Chapter 256: Feeling Embarrassed?

Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Feeling Embarrassed?

First, Qi Pei’er did as Nan Zhi asked and forwarded the video to her.

"What’s next?"

Qi Pei’er had subconsciously started to see Nan Zhi as her backbone.

Nan Zhi had already returned to her usual calm and collected expression, a faint smile even playing on her lips.

If Qi Pei’er’s memory weren’t so vivid, she might have thought that the awe-inspiring, chilling version of Nan Zhi she had just seen was a mere illusion!

But it was clearly no illusion. Seeing Nan Zhi’s smile now still made Qi Pei’er tremble uncontrollably.

It wasn’t out of fear, but excitement.

If Nan Zhi were her enemy, she would indeed have reason to be terrified.

But the thing was, Nan Zhi was her ally!

All she had to do now was wait to be carried to victory, right?

So, the whole time, Qi Pei’er was in a state of eager anticipation, her eyes sparkling.

She was like Nan Zhi’s loyal enforcer, ready to strike wherever she was told at a moment’s notice.

And Nan Zhi didn’t let Qi Pei’er’s expectations fall flat.

She glanced at the time and casually asked,

"I heard Chang Mu’s side requested to increase the cooking class to one session per day?"

"Yes!"

Qi Pei’er was filled with righteous indignation as she spoke of the matter.

"Those two are really using the school kids as props for their act! A cooking class every day is completely cutting into the children’s study time! And they’re only doing it for this week—isn’t that obviously aimed at us?"

Qi Pei’er grumbled, dragging both Chang Mu and Lai Liang through the mud, but still didn’t feel satisfied. She wished she could just point her finger in their faces and let them have it!

Nan Zhi placated her with a look.

"Don’t worry, they’ll quiet down soon enough."

Qi Pei’er believed her without a doubt, growing even more excited.

"You mean..."

"We need to make some arrangements, but the two of us probably won’t be enough."

Nan Zhi mused.

Without a second thought, Qi Pei’er suggested,

"Let’s get Fu Chao and Xie Yu! I’m sure they’d be more than happy to help!"

Nan Zhi gave a slight nod but said,

"But that’s still not enough. I need someone more professional."

A candidate immediately came to her mind.

Qi Pei’er looked baffled.

However, Nan Zhi didn’t explain too much to her, only briefly outlining her idea and what she needed Qi Pei’er to do.

The more Qi Pei’er listened, the more excited she became. By the end, she had practically turned into Nan Zhi’s die-hard fan.

"This idea is brilliant! I finally understand what it means to take down an enemy at their roots! To crush him, you have to hit him where he’s most professional!"

"...I suppose you could put it that way."

Nan Zhi’s way of putting it had been more tactful.

As for what Qi Pei’er said, it sounded like the gangster version.

Nan Zhi didn’t sweat the details. For the grand show set to open tomorrow, she still had many preparations to make.

After discussing the final details with Qi Pei’er and entrusting her with the task of notifying Fu Chao and Xie Yu, Nan Zhi and Qi Pei’er emerged from the corner.

As soon as they came out, they ran into the follow-cam director who had come to check on the situation.

She was a young, pretty woman, and she couldn’t quite withstand Nan Zhi’s probing gaze.

First, she gave an awkward smile, followed by a clumsy explanation:

"I... I came to... okay, Director Xu sent me to see what you two were talking about."

A few angry roars could be faintly heard from the follow-cam director’s earpiece.

It was probably Xu Lin, furious that his own person had sold him out in a heartbeat.

The follow-cam director looked even more embarrassed.

Nan Zhi just smiled, not making things difficult for her.

"It was just some minor things. Director Xu doesn’t need to worry about it."

Qi Pei’er chimed in,

"That’s right, that’s right!"

The two of them were tight-lipped, not letting a single drop of information slip.

But behind the scenes, Xu Lin knew it wasn’t that simple.

Because of this whole affair with Chang Mu and Lai Liang, the three guests—Qi Pei’er, Fu Chao, and Xie Yu—were all displeased with him.

Although he had already explained the reasons behind the incident, it didn’t stop the three guests from looking down on him and constantly trying to stir up trouble.

These past two days, they had become increasingly uncooperative with the filming, always secretly stirring up minor incidents. It even led to them trending online, and the network executives had called to reprimand Xu Lin.

Xu Lin was mentally and physically exhausted, but he had no choice but to endure it.

He even wished Nan Zhi would just throw a tantrum at him.

But what happened? Nan Zhi acted as if she had nothing to do with the matter, showing no displeasure from beginning to end.

The more she acted this way, the more worried Xu Lin became.

Until this very moment...

From the moment he learned that Qi Pei’er had disappeared from the camera’s view for nearly half an hour, and her unusual behavior of searching all over the village for Nan Zhi, Xu Lin had a bad feeling.

When Qi Pei’er excitedly shouted, "I got something good on camera," and then slipped into a corner with Nan Zhi to chat secretly, avoiding them, Xu Lin’s anxiety reached its peak.

He desperately wanted to know the truth, worried that events were spiraling out of control.

But the problem was, none of these guests were people you could mess with.

And Nan Zhi was the most formidable of them all.

Helpless, Xu Lin could only try to call and persuade them.

"No matter what you’re planning to do, please consider the production team and the audience... mainly the audience. I don’t think you want to see the people who love you be disappointed, do you?"

Qi Pei’er frowned.

"Director Xu, are you threatening us?"

Through the camera, Xu Lin glanced at the impassive Nan Zhi.

"It’s not a threat, it’s a request."

Qi Pei’er pursed her lips and hung up the phone.

Then she looked at Nan Zhi questioningly.

Nan Zhi silently shook her head at her.

Qi Pei’er understood and sighed with regret.

But she quickly recomposed herself, ready to face the big show tomorrow.

...The turbulent undercurrents were all surging beneath the surface.

Lai Liang’s cooking class ended smoothly once again.

As expected, the second filming session was met with some skeptical voices:

[Why are they having classes back-to-back? Can the kids even handle it?]

[I give up. This isn’t a culinary school.]

[They’re really addicted to putting on a show. Enough is enough!]

[You can see the boredom written all over the kids’ faces! It’s a world of difference from the smiling faces they had in Nan Zhi’s class!]

[Just a few slices of fish, are you sure the kids can get full? Isn’t this child abuse?]

...

However, there was no need for the paid commenters to show up; the sycophants naturally came out to defend them:

[If the God of Sushi was feeding me top-tier Japanese food every day when I was in school, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams!]

[The young miss is so generous. I heard all the ingredients provided are top-notch, including bluefin tuna! Giving something so expensive to the kids for free, if that’s not charity, what is?]

[Exactly! I tried to get a reservation at Master Lai Liang’s restaurant, and I heard it’s booked out for the next three months! These village kids get to eat it just like that, they should count their blessings!]

[I want to go to Cuishui Village Primary School now! What kind of village school has such a high standard for meals? Even international schools can’t compare!]

[Haven’t seen much of Nan Zhi today, have we? Did she feel ashamed and deliberately avoid the camera?]

[Her over-hyped lies were exposed by a real master, so it’s understandable! /s]

[No wonder Nan Zhi’s paid commenters are out in full force today!]

...