Chapter 54: Making a Documentary?

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Making a Documentary?

Fu Chao had been closer to the relatives on his mother’s side, the Qing Family, since he was little.

They were technically cousins, but they had all grown up together and were no different from actual siblings.

Naturally, this meant Fu Chao also had a good relationship with Zhou Ling, his second sister-in-law.

So when he saw Zhou Ling, Fu Chao was quite happy.

Until Zhou Ling asked him:

"Aren’t you filming a variety show?"

Fu Chao raised a hand to wipe away his sweat, nodded, and said in a light tone:

"Yeah, we’re live—"

’Crap!’

He whipped his head around and saw the relatively hidden camera placed above the fried rice stall, as well as the cameraman hiding in the crowd!

Zhou Ling: "So you’re livestreaming?"

Fu Chao: "...I’m sorry."

He had always been very good at keeping his family’s identities hidden.

His carelessness today was most likely because he was flustered from being so busy.

Fortunately, the camera wasn’t pointed right at Zhou Ling, only catching a glimpse of her profile.

However, his shout of "Second Sister-in-law" was captured loud and clear, sparking a heated discussion in his livestream chat:

[Second Sister-in-law? Did I hear that right? A relative of Brother Fu?]

[Huh? I thought Brother Fu’s parents were dead, his sister was missing, and he had no other relatives... Isn’t his story the ’tragic, strong, and handsome’ archetype?]

[Shut up. Fu Chao never confirmed any of that. It’s all just nonsense written by the media!]

[So it’s Fu Chao’s brother’s wife? A second brother implies he has a first brother or sister, right?]

[A trio of siblings? So four kids in total?]

[Am I the only one curious about Brother Fu’s second sister-in-law? The person next to her is holding a camera!]

[Oh yeah, could they be from some film crew or variety show too?]

...

Faced with Fu Chao’s guilt, Zhou Ling waved her hand breezily.

"It’s fine, it’s no big deal if they filmed me! Nobody knows who I am anyway!"

Only then did Fu Chao perk up and ask Zhou Ling why she was here.

Zhou Ling didn’t answer, instead asking him repeatedly:

"So the owner of this fried rice stall is your variety show partner? Are you sure she’s not a professionally trained chef? Or maybe someone in her family owns a restaurant, or they’re from a long line of hereditary chefs or something?"

"Haven’t heard anything like that."

Fu Chao shook his head.

Zhou Ling was stunned and exchanged a look with her colleague beside her.

"That’s... impossible!"

Fu Chao was confused.

"Nan Zhi’s cooking is incredible. I’ve eaten it. There’s nothing impossible about it!"

Zhou Ling gave Fu Chao a long look. ’His eyes have the crystal-clear ignorance of a layman.’

Becoming a chef requires slow, meticulous dedication. To reach Nan Zhi’s level, it’s absolutely impossible to get there by just practicing casually.

On the contrary, she must have spent a massive amount of time practicing the fundamentals. It’s the kind of skill that takes at least a decade to master!

Zhou Ling grew increasingly excited.

"Did I mention why I’m here? We’re working on a new Food documentary, and we’re in the selection phase right now... So, could you ask your partner if she’s interested in being part of our shoot?"

Fu Chao was suddenly taken aback.

Of course, he knew where Zhou Ling worked.

The national broadcast network!

That’s the national broadcast network!

The last Food documentary produced by the network itself was *Taste of China*!

As soon as it aired, this Food documentary became a massive hit everywhere, was sold to over a dozen countries, and became a sacred text in the hearts of countless foodies.

It not only broke the mold for conventional Food documentaries but also set multiple records in documentary history for viewership ratings, streaming numbers, and more!

Before it aired, the price for a top-tier documentary was 10 yuan per minute. After it aired, that price shot up directly to 10,000 yuan!

Not to mention all the specialty products, cities, restaurants, and chefs that became popular because of the documentary...

Fu Chao happened to know that Zhou Ling had been involved in the production of *Taste of China*, though only as one of the junior directors.

And at their last family gathering, Zhou Ling had mentioned that she was going to participate in a new project by the head director of *Taste of China* and had gotten a great opportunity...

’Could this be it?’

Fu Chao glanced at Zhou Ling in disbelief.

Zhou Ling smiled and winked.

The answer was self-evident.

Fu Chao’s breathing suddenly became erratic.

"...Wait here, I’ll go ask Nan Zhi!"

Then he bolted, completely forgetting his composure.

The viewers in the livestream chat were bewildered by this turn of events:

[What’s wrong? Why did Fu Chao suddenly panic?]

[Is it because his sister-in-law mentioned filming a documentary? Is it that big of a deal?]

[Yeah, it’s not like they’re filming a second season of *Taste of China*. What’s all the fuss about?]

[Hey, didn’t we hear that Director Zhong from *Taste of China* was preparing a new Food documentary? Could it be...]

[I think some people are just daydreaming! *Taste of China* this, Director Zhong that... In your dreams!]

[So what on earth is going on! Brother Fu, you’re making me so curious!]

...

Fu Chao rushed over to Nan Zhi’s side.

His sudden appearance gave a customer a big fright.

Nan Zhi’s hand, which was packing the rice, remained perfectly steady. She handed over the bag, calm and unruffled.

"Your fried rice is ready."

The customer took it gleefully but couldn’t suppress their gossipy nature, lingering to try and eavesdrop.

The customer behind him surprisingly didn’t urge him along and instead also perked up their ears.

Even the viewers in the livestream chat were extremely curious—

What on earth had happened?

Fu Chao’s first instinct was to cover his mic.

But as he was about to speak, he remembered the "disaster" from last time.

Thinking on his feet, he simply pulled out his phone, typed on the notepad app, and made sure to avoid the camera!

The chat:

[Me: ...]

[Let me see! Let me see!]

[Hold it closer! What’s the big idea, hiding it like that?]

[Exactly! What could possibly be on there that my prestigious SVIP status doesn’t let me see?]

...

Nan Zhi glanced at the phone, distracted for a moment, and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really?"

"Of course!"

Seeing Nan Zhi fall silent in thought, Fu Chao grew anxious.

"This is a great opportunity!"

"I know. But... have you forgotten that this episode’s filming is almost over?"

The moment Nan Zhi said this—

Fu Chao was dumbfounded.

The audience was dumbfounded.

The customers were also dumbfounded.

Fu Chao was the quickest to react, panicking so much he wanted to cover Nan Zhi’s mouth.

"Don’t! You can’t say that!"

Nan Zhi was bewildered.

"But it’s the truth, isn’t it? Even if I say it, it’s not like they can hit me."

Fu Chao couldn’t manage a smile.

’...Yeah, they can’t hit *you*, but I’m another story!’

The lingering customer who had stayed behind to eavesdrop never expected to hear such devastating news:

"What? Boss, you’re not going to run the stall anymore?"

"Not running the stall?"

"That can’t be true, right?"

"Nooo!"

"..."

Cries of shock and wails of despair rose and fell at the scene.

Even the viewers watching the livestream found it hard to accept:

[What? Isn’t this a variety show about running a Food business?]

[If Nan Zhi doesn’t run the stall... suddenly the show feels like it’s lost its main attraction.]

[No, don’t! Maybe the director can just change the theme at the last minute?]

[Have you all forgotten this is a childcare show?]

[It’s perfectly normal. Even if it doesn’t close in a couple of days, it’ll still shut down once the variety show is done filming. It’s just a matter of time.]

[True, Nan Zhi is an actress, not a chef.]

[Everyone who agrees is full of crap! As someone who’s actually been to the fried rice stall, I refuse to accept this!]

...