The Battle Situation is Truly Tragic

# Chapter 39: The Battle Was Truly Brutal

"Did you get it all on camera?" Zhen Xiaoqiu asked the two cameramen beside her.

"Don't worry, we got everything."

Two cameras captured the scene from every angle—Head Chef Dai's furious face in close-up, Stephen Chow's infuriating demeanor, the chaos unfolding on site.

The two men were being held back from reaching each other, but their mouths weren't idle.

"Stephen Chow, your reputation was bought with money, and you have the nerve to come here and point fingers at me."

"Of course I have the right to criticize you. I'm the God of Cookery."

"What kind of bullshit God of Cookery are you? Do you even know how to cook? Can you even cook?"

"Da Long Feng cheats its customers—passing off inferior ingredients as top-grade, selling low-quality food at premium prices. I'm here to expose you."

"You're lying."

"The facts are right in front of you, and you still dare to deny it."

"I'll beat you to death, you bastard."

"Come on, then! Come on!"

Head Chef Dai lost his temper, broke free from the two sous-chefs holding him back, and tackled Jiang Hao. The two rolled on the ground. Dai was strong, but Jiang Hao had professional training. Under the cameras' gaze, Jiang Hao couldn't be too obvious. As they tumbled, he protected his head and face while occasionally throwing a punch—but each punch landed hard on Dai's face.

Manager Wang returned from making his phone call to see this scene in the private room. He immediately shouted, "Are you all dead? Separate them now!"

The sous-chefs, waitstaff, ATV's assistant director, and others rushed in to break them apart. When they finally pulled the two men apart, everyone saw that Head Chef Dai had two black eyes, looking utterly disheveled, while Stephen Chow only had slightly messy hair.

Clearly, Stephen Chow had won the physical fight.

What a spectacular drama—like the grand finale of a movie. This was the climax of the variety show. Zhen Xiaoqiu hid in the back, barely able to contain her excitement.

Manager Wang's face darkened as he said to Zhen Xiaoqiu, "Miss Zhen, after what's happened here, neither side is happy. Da Long Feng Restaurant demands that you leave the videotapes with us. This situation cannot be broadcast."

Zhen Xiaoqiu's smile instantly turned cold. "Leave the videotapes? Hah. You're not the police—you don't have that right. As for whether we broadcast or not, that's our right."

The two sides had completely burned their bridges.

Manager Wang knew demanding the tapes was unrealistic. Fortunately, the boss had said they'd already pulled some strings—there was no way this would air. He let Zhen Xiaoqiu and her team leave.

On the ride back to the TV station, Zhen Xiaoqiu asked Jiang Hao, "Are you hurt?"

"No. Old Dai was never a match for me." Jiang Hao said with a smile.

Zhen Xiaoqiu thought for a moment, then said, "Should we cut that fight at the end? It's not great for your reputation."

"Reputation? My reputation is already in the gutter. I'm not afraid of it getting worse. Who knows, maybe I'll hit rock bottom and bounce back." Jiang Hao said carelessly.

When you have no face left to lose, you're invincible. Jiang Hao wasn't afraid of anything now.

After one meal, his mission progress had increased by 8%. If this show kept going, he'd probably complete the mission in less than a month.

Everything else was just clouds.

"Then I'll air it. That last part was intense. Audiences love this kind of confrontation. It'll definitely grab attention." Zhen Xiaoqiu said excitedly.

Back at the TV station, everyone immediately started post-production. With three cameras, there was plenty of usable footage. Half a day later, the episode was edited. Zhen Xiaoqiu took it to the director for review.

After watching it, the director frowned deeply.

"Xiaoqiu, this show can't air. We make programs to delight our viewers. Showing fights and shouting matches like this—it sets a bad example for children. Besides, it makes too many enemies. It'll damage the station's reputation. Just shelve this show."

"Xiaoqiu, if you want to do a food program, make something refined and uplifting. This kind of trash-talking, mudslinging show—forget it."

Zhen Xiaoqiu looked at the director, took the tape, and headed straight for her uncle's office.

"Uncle, my show got blocked by the director. We had an agreement—if there was resistance, you'd handle it." Zhen Xiaoqiu pouted.

"Blocked? That means your show doesn't meet standards. So don't do it." Vice Director Liu said in a lecturing tone.

He couldn't be happier for her show to stop now. Then Xiaoqiu would obediently go work at her mother's company, and he'd have fulfilled his mission.

Sisters—they're a terrifying species.

Anyone who has a sister knows.

"No way. Our agreement was that you'd handle resistance. I made the show, and now you won't let it air? You want me to admit defeat like this? I won't accept it. Hmph."

Hmph~~~

You're being tsundere.

Daring to "hmph" at me? Fine, I'll let it slide.

"Alright, alright. At least let me see the quality of the show first." Vice Director Liu said helplessly.

He had a VCR in his office. Zhen Xiaoqiu put the tape in. The show started—Xiaoqiu appeared, a very standard opening, then the food was served. Vice Director Liu couldn't help nodding. "The visuals are beautiful. These dishes look stunning—mouthwatering. That's a plus."

Pleased by her uncle's compliment, Zhen Xiaoqiu said, "That's just the beginning. The real excitement comes later."

The show continued. Head Chef Dai appeared and began introducing each dish. But then Stephen Chow entered the frame, critiquing every dish. Head Chef Dai boasted about how good his food was, while Stephen Chow savagely roasted him, exposing every flaw.

Vice Director Liu watched with great interest and couldn't help saying, "Interesting. Very novel. Very engaging—at least it engaged me. I believe the audience will love it too."

Then, at the end, the tone suddenly shifted.

Head Chef Dai and Stephen Chow actually started hurling insults at each other. Vice Director Liu was stunned for a moment, then the two of them began trading curses and exposing each other's secrets. Damn, so that's how it goes down. In the end, they even came to blows—a head chef and a former God of Cookery, rolling around on the floor of the private room. What a sight.

Vice Director Liu looked at Zhen Xiaoqiu. "So... they're fighting?"

"Stephen Chow's mouth is too vicious. Even a Buddha would get angry, let alone a chef. Of course they'd throw hands," Zhen Xiaoqiu said with a light chuckle.

When the two finally got up, Head Chef Dai had two black eyes, and Stephen Chow's hair was a mess. The battle was truly brutal.

"If you air this, it'll definitely grab attention, but it'll also offend Da Long Feng Restaurant. You're basically exposing them for using fake ingredients—that's a sure way to make enemies," Vice Director Liu said.

"Shouldn't our TV station critique the ills of the times? A food program should also serve as media oversight. It can't just be all 'you're great, I'm great, everyone's great.' Don't you think so, Uncle?" Zhen Xiaoqiu said with a righteous expression.

Vice Director Liu's head ached. No wonder that supervisor had blocked it. If Xiaoqiu weren't his niece, he would have blocked this program too.