ATV and Stephen Chow Are Not Allowed In

Chapter 41: ATV and Stephen Chow Not Admitted

Jiang Hao didn't care about the head chef or manager's expressions at all.

The jet engine had already ignited; there was no stopping it now.

"You say your Imperial Kitchen especially emphasizes 'ancient methods and ancestral traditions,' mainly Qing palace cuisine. But Qing palace cuisine is primarily Shandong cuisine. Many of its dishes have their own set procedures for ingredient quantities, combinations, and cooking methods."

"Take this Eight Treasure Duck, for example. The eight fillings are bamboo shoot cubes, meat cubes, ham cubes, chestnut cubes, chicken gizzard cubes, mushroom cubes, lotus seeds, and shrimp. Your ingredients here are completely different."

"Your dishes have clearly been modified to suit the tastes of us Hong Kong people. They're not Shandong cuisine at all. So when you say you follow ancient methods, that's just fooling people."

In the end, the TV station crew was kicked out again, a bit disheveled, though better than last time—no physical fight broke out.

Back at the TV station, everyone hurried to finish the post-production.

Before they knew it, it was the next evening. Jiang Hao and Zhen Xiaoqiu sat on the sofa, eyes fixed on the TV, a mix of nervousness and excitement.

"Welcome to 'Gourmet Roast'—a different kind of food show." Xiaoqiu appeared on screen, carrying herself like a pro. Jiang Hao praised her, "All dolled up, the glasses girl turned into a beauty. You really look good on TV."

"I'm pretty good-looking in person too, okay? Don't talk, watch the show."

Then various delicacies appeared on screen, followed by the God of Cookery, Stephen Chow, going head-to-head with the chef. The climax came with a full-on brawl—what a lively scene.

This show had it all: visual appeal, fun, and entertainment.

After the show ended, Xiaoqiu was still a bit anxious and asked Jiang Hao beside her, "Do you think we'll succeed? Will this show be a hit?"

"It definitely will. Go to sleep. We'll have the answer tomorrow."

"I can't sleep. I'm still so excited."

"Want a drink, then?"

"Sure, let's open a bottle to celebrate. A toast to our success." Xiaoqiu found a bottle of red wine. This girl really had a low tolerance—one glass and her face was flushed, then she went off to bed in a daze. Before entering her room, she didn't forget to warn him: "I'm warning you, don't come into my room in the middle of the night, or I'll break your three legs."

Jiang Hao smiled and shook his head.

He wasn't really that concerned about whether the show succeeded. What he cared about was his mission. Two episodes had already completed 20% of the mission value. Was this task really that easy?

Shower, sleep.

Many households had just finished watching TV and hadn't changed the channel yet. Seeing the show's title, they found it intriguing. Gourmet Roast? You could roast food too? Might as well stick around and see.

Once they watched, many were drawn in by the food, and then the subsequent plot had them doubling over with laughter. It was so entertaining. The God of Cookery versus the chef, even a full-on brawl—they rarely saw variety shows this interesting.

Suddenly, a lot of people remembered Gourmet Roast.

Of course, people also learned about Da Long Feng Restaurant passing off inferior goods. The restaurant became famous, but not for a good reputation.

They slept soundly, but some couldn't sleep.

At Da Kuai Le Catering Group headquarters, Right after Gourmet Roast ended, Boss Wu's face was twisted with rage. He grabbed the ashtray from the desk and hurled it.

Crash, bang.

The TV was wrecked, smoking.

Tang Niu squinted beside him and said, "I didn't expect that guy to end up at the TV station again, working as a tasting judge. Boss Wu, the way he's doing this, it's really bad for Da Long Feng."

"That bastard dares to expose my restaurant. I'm going to kill him, kill him!" Boss Wu roared.

He picked up the phone on the desk and called that ATV executive. His tone was harsh. "Old Yang, weren't you supposed to stop this show? Why did it air?"

"Boss Wu, I tried to stop it. But the deputy station chief arranged for it to air directly. I couldn't do anything about it."

Slap!

Boss Wu slammed down the phone, cursing under his breath, "Useless."

"Boss Wu, this Stephen Chow is clearly targeting you. Exposing our restaurant's use of substandard ingredients on the show will definitely hurt business badly." Tang Niu fanned the flames.

Boss Wu's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Bastard. You dare mess with me? I'll kill you first." He picked up the phone again and dialed. "A Rong, help me take down a man. Stephen Chow. I want that bastard's leg. Fine, 100,000. I'll give you the money tomorrow."

He hung up, grinding his teeth. "For the rest of his life, I want him crawling on the ground, begging."

Tang Niu smirked beside him.

The next day, Zhen Xiaoqiu rushed excitedly to ATV. As soon as she entered the building, she headed straight for the variety department. She noticed her colleagues looking at her differently than usual. When she reached the supervisor's office, his face was grim.

"Supervisor, what were the ratings for my show yesterday?" Zhen Xiaoqiu asked, a bit excited.

The supervisor glanced at her and handed her a sheet. "See for yourself. Alright, I have things to do. You can go."

Leaving the supervisor's office, Xiaoqiu opened the ratings sheet and let out an excited gasp.

"Ah, second place!"

A 24% rating, only behind the prime-time drama. Second overall, first among variety shows.

A smash hit.

The show was a success.

Colleagues with sharp eyes came over to congratulate her. Xiaoqiu was all smiles. When she returned to her team's office, a cheer erupted. The show's success meant great benefits for them too—the most obvious being bonuses.

"Post-production team, get the second episode ready. Air it in the same time slot tomorrow. Filming team, prepare. We're recording another episode today." Xiaoqiu was buzzing with excitement, feeling like she had endless energy.

Once Jiang Hao was picked up, Zhen Xiaoqiu asked him in the car, "Where are we going to film the next episode?"

"Jinjiang Hotel."

Jiang Hao had long since settled on the answer.

Only because Boss Wu also had a stake in Jinjiang Hotel.

The moment the TV station's car stopped, a security guard came over. Spotting the ATV logo on the vehicle, the guard was startled and immediately reported it via walkie-talkie. Before long, several people emerged from Jinjiang Hotel, led by a man in his forties.

Seeing Zhen Xiaoqiu, Jiang Hao, and the others get out, the group approached, swept a glance over them, and paused for a few seconds on Jiang Hao's face before saying, "Are you folks from ATV?"

Zhen Xiaoqiu was taken aback. This hotel sure moved fast—were they here to welcome them?

"Yeah, we're from ATV, here to shoot a food program at your hotel." Zhen Xiaoqiu said with a smile.

The middle-aged leader put on a practiced smile. "Hostess, I'm sorry, but our hotel has no plans to host a program. Please try another place."

Zhen Xiaoqiu looked at Jiang Hao. Taking in the situation, Jiang Hao already understood—they must have seen yesterday's Gourmet Roast episode and were on guard against them.

"Can we at least eat here?" Jiang Hao asked.

The middle-aged man kept his practiced smile. "Sorry, but you—we won't be serving any of you."