Chapter 32: The Sinister Gardenia Plan—Activated!

Mango TV Headquarters

Huang Lei’s face stiffened when the Sky Screen’s so-called “Breaking Bad” turned out to be… himself.

Xie Na and Li Weijia exchanged glances, barely suppressing their smirks.

They’d both suffered through Huang Lei’s “cuisine” before—a trauma best left unspoken.

Yet He Jiong, ever the diplomat, kept lavishing praise on those culinary abominations.

(Privately, Xie and Li wondered if He had some sort of masochistic palate.)

Out of politeness, they’d always forced smiles and echoed He’s compliments.

Now, watching Huang Lei’s humiliation unfold on the Sky Screen, they fought the urge to cheer.

Noticing Huang Lei’s distress, He Jiong rushed to console him:

“Teacher Huang, don’t panic!”

“The Sky Screen must’ve made a mistake!”

“You’re the legendary Chef Huang—how could your cooking possibly be that bad?”

Xie Na and Li Weijia nearly choked.

He Jiong, you absolute saint of deception!

Sky Screen Oversight Team

The team collectively exhaled upon realizing the “drug lord” was just a terrible cook.

“See, Chief?”

“I told you Dragon Country has no narcotics kingpins!”

“Though I never expected Huang Lei to be exposed like this… My wife used his recipes!”

“They were… edible?”

The chief chuckled.

“As someone who rarely cooks, even I know unboiled string beans are toxic.”

“How does a ‘celebrity chef’ mess that up?”

Online Chaos

Netizens dissected the scandal with glee:

“Chef Huang is the one who can’t cook?!”

“He’s been on multiple cooking shows! Everyone praised his dishes!”

“Unless… they were all lying?”

“Welcome to showbiz—where ‘professional courtesy’ means fake compliments!”

“If that’s true, He Jiong deserves an Oscar!”

“Dude could out-act A-list stars with those reaction shots!”

Soon, #HeJiongsOscarWorthyPerformance trended nationwide.

Consensus: Huang Lei’s culinary delusions were entirely He Jiong’s fault.

Mango TV Studio

Huang Lei obsessively refreshed his phone, watching his reputation crumble in real-time.

As a lifelong narcissist, he’d genuinely believed himself a master chef.

Years of insincere praise (courtesy of He Jiong’s diplomacy) had inflated his ego to stratospheric levels.

Then he saw the hashtag.

Stunned, he turned to He Jiong:

“He Jiong. Truth time.”

“Was my cooking always… inedible?”

“Is everything you said just… industry politeness?”

He Jiong’s smile didn’t flicker as he took the phone.

Seeing the hashtag, his heart raced—but his voice stayed calm:

“Teacher Huang, we’ve known each other how long?”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“Every compliment came straight from the heart!”

“Your doubt wounds me!”

Huang Lei, swayed by He’s “sincerity,” immediately backtracked:

“My bad, He Jiong! The internet got to me!”

He Jiong patted his shoulder. “Understandable!”

“Just ignore the noise. Let’s resume filming!”

Xie Na and Li Weijia watched in awe.

This is why He Jiong’s the top host.

We could never keep a straight face like that.

He Jiong hid his triumph.

Decades of fake-praising Huang Lei’s disasters had paid off—his “nicest guy in showbiz” persona was bulletproof.

Then the Sky Screen flared again.

A familiar melody played—but the lyrics of He Jiong’s signature song Gardenia Blooms had been savagely rewritten:

“Years of forced smiles, ‘amazing’ as your shield,”

“One more compliment, one less bite revealed!”

“Spicy rice porridge, raw beans you serve,”

“Even veterans flinch—such nerve!”

Xie Na gasped. “He Jiong… isn’t that your—?”

Before she could finish, crimson text exploded across the screen:

THE SINISTER GARDENIA PLAN—ACTIVATED!!!