The Game of Life-Chapter 797 - 796 Part 1 (4000)

Chapter 797 -796 Part 1 (4000)

Chapter 797 -796 Part 1 (4000)

Although no one could understand Jiang Feng’s hunger marketing strategy, not even Jiang Feng himself, he still managed to convince the show’s production team with this nonsensical claim, at least superficially.

The second week’s competition was destined to be anything but calm.

Because the variety show had already begun airing.

The China-America Chef King Competition, featuring the eight Chinese restaurants, updated every Monday at eight in the evening as an online variety show. Being an online variety show meant it could afford to be whimsical, releasing a three-hour extended version of each episode. In America, the show was broadcast on paid television, much like a drama series, with each episode lasting just over forty minutes, updating twice a week. Due to the time difference, the broadcast time was Sunday evening at eight.

Translation and subtitle production took time, so the Chinese side would update their version of the overseas variety show every Wednesday evening. Similarly, the American side would update their version of the Chinese variety show also on Wednesday evenings on the internet.

Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi had already watched the freshly updated variety show on Monday evening. In their view, while the show wasn’t incredibly spectacular, it was certainly not an unwatchable one.

The explosive highlights were yet to come; the first episode only showed the daily operations of the eight restaurants and some minor frictions in the kitchens. It should have been dull, but thanks to the unique vision of the cameramen, scenes of chefs cooking were captured beautifully, turning them into picturesque and wonderful moments.

For those who watched the first episode in its entirety, the images that sprang to mind were of food.

Delicious food.

The sizzling, fragrant pan-seared veal steaks.

Delicate, petite, cloud-like, white and tempting pastries that one could envelop in a single bite.

Vibrant, just-blanched vegetables, dripping with freshness, looking even more tender and green once the sauce was poured over them.

Thick, glistening chunks of Wuhua pork covered in rich sauce, tumbling in an iron pot, their surface adorned with beautiful patterns of fat and lean meat.

Silken tofu as thin as hair, scattered in a bowl like tender daisies, delicate to lift, melting the moment it touched the tongue, a dish clearly requiring careful protection, gentle consumption, and an attentive palate.

The amber-colored squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, shimmering like a piece of artwork after being glazed, dazzling and bright.

Chicken tofu pudding, two-tone prawns, stir-fried crispy delights, crab-powder lion’s head, braised silver carp head…

All the familiar and unfamiliar, tasted and untasted dishes had made an appearance in the first episode of the series.

The storyline was too mundane, lacking any backstabbing or struggle, so much so that even Taifeng Building’s poor business could only capture Jiang Feng’s despondency and Sun Jikai’s vigorous cooking in the background.

With no story to film, the focus had to be on the dishes.

Poultry, fish, delicacies from mountains and seas – all the food that a regular person would typically think of when imagining a feast, all eight restaurants had it.

They could even offer something better, beyond one’s wildest dreams.

Imagine, on an ordinary Monday, a regular office worker, after a day of hectic work, dragging their tired body back home with cheap fried rice bought from a stall near the apartment. Wanting to relax, they plan to eat while watching a variety show, and then they accidentally stumble upon this one.

Pristine pastries, spicy dishes, slender fingers, the cacophony of the kitchen.

The flavors of the world, all in one place.

Office workers watching the variety show suddenly found their fried rice less appetizing, the hot dogs not as tasty, and even the distant instant noodles seemed to lose their allure.

Only the dishes in the screen, which could be seen but not touched or smelled, sparked a fierce craving.

Incredibly delicious.

Damn, I really want to eat it.

I want to eat everything.

Even though they seemed out of reach, I still wanted to eat them.

Fuck, how can there be food that looks so delicious in this world!

The contestants certainly didn’t expect this cooking reality show to be seen by viewers as a food documentary, and neither did the production team. Since domestic variety shows couldn’t be satellite broadcast and could only be streamed online, their initial publicity focused mainly on the United States. After all, this reality show was an established American franchise, with a reputation built over many years, not to mention a stable audience base.

Although Han Guishan was the main Chinese investor, the bulk of the funding still came from the American side, as the production costs of a single episode of American variety shows were too high, primarily due to labor costs. Mr. Han wasn’t a fool; he didn’t have the luxury to cover all the expenses single-handedly, only to be taken advantage of due to his lack of knowledge and lose a fortune.

It’s more professional to play the leading role and reap the benefits; he was happy enough just investing a little to sip the broth.

This resulted in the production team spending a lot of money on promotion in the United States, while publicity in China was limited to buying some advertising slots on video websites a week in advance. It wasn’t that bad, really; it was just that they didn’t put as much heart into it as they did in the US, and in fact, quite a few people saw the promotions but didn’t click through.

From any angle, this wasn’t a variety show that drew people in. No celebrities, just ordinary people, it wasn’t about dating or high IQ competitions, and cooking shows don’t have as wide an audience as other types of variety shows, so it was normal for it to be overlooked and undervalued.

It had been almost ten years since Chef Arno’s last big hit, and while his popularity was high in the United States, it was very low in China.

But what no one expected was the severe polarization of reputation between China and the US.

The online views from the Chinese side kept coming in, and although the view count didn’t even break ten million on the first day, only a meager three million plus, the reputation was very good. All the comments below were uniformly positive: wanting to eat, looking so delicious, is it really that tasty?

Where is the restaurant? Is it still open now? And so on. It was clear they did not see it as a variety show, but as a food documentary.

The reputation in the US, on the other hand, was very low, corresponding to extremely high viewership. The production team had been using Chef Arno’s name for false advertising for so long, and had whetted everyone’s appetite. Who knows how many families gathered in front of the TV on Monday night, just to hear Chef Arno’s iconic “shit.” But after watching, they found that there was no “shit” to be heard, and not even Chef Arno himself.

Is this it?

Is this it???

Suddenly, there was a tide of bad reviews, and the ratings plummeted to an all-time low. The comments were filled with accusations of “scammers,” “disgusting,” “false advertising,” “trash,” and many **** that can’t be written.

Later on, the production team promptly released a message stating that the segment featuring Chef Arno would be streamed online on Wednesday night, which calmed the fury of the American viewers a bit.

To better rectify the situation, the production team decided to record an additional clip for each contestant to broadcast in the form of a preview, hoping to win back the affection and viewership of the audience.

Jiang Feng saw this message at seven in the morning on Tuesday, just as he was getting out of bed. He was brushing his teeth, dazed and with bed-hair, when he received the message. After reading it, he perked up immediately, finished brushing his teeth, and without even washing his face, dashed into his room to pick out clothes.

After a meticulous twenty-minute selection process, Jiang Feng finally settled on the exact same outfit he wore for the last shoot.

After getting dressed and washing my face, I even took the time to wash my hair and blow it dry. Looking at myself in the mirror, I felt very okay with my appearance. I had the bearing of a winner.

A new look, a new beginning. This week, I will surely lead Taifeng Building to turn the tables in the face of adversity.

Then, in the living room, I saw Wu Minqi wearing a light yellow dress that was bought this year but hardly worn before. She had tied a butterfly knot around her waist that I had never seen, and she had put on a totally unnecessary cherry hair clip. Her makeup was done, albeit the highlighter was not applied very well.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the collar of Wu Minqi’s yellow dress seemed a bit different from before. Had she bought a new one?

“Qiqi, is your dress a new purchase?” I pointed to Wu Minqi’s collar.

“It’s still the same old dress,” Wu Minqi looked down at her collar, had a light-bulb moment, and lifted it with her hand to show that it was detachable, “This is a fake collar, specifically matched with my hair clip today.”

Jiang Feng: ?

“Is that so? It really does match,” I said with sincere admiration on my face.

Wu Minqi originally planned to wake up early to make breakfast but ended up choosing outfits and accessories upon seeing the message, which resulted in neither she nor I having breakfast and only being able to buy steamed buns downstairs.

Two people dressed not like they were off to work but to attend a dinner party took the elevator down, and right as they stepped out, they were intercepted by the crew. Waiting for them were two interns, one screenwriter, one planner, and three photographers. Without giving me or Wu Minqi time to react, we were whisked away in a car straight to the television station.

Only upon arriving at the station did we find out that Sun Maochai and Sun Jikai had been intercepted before us. Sun Maochai got the worst of it; he was stopped during his morning jog. If he hadn’t insisted on going home to shower and change clothes, adamant to the point of near death, he might’ve been dragged to the television station in his jogging outfit.

Jiang Feng: ?

Was the production team held at gunpoint by viewers demanding to see the backup footage? Why such a rush?

In reality, it was no different from being held at gunpoint. Because of the time zone difference, while I and Wu Minqi were watching variety shows last night, the production team in the US had already been besieged by angry netizens. The show’s reputation plummeted to an all-time low, with a flood of negative reviews, and their phones where blown up by irate viewers. The main sponsor didn’t understand the situation, but he didn’t need to.

He just bluntly notified the production team: solve it or I’m pulling my investment.

Because funding was at stake, the production team took this backup taping very seriously. Despite the short notice, they were well-prepared and crafted tailored questions for each contestant—dramatically different from the almost dismissive attitude of the previous time.

One could tell how serious they were by the fact that this time the backup taping had to be done at the television station.

I asked the staff whether we were the earliest arrivals, only to be informed that the top-floor restaurant crew had already finished and left. Chef Arno was an early riser; he would arrive at the restaurant at five in the morning every day to check the freshness of the ingredients, and if there were any issues, he could immediately return them and chew out the boss.

The post-production team was already working on editing.

Sun Maochai and Sun Jikai’s taping was done. They hadn’t left because it wasn’t time for work yet, so they decided to stay, having breakfast while waiting for me and Wu Minqi.

The station had prepared four separate taping rooms, allowing four contestants to record simultaneously to save time.

The person handling my interview was a blonde, blue-eyed East European beauty with a pretty face but quite a few wrinkles, likely from work stress, and there was also an interpreter.

After confirming that my English was good enough to understand the posed questions and informing me that I could answer in Chinese, which was more in line with the local theme of the competition, the backup taping began.

“After the first week of competition, I believe that contestant Jiang Feng has adapted quite well to the contest. As we can see from the scores, Taifeng Building had a dismal start in the first week, but the last day’s challenge saw a turnaround. Do you think that was due to good luck or your own strength?”

Caught by the question, I paused, collecting my thoughts. “It was because we had bad luck at the start and saved all our good fortune for the last stretch,” I replied.

The East European beauty nodded; that question was considered dealt with.

“Now the draw for the second week is out. Do you think you’ll have better luck this week for your restaurant?”

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“Not bad,” I chuckled.

“So, where do you think your restaurant will rank in this week’s scoring competition?” The East European beauty seemed to have some difficulty pronouncing ‘Taifeng Building,’ so she opted to refer to the restaurant as ‘your restaurant’ in general.

“Top three, I guess. I think we should have no problem with the top three,” I said.

“Not aiming for first place?”

I hurriedly waved my hands, “We daren’t think about first. This week, Yonghe House will definitely be first. The most we can contest for is second.”

“Do you believe your restaurant will make it through the four weeks of competition and advance?”

“Of course,” I answered confidently.

“So, you must be looking forward to a potential matchup with Chef Arno in the semifinals,” said the East European beauty with a smile.

I hesitated for a moment, sensing something off about her question, “Why do you ask that?”

There might have been some issue in translation as the East European beauty thought I hadn’t heard her clearly, so she repeated the question.

This time, I directly asked her in English why she was bringing up Chef Arno.

Now, it was the East European beauty who was caught off guard. She communicated through her headset with the staff, clearly inquiring if she could reveal the reasons, and then she told me.

“This is the reason: when we asked Chef Arno during his taping who he would most like to encounter in the finals, he named you,” she explained.

I didn’t expect Chef Arno to be so straightforward. And with that, I suddenly became the center of attention. Any headline-grabbing from the production crew, and I’d be dubbed as ‘The Man Chef Arno Most Wants to Beat in His Lifetime.’

Pretty much putting me on the same level as Peng Changping.

“Is that so? I’m quite honored,” I responded.

“So, do you think you can defeat Chef Arno?” she queried.

I felt that this question was almost certainly a trap and simply smiled without answering.

“Alright, let’s switch gears. Assuming your restaurant advances, what place do you hope Taifeng Building will achieve in this competition?” The East European beauty struggled a bit with pronouncing ‘Taifeng Building.’

“First place.”