Chapter 52: What a Grand Scene

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: What a Grand Scene

Fu Chao was slowly beginning to understand—

He had misunderstood. These people weren’t here to settle a score with Nan Zhi; they were the customers who had come for nothing yesterday!

They probably weren’t just worried about making another wasted trip. They were more afraid that Nan Zhi would quit for good!

...It still sounded absurd.

It was just a fried rice stall. So what if she closed it?

If it were him, he would definitely...

Er.

No. He couldn’t.

The mere thought of never again tasting Nan Zhi’s cooking made Fu Chao’s world feel like it was collapsing!

Never mind anything else, just the Four-Joy Meatballs, Crispy Chicken, and Braised Prawns he’d had for lunch...

Fu Chao had eaten plenty of authentic Lu Cuisine before, some prepared by master chefs.

But none of them had ever cooked with a skill that left such an indelible impression on him as Nan Zhi’s.

Just recalling the taste made his mouth water uncontrollably!

Suddenly, Fu Chao felt like he was starting to understand these "crazy" customers.

The reality show would eventually end.

After that, if Nan Zhi stopped running her stall, where would these customers go to eat Golden Egg Fried Rice?

Fu Chao’s gaze toward the crowd was suddenly filled with sympathy and pity.

The man who had been clamoring to start a group chat met Fu Chao’s eyes and eagerly approached him.

"Hey, what do you think of my suggestion? Can you help us put in a good word with the boss?"

"...Sorry, I can’t."

Ignoring the man’s glare, Fu Chao firmly refused.

’What a joke!’

’How could I do something that might come back to bite me in the future!’

’So glaring at me is useless. No means no!’

Seeing Fu Chao and the man locked in a staring contest, Nan Zhi hurried over to separate them.

"Alright, we can’t delay our business hours."

Those words were the most effective weapon!

The customers, who had just been jostling to get noticed by Nan Zhi, scattered like birds and beasts, clearing a path for her and the others.

Fu Chao finally started pushing the food cart again. Nan Zhi followed unhurriedly behind him, holding Nan Yi’s hand on one side and Qing Xi’s on the other.

The live stream comments were already exploding with disbelief:

[Uh... these customers are a little too crazy.]

[Does Nan Zhi’s fried rice really have that much magic? Don’t tell me she’s adding something to it?]

[Can the haters use their brains for a second? The stream has been live all day. Do you think we don’t have eyes to see if she added something?]

[So tired of this. Stop harassing Nan Zhi and Nan Yi. Can’t you just let the mother and son run their stall in peace?]

[And Fu Chao and Qing Xi! I can’t believe they actually joined Nan Zhi’s team!]

[The rules never said the guests couldn’t team up.]

[Heh. Nan Zhi is leeching off his popularity again.]

[Oh, come on. Didn’t you see your precious Brother Fu was the one who approached her?]

...

Although Nan Zhi and Fu Chao were working together, their live streams remained separate.

Nan Zhi’s live stream focused mainly on her and Nan Yi.

Fu Chao’s live stream filmed Fu Chao and Qing Xi.

Of course, their camera feeds would occasionally catch the other pair, but they didn’t get much screen time.

Looking at the viewer data for Nan Zhi’s and Fu Chao’s streams, the difference was still like night and day.

Even though Fu Chao had just caused an uproar in his fanbase, with many prominent fans dramatically announcing they were leaving the fandom.

It had absolutely no effect on his appeal to the general public.

In fact, the public saw Fu Chao, who bravely admitted his mistakes, as a responsible person!

Thanks to Fu Chao’s popularity, the viewership on Nan Zhi’s stream, which had dropped to a freezing point, began to recover.

There were people praising her, comforting her, cursing her, and criticizing her...

It was truly a vibrant scene!

-

"Is this the place?"

Zhou Ling poked her head out of the van and saw the bustling crowd at the night market in the distance.

She had visited several night markets in the city recently.

Famous ones among tourists, popular ones with locals, bustling ones, deserted ones...

She had seen all kinds, but seeing this night market today still made her eyes light up.

How to put it?

Perhaps this night market just had a more lively, authentic atmosphere than the others?

The people coming and going had smiles on their faces, reflecting the simple joy that food brings.

Isn’t this exactly what they were looking for?

Zhou Ling felt she had come to the right place. She said to the driver:

"Alright, this is it. Find a place to park."

After a moment, the van hadn’t moved at all.

Zhou Ling looked surprised.

"What’s going on?"

"Director Zhou, it’s not that I don’t want to park. The traffic here is at a complete standstill!"

Hearing this, Zhou Ling finally noticed the traffic situation she had overlooked—

A complete standstill?

That adjective was an understatement!

Even the city planners probably never expected that this relatively small night market could attract such a massive amount of traffic!

The rather narrow and old road in front of the night market was completely gridlocked! All the cars, regardless of their make, were stuck.

Zhou Ling’s team was in an ordinary van today, so it didn’t stand out in the traffic.

Just ahead of them was a low-key Volkswagen Phaeton.

As the saying goes, "It’s not the Benzes and Land Rovers you should fear, but the Volkswagen with letters on its trunk!"

If he so much as scratched or scraped that Phaeton, the driver, Old Zhang, could throw in his entire year’s salary and it still wouldn’t be enough to cover the damages!

So, Old Zhang was being extra careful, maintaining a safe distance...

...though it was actually pointless.

They were all stuck anyway.

Zhou Ling sighed and told the others to grab the equipment and prepare to get out.

Just then, a man in slippers and pajamas walked out of the night market, cheerfully carrying a very plain lunchbox bag. He went straight to the Phaeton ahead of them and got into the back seat.

Zhou Ling and her team were all stunned.

"If I’m not mistaken, is that the Golden Egg Fried Rice that man is carrying?"

Could it be that all these people were here for the Golden Egg Fried Rice?

N-No, that’s impossible!

The van fell silent.

Zhou Ling burst out laughing.

"Doesn’t this just prove we came to the right place? Who was it yesterday that said this stall was probably just internet hype?"

She didn’t name anyone, but the person who understood was already blushing crimson—

That’s right, they had come once yesterday, too, but had unfortunately made a wasted trip.

Even earlier, when someone had suggested there was a new, rapidly rising fried rice stall in this night market, they were met with skepticism.

’How good could a fried rice stall run by a female celebrity possibly be?’ they had thought after doing some rough research.

’It must be nothing more than the public being fooled by marketing. At the end of the day, it’s all just hype!’

It was Zhou Ling who had insisted on coming.

So after their wasted trip, someone had snidely remarked that the celebrity must have gotten wind of their visit and slipped away early.

Zhou Ling then said they would come again today.

Before they came, many had complained, feeling that the trip was a complete waste of time.

Now, seeing the scene before them, everyone was speechless!

This was a reality that could not be faked, no matter what!

"Film this."

Zhou Ling smiled and glanced at the group, knowing some of them were resentful of her promotion.

But she didn’t care. Instead, she said:

"Hearing is one thing, but seeing is believing. Isn’t all of this prime material?"