, duck was far from a mainstream food; very few people ate it.
The main reasons were its long breeding cycle, which meant few people raised them, and its strong, gamey smell, which naturally limited its appeal.
This was something Chen Yu was actually quite curious about himself.
It wasn’t that the United States didn’t raise ducks. In the past, plenty of them were released to help control the Asian carp population.
Chen Yu had traveled all over the United States and found that only a very small number of restaurants served duck. Of course, plenty of Chinese restaurants did, but Chinese cuisine was by no means mainstream in America.
Therefore, the roast duck being featured in this episode was something very few Americans had ever tried.
Chen Yu had eaten roast duck in Chinese restaurants before, but he recalled his maternal grandfather complaining that the roast duck in the United States was nothing like authentic Chinese roast duck.
And for this show, Chen Yu’s main goal was to introduce some authentic Chinese dishes that could also be made at home.
To that end, Chen Yu had even consulted Yao Ming’s mother, who in turn had consulted a chef in Shanghai before giving Chen Yu the correct recipe.
Today, they were filming the specific process of roasting the duck.
Chen Yu had already prepared the duck by inflating the skin. On camera, he basted it with a crisping liquid, then moved to the villa’s lawn and placed it in a hanging oven he’d had someone weld for him.
To maintain its authentic flavor, even the charcoal he selected was from fruitwood.
"This is so much trouble," O’Neal grumbled as he watched.
Chen Yu ignored him. ’You want to eat good food, but you’re complaining it’s too much trouble? When you go to a high-end restaurant, you don’t complain about how long it takes for the food to come out.’
While they were waiting for the duck to finish roasting, the group was sitting and resting when a sudden commotion came from the entrance of the villa.
Then, Kelly, dressed in a tight red dress, appeared before Chen Yu.
"Chen!"
She took off her sunglasses, gave Chen Yu a hug, and immediately twitched her nose, asking what smelled so good.
By this point, the aroma had begun to waft from the oven.
O’Neal and Burnett were staring, transfixed.
"Maria, what brings you here today?" Chen Yu said, surprised.
After they contacted Kelly, she had agreed immediately.
She didn’t make things difficult with the fee, either, charging only one million US dollars.
For a single episode appearance, that fee was quite acceptable.
Besides, the money wasn’t even coming out of Chen Yu’s pocket; it was sponsored by Eli Lilly.
Ryan, his contact there, had told him outright that as long as the weight-loss drug promotion was effective, he could get any star in Hollywood that Chen Yu named, let alone Kelly.
Kelly smiled and said, "I know you have a tight filming schedule, and I don’t have any work right now, so I came early."
Chen Yu nodded to himself. ’These American celebrities are incredibly professional when it comes to work.’
"By the way, what is that aroma? It smells amazing!" Kelly asked again.
The complex aroma was already making her mouth water.
Evidently, she was quite the foodie herself.
Chen Yu checked the time. It was about ready. He smiled and said, "Then you’ve come at the perfect time. I made roast duck. You can have a taste."
Beside them, O’Neal was already nodding impatiently.
Back in the dining room, the cameras were in position.
"So this is roast duck?" Kelly’s eyes were glued to it.
Americans have practically no resistance to this kind of golden-brown roasted food.
Chen Yu nodded, arranged the duck on a platter for the camera, and then began to carve it.
The chef from Shanghai had sent him a video on how to carve the duck.
His knife skills were naturally not a problem. With hands used to holding a scalpel, Chen Yu could slice it as thin as he wanted.
"Have a taste." Chen Yu pushed two slices of duck with the skin on toward her.
Kelly eagerly speared a piece with her fork and put it in her mouth.
She was won over in an instant.
Behind the camera, Burnett’s eyes also widened. From Kelly’s expression alone, you could imagine just how delicious it was.
"What about me?" O’Neal stared intently at Chen Yu.
His longing expression required no acting; it was completely genuine.
Chen Yu didn’t waste any words, simply pushing a pile of lettuce leaves toward him.
"Chen, protest! I’m protesting, you understand?" O’Neal slammed his hand on the table.
Chen Yu ignored him. The more of a scene he made, the better the show would be.
"Maria, you can try the duck skin. Just dip it in sugar and eat it," Chen Yu instructed Kelly.
Kelly nodded repeatedly, her hands not stopping for a moment.
Just then, O’Neal, "taking advantage" of Chen Yu’s distraction, suddenly ripped off a duck leg and turned to run.
Burnett waved a hand, and a camera immediately followed him.
From a distance, O’Neal’s voice drifted back: "Chen, double it! Even if you double my training, you can’t stop me!"
Kelly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, watched O’Neal disappear and then asked with a cute, dazed expression if she would have to double her training too.
Speechless, Chen Yu sat down and began to eat in a slow, deliberate manner.
The Mandarin pancakes were prepared in advance, along with sweet bean sauce and julienned cucumber, but no shredded scallions.
Chen Yu himself was used to it, but most Americans couldn’t quite accept the taste of raw scallions.
Kelly stared intently at Chen Yu’s technique for rolling the pancake, her focus absolute.
"Mmm, this is so delicious," Kelly said, her face radiating happiness.
She didn’t need to hold back and could eat to her heart’s content.
She was only filming one episode, and there was no expectation for her to lose much weight. In fact, gaining a few pounds would only serve as a testament to how delicious Chen Yu’s food was.
Just as Burnett had predicted after the first two episodes, many regular viewers didn’t really care how much weight O’Neal lost. They were more interested in watching O’Neal bicker with Chen Yu and seeing all the delicious food.
Just eating the duck meat wasn’t enough; Chen Yu then used the duck carcass to make a pot of congee.
Kelly couldn’t stop eating.
After they finished filming, she clutched her stomach and couldn’t help but say, "Chen, seriously, I feel so happy right now."
Chen Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Eating delicious food you’ve been craving can indeed make people feel happy and improve their mood."
For Kelly to describe a good meal with the word "happy," you could say she was a bit sentimental.
The last time he saw her, Chen Yu had thought she might be bipolar, as her emotions were prone to fluctuation.
Kelly nodded emphatically. She was already starting to look forward to this show.
Just as Chen Yu was about to say more, his phone rang.
He glanced at the number. It was a call from Aaron Goodwin.
In NBA agent circles, this guy didn’t have the best reputation. He only had a few players under his belt, the biggest name probably being Gary Payton.
After answering the call and exchanging a few pleasantries, Aaron Goodwin said eagerly, "Dr. Chen, I’ve discussed your previous proposal with LeBron, and we’re willing to accept your invitation."
"Excellent. However, I must remind you that this plan might affect LeBron’s draft position."
Chen Yu had kept in mind Brian’s earlier suggestion to use his experience and scientific instruments to try and predict a rookie’s potential.
Capitalizing on the show’s popularity and the growing recognition of his sports lab, Chen Yu came up with an idea: invite this year’s rookies for a combine-style test and then release his own draft potential rankings in an episode.
He would use his own fame to help promote them while simultaneously boosting the reputation of his sports lab.
The first person he invited was, naturally, the hottest prospect in this year’s draft: LeBron James.
On the other end of the line, Goodwin chuckled, full of confidence. "Dr. Chen, I don’t think it’ll have much of an impact. The number one pick will still be LeBron’s. Any team that gets the first pick will, without a doubt, choose him."
Chen Yu silently rolled his eyes. ’This guy sure talks big.’

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