On the internet, Lin Miao watched the chaotic situation unfold, and in the comment section, the fans of Jia Bingyang were becoming increasingly vocal.

His heart, which had been hanging in the air, slowly settled back into his chest.

He called his uncle, who just laughed knowingly.

After hanging up, Lin Miao refreshed the comments section, intending to see more fans angrily criticizing Jia Bingyang. However, the newly refreshed comments left him confused:

【？？？？】

【？？？？？】

【Aren’t you going to explain yourself?】

【What’s going on with that video??】

What video?

Lin Miao froze for a moment, clicked on a particular account’s homepage, and sure enough, a video appeared.

He clicked it, and after two seconds of buffering, a familiar voice came through the speakers.

His eyes widened in shock.

“… You’re talking about materials? Did you wash the mud stains off your pants? Do you have any self-awareness…”

The video clearly showed him shouting at Jia Bingyang.

He was sitting arrogantly with his legs crossed, chin slightly raised, feet on the table.

Jia Bingyang stood before him, fists clenched, his face pale.

The video was short and clearly filmed secretly, but it was so clear that the identities of the two were unmistakable.

After the black screen, Lin Miao’s hand trembled.

He immediately clicked on the comments section, where numerous question marks filled the screen:

【？？？？Wait, is this the ‘respect’ mentioned by the photographer in the article?】

Lin Miao immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

He took a screenshot of the account that posted the video and sent it to his subordinates, instructing them to remove it.

Then, he rushed to find his uncle.

After watching the video, his uncle also realized the problem, but fortunately, his people acted fast. Less than five minutes later, the account was deleted.

Lin Miao’s panic hadn’t subsided yet when his uncle came back, looking angry, and threw his phone into Lin Miao’s arms, shouting, “What the hell is wrong with you!”

Lin Miao, clutching his chest where the phone hit, froze.

He looked at his uncle’s rare display of anger and suddenly realized something.

Slowly, he bent down to pick up the phone.

On the screen was another video, but this one was new.

The video showed him sitting in a meeting room, speaking proudly: “Those greasy Chinese dishes, who are we making them for…”

The video finished, and his phone buzzed again. He checked, and another video appeared:

“… Our project isn’t made for those peasants. Get the focus right. Don’t embarrass us with those unhealthy dishes when we’re going overseas…”

Lin Miao blinked in confusion as he stared at the confident figure of himself in the video.

He had said those things many times without thinking anything was wrong. But now, hearing them, they felt incredibly harsh.

He looked up, and his uncle, standing before him, was now livid, his finger trembling as he pointed at him, unable to say a word.

---

Online, the suddenly leaked videos caused unprecedented chaos.

Both Jia Bingyang and Lin Miao were clearly identifiable, and the audio was unmistakable.

The situation quickly turned around, and “The World’s Best Foods” had no chance of defending itself. It couldn’t even maintain basic decency, and the truth was exposed. While posts were deleted, public outrage couldn’t be erased.

Countless netizens saved the video and kept reposting it.

It spread everywhere.

The image Lin Miao had carefully cultivated collapsed entirely, and people couldn’t believe that the first documentary on Chinese cuisine would be handled by such a director.

Many viewers who had previously thought the show was just off-topic were now slapping their own faces in disbelief, realizing that it wasn’t that the show was off-topic; it was that the director never wanted to focus on Chinese cuisine!

Numerous people flooded to the official account of “The World’s Best Foods,” expressing their outrage. The comment section was filled with demands for accountability:

【Hello? Can the foreign director come out and explain?】

【Amazing, eating with a bowl in hand and already starting to insult others.】

【So this film isn’t meant for peasants? My bad, I didn’t realize I was so clueless. Apologies for watching the show.】

【Greasy? Haha, you’re hilarious. Go ask your parents what kind of food they grew up with.】

It didn’t stop there. People soon noticed the massive promotion and the carefully crafted image Lin Miao had built for himself, and they quickly turned their attention to the Beijing TV station behind him.

When Lin Miao realized this, it was already too late. He had often boasted about his powerful connections, and now netizens easily traced back to his uncle.

The backlash spread from him to everyone around him.

The photographer who had posted a press release blaming Jia Bingyang was even forced to delete his post and apologize. But that didn’t help.

The complaints flooded in, reaching the Beijing TV station.

Social media, forums, even foreign websites—all had heard the news, and people were commenting on the overseas channel.

Overseas students, Chinese people abroad, ABCs, and even native foreigners all disapproved of him.

His name had become internationally infamous.

Now, everything that shouldn’t be disturbed had been shaken to the core.

Lin Miao locked himself in his office, holding his phone, reading a comment from a foreigner on the overseas channel:

“In fact, I prefer the ‘Chinese Delicacies’ documentary. Chinese food is really interesting. My friends and I don’t find it greasy. Maybe you should have a bit more confidence in your own country, like your competitor.”

Lin Miao slowly rolled his eyes when his phone rang. He picked it up slowly.

On the other end, his uncle sounded like he had aged ten years: “Come out. We need to have a meeting.”

As for what that meeting was about, there was no need to explain further.

The angry netizens on the internet could not calm down for a long time, with countless questions and accusations almost overwhelming Beijing Television Station.

Beijing Television Station has maintained a special position among all the television stations, revered by local authorities, largely due to its unique positioning.

The leaders of the station understand the heavy responsibilities they bear, which is why they have actively worked to promote cultural exports through artistic productions.

This is a bold move that has been well-received by domestic audiences.

For example, when the program World’s Best Food was promoted, the audience eagerly awaited it, as evidenced by the comments.

Even though the film didn’t achieve the expected success, most viewers did not overly criticize the attempt but instead encouraged it, contributing to its ratings.

This was all possible because of the station’s credibility.

People were willing to believe that the station’s intentions were genuine.

Regardless of the outcome, they aimed to share the most profound, precious, and cherished culture of the land with more people.

This credibility was built by Beijing Television Station through years of hard work.

But it was easily destroyed by Lin Miao.

If at first this was just Lin Miao’s problem, it has now escalated into a challenge for the entire Beijing Television Station.

---

Jin Yaotiao soon saw the final decision from Beijing Television Station.

Not only was Lin Miao fired, along with the photographer who had written an article for him, but even his uncle couldn’t escape the punishment.

Lin Miao, a young director, could have had a future if his mistakes were minor, but now, having stirred up such a controversy, the domestic audience would inevitably resist his future works.

He would no longer have a chance in China.

As for his uncle, a cautious man who had spent most of his life making careful moves, he had finally reached an age where he could move forward, only to lose everything because of his nephew’s scandal.

In fact, it didn’t have to come to this. Jia Bingyang, at the beginning, hadn’t planned to take revenge.

If it weren’t for the involvement of the program team and Mingde, the two documentaries could have coexisted peacefully without conflict.

Of course, the anger of the netizens was not so easily appeased.

After the news of Lin Miao’s dismissal was released, the comment section of World’s Best Food was still a mess. Even many of the film’s original viewers joined in the boycott.

Fans of China’s Fine Cuisine, who had been suppressed by capital for a while, suddenly found hope.

After learning the truth, they became even more supportive of the director Jia Bingyang, turning the previous online spat into a boost for the film.

“It’s really a twist of fate,” Jin Yaotiao said, glancing at the screen where she saw a new article criticizing Lin Miao, then putting her phone down and speaking to Lei Qiu, “But as expected of a master of destruction, impressive.”

Lei Qiu quickly gave her a look, signaling that Jia Bingyang was on the phone nearby: “Keep it down.”

Jin Yaotiao was surprised: “Doesn’t he know those videos were filmed by you?”

Lei Qiu puffed her cheeks and answered, “I didn’t let him know.”

She continued, “It’s still thanks to you. If you hadn’t reminded me, I wouldn’t have thought of such a long-term plan. At the time, I secretly kept those videos because I was worried that if you got into a quarrel with that rich young man, he might try to sabotage you. A year ago, Jia Bingyang didn’t even have a name, and who would’ve thought that one day he would be up against a rich young man from Beijing Television? You really have foresight, no wonder your company is thriving.”

The videos circulating online about Lin Miao were from over a year ago, when he was still at Linjiang Broadcasting.

Jin Yaotiao had asked Lei Qiu to come up with ways to film them.

Although Lin Miao liked to talk big, he only did so in situations where he felt safe, like in front of Jia Bingyang, whom he thought posed no threat.

If he had been straightforward and consistent in his views, Jin Yaotiao might have respected him more. After all, everyone is free to express their thoughts however they want.

But in other situations, such as at Beijing Television Station or with the media, and in the marketing of World’s Best Food, he was very clever, knowing exactly what to say to earn money from people he looked down on.

In Jin Yaotiao’s memory, when Jia Bingyang had achieved some success, the conflict with Lin Miao hadn’t been one-sided.

Just like many fans who helped World’s Best Food battle China’s Fine Cuisine, they were either attracted to his image of a rich, handsome man or were naturally supportive of Beijing Television Station.

Before seeing the videos, they probably never imagined that in Lin Miao’s eyes, they were just “mud-legged commoners.”

Recalling this, and remembering how her falling out with Lin Miao had happened back when she was at Linjiang Broadcasting, Jin Yaotiao had prepared a backup plan for self-protection.

She hadn’t expected it to be so useful.

Now, the heat brought by the other side’s high price had turned into an opportunity for China’s Fine Cuisine. From what she overheard during Jia Bingyang’s phone call, Beijing Television Station was in talks with him to introduce and air the film.

For dinner, they were having sea urchin steamed eggs. Lei Qiu, while helping Jin Yaotiao open the sea urchin, smiled and said, “Beijing Television Station sent high-ranking officials directly to negotiate. The terms were very favorable, and they even apologized to Jia Bingyang. I think the airing will happen soon to calm public opinion. Plus, our viewership is great, and the first local station that introduced it already has top rankings in the documentary category. It will only go higher from here. Jia Bingyang has been so happy these days, saying that once the TV stations are all on board and the online streaming revenue is finalized, you’ll see the return on investment.”

This was the rise of the film team and Jia Bingyang, as well as Lei Qiu’s.

Lei Qiu recalled her return to Linjiang Television a few days ago, when even the old rivals who had once flattered Lin Miao dared not show their faces in front of her.