The God of Cookery was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by Lu Ming's retort.
But he quickly regained his composure.
"Actually, I value food very much," the God of Cookery said disdainfully. "I was just angry earlier. How could the food be so unpalatable?!"
"Unpalatable?" Lu Ming picked up a mouthful of rice, chewing it slowly.
"Little Lu!" Lin Ziang said with concern. "This bowl of rice fell on the ground and it's dirty. Shall I get you another one?"
Lu Ming smiled and shook his head. "The rice isn't dirty. The people are."
He took another bite.
Lu Ming gave a thumbs-up. "Soft, sweet, and fragrant. This bowl of rice is excellent."
Then, he sampled the other dishes.
"Perfect."
"Every dish is perfect."
"It's been a long time since I've tasted such delicious food."
Lu Ming looked at the God of Cookery. "Every dish is sweet and delicious, incredibly good. Why did you lie and say it was unpalatable? God of Cookery, heh, with your taste buds, you should be renamed God of Shit!"
"Insolence!" The God of Cookery slammed the table and stood up. "I am certified by multiple institutions and possess qualification certificates! You, a rural bumpkin, a commoner, can your tongue compare to mine? If I say it's unpalatable, then it's unpalatable!"
Lu Ming chuckled. "In that case, why don't we all try it? We'll know if it's good or bad once we've tasted it."
The crowd exchanged glances and then picked up their chopsticks to sample the food.
They were indeed curious if Lin Ziang's cooking was as inedible as the God of Cookery claimed.
After tasting, everyone's eyes lit up.
"Delicious, so delicious!"
"Truly a delicacy."
"To call such delicious food unpalatable, what kind of God of Cookery is he? His words aren't reliable at all."
With the crowd's affirmation, Lin Ziang was so touched he almost cried.
The God of Cookery frowned slightly.
He took two steps back and spoke to the camera. "Family in the livestream, you've all seen it! Not only is the food at this Zhu Lu restaurant bad, but they've also hired a bunch of stooges to twist the truth! Now you understand why their business is so good and renowned, right? It's not because Lin Ziang's cooking is good, it's just that the 'promotion' is on point."
With a few words, the God of Cookery had turned the situation around.
The livestream was filled with insults.
[No wonder such a small shop has such a big reputation, they must have paid for it!]
[Heh, these stooges are really good actors. The food was clearly terrible, yet they all ate it with relish.]
[Are there any more jobs available? Count me in.]
[Thanks to the God of Cookery for helping me avoid a pitfall!]
The viewers in the livestream hurled various taunts and curses. If this continued, Zhu Lu's reputation would be ruined beyond repair.
Lu Ming shook his head slightly.
He looked at the God of Cookery and said, "Are you saying we're all stooges who were paid?"
"Aren't you?" The God of Cookery sneered. "Making money by going against your conscience, aren't you disgusted?"
Suddenly.
Lu Ming took out his phone from his pocket and, in front of everyone, played a recording.
This recording was of Hu Zi threatening and intimidating Lin Ziang in the kitchen earlier, demanding a million yuan in cooperation fees!
From the moment Hu Zi entered the kitchen, Lu Ming had his eyes on him.
With his limited abilities, he was no match for the keen detection skills of the Dragon Warlord.
After hearing Hu Zi's exact words, everyone understood what had happened.
"Damn, so that's the real story."
"Pay for a good review, no pay for a bad one. God of Cookery? God of Shit!"
The crowd was incensed and moved to attack the God of Cookery's team.
Seeing that the truth was exposed, the God of Cookery glared fiercely at Hu Zi, blaming him for his incompetence. Not only did he fail to get the money, but he was also recorded, leaving evidence.
Lu Ming looked at the God of Cookery and questioned, "Do you have anything else to say now?"
The God of Cookery let out a cold laugh.
He snapped his fingers, and his subordinates immediately put down the cameras and shut off the livestream. The rest of the events could not be broadcast live.
The God of Cookery stopped pretending.
He moved a stool, sat down, and casually lit a cigarette.
He took a deep drag.
The God of Cookery said slowly, "Kid, you like to mind other people's business, don't you? But do you know that some matters are not to be meddled with?"
Lu Ming smiled. "Well, I'm minding it now. What are you going to do about it?"
"Good, I admire your courage," the God of Cookery said, giving a thumbs-up. "But in a little while, when my number one fan arrives, I hope you'll still have this much courage."
Number one fan?
Lu Ming frowned. Why did all these streamers have a number one fan?
Lu Ming asked, "What, is your number one fan very powerful?"
The God of Cookery said arrogantly, "Do you know about the Jinling underground boxing matches?"
Lu Ming nodded. "Yes, I do."
The God of Cookery tilted his head back, saying smugly, "My number one fan is the boss of the underground boxing matches, the number one Western boxing master, known as Wujian Yanwang – Brother Yan Ming!!!"
Whoosh—
Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped.
They all knew this Yan Ming.
He was notorious for his brutality and cruelty! He was capable of any wicked deed; offending Yan Ming was no different from offending the King of Hell.
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat for Lu Ming.
However.
When Lu Ming heard the name 'Yan Ming', he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Him again?
Last time, during the Xiao Ni Niang incident, the number one fan was Yan Ming. Why was the God of Cookery's number one fan also him this time?
Lu Ming thought to himself: What is wrong with this Yan Ming? He's a number one fan for both men and women. Is he bisexual?
The God of Cookery saw Lu Ming lost in thought and assumed Lu Ming was scared stiff.
He said smugly, "Are you scared now? Too late! Let me tell you, Brother Yan Ming is on his way. When my number one fan arrives, he'll cut off your ears and then slit your tongue! See if you're still arrogant?"
Lu Ming remained unconcerned.
Lin Ziang, however, panicked.
After all, Lu Ming had provoked the God of Cookery and Yan Ming's group because of him.
Lin Ziang couldn't bear to see Lu Ming get hurt and shouted, "Little Lu, you run first! I'll handle everything here!"
Lu Ming asked, "Can you deal with Yan Ming?"
Lin Ziang shook his head.
Lu Ming asked, "Then how will you handle it?"
Lin Ziang said, "Ever since I was young, you've always stood up for me. You are my only brother, and I can't let you get hurt. This time, it's my turn to stand up for you and take the bullet. Little Lu, hurry and run. I'll hold Yan Ming back!"
Seeing his sincere expression, Lu Ming felt a warmth in his heart, deeply moved.
However…
Lu Ming reached out and patted Lin Ziang on the shoulder, smiling. "Since it's always been me standing up for you, why should we change the rules this time?"
He asked Lin Ziang to sit down and comforted him, "Don't worry, when Yan Ming comes, I'll still make him kneel and apologize."