Seven years after transmigrating, he was cornered at the head of the bed by a cold and aloof empress

Chapter 24 Talent Showcase? They play the piano, I perform pig slaughtering?

The atmosphere at the grain-drying field was brought to a climax by the previous guests.

As Lu Ming finished playing the last note, he gracefully put down his bow and gave the camera a standard gentlemanly bow.

Although the music sounded somewhat like "sawing wood" to the experts, the man's flamboyant pink suit and meticulously groomed fair face were irresistible. The villagers and older women present had never seen anything like him before, and they clapped until their hands were red.

"Great! That sounds amazing!"

"That's what a big star is like! So stylish!"

The live stream chat was flooded with comments from fans, such as "Brother, kill me!" and "Elegance never goes out of style."

Following closely behind, rock veteran Chen Kai also joined in.

He slung his guitar over his shoulder, his wild, long hair dancing in the wind, and belted out a classic old song with heart-wrenching intensity. Although he was a bit off-key, his performance was so full of emotion that he managed to make the threshing ground feel like a concert for ten thousand people.

With such outstanding performances preceding them, the pressure fell on Lin Zhou, who was the last to appear.

All eyes in the room, including several high-definition cameras, were focused on him.

Su Qingge stood beside Lin Zhou, her palms sweaty.

She was genuinely starting to panic.

This isn't some private, closed-door antics; it's being broadcast live across the entire internet. If Lin Zhou were to actually go up there and embarrass himself, not only would he be condemned to death, but she and Nuonuo would also suffer the consequences.

"Lin Zhou..."

Su Qingge couldn't help but tug at his sleeve again, lowering her voice with a hint of pleading, "Can you please stop showing off? If it really doesn't work... I'll just go up and sing 'Legend,' anyway, I'm a singer, it's not against the rules."

She was even mentally prepared to be criticized by haters for "being a sore loser".

Lin Zhou looked down and saw the woman who was usually aloof and arrogant now looking at him with worry in her eyes, and his heart warmed.

"Silly wife."

He took Su Qingge's cold fingers in his hand and squeezed them gently. "When has your husband ever disappointed you? Just watch."

After saying that, he let go of her hand, but instead of walking towards the center of the stage where the microphone was placed, he did not walk towards Su Qingge's astonished gaze.

Instead, he turned around and walked straight to the long table where the ingredients were laid out.

There, on the ground, lay half a carcass of freshly delivered local pork.

The pork was extremely fresh, with whitish skin, rosy lean meat at the cut, thick fat, and still steaming.

But it just looks out of place in this kind of talent show setting.

"Director Yan."

Lin Zhou stood in front of the long table, tapped on the tabletop, and pointed to the pork slices. "Could you please have a staff member move these slices of pork to the middle? And could you lend me that cleaver as well?"

Yan Min froze, nearly dropping the megaphone: "Lift...lift the meat? What are you going to do?"

"Talent show, huh?"

Lin Zhou said matter-of-factly, "This meat is too big to divide easily. Since everyone needs to eat, I'll do my part and help everyone divide it."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Divide the meat?

Is this what you call talent?

Lu Ming, who had just finished enjoying the cheers of the crowd, was standing to the side with an air of superiority. Hearing this, he couldn't help but chuckle, his eyes filled with undisguised disdain.

"Brother Lin, you're not kidding, are you?"

Lu Ming exaggeratedly covered his nose and took a step back, as if the raw meat carried some kind of virus. "This is a talent show segment. Everyone's doing art. You're bringing up raw pork. How bloody and disgusting is that?"

He turned to look at the camera, appearing to be thinking of the audience:

"Besides, there are many underage kids in the live stream. Brother Lin, if you really don't have any talent, you could at least perform a push-up for everyone. Why make it so... vulgar?"

"vulgar?"

Lin Zhou picked up the somewhat dull kitchen knife, gently rubbing the blade with his fingertips, his eyes gradually turning cold.

"Lu Da, the top student, the piece you just played is called 'The Lark,' which is originally a praise of nature and life. It's a pity that you played it like a lark being plucked and screaming in agony."

"You—!" Lu Ming's face flushed red instantly.

Lin Zhou ignored him and continued:

"As for this meat, it is also life, a gift from nature. How come it's disgusting in your mouth? Why didn't you complain about it when you were eating the steak?"

"So-called art is not about dressing up nicely and standing on stage pretending to be profound. Labor is the highest form of art."

These words were so powerful that they left Lu Ming speechless.

The tide in the live stream turned instantly:

"Holy crap! Is Lin Zhou's mouth blessed? He's so talkative!"

"Even though he's a kept man, I'm on his side this time! Hard work is the most honorable thing!"

"Lu Ming's singing was really awful; I had it muted just now."

"But... can cutting meat really be considered a talent? Isn't that just a butcher's job?"

Amidst the questioning, mocking, or curious gazes of the crowd, the staff still carried the pork to the cutting board in the center of the area.

Lin Zhou stood in front of the chopping board.

He wasn't wearing any professional chef's uniform; he was still dressed in a simple white T-shirt and jeans.

But his demeanor has changed.

If he was a lazy street urchin just now, the moment his hand gripped the hilt of the knife, he became like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, its edge fully revealed.

[System Skill: Master Butcher (God-level Knife Skill) Activated!]

Lin Zhou took a deep breath, his gaze sharp as lightning, and quickly swept over the piece of pork.

In his eyes, this was not a piece of meat.

Instead, they were countless crisscrossing lines, a precise structural diagram of the connection between bones and muscles. He could clearly see where the bone joints were, where the fascia was, and where the skin and flesh could be separated with just a light stroke.

"Honey, watch carefully."

Lin Zhou's lips curled up slightly. He pressed his left hand on the meat cutting board and rotated his right wrist with remarkable dexterity.

The heavy, somewhat rusty kitchen knife seemed to transform into a graceful butterfly in his hands, creating a beautiful knife flower.

A flash of silver light!

"Whoosh—!"

Without any warning, Lin Zhou's knife suddenly fell.

It moved so fast that its trajectory was completely obscured, leaving only a blur in the air.

"what!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd, and the more timid among them instinctively closed their eyes, fearing they might witness a scene of carnage.

Su Qingge's heart was in her throat, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her beautiful eyes wide open.

However, the expected ear-piercing sound of bones shattering did not occur.

There was only a fine, continuous rustling sound, like raindrops pattering on banana leaves.