The netizen who had been blocked was shocked when he saw the notification, rolled his eyes, turned off the TV, and went to his homepage to vent.

After a quick scroll, he decided to browse other content.

At first, he had been drawn in by the advertising, even ordering takeout to enjoy while watching the program.

However, after watching for a while, he found it expensive but unappetizing, pushing away his takeout in disappointment. He lay back on the couch, searching for other entertainment.

Opening Zebra Video, he found the new releases hadn’t updated yet, so he aimlessly browsed until he stumbled upon a new push notification about a food documentary.

He thought it was the same documentary he had just blocked, which irritated him. But upon closer inspection, he realized it was a different title.

There weren’t many domestic food documentaries, so he was curious as to why so many were airing now. Not having heard of this title before, he clicked on it, figuring he might as well watch.

The documentary had a distinct online style. The opening was simple compared to “Gourmet World,” but had its own charm.

The rising flames and a wok lifted with the same fire inside, two chopsticks emerged and grabbed the four characters— “Chinese Delicacies.”

The wok and flames exuded a distinctly Chinese feel, warming the viewer.

The netizen smiled and thought this documentary seemed to fit the promotional content more closely than the lavishly publicized “Gourmet World.”

He lazily settled back into the couch to watch.

Five minutes later, he held his phone, saliva almost flooding his mouth as he rushed back to the takeout he had previously pushed aside.

---

He wasn’t the only one disappointed with “Gourmet World.”

Soon after it aired, complaints began popping up online.

The show felt off; the chefs featured were either French or Michelin-star chefs who had studied abroad.

The film was high-end, but with the title of Chinese food, it didn’t feel quite right.

Many viewers who questioned the film on its official social media had also been blocked. Soon, a group of blocked viewers started to gather, complaining.

Amid the complaints, a popular influencer suddenly posted enthusiastically:

“To all my blocked friends! Check out this documentary I’m recommending!!! I’ve already had three bowls of rice with it!!”

At first, people thought the influencer was promoting “Gourmet World,” but when they clicked on the pictures, there was no tuna or caviar in sight.

The images showed a pot of food with glistening roast goose, tender braised pork, and fluffy scallion rolls, all steaming and ready to eat.

The pictures made everyone’s mouth water.

---

Jin Yaotiao received a call from Jia Bingyang, who excitedly told her that after a period of low viewership, the documentary on Zebra Video had suddenly seen a significant increase in views.

She opened the link Jia Bingyang sent her, and by the time she checked, the second episode had already aired. The view count in the corner of the screen had reached nearly a million and was still rising.

The theme of the second episode begins with a scene shot at Mingde Restaurant.

Jin Yaotiao recalled that she had prepared a clay pot braised pork that day.

The photographer from Jia Bingyang’s team was very good, capturing every step of the dish’s preparation clearly and enticingly.

The pork belly used for the braised pork was quite fatty, but through their lens, it didn’t appear greasy at all.

The pork belly was cut into large chunks, with the skin first roasted over an open flame, then the whole piece was braised until the meat was golden brown, forcing out the fat.

Only then was it cooked further.

At the bottom of the clay pot, dried bamboo shoots and mushrooms were placed, and after the meat was braised to the point where the juices had almost dried up, the meat was placed in the pot.

The surrounding gaps were filled with vegetable stems, and meat juices were poured over.

The pot was steamed for what seemed like forever.

When the lid was lifted, the ingredients absorbed the rich flavors of the meat, with the pork chunks looking fiery red and glistening. They were so tender they seemed to quiver.

When poured onto a plate, the vegetable stems unfurled like blooming flowers, while the dried bamboo shoots and mushrooms rested delicately on the roasted, extra-tender skin of the pork.

Jin Yaotiao clicked her tongue, pleased with how she arranged the vegetable stems. When they unfolded, accompanied by music, the visual effect was stunning.

As the one in charge of the dish, she inevitably appeared on camera. It was her first time being filmed in such a way, and she was a bit nervous, her expression unusually serious.

But the result was great.

The comments flooded in—
[Ahhh, meat! Meat! Meat!]
[What did I do wrong! Why am I being recommended this at 9 PM at night!]
[Quietly getting up to order takeout…]
[Oh wow, the way the flowers unfolded was incredible! I can’t even ask for a bite of meat, but a mushroom would be nice.]

[The chef is so beautiful! Masterful! I saw her in Episode 1, “In a Foreign Land”! I fell in love with her at first sight! She was so gentle when making sauerkraut fish! I even cried when the grandmother ate the fish!]

[It’s Mingde! I’m from Linjiang, and I’m crying! I never thought I’d see my hometown’s name in a food documentary. Mingde Restaurant has a long history! It’s the pride of Linjiang! This girl is Jin Yaotiao, the next heir to Mingde! She’s beautiful and amazing!]

[I’m dead, this meat looks so good, but Linjiang is so far away. I don’t know when I’ll get to eat it.]
[Come to Shenzhen! Just saw the news that Mingde is opening a branch here!]

[After watching “Heavenly Cuisine,” I cried with no expression. My hometown also has a similar way of cooking. When I was little, my grandmother used to stew braised pork in a clay pot for me. After she passed away, no one would cook me that dish anymore when I came home from school. Grandma, I miss you.]

[Honestly, this documentary is way better than “Heavenly Cuisine”! I can’t believe I didn’t hear about it before—it’s so much better! “Heavenly Cuisine” is basically a show about flaunting wealth. The dishes are beautiful, but they lack feeling. This is real Chinese cuisine!]
[Why does such a great show have so few views? I’m going to recommend it to all my friends!]

Meanwhile, Jia Bingyang sat in front of another screen, his hands clasped in front of his mouth, eyes glued to the constantly updating comments.

His eyes flickered, and his fingertips trembled.

After filming for so long and overcoming numerous obstacles to get it online, seeing the positive feedback from the audience, his wavering confidence finally settled.

Lei Qiu, holding her child, was sitting beside him, smiling when she saw the comments. “Jia Bingyang, it looks good. You’ve finally made it.”

Jia Bingyang thought about the past and suddenly felt like crying. “Thank you for everything.”

Before, he hadn’t directly clashed with Lin Miao over promotion, but now, with the praise rolling in, it was clear that their documentary had successfully gained traction.

The audience was doing the promotion for them, and once the positive reviews started spreading, a small push was all it took to make the promotion soar.

More and more people were watching, and the streaming platform quickly noticed the massive influx of views. It saw the huge potential in the documentary, and without Jia Bingyang having to ask, they proactively offered more support.

His visibility grew exponentially, and soon, discussions about the documentary could be found everywhere.

On the other hand, Lin Miao’s “Heavenly Cuisine,” once the dominant show, started to lose steam in comparison.

In Beijing, Lin Miao glared at the screen, filled with the name of “Chinese Delicacies” everywhere, his gaze cold as ice. “What happened? Huh? Where did all the promotional funds go? What have you done for me?”

His subordinate, looking wronged, replied, “We spent the money where it was supposed to go, but we can’t control the audience’s preferences. Look at these ads related to our show, they all have a big reach, but in the comment section, people are comparing us to Jia Bingyang’s show. Some even brought people over to Zhenma Video. They’ve been helping him promote it.”

Lin Miao’s hands trembled with anger.

Hearing this, he felt humiliated, as if his face had been stepped on. “Stop making excuses. Jia Bingyang’s documentary is successful, and that’s a fact. If our show isn’t doing well, it’s on us. Don’t try to blame it on others!”

His subordinates, shaking, didn’t dare to argue, knowing better than to confront their powerful leader directly.

The problem wasn’t just in the promotional efforts—it was that their show wasn’t good enough to match Jia Bingyang’s.

Even with all the resources from their station, they couldn’t control the audience’s taste.

Lin Miao clenched his fists, his anger bubbling over.

He knew the network could be lax on promotion, but he couldn’t stand the fact that Jia Bingyang was stealing his spotlight.

After he had forced Jia Bingyang out, the latter’s documentary was supposed to flop.

No other station, not even other satellite channels, would pick it up. It would only be seen on low-tier streaming platforms.

But now, it had taken off, climbing above him, and riding his coattails to success. How could he tolerate this?

Lin Miao’s face turned red with humiliation.

His anger boiled over as he muttered, “I won’t let him get away with this.”

He then grabbed his phone, calling his uncle. “You have to shut down Jia Bingyang and his show.”

His uncle was frustrated with his jealousy. “You should’ve just removed his show from the schedule. Now, you want to go after him for no reason? What did Jia Bingyang do wrong?”

Lin Miao’s voice rose, furious. “He’s trampling on my face! Just say if you’ll help or not!”

After some hesitation, his uncle reluctantly agreed, but when Lin Miao tried to take further action, he got bad news.

His uncle explained that it was too late to shut it down.

The show’s international success had already been noticed, and the higher-ups were taking interest in it.

Lin Miao was furious, his face turning pale as he tried to figure out what went wrong.

Finally, his uncle told him, “If you want to know why, just check online. Jia Bingyang’s show is way more popular than yours. The leaders up top are already paying attention to him.”

Lin Miao hung up the phone, staring at his uncle’s message.

It was a link to a famous overseas singer’s social media, where a video recommended Jia Bingyang’s food documentary.

Lin Miao watched the video’s views skyrocketing and felt his world collapse. It was several times higher than the views of his own show.

How could the audience in other countries prefer his rival’s work?

On the other side of the ocean.

Debbie was on a video call, cooking a steak under the guidance of Jin Yaotiao.

She had just finished a concert earlier this year, but her spirits were high, and she had become a little sturdier.

The slight fat around the edges of the steak sizzled in the cast iron pan.

Debbie placed a piece of butter on the meat, smiling as she showed it to Jin Yaotiao: “I can eat a little meat now.”

Jin Yaotiao smiled and said, “The osmanthus flowers have bloomed here. Last month, I picked a lot and pickled them in that jar of flower honey. The flavor is even better now. When are you coming over?”

Debbie smiled at the camera and said, “Sorry, I’m going to have to cancel. I still have six more concerts coming up, so I won’t have time to visit you until next year at the earliest.”

After successfully terminating her previous contract, she joined a new company, one of the top firms in the industry.

They treated her with a lot of respect and care, especially considering the capital she already had.

The new company had arranged for a new therapist, a kind and gentle person who never pressured her to eat.

After learning that she was learning to cook, the therapist encouraged her to try making interesting dishes during her free time.

Debbie became obsessed with the detailed and magical cooking process.

When she made her own meals, she found she could eat a bit more.

Gradually, she started eating more, and while her appetite still wasn’t as large as a normal person’s, it was enough to meet her health needs.

She had gained some weight, but her fans weren’t upset.

On the contrary, they were happy and praised her for being healthy, noting that her singing had become more powerful as a result.

Debbie sniffed the aroma of the steak, now infused with a faint buttery fragrance. Following Jin Yaotiao’s advice, she tossed in garlic and rosemary.

Thinking about the past, the painful memories had already started to fade.

It was like a hurdle in life—once she crossed it, the further she went, the smaller it seemed.

Looking back, what once appeared to be an insurmountable obstacle had become no more than a grain of sand.

Though she had mentioned canceling, Jin Yaotiao only laughed, not at all angry.

Instead, she was happy for Debbie: “It’s fine. When you come next year, the osmanthus flowers in the jar will be pickled, and I can add some locust flowers too. Also, thank you for helping promote our documentary.”

Debbie replied, “I’m a shareholder in Mingde, and it’s a film invested by Mingde, so of course I have to do my part. Besides, Jin, your documentary was really well done. When I saw those dishes, I thought of you.”