The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 6

The scene at the old Gongyan restaurant that night was destined to be a mess. Everyone expected it, but facing it in reality still made people miserable.

By dinnertime, complaints from regular customers increased. Some even returned dishes with cold expressions. The most frequently asked questions were, “Where’s your head chef?” and “Is this what Gongyan’s standards have come to?” But these were still considered minor issues.

The most embarrassing part was when the celebrity influencers, who were promised a redo of the banquet, all left disappointed.

These people had reputations to maintain. They didn’t cause a scene, but they left in a huff, tossing out parting words like, “Just wait and see.”

Manager Yang tried to explain, but everything he said only added fuel to the fire.

This time, it wasn’t just the usual difficult, self-important reporters who lost patience—even celebrity Zhao Tongzhi couldn’t hold back.

He had now been embarrassed twice, and worse, the guests he brought along were all high-profile. So that night, after leaving the restaurant, he reposted a viral Weibo post accusing Jiang Tingzhou of being morally corrupt. He claimed Jiang let fame go to his head at a young age, flaked on guests twice, was never around during work hours, and even assaulted his boss.

At that point, Manager Yang’s bruised legs came in handy.

He was in his forties—not old, not young—but with visible bruises on his legs and shoulders. He took carefully staged photos and posted them online, looking aggrieved and pitiful, like an abused elder.

“I’ve never met such a hot-tempered, arrogant chef before!”
— So said Zhao Tongzhi.

As soon as Zhao Tongzhi’s post labeled the young culinary champion as more arrogant than a celebrity, it drew attention. His arrogance seemed even worse in the context of a high-end restaurant like Gongyan, where customers paid a premium.

It wasn’t just fans of celebrities and influencers who were upset—casual onlookers joined the criticism too. With Zhao Tongzhi’s post and earlier complaints from a blogger, Jiang Tingzhou quickly became the main target. The topic climbed into the mid-range of Weibo’s trending list.

Back when he won the cooking competition, Jiang only trended briefly and low on the list—the show had limited mainstream appeal. Now, however, he got all the attention, for all the wrong reasons.

The internet exploded with condemnation. It was as if Jiang had committed every imaginable sin. Waves of fans demanded justice for their idols and called for him to be “dealt with.”

Jiang did have a social media account, registered long ago. He once uploaded cooking videos there—his most recent posts were clips from the TV show. Within minutes, the comment sections were flooded with hate.

Despite trending on social media, Jiang remained silent. He didn’t post, didn’t disable comments—he simply let it all unfold, as if waiting for execution.

On the show, he often wore a mask for hygiene, so many of those attacking him didn’t even know what he looked like. His account had only a few thousand followers. No one stepped in to defend him, and the few positive comments were drowned in the sea of abuse.

Soon, his entire comment section filled with slurs—an unbearable sight.

Even with his phone off, Jiang knew what was happening online.

Tian Hui saw the trending topic and the flood of hate. She was both furious and impressed.

“Oh my god, bro, this is exactly what you said would happen,” she exclaimed. “How did you know your boss would blame you for this? You even predicted Zhao Tongzhi would get dragged into the trending list. Nailed it!”

Jiang Tingzhou smiled.

His prediction had nothing to do with being reborn. None of this happened in his last life, but he knew the people at the old restaurant too well.

Zhao Tongzhi was an acquaintance of Manager Yang—of course he’d defend him. Manager Yang always dodged responsibility. This was the inevitable result.

In the past, whenever a customer got upset, it was almost always Jiang Tingzhou who came forward to smooth things over. Manager Yang called it “training,” and the staff got used to it. After all, Jiang Tingzhou was the Jiang family’s son—he couldn’t be fired anyway.

The capable take on more—believing someone like Jiang Tingzhou should be the one to step up.

Even An Xiaoping wasn’t surprised by what was happening now.

“You don’t know how much those people in the Jiang family bullied him,” An Xiaoping sneered. “I told him so many times, but he never listened—he just endured.”

Since coming back, Jiang Tingzhou had become more cautious, thinking three steps ahead and always considering the bigger picture. He reminded himself that impatience could ruin the whole plan and acted carefully everywhere.

The truth was, those who could endure were made to endure more.

Tian Hui still found it hard to believe. “But doesn’t your store manager know he was filmed? How dare he spread rumors like this?”

“He doesn’t know you’re a reporter,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “Even if he knew, he’d still do the same. Small media have no real influence, right?”

An Xiaoping set up a bed to stay in the ward and secretly checked his phone. Jiang Tingzhou kept telling him not to get involved in those online battles. It didn’t fit his image as a small internet celebrity and would only pollute his account.

An Xiaoping tried to restrain himself somewhat, but he still used a burner account to keep fighting.

“He even hired a water army. Don’t think I can’t see it!” he typed angrily. “It’s shameless to confuse right and wrong!”

Those people online don’t know anything!

Meanwhile, Tian Hui tapped away at her keyboard, editing her article. “Bro, I think it’s about time. I’ve added all the stuff you gave me and cleaned it up. Should we post it now?”

Jiang Tingzhou glanced over. “Go ahead. Your team lead’s not going to try to steal your story again, right?”

“He wanted to, since this attracted way more attention than before,” Tian Hui smiled. “But I followed your instructions and only showed him half. The video is still with me, I didn’t give it to him. Besides, big stories can’t wait. We need to get it to the editor-in-chief fast. He doesn’t have time to play tricks on me.”

The editor-in-chief of Qingyu News was very efficient. Without any delays, he called Tian Hui directly before publishing the manuscript.

The editor-in-chief at Qingyu News moved fast. He didn’t bother with red tape—just called Tian Hui directly. Normally, a video about a hospital altercation wouldn’t be a big deal. But paired with this scoop that could discredit a major celebrity like Zhao Tongzhi? It became a rare exclusive for a small outlet. Naturally, he got personally involved. Since others didn’t know the full story, no one could swoop in and steal credit.

Jiang Tingzhou glanced at the time and said, “Alright, get ready to post.”

At that moment, Manager Yang saw the trending searches climbing and felt his anger finally ease.

He noticed that some people posted photos online of the “hospital incident” from the previous day, but they were just ordinary bystanders. Against the wave of celebrity fans and paid commenters, those posts gained no traction and were quickly buried. That reassured him even more.

He thought he knew Jiang Tingzhou—just a dumb chef who could cook well. How many media connections could he possibly have? What influence could he wield?

If this drama kept spiraling, surely even President Jiang would hold him accountable. What would he do then?

He still wanted to compete with Jiang You?

Manager Yang sneered, leaned back in his chair, humming to himself as he prepared to watch Jiang Tingzhou get torn apart.

But as the trending searches peaked, the tide suddenly turned.

A local media outlet in Yongqing, “Qingyu News,” with over 100,000 followers, suddenly stepped in.

Though it couldn’t match Zhao Tongzhi’s millions of fans, what Qingyu News brought was solid evidence.

They had a complete, high-definition video of the so-called “hospital incident,” as well as a medical report stating that Jiang Tingzhou was running a high fever and had been advised to be hospitalized. Everything was verifiable. They even pinned the post to the top of their feed.

Since the story already drew public attention, and with fans and paid posters still trying to spin the narrative, any rational observer could instantly see something was off.

—“Wait a minute, who assaulted whom? Clearly, it was the restaurant manager who barged into the hospital and attacked a patient, even knocking over a nurse. That’s textbook hospital violence, isn’t it?”

—“What kind of celebrity expects someone with a 39-degree fever to cook for them? The medical record is right there, and now fans are cyberbullying the guy? Ridiculous.”

—“So that’s the truth. I already found the trending post fishy. Zhao Tongzhi calling someone else arrogant? Please. Everyone in the industry knows he’s the worst—riding on connections and full of himself. Let me tell you…”

With this reversal, the hot search that was dying down suddenly surged back into the top ten. Drama like this—someone attacking others only to be exposed themselves—had a gripping, theatrical quality that drew even more attention.

Though the water army and fans stubbornly argued, Manager Yang already sensed trouble.

Does Jiang Tingzhou really want to escalate this? Does he not want to protect the restaurant? Where does he find that reporter?

Questions flooded his mind.

He quickly called the water army company Jiang You recommended.

They were surprised by the development but promised they could turn things around—for a higher fee.

Manager Yang trembled at the price, but since things went this far, he gritted his teeth, agreed, and transferred the money immediately.

The water army did have some skill. They suppressed Qingyu News with counter-comments and flooded the page with positive posts. It seemed the situation might be reversed, but amid this tug-of-war, the topic’s popularity only grew.

What started as a small incident became the top trending topic.

But Manager Yang didn’t relax.

Soon after, his phone exploded with calls.

Logically, the attention shouldn’t have been on him. The online fight centered on Jiang Tingzhou, and Manager Yang wasn’t a public figure. Even if public opinion shifted, Zhao Tongzhi was still the big star.

But the callers weren’t ordinary people—they were VIP customers of Gongyan, demanding answers.

“Yang Jinhao, what gives you the right to let people cut in line?!”

“When did Gongyan allow queue-jumping? Get out here and explain yourself!”

“Who cares about celebrities or influencers? What are they compared to us?”

“If you don’t clarify how people can get private rooms at the last minute, I’m never coming back. Does Yongqing lack high-end restaurants like yours? Explain yourself!”

Manager Yang was dumbfounded. He could only force a smile and apologize repeatedly. It took him a long time to realize the real implications of that news article.

This wasn’t about arrogance or who was in the right.

It wasn’t even about him and Jiang Tingzhou anymore.

Zhao Tongzhi’s fans knew his schedule well. He came to Yongqing last-minute after another event got canceled. But Gongyan reservations typically had to be made a week in advance—even doubling the price couldn’t guarantee the best room. Yet somehow, Zhao got in on short notice?!

Yongqing and the surrounding coastal cities were among the most developed in the country. Gongyan’s clientele were often extremely high-status. These people didn’t care about online influencers or celebs. And now, seeing that this crowd got better treatment than them?

That was intolerable.

Gongyan had always charged sky-high prices, especially at the old branch. A table for eight could cost more than a luxury handbag. Its position as the top fine-dining restaurant in Yongqing—and even in nearby cities—was long unshaken. People traveled just to eat there.

Beyond the food and service, clients paid for prestige. Business dinners were often held there to show respect, demonstrate power, and secure partnerships. This intangible “brand aura” was invaluable.

Booking difficulties didn’t damage this halo, but this quarrel revealed details about celebrities getting special treatment and jumping the line, which upset many longtime guests.

Manager Yang’s backdoor service, relying on personal connections and promotion ideas, was no big deal—if it stayed hidden. But now it was out in the open, making headlines—and trending—it looked disgraceful.

He had been so focused on taking revenge on Jiang Tingzhou that he completely overlooked the collateral damage this would cause. Now, he was in shock.

If those powerful clients felt slighted—felt that they were no longer “exclusive” or “respected”—Gongyan would face a crisis worse than anything else.

Some of those angry phone calls even reached the CEO of the Jiang Corporation.

At that point, things truly spiraled out of control.