The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 61

Although Jiang Tingzhou’s words were direct, they were absolutely correct—striking straight at the Jang family’s vital weakness.

The Jang family worked in real estate, and the Li family focused on financial investment. When Li Shuyan’s incident occurred, it was right when the Li family’s investment project was about to turn around and make a comeback.

At that moment, the Jang family pushed for the marriage more aggressively than ever, because they desperately needed funds—not only for the school district housing project, but also for several major provincial developments launching simultaneously.

Housing prices surged repeatedly and neared their peak. The Jang family expanded rapidly, and land prices hit new highs, leaving them in urgent need of cash flow.

Although the two families had cooperated in the past, they always operated in different sectors. Now that they were close to becoming in-laws, the Jang family intended to inject substantial capital. But just as everything was about to fall into place, the truth exploded—and Li Shuyan flipped the table.

“Come on! Get him out of here!”

Father Jiang had kept relatively composed until now. Even when Li Shuyan threw out evidence in front of everyone, he quickly calmed the room, ordered the doors shut, and activated a signal jammer with practiced ease. But now, with Jiang Tingzhou standing there, bluntly calling him out to his face, he snapped.

“What are you? Just showing up here out of nowhere and daring to interfere in Jang family business?” he shouted. “Kick him out!”

Lu Baiyu stepped forward coldly. “Let’s see who dares.”

He had been closely tracking this situation, and he certainly wasn’t the only one there for it.

Li Shuyan was prepared as well.

This confrontation was no longer under the Jang family’s control. What she wanted now was for her parents to see the Jang family’s true face.

Even Qin Rushuang, who came on behalf of the Qin family, could no longer stay neutral because Jiang Tingzhou was involved.

Despite Father Jang’s outburst, fewer and fewer people stood with him.

Everyone present was a major figure not easily provoked. The executives were sweating bullets—they called every connection they had, and there was no real way out of this.

The Jang family held neither the moral nor strategic advantage. Trying to throw out Jiang Tingzhou, who was simply speaking the truth, was absolutely impossible.

“Old Jang, if you keep this up, things will only get uglier,” Qin Rushuang said. “You’d better stop forcing the issue.”

Even she, listening to Jiang Tingzhou’s words, could no longer view the situation as a neutral third party.

There had been many reasons for Li Shuyan’s suffering in high school, but she knew exactly what Jiang Tingzhou went through at the time because of it.

Now, the truth was out. She also heard the stories about Mayor Lu. Qin Rushuang wanted to rebuild a relationship with Jiang Tingzhou. She had worked in public relations for a long time and initially thought it wouldn’t be difficult. But now, she realized just how many things had been buried and left unresolved.

Especially since this involved Jiang You.

Even though Qin Rushuang tried to defuse the situation, her efforts didn’t help. Instead, Jang Li cut in with a different narrative.

“Why is the Qin family airing sarcastic comments in public?” he sneered. “What, are you trying to distance yourselves now? That incident in high school wasn’t my idea. It was Jiang You who came to me—everything happened because of him.” He turned to Lu Jiahe. “Who do you think came up with the whole thing? Wasn’t it Jiang You, your best friend? I don’t need to say why Jiang You did it. Back then none of you cared, but now everyone’s turning on me just because Jiang Tingzhou has value. Back then, who even defended him? What about me? You’re all judging me like this, but at least I’ve stayed with Shuyan all these years. I truly like her! I just want a chance to make it right!”

As Jang Li spoke, he got more and more worked up. He lashed out and knocked over an antique vase in the hall. With a loud crash, it shattered into countless pieces.

Qin Rushuang frowned. She hadn’t expected Jang Li to deflect blame so aggressively, even dragging her own side into the mess. She instinctively wanted to retort.

After all, the Lu family had long cut ties with Jiang You. Who could’ve guessed that someone so well-behaved on the surface could be so dark underneath?

But before she could speak, Lu Jiahe—who had remained silent behind her—finally opened his mouth.

“The incident in high school—Jiang You can’t escape responsibility. He must bear the consequences for what he did. But Jang Li, don’t try to use others to hide your own mistakes. You did what you did—you bear that yourself,” he said sharply. “You know exactly how you treated Li Shuyan in high school. You liked her, but didn’t pursue her properly. You were ashamed, so you used whatever dirty tricks you could think of. You never really loved her. Saying all this now just makes people sick.”

Lu Jiahe finished and glanced at Jiang Tingzhou. In truth, he had been sneaking looks at him since the moment he walked in.

But Jiang Tingzhou didn’t even glance his way. Instead, he looked toward Li Shuyan’s parents and said calmly, “After hearing all this, do you still think this is something that can be brushed aside? Do you still want to continue cooperating with the Jang family? Even if there’s real profit in the future, are you not afraid of being stabbed in the back by a partner with no principles?”

Even if Jang Li’s actions alone didn’t explain everything, the Jang family’s refusal to sincerely apologize spoke volumes.

The Li family’s hesitation was understandable. The investment agreement wasn’t signed yet, but the deal was close to being finalized.

They were furious over what Li Shuyan endured—but this was a nearly 10-billion-yuan project. They couldn’t just walk away overnight. The sunk cost was massive. On paper, the school district housing project looked excellent—far better than the sugar factory project they once passed on. From a business standpoint, the Li parents’ original judgment wasn’t wrong.

But now, Li Xu added fuel to the fire.

Li Xu, Li Shuyan’s uncle, was in charge of a separate investment field. He knew Jiang Tingzhou personally.

After witnessing everything that day, he finally spoke: “Brother, let’s put aside emotions and talk business. I’ve told you—the commercial housing market isn’t what it used to be. The worst thing an investor can do is chase highs. Besides urban renewal, we should diversify. School district housing isn’t a good move anymore. Pulling out now might be our last chance. If reinvestment fails, the whole Li family could be dragged down.”

Li Xu had made a fortune through keen investment sense. He knew what he was saying.

Father Li listened silently, still visibly shaken. But Mother Li looked at her daughter and recalled countless memories.

They were never short on money—but they only had this one daughter.

And now, her eyes were full of determination. She had kept her composure even while exposing old wounds. What made a mother’s heart ache even more was the fact that Li Shuyan chose to speak out there and then, without a word to her parents beforehand. She left herself no retreat.

When she was young, she fell ill under the pressure of the family’s situation. Her mother thought she could protect her from now on, be her shield.

But now, she felt nothing but sorrow.

“The engagement is canceled.” Mother Li glanced at Jiang Tingzhou, then took a deep breath and said to the Jang family, “From now on, we will no longer engage in any business dealings with the Jang family.”

Father Jang was stunned. “This is a huge project! Are you really being this reckless? Brother Li, say something! We’ve been brothers for decades, since we were kids! Why throw all this away over something that’s already passed? I’ll even change the profit-sharing ratio—give you more!”

Father Li had been overwhelmed and indecisive earlier. But when he heard this, he finally shook his head.

“You still think this is a small matter?” he said. “You know what Shuyan went through back then. She still has scars on her wrist. And you think this is just about money?”

Even now, he didn’t dare utter the words “suicide attempt.”

He felt hollow and betrayed—like he was seeing a longtime friend for the first time, and realizing how little he truly knew him.

If the school district project were truly risk-free, the Jang family wouldn’t have been acting like this. Clearly, they were hiding a lot more.

At last, Li Shuyan felt a sense of relief.

She exhaled slowly, as if releasing everything she had been holding in.

She had been trying to escape the shadows of the past, reminding herself not to look back. But only when everything was resolved, and the price fully paid, could she truly be free.

Li Shuyan looked at Jiang Tingzhou.

She thought his feelings would mirror her own—but that wasn’t the case. Jiang Tingzhou was only slightly surprised after hearing the truth. He stayed calm throughout.

He had experienced far more than Li Shuyan. Even higher-level storms didn’t shake him anymore.

Now that things had come to this, there was no reason to remain in deadlock. The Li family had already expressed their stance and left, unwilling to maintain any contact. But Jang Li still couldn’t accept it.

It wasn’t just about a collapsed business deal. The Jang family’s cash flow was clearly in deep trouble. And the woman who was supposed to be his wife had left. He rushed out in pursuit, trying to stop her—only to be blocked by Jiang Tingzhou.

Jang Li was furious. After being held back, he still tried to fight. But when he got close, Jiang Tingzhou grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward. Jang Li swung a fist at him, but Jiang Tingzhou blocked it and struck him in the face.

Then Jiang Tingzhou threw him toward the door. Jang Li’s head slammed into it. Dazed and furious, he tried to stand and charge again—only to take another punch to the face.

Everyone in the room looked like respectable people who wouldn’t fight. But Jiang Tingzhou wasn’t one of them.

Once he started, he never lost. Great chefs were always strong.

Jang Li lay on the ground. When he looked up, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He coughed hard and spat out a broken tooth.

“Jiang Tingzhou, you…!” His speech was already slurred.

“The Li family is one thing. I’m just taking back what belongs to me—that’s already being kind,” Jiang Tingzhou said, looking down at him as if at garbage. “If you’ve got the guts, go ahead and sue me.”

Losing the deal and his fiancée—mental pain wasn’t enough. He needed to feel physical pain too.

Besides, Jang Li had made the first move.

It all happened so fast that Lu Baiyu, who had been following Jiang Tingzhou, didn’t react at first.

He was a little worried. “Tingzhou, is your hand okay? You don’t need to handle it yourself.”

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t respond.

Once things wrapped up and everyone started leaving one after another, Li Shuyan wanted to speak to him, but Qin Rushuang stopped her.

“I’ll take care of Jiang You,” she said to Jiang Tingzhou. “I know he was only brought into the Jiang family because of my personal ties. I have to take responsibility.”

She said this sincerely—not to deflect blame, but because it was the truth.

From the moment Lu Jiahe got into trouble, she had already felt something off about Jiang You. The boy she once watched grow up now felt like a venomous snake.

Now she realized the two things exposed so far weren’t everything. Even just the parts she knew were enough to make her sick. How must Jiang Tingzhou feel, having faced him more than once after returning to the Jiang family?

Even after hearing all this, Jiang Tingzhou remained expressionless.

Jiang You was already a stray dog. Even if Qin Rushuang didn’t handle him, Li Shuyan would. She had told Jiang Tingzhou before that just the blackmailing alone could land him in jail. The Jiang family wouldn’t protect him anymore.

Even with his tens of millions of fans, online sentiment had flipped overnight. On top of his recent mistakes, people dug up his earlier incident of buying marketing to step on a food blogger. Now, everyone was calling for his downfall.

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t even need to lift a finger.

When Jiang You was a content creator, he played many tricks. Back then, he had money and no one could touch him. But now, things had changed. The moment the wall collapsed, plenty of people came forward to accuse him. There was no need for him to return to the Xiangyun Peninsula again.

Jiang You never truly built anything solid. He looked like a blooming flower, but a light push would topple him like dominoes.

Just like in his previous life—once Jiang Tingzhou overcame the “A Bite of China,” Jiang You no longer had anything to fight him with and quickly fell behind. When even his only backer, Lu Jiahe, saw his true colors, Jiang You became irrelevant.

This time, it just happened a little earlier. But unlike last time, Jiang Tingzhou felt no satisfaction.

At most, it was closure. The high school incident was finally resolved. For Jiang Tingzhou, it was not just closure between him and his friend—it also solved the long-standing doubts he had held. That brought a slight sense of relief.

Now, after thinking for a moment and listening to everything, he stood in place for a while, then suddenly turned to Lu Baiyu and said, “I have something to say to you.”

Lu Baiyu froze for a second, then his face lit up.

He thought that after this whole incident, he had at least helped a little—and maybe their relationship had improved.

He said tentatively, “Tingzhou, let me drive you back. We can talk on the way.”

This was a rare chance. He wanted to spend a bit more time with Jiang Tingzhou.

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t refuse.

He got into the car and sat in the front passenger seat. He didn’t buckle his seatbelt, and only said one sentence—one that instantly chilled Lu Baiyu to the bone before he could even start the engine.

Jiang Tingzhou asked, “How much do you remember?”