The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 54

“I think I’ll make roast goose today.”

By then, Jiang Tingzhou and Cheng Shifei were already home.

As he walked in and changed out of his slightly damp coat, Jiang Tingzhou said, “I’ll make braised goose—your hometown dish, and your specialty. If I try again, I might become a jack of all trades. So, just like before, I’ll make crispy roast goose.”

The stove was already prepared. Jiang Tingzhou arranged for it to be custom-built. It was a little rough around the edges, but it worked. Since roast goose took time, he made something else first to fill Cheng Shifei’s stomach.

He still remembered his senior brother’s tastes. With roast goose as the main dish that day, the side dishes were kept light and simple.

He served a plate of stir-fried vegetables with Puning soy sauce—fresh from the fields—a plate of steamed taro with pork ribs—the ribs tender, the taro soft and chewy—and a small snack: an old-fashioned egg cake he baked before they went out.

The cake wasn’t fancy; not a drop of water was added in the process. The egg aroma was rich, the outer layer slightly crisp, and the interior full of honeycomb-like air pockets. The only twist: Jiang Tingzhou used a mold to imprint the character “发” (fortune) on it.

“Oh, a fortune egg cake,” Cheng Shifei laughed as he ate. “You even remembered that little detail I mentioned. Your skills are even better now.”

Jiang Tingzhou smiled. “I thought the meaning was nice—wishing you a smooth trip to Yongqing.”

Outside, fine rain tapped against the glass windows. If you listened carefully, you could hear the faint ding-ding of droplets. It was a cold and rainy day, but inside his little house, everything was warm and cozy.

The kitchen fire burned in the clay stove because of the roast goose. You could hear the crackling of the lychee wood as it burned, and watch the flames flicker. The warm yellow lighting in the living room made it all even cozier.

The small house was spotless and tidy. The sofa was soft. No need for formality there—just sitting on the couch and eating casually was perfectly fine. Comfort came first.

On the coffee table, Jiang Tingzhou laid out a few snacks. Cheng Shifei always liked nibbling on those little treats. They were sour and sweet, and before he noticed, he ate half a can.

Half full now, he lay on the sofa and let out a long sigh. It was really relaxing there.

It no longer seemed necessary to ask why Jiang Tingzhou quit his job and stayed in that place. It was so peaceful, so pleasant—it made him want to stay for a few days himself.

“I was able to buy this house thanks to you, actually,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “When I told you not to mention A Bite of China to Lu Group in advance, you didn’t even question it and just agreed.”

That decision later enabled the reversal at the Jiang Group board meeting.

Cheng Shifei patted his shoulder. “You’ve got the ability, and you’re willing to ask for help. Besides, for something like this, I’m glad I could help. Even if you hadn’t told me, President Qin would’ve found out sooner or later.” He sighed. “Besides, being a few days early helped avoid a direct confrontation between The Lu Group and Suda.”

The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. He could talk about those things freely with Jiang Tingzhou. So, he shared everything he was holding back.

“You know the A Bite of China issue is troublesome. When I saw all the reporters today, and The Lu Group showed up with two heavy hitters—Qin Rushuang and Lu Baiyu—I had a bad feeling things wouldn’t be resolved easily,” Cheng Shifei said. “The station told me both sides expressed interest in the title sponsorship. I already had a bad feeling.”

It was well known that The Lu Group and Suda were sworn enemies. Cheng Shifei was cautious from the start and never made any promises. He hoped to stall for more time, but Suda acted faster than expected.

Originally, he was supposed to head to Yongqing, but after the Lu Jiahe scandal broke, he detoured to another city to avoid it.

But as it turned out, there was no avoiding it.

“When we filmed the first season, the only problem was lack of funding. Now that there’s funding, all sorts of people are coming in,” Cheng Shifei shook his head and sighed. “I’ve worked with Suda. They’re no saints. Lu Group isn’t as clean-cut as they appear either. A big company like that isn’t run on goodwill alone. Some of the production staff are clearly compromised. Even if I want to stay out of it, I’m already caught in the middle.”

He feared A Bite of China would become collateral damage in the feud between the two companies. Each had their own network, and caught between them, Cheng Shifei grew more cautious.

Looking at how things were unfolding, he had more thoughts: “Tingzhou, doesn’t it strike you as strange? Lu Group only issued a statement and then began slow-playing the situation. They didn’t seem interested in retaliating, even though Zheng Zexing’s personal scandals are worse.”

Cheng Shifei initially thought Lu Group was retreating after a loss. But when he saw the kind of high-level people they sent to pick him up, it was clear—they weren’t giving up at all.

He just wanted to vent, not expecting a response.

But Jiang Tingzhou, who was quietly listening, said, “Why fight back? Very few people know about Zheng Zexing’s mess. He rarely appears in public except for major events. Digging into that won’t make a good impression. And just because the Zheng family is dirty—does that prove Lu Jiahe is clean?”

“That’s true. If The Lu Group didn’t do anything wrong, would Suda have gained ground so easily?”

Jiang Tingzhou replied calmly, “No.”

“Hey, Tingzhou, you know how seriously CCTV takes its reputation. Suda struck while The Lu Group was down. Lu Jiahe’s scandal is still trending—how humiliating,” Cheng Shifei said. “The sponsorship has been delayed too long. It’ll be finalized soon.”

Jiang Tingzhou smiled. “Brother, the core issue was never about internet gossip, or comparing who has the messier private life. It’s not even about the CCTV sponsorship.”

Cheng Shifei blinked. “Then what is it?”

“It’s you, brother,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “You’re still young—only thirty—and A Bite of China isn’t your only project. Food documentaries were a niche before you came along. Now you’re a household name in that field. Online drama fades quickly. But business is long-term. These things don’t hinge on a moment.”

Cheng Shifei was someone who cared about control, had a strong artistic temperament, and held onto his pride and ideals. He hated this kind of backroom scheming—but that didn’t mean he was naive.

Take Lu Jiahe’s case: he saw the issue immediately, even before the public did.

Public opinion could fool the crowd for a time, draw attention, even fool him—the key decision-maker. But only for a while.

Now, Cheng Shifei still held the title sponsorship firmly in his hands. He would not give it up, even if the higher-ups came to persuade him. He feared that the struggle between those massive leading enterprises would damage the brand he painstakingly built, and he refused to be threatened by it.

At that stage, however, choosing between the two was inevitable. It wasn’t easy for him to pick a side. Still, the Lu Group approach was indeed less aggressive than Suda’s.

After all, Suda even planted a deputy director, Sun, in his team. When The Lu Group people came to pick him up at the airport and found out he was leaving abruptly, they only tried to persuade him a few times and didn’t stop him in the end.

Now The Lu Group only sent a short, polite message: “Director Cheng, let us know anytime. We’ll send a car immediately.” It was a comfortable, respectful attitude.

Cheng Shifei thought for a moment and said, “But I shouldn’t choose the Lu Group just because I feel good for the moment.”

Jiang Tingzhou shook his head: “Of course it’s not just that. Senior brother, you’re still…”

“…not sure,” Cheng admitted.

Meanwhile, in a hospital room, Lu Baiyu discussed a similar topic with Qin Rushuang.

“Aunt Qin, A Bite of China would be released simultaneously on the video platform. The sponsorship was divided into two parts: CCTV’s sponsorship and the pre-roll ads on the video platform. These two could be separated. CCTV cared about its current reputation, so that part could be discarded. The video platform sponsorship was still negotiable. We still had advantages there. Even if only the video platform sponsorship went through, it wasn’t insignificant. The influence of A Bite of China was enormous. Cheng Shifei came to Dongjiang to collect folk songs this time, and he would visit many places. China was rich in resources and representative foods. In the end, he would select a few to feature. What he preferred—all those decisions rested with Cheng Shifei.”

Qin Rushuang listened, a bit confused. Wasn’t the issue always about the sponsorship?

“We chose A Bite of China as the title sponsor to target regular consumers,” Lu Baiyu continued. “Imagine a typical consumer: they might watch ads before the film, but most didn’t pay much attention. But if they saw food they wanted to buy in the film, or followed a link, or searched on an online shopping platform, they would choose the most reliable flagship store at the top. If at that moment, the store’s customer service told them the store cooperated with land transport and prioritized land express delivery—because land transport preserved freshness best and was fastest— In business, the details mattered. If you did this well, who would really care about who the sponsor or pre-film advertiser was?”

”“…So we just needed to strike deals with those flagship stores in advance…” Qin murmured. “Oh—I get it. Watch what Cheng filmed. See what he was likely to feature. Then send someone to talk to the merchants in advance.”

Lu Baiyu already outlined that step. It would’ve been foolish not to understand it. The Lu Group marketing network spanned the country, an advantage built over the last two years.

People like Cheng Shifei, even if pressured to compromise commercially on sponsorship, would never compromise on the documentary’s finished product. What clips he chose for the feature film and future plans were controlled by any assistant director on the team.

Qin Rushuang understood. “No wonder the Lu Jiahe scandal was still trending. I tried to get it removed, and you said not to bother. In fact, it was to divert attention. Suda thought they’d won, and dropped their guard. You were…”

“Draining the firewood under the cauldron.”

Back in the house, Jiang Tingzhou tossed another log into the stove. The fire crackled softly.

His voice remained calm.

“So, what Lu Jiahe’s private life was like, who won or lost the online war, or even who sponsored the second season of A Bite of China, those seemingly big issues weren’t the core—they were just surface distractions,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “Brother, the fundamental thing was direct market feedback. You were the key point.”

Cheng Shifei exhaled deeply.

Compared to Suda’s aggressive pursuit and interception, if The Lu Group was willing to step back, not make things difficult, and fully respect his creative freedom in pursuit of long-term collaboration—then that truly was the best offer.

“It really was a complete and perfect plan. Even if you understood it, it’s hard to refuse,” Cheng Shifei sighed. “But Tingzhou, how did you know all this so clearly? Or, to put it another way, what was your relationship with Lu Baiyu?”

Cheng Shifei was stunned by how shrewd Jiang Tingzhou became, amazed at how his thinking aligned with the Lu Group’s approach. But when he recalled how Lu Baiyu looked at him at the airport, he understood.

Cheng suspected something before.

Though Jiang Tingzhou kept his feelings well hidden, a keen observer could spot some clues.

They crossed paths several times, and Jiang Tingzhou’s work style and mindset bore his influence, making those connections not difficult to guess.

“We dated,” Jiang Tingzhou said simply, “we broke up.”

Cheng Shifei: “Huh? That fast? Why?”

Jiang Tingzhou thought for a moment. He saw Lu Baiyu a few times since his rebirth. The situations varied. But his evaluation remained the same: “Not suitable.”

Yet he knew Lu Baiyu too well.

Just a few rounds of business dealings with him were enough to grasp everything. His own style and thinking inevitably carried his imprint, so it wasn’t hard to figure things out.

“So, brother, don’t overthink and don’t feel pressured. The Lu Group won’t harm you. If you have any requests, just tell them,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “Just film what you want to film.”

“…What I want to film?”

Since that was mentioned, Cheng Shifei had something to say: “Tingzhou, I won’t hide it from you. I came to Yongqing just to film you. Since I became a director, you’ve always been the chef I most wanted to work with. You’ve always been the best chef in my heart.”