The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 103

Jiang Tingzhou had already regained his composure. His voice was calm, but Lu Baiyu could tell he was far from pleased.

It had been a long time since he’d seen him like this.

Lu Baiyu didn’t interrupt him. Instead, he turned to Zeng Rong and said, “Director Zeng, now that we’ve identified the person involved, both Tingzhou and I will investigate. It’s only a matter of time before we obtain solid evidence. If there is indeed a problem within the organizing committee, you know what needs to be done.”

Everyone has their own agenda, but Lu Baiyu always stood firmly by Jiang Tingzhou’s side.

Zeng Rong, who was still holding a tasting spoon, turned serious at those words. “I understand Mr. Lu’s meaning. If the person involved is one of my subordinates, I won’t protect him. This kind of thing has never happened in the competition before. We can’t let one bad apple spoil the whole barrel.”

He had worked hard to earn this position and the brilliant opportunity it brought. He wasn’t about to let it all be ruined by a few underhanded people.

Zeng Rong promised to cooperate with Jiang Tingzhou on the investigation but wouldn’t take action until hard evidence was presented.

As the finals approached, everyone was busy, and this issue had to be squeezed into an already packed schedule.

For now, the contestants seemed unaffected.

While waiting for the final promotion results, a few prominent contestants were interviewed by a well-known magazine. Apart from Ye Shunxin, Tao Jintian, Master Qiu, and Cai Yuan, Zhan Rui—who didn’t yet realize he’d been exposed—was also included.

Jiang Tingzhou had thought the contestants knew nothing about the issue, but after the interview, Tao Jintian called him to share what had happened.

“Mr. Jiang,” Tao said, “don’t you think Zhan Rui’s behavior is a little odd? He acted like he was certain he’d win. Where does that confidence come from? I talked to the others about it. Ye Shunxin feels the same way I do. We both find him arrogant, but others say he isn’t just bluffing.”

Tao Jintian didn’t quite understand it. No matter how talented Zhan Rui was, his actual performance didn’t seem enough to guarantee a win. Why did people speak of him as if his victory was already secured?

Master Qiu seemed to have figured something out. He just shook his head and smiled without saying anything.

Cai Yuan added, “It’s normal. He didn’t make it to the finals by luck,” she explained. “People like him don’t rely on skill within the competition—it’s about what happens outside of it. Actually, this competition is already quite clean. What we’ve achieved here has surpassed expectations. We should just be content. As for the rest—don’t think about it too much.”

Tao Jintian sensed something was off. “That’s a strange way of putting it… The organizer did a great job this time, and Mr. Jiang is a good person.”

“I know. I’m not saying anything bad about him,” Cai Yuan replied. “Mr. Jiang is the only one in the industry who’s doing things right. That’s why we don’t want to make things harder for him.”

Tao Jintian relayed the conversation to Jiang Tingzhou, still unsure what to make of it. “Mr. Jiang, what does all this mean?”

Jiang Tingzhou had already uncovered some evidence, but after hearing this, he realized the other contestants had probably noticed something long ago—they had just chosen to remain silent. The more experienced among them had seen too much over the years and grown accustomed to it.

Backroom dealings in cooking competitions were nothing new. Someone like Cai Yuan had likely picked up on it and chosen to stay quiet, believing that keeping silent was a way of “not causing trouble” for him.

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t explain or refute any of it. After a moment of silence, he simply asked, “Did they say anything else?”

Tao Jintian told him everything.

The contestants didn’t talk much about Zhan Rui. Even in private, they spoke cautiously—one line at most, before dropping the subject.

With the competition itself already discussed to death, they began talking about their future plans.

Apart from Tao Jintian, who wanted to work with Jiang Tingzhou, most of the others had different ideas. They were receiving too many offers.

Chefs like Ye Shunxin and Master Qiu already had family businesses and were hard to recruit. Tao Jintian had hoped to win them over to Jiang Jiang Tingzhou’s side, but most weren’t interested in joining the sugar factory. They were leaning toward more powerful backers.

Cai Yuan told him, “I’m grateful to Mr. Jiang for giving us this platform. If he needs help in the future, I’ll gladly support him. But as for signing on now… there’s a better offer. Everyone has their own path. I believe Mr. Jiang will understand.”

People naturally seek better prospects. Tao Jintian understood and didn’t press the issue, though he did feel a little dejected. “Mr. Jiang, I’m sorry. I couldn’t bring anyone with me. You’re not mad, right?”

Jiang Tingzhou replied, “Of course not. Everyone has to look out for their own future.”

He had already found many promising candidates among the eliminated contestants—over a dozen had shown interest, including chefs on par with Tao Jintian. It was an unexpected bonus.

As for the others, they just needed to do their best in the competition. That alone was a great service to the audience—and to Jiang Tingzhou.

Tao Jintian felt relieved.

Jiang Tingzhou added, “It’s good that you told me, but this isn’t something you need to worry about. Just focus on the finals. I’ll take care of Zhan Rui.”

Tao Jintian replied, “Okay!”

If Jiang Tingzhou said not to worry about it, then Tao really wouldn’t worry about it.

The finals were approaching—it was time to end this.

Two hours before the public voting results were to be announced, Jiang Tingzhou held an emergency meeting with everyone involved.

He had gathered enough evidence. If records of bribed judges and staff weren’t enough, Lu Baiyu had also investigated Zhan Rui’s online votes.

Seeing the voting data, Lu Baiyu had a suspicion. The Zhan family had already bribed judges, doing it so covertly that it would’ve been missed if Jiang Tingzhou weren’t so sharp. If they’d gone that far, then they likely tampered with the online voting as well.

Sure enough, the data showed anomalies.

Lu Baiyu handed over the findings but hesitated. “Tingzhou, do you want me to handle this?”

He offered to leak the info online anonymously, letting public opinion do the rest. The organizers could then issue a formal statement. It would protect the integrity of the competition and spare Jiang Tingzhou the trouble.

But Jiang Tingzhou refused. He wanted to handle it himself.

On the way to the meeting, Zeng Rong quietly said, “Why not take Mr. Lu’s suggestion? Less trouble that way.”

Jiang Tingzhou replied, “I’m not the one looking for trouble. But someone is trying to make trouble for me.”

He could be kind, but not to people like this.

Zhan Rui was summoned to the organizer’s office early in the morning—but arrived late.

By the time he entered, several implicated staff and judges were already present, pale-faced, clearly having confessed under pressure.

As Zhan Rui stepped in, he met Jiang Tingzhou’s gaze.

Zhan Rui had seen this man before—smart, capable, striking. If Jiang Tingzhou had been a contestant, most wouldn’t dare dream of winning gold.

But now, Jiang Tingzhou’s eyes were devoid of warmth. Even though Zhan Rui had mentally prepared himself, one look made him nervous.

“You’re late,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “But just in time—it’s your turn.”

No matter how late, this had to be dealt with. The evidence was right there. Everything was clear.

Zhan Rui stepped forward, face slightly flustered, but quickly composed himself. He glanced at the exposed staff huddled in the corner, then calmly asked, “What do you want?”

“Apologize. Withdraw from the competition,” Jiang Tingzhou said.

“Absolutely not.” Zhan Rui had expected this and remained composed. “Mr. Jiang, do you think you can scare me with this? This competition has been running for years. You’re managing it for the first time. Do you really understand how deep the waters are? Do you even know my family’s background?”

The Zhan family had been in the culinary industry for years. Though not based in Dongjiang, they were well-known with wide-reaching connections—even within the Dongjiang association.

“So what?” Jiang Tingzhou said, expression unchanged. “Your family hasn’t reached the point of covering the sky with one hand.”

Zhan Rui scoffed and smirked. “You’re too naive. Do you think the Zhan family is the only one involved? You—”

But Jiang Tingzhou cut him off.

“I know.” He said calmly, “It’s not just the Zhan family. You have other powerful backers too. And they’re not nobodies.”

He pushed a phone across the desk.

Everyone noticed it had been on a call the entire time.

The caller: Zhang Xiaocong.

All the sounds in the office had been heard.

Jiang Tingzhou said, “Mr. Zhang, am I right?”

Zhang Xiaocong, from Xiushui Group, finally spoke. “Yes, it’s me. So, Mr. Jiang, what is it you want by doing all this today?”

Jiang Tingzhou replied, “Mr. Zhang, you represent Xiushui Group, yet you’ve been engaging in dirty tricks behind the scenes. Don’t you owe me an explanation?”

Zhan Rui grew agitated. “Jiang Tingzhou, watch how you speak—”

“Shut up,” Zhang Xiaocong snapped, “Stand aside.”

His voice turned gentle again when addressing Jiang Tingzhou. “Mr. Jiang, if anyone else brought this up, I wouldn’t even respond. But you’re different. I was right when I first met you—you’re truly a rare talent.” So he remained patient, willing to talk.

Jiang Tingzhou asked, “Why are you doing this?”

Zhang Xiaocong responded casually, “I handpicked these contestants. Old Zeng—don’t take it personally—but your niece is young and stubborn. Tao Jintian is inflexible. The rest are either too old, not smart enough, or too difficult to manage. In the end, the best choice was Zhan Rui. He’s the best option. After winning, he’ll be easier to promote and manage.”

Jiang Tingzhou’s tone remained steady: “So you already decided on the winner?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Zhang retorted, “We invested so much—of course we want the biggest piece of the pie.”

He recalled Jiang Tingzhou’s words from their last meeting about finding balance in cooking—balance in ingredients, temperature, seasoning.

“It’s the same in business,” Zhang said. “We’ve already given enough to the other contestants. Business works the same way. We’ve tested the others. Even if they realize the truth, would they dare be dissatisfied? It’s all about finding the balance with the highest returns—and keep everything under control.”