On the screen:
"Who are you?" Qin Hao asked.
"Chu Qing from the China Culinary Association," the young man introduced himself without hesitation.
Hearing this, Qin Hao's brows furrowed slightly.
"What brings you here?"
"You're Qin Hao, the once number one in the culinary world, aren't you? I'm here to challenge you. My goal is to reclaim the Dragon Head Knife," Chu Qing declared.
Upon hearing this, Su Wuyao's eyes instinctively narrowed.
The China Culinary Association's Chu Qing?
Here to challenge Qin Hao?
The Dragon Head Knife?
What on earth was going on?
Until now, Su Wuyao had believed Qin Hao to be a simple, ordinary cook.
But clearly, things were far more complicated.
If Qin Hao were just an ordinary cook who retired long ago, why would someone come all this way to challenge him?
Moreover, Chu Qing had addressed Qin Hao as the number one in the culinary world.
"The number one in the culinary world"? Who would dare to use such a title?
Surely there had been some mistake.
How could her husband, Qin Hao, possibly be the number one in the culinary world?
…
Meanwhile, over at Chu Chu Baby's livestream, her collaboration with Wang Feng was in full swing.
The livestream was anything but simple food content—it had turned into a spectacle of accusations and slander against Qin Hao and Su Wuyao, amplified by the duo's calculated performances.
The chat was in an uproar, waves of insults crashing down like stormy seas.
Elsewhere, supported by Pineapple Media, various marketing accounts began spreading defamatory statements about Qin Hao on every major platform.
"Shocking! The True Intentions Behind the Trending Couple's Viral Livestream."
"Food Streamer Threatened for Exposing the Industry's Secrets."
"Fake National Special Grade Chef Revealed to Be a Food Runner at a Hotel."
"From Food Runner to Alleged National Chef: The Hidden Truth of Qin Hao's Three-Year Deception."
These posts propelled the controversy to its peak, drawing even more attention to Chu Chu Baby's livestream.
"Disgusting! Let's boycott Qin Hao and his wife. We can't let good people suffer."
"Unbelievable. How can society produce trash like this?"
"I can't believe scum like this can even start a livestream. My faith in humanity is gone."
"Ladies, we must fight Qin Hao to the very end. Let's avenge our beloved Chu Chu Baby!"
"Let's ruin his life. Expose him, dox him. Does anyone know where Qin Hao lives?"
The calls for action grew louder, and the gifts kept flooding in.
While wiping away fake tears, Chu Chu Baby inwardly rejoiced.
These people were so easy to fool!
If only she'd known earlier that this script was so effective, she would have used it more often.
Wang Feng comforted her while keeping an eye on the livestream's revenue.
They'd agreed beforehand—Wang Feng would help her act, and they'd split the profits 50/50.
Then, a single comment ignited the entire livestream.
"Su Wuyao is live!"
Boom!
Everyone in the chat, including Chu Chu Baby and Wang Feng, froze in shock.
At such a critical moment, Su Wuyao had the audacity to go live?
Was she insane?
"How dare they go live? These two are shameless!"
"Let's go, ladies. Head to Su Wuyao's livestream and curse out that despicable Qin Hao until he's so ashamed he bites his own tongue!"
"This is reckless. I've been itching to vent my anger, and now I have the perfect target."
"Everyone, let's raid Su Wuyao's livestream and boycott this lying couple together!"
Hearing the news, Chu Chu Baby smirked coldly.
Clearly, they had caught wind of the accusations and were planning to explain themselves in a livestream.
How naive.
Would explanations even work at this point?
With Wang Feng, the food critic, by her side, whatever she said was the truth.
No explanation could possibly hold water.
In her eyes, Su Wuyao and Qin Hao were laughably foolish.
But it suited her just fine.
This would add more drama to her stream, potentially earning her even more gifts.
"I just checked out Su Wuyao's livestream. Someone's apparently challenging Qin Hao and calling him the number one chef in the culinary world. The challenger claims to be from the China Culinary Association."
"Hahaha! Number one chef? If he's number one, then I'm the god of all chefs worldwide."
"See? It's all scripted. A new plot twist every few days—anything to convince people of Qin Hao's so-called identity."
"Keep it up, keep fooling people. At this point, they just make me sick. The China Culinary Association? Why not claim it's the legendary North Village Ichiro of Asia challenging Qin Hao?"
"Ignore it, folks. Just enjoy the circus for what it is."
"This is the worst performance I've ever seen. Refund, please!"
The idea that someone from the China Culinary Association was challenging Qin Hao made Chu Chu Baby and Wang Feng burst into laughter.
This was nothing more than a desperate attempt.
Did they seriously think people would believe this story?
Why would anyone from the China Culinary Association waste their time challenging a mere livestreamer?
What qualifications did Qin Hao have for such a challenge?
The pair exchanged glances and decided to humor the situation.
"Ahem. Mr. Wang, why don't we check out their stream? Everyone seems really interested in this. Plus, you could give us your expert analysis—see if this so-called China Culinary Association challenger is legit," suggested Chu Chu Baby.
"No need to look; it's obviously fake. That's not even a question—just think about it rationally," Wang Feng declared firmly.
"But what if it's real? What if I'm wrongfully accusing them?" asked Chu Chu Baby.
"'What if'? Don't worry; there's no 'what if.' I stand by what I said—this is all part of Qin Hao and Su Wuyao's scheme. Don't fall for it," Wang Feng said earnestly.
Their conversation resonated with Chu Chu Baby's die-hard fans.
"Wow, even now, our Chu Chu Baby is speaking up for Qin Hao."
"She's the perfect example of beauty and kindness."
"Why is there such a huge gap between people? On one side, you've got scammers staging performances to cheat money. On the other, you've got someone genuinely looking out for their fans."
As they spoke, the pair opened Su Wuyao's livestream.
On the screen, Qin Hao was in the middle of a conversation with Chu Qing.
Wang Feng chuckled.
So young.
And claiming to be from the Culinary Association?
Qin Hao's act wasn't even convincing. Couldn't he have hired a more believable "actor"?
As far as Wang Feng knew, there was an age requirement to join the Culinary Association.
Though there had been exceptions.
In all its history, the Culinary Association had only made two exceptions.
One was for a legendary figure known as the number one chef in the culinary world.
The other was for a rising star named Chu Qing.
These two had been allowed to join the association before meeting the age requirement due to their extraordinary culinary talents.
Looking at the young man on screen, Wang Feng found the situation ridiculous.
Both the age-exception geniuses from the Culinary Association were right there—and they were implying one was Qin Hao?
"Just watch for entertainment, folks. Don't take any of this seriously. That guy in front of Qin Hao definitely isn't from the Culinary Association," Wang Feng declared confidently.
Chu Chu Baby felt relieved.
Thank goodness someone as credible as Wang Feng was present today.
Otherwise, some people might have actually fallen for Qin Hao and Su Wuyao's scheme.