Once again, facts have proven just how powerful netizens can be.
In less than a day, the true backgrounds of the couple behind "Mrs. Zhuang's Kitchen" were thoroughly exposed—
They used a rented luxury mansion to film videos, crafting a wealthy persona;
They were perennial fixtures at various business forums, using photos with entrepreneurs to maintain the pretense of having a family "electronics business."
In reality, they owed wages to their workers and sold substandard, unlicensed products for huge profits.
It's worth mentioning that even the couple's affection was fake. It's said that Mr. Zhuang was actually keeping several young mistresses behind his wife's back, and there were even suspicions of him having a love child.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhuang was suspected of frequently hiring male escorts during her girls' nights out.
...
Heaven knows how shocked Xu Yanxia looked when she heard all this from Ye Shu—
"They each play their own games, yet they can still pretend to be so loving in public? How do they do that? Don't they feel sick when they look into each other's eyes?"
"What's so strange about that?"
Ye Shu said, "Just look at her acting skills. She dares to promote so brazenly on a show when all she sells are fakes. That's not ordinary mental fortitude."
"Also, even her assistant is fake. She's just a member of her team, not even married, yet she fabricated a child out of thin air, calling herself 'Huihui's mom.' If this had actually aired, the show would have been doomed!"
"That's true."
Xu Yanxia nodded.
After all, producing and selling substandard food is no small matter. Given their follower count and sales volume, they had definitely crossed the threshold for criminal liability.
Given that the show hadn't aired yet, the wisest move for the production team was to terminate their contract early and draw a clear line.
Especially since they could also claim a penalty fee.
Apart from the increased workload for the editing team, the producer's mood wasn't really affected.
In fact, with this unscrupulous pair gone, the recording became smoother. After finishing the third day of recording in Rong City, they took a short rest day before heading to their second destination, Yangzhou.
As the replacement guests hadn't joined yet, only three teams participated in the Yangzhou leg competitions.
In the first recording session, Xu Yanxia still secured first place with two classic Huaiyang dishes: Soft-Sheathed Eel and Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Duck.
During the second day's amateur competition, she gained a female teammate skilled in Yangzhou-style pastries—Xiaoxian, who was two years younger.
Unlike Xiaoman, whom she had met in Rong City, Xiaoxian was a local, coming from a family of pastry chefs spanning several generations, and she made excellent Crab Roe Soup Dumplings.
In the following second competition, the two of them again took first place with an upgraded version of a Yangzhou pastry, Emerald Shaomai.
By the third day, following the schedule, she and Xiaoxian went to the local market early in the morning to procure local specialty ingredients, then returned to the studio to prepare for the final recording session in Yangzhou.
Taking advantage of the time before recording while the crew was setting up, the show's newly invited judge for the Yangzhou leg, Special Chef Li, couldn't help but strike up a conversation with Xu Yanxia—
"Young lady, how did you develop such impressive skills at such a young age? Just take that Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Duck from the day before yesterday. Few young local chefs even know how to make it anymore. How did you, a young person who grew up in the north and works in Rong City, learn such authentic Huaiyang cuisine?"
"Not to mention anything else, just deboning the whole duck takes years of practice!"
—Compared to the steady-tempered Chef Zeng, this Chef Li had a more outgoing personality and loved chatting with people.
Since the first local recording session, when he tasted the Soft-Sheathed Eel and Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Duck she made, he had praised her extensively.
Yesterday, after tasting the Emerald Shaomai she made with her teammate Xiaoxian, he was again the first to give a perfect score.
His admiration for her was practically overflowing.
It was just that the previous sessions were too rushed for a proper chat. Now, having finally found an opportunity, he immediately asked.
Xu Yanxia also quite liked this straightforward old master chef and replied with a smile, "You flatter me. I also started cooking with my elders from a young age and have always enjoyed reading recipes and cookbooks, slowly figuring things out. Chinese cuisine is so vast and profound, my little skills are really nothing."
"Ah, you're too modest!"
Chef Li was about to say more.
Who knew that "Imperial Cuisine Inheritor" Master Jin also suddenly walked over and said to Xu Yanxia with a chuckle, "Yes, Director Xu is indeed too modest! Not only are your dishes amazing, your professional knowledge is also so strong!"
"Those who have studied are really different from folks like us."
Xu Yanxia subtly paused.
Perhaps out of a guilty conscience, ever since Xu Yanxia exposed the fake dumpling wrappers of the Mrs. Zhuang team that day, this person had rarely chatted with her.
For him to come over and strike up a conversation out of the blue today, she wondered what scheme he had in mind.
Xu Yanxia first replied neutrally, "Master Jin, you flatter me. Studying is also to better understand culinary knowledge. It's the same as the years of practical experience accumulated at the stove."
"It's still different. Nowadays, chefs with qualifications get higher salaries everywhere than those without!"
Then, he asked her with another chuckle, "By the way, I remember Director Xu graduated from Hua Nong University? Your university is quite famous! I just saw a news article about it on my phone!"
"Oh really?"
Xu Yanxia asked, again keeping her tone neutral, "What news was it?"
He said, "Seems like some highly educated postgraduate student was arrested for splashing hydrochloric acid on his girlfriend or something?"
What?
Xu Yanxia subtly frowned.
—Aside from that Lin Hengnan, there probably wouldn't be anyone else from her school arrested for splashing hydrochloric acid, right?
So he was talking about Lin Hengnan?
...
After exchanging a few more words with him, Xu Yanxia excused herself to touch up her makeup and went over to Xiaozhen.
Ye Shu was on a call outside, so she took her phone from Xiaozhen and opened the news.
Sure enough, she saw a trending entry titled "Hua Nong University, Hydrochloric Acid" on the social news hotlist.
She clicked to look and found the link led to a news report.
It was indeed about Lin Hengnan splashing hydrochloric acid on her.
However, this report did not present the true situation. Instead, through clever wording, it portrayed Lin Hengnan as a simple, kind-hearted student from a poor family, carrying his family's hopes, who came from a small town to study in the big city.
She, as his fellow townsman, was cast as his first love.
It said Lin Hengnan studied hard to get into a prestigious university, met her, fell passionately in love, and gave his all to her without reservation.
But after graduation, she entered a wealthy family's business, and after currying favor with the heir, she heartlessly abandoned him, subjected him to cold violence, and psychologically suppressed him, ultimately driving him to make an impulsive choice.
The report even displayed screenshots of WeChat chat records between Lin Hengnan and her—
All showing him sending her apologetic messages after she cut ties with him, and her lack of reply.
And in the comments below, there were actually quite a few people sympathizing with Lin Hengnan, calling her a vain, money-grubbing gold-digger who abandoned morality for profit.
...
Xu Yanxia almost laughed out loud.
Doing the math, Lin Hengnan's court case was nearing its trial phase. Was this an attempt to distort the truth and interfere with judicial fairness through a public opinion campaign?
Just then, Ye Shu, who had finished her phone call, hurried back to her and said, "The company just identified a piece of negative public sentiment targeting you. We're already handling it. Don't worry, Director Xu, we won't let them succeed."
Xu Yanxia nodded. She was just about to say "good work" when her phone suddenly vibrated.
It was Lu Jingming calling.
She answered directly.
Lu Jingming's gentle voice came through the receiver, "I'm at the airport now. We'll see each other soon. Don't be nervous, and don't let those smear reports affect you."
So he knew about it too?
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "How could I? If something so clear-cut can be turned upside down by them, what would this world come to?"
"I'm fine. Be careful on your way, no need to rush."
She heard Lu Jingming chuckle on the other end, saying, "My baby is truly something. Focus on the competition, I'll handle these matters."
Xu Yanxia hummed in agreement.
Then she heard him ask, "By the way, about that last call with Professor Zhou, did you record it?"
"Yes, I did,"
Xu Yanxia said, "I'll send it to you, along with Professor Zhou's number."
"Good."
Lu Jingming agreed with a smile.
She hung up the phone and sent everything over to him.
Then, she handed her phone back to Ye Shu and said, "Please help me take detailed notes later. I'm going to prepare a rather challenging dish."
