Xue Hong sought Song Xiao to 'uphold justice' not because Song Xiao was a professional, but simply because Song Xiao had been paid.
Furthermore, Song Xiao had already slandered Yaoshi with a clear conscience.
Having a credible figure like Song Xiao, who was also paid, explain the situation was perfect for Xue Hong.
Xue Hong looked at Song Xiao, awaiting his answer.
Song Xiao lowered his head, his fists clenched, showing a hint of hesitation.
Yao Wenxian said to Song Xiao, "Mr. Song, I believe in your authority. I implore you, by the title of gourmet appraiser, to make a fair and objective judgment!"
The more he was urged, the more Song Xiao hesitated, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer.
A gourmet appraiser next to him said, "I cannot continue to act against my conscience. I admit, we all lied before. Ming Yue Zhai's Yaoshi is a delicacy, not trash!"
Roar!!!
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves.
Xue Hong's eyeballs nearly popped out, and his beard bristled with anger.
Yao Wenxian nodded with satisfaction and looked at Xue Hong, saying, "Well? Even the authorities say Yaoshi is a delicacy. Do you still have any doubts?"
"No!" Xue Hong directly ignored the other man's judgment and turned back to Song Xiao, saying, "These people are fair-weather friends. They changed their tune under your intimidating pressure, Deputy Director. Only Mr. Song is upright and unyielding. I only trust Mr. Song's words!"
This was a path to the bitter end, with no intention of turning back.
Xue Hong gritted his teeth and looked at Song Xiao, "Say something!"
After a long pause.
Song Xiao raised his head and burst into laughter.
Everyone was baffled. What was so funny?
Song Xiao exhaled slowly and said, "I was wrong. Terribly wrong. I boasted of having the world's best talent in gourmet appraisal, yet I acted against my conscience, twisting right and wrong. I truly deserve to die."
Something was amiss.
As Song Xiao spoke, Xue Hong vaguely sensed that Song Xiao might be about to betray him.
"Mr. Song!" Xue Hong shouted, trying to stop Song Xiao from defecting.
But it was too late.
Song Xiao said with great conviction, "Yaoshi is indeed a delicacy, not trash. When I was eating it just now, I couldn't stop. It was the most delicious food I've ever tasted. After eating it, I felt refreshed and my mind was clear. Yaoshi is not only delicious, but it can also heal. I cannot continue to slander such an excellent product against my conscience. I apologize, everyone, I lied just now, and I ask for your forgiveness!"
With that, Song Xiao bowed 90 degrees to the crowd.
At this point, everyone in the room was stunned.
The turn of events was completely beyond their expectations. They had assumed Yaoshi was trash, a foregone conclusion, and that no accidents would occur.
Who would have thought of a sudden twist of fate.
Yao Wenxian's appearance changed the course of the situation; then, the ten gourmet appraisers defected.
One farce followed another, making for a lively scene.
However... the crowd was confused.
"Song Xiao, what were you thinking? Why did you lie just now?"
"First bad, then good. Are your words reliable? Can we believe anything you say?"
"Hey, Song Xiao, you wouldn't happen to be afraid of the Deputy Director's intimidation, would you, and can't tell the truth?"
"Give us a reason, why are you changing your tune now?!"
In response to the crowd's doubts, Song Xiao chuckled.
He was a ruthless man.
Song Xiao directly took out his phone and placed it on the table, saying, "The reason I spoke against my conscience and maliciously slandered Ming Yue Zhai just now is because I accepted money from the television station, a hundred thousand yuan! The transfer record is on my phone, and you can see it anytime if you wish. And it wasn't just me who took money; the other nine people also accepted bribes. That's why we told lies with our eyes open, calling delicious food unpalatable. We are guilty, so guilty!"
After he finished speaking, the other gourmet appraisers also lowered their heads, ashamed of their reprehensible act of accepting money.
Disgraceful.
They had sold their souls and were no longer worthy of being gourmet appraisers.
Yao Wenxian nodded and said, "Although you have all made mistakes, correcting them is a great virtue. To awaken at the most critical moment shows that you can still be redeemed."
A group of people were moved to tears.
Then.
Yao Wenxian looked at Xue Hong and reprimanded, "Xue Hong, you are audacious! As the head of the television station, you secretly bribed others to slander them, distorting facts and confusing right and wrong. You despicable and shameless scoundrel!"
With a thud, Xue Hong was so berated that he could barely stand and collapsed into a chair.
Beside him, the chief director, Chang Yunwei, had also wet himself.
He immediately knelt before Yao Wenxian, kowtowing repeatedly, "Deputy Director, I was wrong. I actually just wanted to take this opportunity to extort some money from Ming Yue Zhai, but Ming Yue Zhai refused, so I resented them. But I only resented them and didn't plan to produce their program; I had no other intentions. It was Director Xue who insisted on bribing Song Xiao and the others to deliberately slander Ming Yue Zhai, saying it was a case of 'killing the chicken to warn the monkeys,' to make Ming Yue Zhai infamous, and to make others fear us!"
Tsk tsk tsk, good heavens, Chang Yunwei had completely shifted the blame.
He was downplaying his own faults and exaggerating Xue Hong's.
He was willing to sacrifice his comrade to save himself, truly an insidious villain with his ability to kick someone when they're down.
Yao Wenxian glared at him, "You useless good-for-nothing! Your master, Old Xie, was such an excellent gourmet appraiser. How is it that you've inherited none of his virtues? Chang Yunwei, you are a villain, a true villain!"
With a raise of his hand.
Yao Wenxian declared, "Chang Yunwei, from this moment on, you are no longer the chief director. Leave the television station."
Chang Yunwei's face turned ashen.
He had spent so much effort and given so many gifts to obtain the position of chief director, and now it was stripped away so easily. He had suffered an immeasurable loss.
Unable to control himself, Chang Yunwei burst into tears like a three-year-old child.
He was ignored.
Yao Wenxian looked at Xue Hong and said, "Xue Hong, your position as head of the television station is certainly gone. Moreover, you are suspected of defamation, and I will send you to the police."
Xue Hong gave a wry smile and lowered his head.
In this battle, the television station had suffered a complete defeat!!!
Yao Wenxian delivered a great justice to Ming Yue Zhai and helped them clear their name. However, even Yao Wenxian himself did not know that his presence was also part of Lu Ming's original plan.
In this battle, Lu Ming and Wu Lingxuan did not directly stand on the 'stage.' The two of them, one manipulating Xue Hong, the other calculating Yao Wenxian.
Ultimately, Lu Ming's calculations were deeper, and he successfully secured this victory.
Later, when this episode of "A Bite of the Fog City" aired, its reputation skyrocketed, and its popularity remained high, elevating Ming Yue Zhai's fame to an unreachable level.
The Su family, in the Fog City catering industry, stood in opposition to the Wu family, seizing half of their wealth.
The Wu family suffered heavy losses.
...
Late at night, at the Wu family residence.
Wu Lingxuan sat on the sofa. Usually calm, her face was now flushed, and her body trembled with anger.
Despite her meticulous calculations everywhere, the Su family had still won in the end.
She couldn't swallow this insult!
One wrong step led to a cascade of errors.
The Su family was on the rise, their Yaoshi gaining widespread fame and becoming the new symbol of Fog City. In the future, the Su family was bound to become the leader of the Fog City culinary world.
If the Wu family lost even their last stronghold, they would be relegated to a second-rate family.
"Damn it!" Wu Lingxuan violently smashed the teacup in her hand onto the floor.
As a result.
Just as the teacup shattered, the ground began to shake violently.
An earthquake!
It lasted for about five to six minutes.
Wu Lingxuan and Wu Hao exchanged glances, then turned on the television. The news immediately reported: A magnitude seven earthquake occurred 130 kilometers outside Fog City, with multiple villages suffering misfortune and heavy casualties.
Originally a deeply unfortunate event.
However.
After watching the news, Wu Lingxuan burst into laughter. She slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Heaven has not abandoned my Wu family! An opportunity to make money has arrived!"