As that viewer broke down the situation, the barrage of on-screen comments suddenly quieted.
Many people couldn’t believe it—did Gu Zhaoping really calculate all of this from the very beginning?
Are you saying that, right when the show announced the rules, she had already realized they could save money by buying kitchen tools, use the betting mechanism to drain Li Xunxi’s team’s funds, and monopolize the oil at the last moment to trade it for ingredients at a lower cost?
While everyone else was still complaining about how slow she was, she had already calculated several moves ahead?
After a long silence, someone finally spoke up:【…Is this the power of a business degree?】
【Whoever said Gu Zhaoping was all show—step forward!】
【Who said Zhaoping-jie was slow? Damn, she was just cool and in total control! That’s the demeanor of a boss!】
【She had it all figured out in her head, like a clear mirror—why would she rush? And why were others stressing for her? Embarrassing much?】
【Zhaoping-jie, I’m kneeling…】
Meanwhile, Li Xunxi’s team looked completely dumbfounded.
They had been played!
Before the siblings could react, Ruan Nian rushed to grab a basket of fish to go trade.
Some people were still trying to speak up for her:【At least Ruan Nian has a good attitude. Those two siblings were too proud to negotiate with the other team—only she was willing to go trade…】
But before the words were even finished, Chu Yanze said calmly: “Your team’s ingredients are short in weight.”
The viewers who had just praised Ruan Nian instantly flipped.
What?
How could this team mess up so badly??
It’s embarrassing to even defend them!
Ruan Nian seriously tried to trade underweight ingredients?
Did she think others were blind and couldn’t tell?
Some fans tried to defend her:【Nian Nian was just too rushed and didn’t notice! Who would intentionally trade with obviously underweight goods? That’s just not logical!】
【Saying that makes her look even dumber—how could she miss something so obvious?】
The fans, frustrated, stopped commenting.
At this point, Ruan Nian’s public image was at rock bottom.
Hardly anyone was willing to defend her anymore.
People thought all of this was already shocking enough.
But then the camera cut to a scene after the bidding ended, revealing that a cameraman had followed Gu Zhaoping’s team and recorded their conversation.
“They won’t be able to monopolize it. “
Li Xunwen’s team already used their bets to create a capital gap.
We can cover that easily.
The third team has too many people.
They won’t make a quick decision.
“…That’s the advantage of having a single voice in charge. We’re the only ones who can monopolize.”
She said this casually, just explaining things to her team to reassure them.
But it wasn’t just Chu Yanze and Liang Zhiwei who were stunned—it was also the audience.
Even the capital gap was something she had calculated???
So she provoked Li Xunxi into raising their bets at the beginning just to ensure a 20,000-yuan gap in starting capital, ensuring that no matter what site they chose, they wouldn’t lose out??
Wow.
Now, no one dared question whether Gu Zhaoping was overrated.
If this is “overrated,” what would “truly deserving” look like?
Still, fans from other teams weren’t giving up:【Why was she so sure she’d have sole control? Did she even ask others before making decisions? Was she so certain Liang Zhiwei and Chu Yanze would just follow her lead? Teams with more people should have more ideas—if hers runs into internal conflict, then we’ll see who gets embarrassed!】
But that wasn’t even the most humiliating part.
Once all three shops opened, the third group’s stall appeared first—hectic, bustling, clearly exhausted.
They worked their butts off, but at least they earned a decent return.
Then came Gu Zhaoping’s team.
They had pre-tested their dishes, and the moment they opened, customers lined up.
The reviews were great.
They were swamped with business but the team was harmonious—no conflicts at all.
This was unbelievable.
Even the chill third group had squabbled a few times over pricing, and Ruan Nian’s team had caused a trending controversy and even provoked an official response!
But Zhaoping’s team?
Strangely peaceful.
The two teammates acted like diligent, loyal workers, following Zhaoping-jie’s lead without complaint, eyes full of admiration.
“Zhaoping-jie! There’s a small issue over here…”
“Zhaoping-jie! Can we plate this dish like this?”
They were eager to learn, with no impulse to offer their own opinions—just happy to latch onto a capable leader.
Bliss!
Gu Zhaoping casually pointed and offered solutions on the spot.
They had never voiced a single disagreement.
—It’s a joke.
Only those who’ve worked with Zhaoping-jie know how amazing it is to follow someone with clear directives, a solid plan, and real leadership.
You’d be a fool to question her!
It was only then that viewers realized Ruan Nian’s group had received no screen time or updates.
Not until both other groups had aired did her team finally appear, with a note: “Apologies, viewers. There was an incident earlier, and filming just resumed…”
Originally, the show didn’t explain what happened—recording mishaps are common, and this should’ve been glossed over.
But the earlier drama had been so explosive…
Everyone already had an idea.
Seeing this message just made the whole thing funnier.
At this point, the viewers finally learned what really happened.
The camera timidly panned across the restaurant.
Even though the crew tried hard not to show too much, some sharp-eyed viewers noticed debris on the floor.
【That’s from when they smashed a fan’s camera!】
【Those fans barged in on their own—it’s their fault, okay? If they hadn’t, would the camera have been broken?】
【If Ruan Nian hadn’t organized fans to join the chaos, would they have stormed in like that? They probably thought they were waiting inside for Ruan Nian to show up!】
Everyone was talking.
People originally thought that Ruan Nian already looked pretty submissive to Li Xunxi in that elevator scene, but during the restaurant’s operation, it got even worse.
Li Xunxi left everything to Ruan Nian—washing vegetables, planning recipes, cooking.
The so-called “young master and miss” wouldn’t even clean tables.
Occasionally, when a rare customer arrived and saw how overwhelmed Ruan Nian was, they started cleaning the table themselves.
Ruan Nian, already dizzy from the workload, didn’t even register it.
She let them help and ran back into the kitchen.
At that moment, the comment section exploded.
【This team is something else! Are they serious? Customers have to bring their own rags to clean tables? They don’t even tidy up after the last customer? And they want to run a business like this with that level of hygiene??】
“A few comments silenced the entire livestream chat.
Many viewers couldn’t believe it — had Gu Zhaoping really calculated all of this from the very beginning?
“Are you saying that when the show first announced the rules, she already realized that buying kitchenware would save money, that betting could drain Li Xunxi’s team’s funds, and that by the end, she could monopolize the cooking oil to trade for ingredients at a low price??”
While everyone else was still complaining about how slow she was, had she already planned several moves ahead?
After a long silence, someone finally spoke: “[…Is this what business school teaches you?]”
“[Whoever said Gu Zhaoping was all talk, come out and face the music!]”
“[Who said she was slow? Damn, she was calm and in control! That’s boss energy!]”
“[She had everything calculated clearly — of course she wasn’t anxious! And some people were busy being anxious for her? Embarrassing.]”
“[…]”
“[Zhaoping-jie, I’m on my knees…]”
Meanwhile, Li Xunxi’s group looked completely stunned — they had been played.
Before the brother and sister could react, Ruan Nian rushed to trade a basket of fish.
Some viewers were still trying to say: “[At least Ruan Nian has a good personality — those siblings couldn’t even bring themselves to negotiate, but she went over to trade ingredients with the other group…]”
Before the words were even fully spoken, Chu Yanze casually said,
“The ingredients from your group are short in weight.”
The viewers who were just complimenting Ruan Nian immediately blew up.
“What? How could this group mess up so badly??”
“Defending them is just embarrassing!”
“Seriously Ruan Nian? You tried to trade short-weighted ingredients? Do you think people are stupid and won’t notice?”
Some fans tried to defend her: “[Nian Nian was just too rushed for the team and didn’t notice! Who would purposely bring underweight ingredients to trade? That’s not even logical!]”
“[You’re just making her sound dumber — it was obvious and she didn’t notice?]”
The fans fell silent in frustration.
This was the worst Ruan Nian’s online reputation had ever been — no one was speaking up for her.
Just when everyone thought that was shocking enough…
The camera cut to a scene after the bidding, showing behind-the-scenes dialogue from Gu Zhaoping’s group.
“They won’t be able to monopolize it. Li Xunwen’s team already locked in the capital difference through betting. We can cover it. Group 3 has too many people to make quick decisions.…That’s the benefit of having a one-voice leadership — only we can monopolize.”
She said it lightly, just explaining to her team to put them at ease.
But it wasn’t just Chu Yanze and Liang Zhiwei who were stunned — the audience was too.
She’d calculated the capital gap too???
She provoked Li Xunxi to raise their bet just to ensure a 20,000-coin difference, guaranteeing they wouldn’t lose no matter which venue they picked??
Damn.
Now, no one dared question Gu Zhaoping’s reputation.
If this is “overrated,” then what counts as “rightfully famous”?
Some fans of other groups still refused to admit it:
“[Why should everything go her way? Did she even ask her teammates before making decisions? How does she know Liang Zhiwei and Chu Yanze would follow her lead? Other teams have more people and more ideas. If they start arguing later, won’t it blow up in her face?]”
But that wasn’t even the biggest slap in the face.
After the three teams opened their restaurants, Group 3’s stall was the first to get going.
It was bustling, chaotic — but at least they were making money, even if it was hard-earned.
Then came Gu Zhaoping’s group.
They had already tested their dishes in advance.
The moment they opened, long lines formed.
The food had rave reviews.
The team worked harmoniously, not a single conflict.
It was almost bizarre.
Even Group 3, which had a chill vibe, argued several times about pricing — and Ruan Nian’s group made such a mess they landed on the trending topics and even triggered an official statement!
But Gu Zhaoping’s team?
Uncanny peace.
Her two teammates worked hard like loyal employees, following her every instruction, eyes full of admiration.
“Zhaoping-jie! There’s a small issue over here…”
“Zhaoping-jie! Is this okay for serving the dish?”
They asked questions earnestly, with no desire to offer their own opinions — only eager to hold onto her coattails and ride the success.
And Zhaoping would just point and calmly offer a solution every time.
They never questioned her.
Because anyone who’s worked with Zhaoping-jie knows how amazing it is to have a leader who gives clear instructions, a strong direction, and knows how to lead.
Only a fool would argue!
It was at this point the audience noticed: Ruan Nian’s group hadn’t had a single camera shot in a long time.
Only after the other two groups’ segments aired did the show finally cut to them, with a note:
“[Sorry viewers, there was an unexpected incident. Recording is starting just now…]”
Originally, it could’ve been brushed aside as a simple production mishap.
But everyone knew what had really happened — the recent scandal had been too big.
And when the camera panned across the restaurant, sharp-eyed viewers noticed bits of debris still not cleaned up.
“[That’s from when they broke the fan’s camera!]”
“[Those fans barged in, it’s their fault! If they hadn’t, no one would’ve smashed anything!]”
“[If Ruan Nian hadn’t rallied her fans, would they have stormed in like that? They probably thought they were waiting inside for her to make an appearance!]”
People argued.
Some even speculated: “[Could it be that they forced Ruan Nian to organize the fans? She’s so busy and never once complained — maybe they were bullying her behind the scenes and she was pressured into it? Ruan Nian normally cherishes her fans. Something must’ve happened!]”
The chapter is repeated and then cut off