Chapter 26: This Variety Show Is Kind of Addicting

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: This Variety Show Is Kind of Addicting

The first episode of *Cub Observation Diary* wasn’t even over, but the hashtag #NanZhiBeauty had already quietly climbed to the bottom of the trending list, with the discussion driven entirely by word-of-mouth!

[This woman is vicious, but she’s genuinely beautiful... Strange, was Nan Zhi ever this pretty before?]

[She definitely had plastic surgery! I’d bet my life on it!]

[Her features haven’t changed, but her whole vibe is different. I’m curious about what she’s been through.]

[Did her soul get transmigrated into or something? HAHAHAHA!]

[I used to get annoyed just by looking at Nan Zhi; I hated her from the bottom of my heart! And anyone I’ve hated like that before, whether they were a regular person or a celebrity, always ended up having a major scandal! But this time, I don’t feel that way about Nan Zhi at all! Does anyone else get what I mean?]

[I know why! Before, Nan Zhi had this supercilious look in her eyes, this arrogant "I’m on a whole other level than you peasants" vibe. That feeling is gone now!]

[Exactly, exactly!]

...

Beauty is the ultimate asset.

No matter how many negative rumors had surrounded Nan Zhi in the past.

The moment the audience saw her face now, they couldn’t help but entertain the ridiculous thought, ’Maybe there’s a reason she’s so vicious?’

They cursed her, but at the same time, they were curious about her performance.

So instead of leaving right after hurling insults, they kept watching.

And then they discovered—

This show was seriously addicting!

The suspenseful premise, the real predicaments the guests faced...

The tight editing, the beautiful, cinematic shots, the perfectly-timed background music...

You could say that every one of the four guest groups’ storylines was fantastic!

It had it all: comedy, suspense, joy, and sorrow!

And among all of them, the segments featuring the mother-son duo, Nan Zhi and Nan Yi, were the most captivating!

They had the worst possible start, a truly hellish beginning, yet Nan Zhi and Nan Yi managed to forge a path forward against all odds.

Neither mother nor son complained or gave in to despair. Instead, they breezed through every problem as if it were nothing.

People always admire those they can never be.

How could anyone not admire Nan Zhi and Nan Yi’s incredible proactiveness?

The first episode ended on the scene of Nan Zhi and Nan Yi setting up their stall at the night market.

The camera filmed Nan Zhi in a full-body shot, completely shutting down any speculation that she was faking her skills.

Then, set to a highly rhythmic background track, Nan Zhi skillfully chopped vegetables, beat eggs, and stir-fried...

This segment was, without a doubt, Nan Zhi’s time to shine!

She wasn’t just a chef; she was like a general commanding troops, a composed master Go player, an elegant and confident dancer!

The rest of the world seemed to fade into the background. Only she, amidst the smoke and flames of her cooking, was the sole point of light!

Who wouldn’t fall in love with a Nan Zhi like that!

And so...

Almost as soon as the show finished airing, several threads popped up on the nation’s largest entertainment forum.

The most popular thread didn’t mention any names, but anyone with eyes could tell who it was about.

**[That variety show that’s been getting flamed so hard lately seems... actually pretty good!]**

[OP: I was a die-hard anti-fan of a certain female celebrity! The kind who would join in to kick her while she’s down if I saw someone else insulting her! But I watched the show and I think I’m about to become a fan. What do I do?]

[1F: Can you fans stop with the act?]

[OP replied: I’m not a fan! If I am, I hope I get hit by a car and die the second I step outside!]

[3F: ...You don’t have to make such a vicious oath.]

[4F: Watched the show, and I feel the same way as the OP. I didn’t even think she was that beautiful when she first appeared, but the way she made fried rice was completely captivating! It had me drooling in the middle of the night!]

[5F: That egg-fried rice looked so good. The night market is right next to my house. Should I go "test for poison" for everyone?]

[6F: Go, go! Eat and report back!]

[7F: I’m hooked too. I can’t wait for the next episode. It feels like I’m watching one of those satisfying dramas with a strong female lead...]

[8F: A satisfying drama with a strong female lead? Then what does that make us? The brainless netizens who get their faces slapped later on?]

[9F: Hey, isn’t 7F the same person who posted this afternoon, bashing the production team and a certain celebrity?]

[10F: *facepalm* Don’t expose them.]

...

The show itself was of high quality.

And outside the show, the production team launched a multi-pronged counter-offensive.

They issued clarifications where needed, provided explanations where necessary, and filed lawsuits where appropriate.

Finally!

The tide of public opinion had turned!

Although many netizens were still stubborn—praising the director, the editing, and the music—they refused to admit that Nan Zhi and Nan Yi’s performance was good.

However, the vast majority of attacks against Nan Zhi vanished. In their place, a few scattered comments of encouragement and praise for the mother-son duo appeared.

They were few and far between, but every journey begins with a single step. At least things were finally heading in the right direction.

-

On the day the episode aired, filming was paused to avoid drawing viewers away from the broadcast.

It also served as a much-needed break for the guests, as this "life experience" was genuinely tough.

Well, except for Nan Zhi.

She was actually a bit disappointed that she couldn’t continue running her stall.

The little fried rice stall wasn’t large, but it was the perfect size to close the distance between her and her customers.

More importantly, it had allowed her to rediscover her long-lost passion for cooking and find pure joy in it.

Still, she wasn’t one to turn down a day off.

She had earned some money from her stall over the past few days, and since the production team hadn’t said she had to turn it in, Nan Zhi used it to take Nan Yi out for some Food and shopping. She also bought a small clay pot and some inexpensive medicinal herbs to make a medicinal meal back home.

Speaking of which, this medicinal cuisine was one of her true secret skills. She had painstakingly perfected it over many years, and in the Otherworld, it had become her trump card. Some had even called her a Divine Doctor because of it.

Nan Zhi felt she didn’t deserve the title of Divine Doctor. She secretly suspected that people only praised her because her medicinal cuisine was so much tastier than anyone else’s that even healthy people would pretend to be sick just to get a taste.

Even Nan Yi, a child who loved sweets and hated anything bitter, downed three bowls of the medicinal congee and asked Nan Zhi if they could have it again tomorrow.

It had to be said, the medicinal cuisine was highly effective.

The day after the episode aired, filming resumed, and Nan Zhi and Nan Yi went back to running their stall.

As she pushed the food cart, she could clearly feel she had more energy and her arms felt stronger than the day before.

Feeling quite pleased, she arrived at the night market a full twenty minutes earlier than usual.

It wasn’t opening time yet, so normally, the night market should have been quiet, with only the busy figures of other stall owners prepping their ingredients.

But today was completely different.

When Nan Zhi arrived with Nan Yi, they were met with the sight of a massive, jostling crowd!

She froze for a second, and then she heard someone bellow in a powerful, resounding voice:

"She’s here!"

In an instant, dozens of pairs of eyes swiveled in unison to stare at Nan Zhi!

She blinked.

Thanks to her experience with large-scale scenes in the Otherworld, she wasn’t too startled by the sea of people.

’Is this...’

’Has the online outrage against me escalated to the point where they’re looking for a real-life fight?’

Wary, Nan Zhi subtly pulled Nan Yi behind her.

She quietly took out her phone, ready to dial a number.

"Don’t push! Don’t push! Please be careful, everyone!"

Nan Zhi looked toward the source of the voice.

She saw several police officers in uniform maintaining order.