Wen Ze wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, but when he turned, he was startled by a circle of people standing around him.
The master baker, having shed his earlier coldness, asked with a beaming smile, “Mr. Wen, I see the little cakes you made are quite exquisite. May I have a taste?”
Wen Ze was flattered and hurriedly handed over a cake with both hands. “Of course!”
The tiny cake wasn’t large, but the moment it hit his tongue, the master was stunned.
The fruit on top was fresh and sweet, with a burst of rich juice exploding in his mouth; the sweetness and density of the cream in the middle were perfectly balanced neither lacking nor overly cloying. The cake slice at the bottom was soft and fluffy, and because it had just come out of the oven, it still held a pleasant warmth.
The master naturally knew the quality of the ingredients in the shop, but this little cake practically redefined the word “delicious.”
A chef’s taste buds are the most sensitive, and they are the best at sensing the heart put into a dish.
The master looked at Wen Ze with eyes full of appreciation and said sincerely, “The cake is delicious; Mr. Wen is very talented. I apologize for having prejudices against you before and for my poor attitude.”
Wen Ze shyly shook his head. “After all, this isn’t my profession. It’s normal for you not to trust me; that’s not prejudice.”
The master smiled, then curiously asked, “Your technique is very proficient and precise. Is it a gift?”
Under normal circumstances, such skills couldn’t be attributed to talent alone; they required long-term practice to develop a “feel” for the work. Yet, this kid’s career didn’t seem to offer conditions for long-term practice.
Unexpectedly, Wen Ze replied, “Ah, practice makes perfect, I suppose. I wasn’t very good at it when I first started.”
The master was stunned. “But aren’t you a celebrity?”
Shouldn’t celebrities be busy filming TV shows, movies, and advertisements all day long? How would he have the time to practice making cakes for so long?
“I’m not very famous,” Wen Ze explained with a shy smile.
Although he didn’t explicitly say it, the audience understood perfectly.
His ex-boyfriend didn’t like him showing his face in public.
The guests were all under contract, forbidden from disparaging another guest on the show, but the viewers weren’t bound by such contracts:
【Well, how should I put this? I used to be a casual fan of the Best Actor, but now I find him very strange.】
【Same here. Best Actor Zhou always acts so devoted, as if Wen Ze betrayed him. Wen Ze himself even posted saying he didn’t want to hold him back, but how come it looks like Best Actor Zhou was the one holding Wen Ze back?】
【+1 to the above. With Wen Ze’s face, if someone hadn’t been deliberately suppressing him, he could have easily been at least a B-list star, even just as a “pretty face.”】
【Exactly. Just looking at how he managed to attract so many “beauty fans” on his first variety show appearance, it’s obvious he was being held back.】
【And Wen Ze’s personality looks quite docile; it doesn’t look like he’s deliberately performing for the camera.】
【Wen Ze isn’t “docile,” he’s timid. He’s been PUA-ed (gaslit) by Zhou Zichen; why else would he be so insecure?】
#BestActorCPUExBoyfriend (Gaslighting) #ZhouZichenWenZe #ZhouZichenScumbag #WenZeCake #WenZePrettyFaceClout
Public opinion flipped instantly. While the Best Actor’s fans kept trying to clarify, they couldn’t stem the tide of questioning from passersby.
Liu Ming stared at the trending topics and cursed in rage, “Damn it.”
He paced the room anxiously, like a tethered dog, capable of nothing but impotent fury. This little bitch is deliberately blackening Brother Zhou’s name in front of the camera, isn’t he?
He clearly used to be so sensible and obedient, never saying an extra word.
As expected, the quiet dog bites the hardest.
Liu Ming seemed to have completely forgotten that every word Wen Ze said was the truth, without a single shred of exaggeration or slander.
With a dark face, he yelled at the assistant beside him, “What are you staring at? Why aren’t you contacting the PR department to suppress the public opinion? Find a way to get a message to Brother Zhou!”
The young assistant knew his personality well; he nodded obsequiously on the surface, but once he walked out the door, his expression turned to one of disdain. You’re just a dog acting on your master’s power let’s see how much longer you can be arrogant.
The PR department bought a massive number of trolls to intervene, finally managing to suppress the questions and criticism. However, once the seed of doubt was planted in people’s hearts, it wouldn’t be so easy to pull out.
Wen Ze originally intended to give these little cakes away, but the master baker insisted on selling them, and at a high price, too.
The little cakes were beautiful and exquisite; they caught customers’ eyes in the display window, and an elusive, sweet aroma seemed to waft out, reminding them of childhood cravings, making them walk in involuntarily.
The usually pricey bakery saw a rare long line, all for a common little cake.
As expected, the small batch of cakes sold out within half an hour, and the customers waiting behind in line kept asking when they would be restocked.
Only after the waiters repeatedly explained that this batch was limited did the customers leave with regret, buying several other types of cakes as substitutes before departing.
A few simple little cakes had raised the shop’s sales to a new level, leaving the manager dumbstruck. Looking at the eager gaze of the manager, if Wen Ze hadn’t been filming a show, the man would have probably asked him on the spot if he wanted a job.
Ji Yun was also dumbstruck. “Ah-Ze, I never expected you to have such skills.”
Faced with the praise from the aloof beauty, Wen Ze shyly scratched his head. “It… it can’t really be called a skill; you’re over-praising me, senior.”
“If this isn’t a skill, then what is?” Ji Yun laughed. “And don’t call me ‘senior’ anymore; it sounds too distant. Call me Ah-Yun.”
Wen Ze obediently called out, “Ah-Yun.”
They were the simplest of two words, yet when spoken from his lips, they carried a peculiar charm that made one involuntarily want to sink into them.
Ji Yun couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah-Ze, you are practically like a succubus from hell. One glance at someone is enough to make them willingly kneel at your feet, become your most loyal follower, and offer you everything they have.”
Looking at that face, which seemed like a gift from the Creator, the others couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
Wen Ze smiled awkwardly. You shouldn’t use metaphors like that! You’ll scare the succubus!
The task for the two was successfully completed. The boss gave them a glowing review without hesitation and even paid to buy the recipe Wen Ze had used. He couldn’t hire him, but settling for second best and keeping the production method was a good move.
In truth, what “recipe” did Wen Ze have? It was just that anything that passed through a succubus’s hands would naturally carry a trace of their aura… and as it happened, this magic was something no mortal could resist.
He tried to decline repeatedly, but the boss was unrelenting, claiming this was what he had earned as wages for the day and had nothing to do with the recipe.
Unable to resist, Wen Ze reluctantly accepted and gave him a recipe he had personally improved; the taste was somewhat better than what was on the market. A succubus’s tongue is more sensitive than a human’s, and recipes are mysterious things; even the slightest change in proportions can alter the flavor.
The boss thanked them profusely as he sent them off. His eager gaze followed the car as it drove away; when he turned around, he found the master baker already cooking in the kitchen, making him both angry and amused.
Wen Ze’s group was considered quite successful, but Xie Tingyan returned even earlier than them.
Xie Tingyan was sharp-tongued, but not a toxic troll who sprayed everyone he saw; he was very respectful toward a senior like Ji Yun. After the four chatted briefly, they realized that the task for Xie Tingyan’s group was truly simple. They were asked to play a song on the guzheng (zither) for an elderly woman, and as long as they passed her standard, they were done.
With Qu Zheng there, the outcome was self-evident.
The two hadn’t spent much time before they were back. They had been sitting there for half the afternoon, bored to tears, almost wondering if the production team was intentionally going easy on them.
As it turned out, that was precisely the case.
Xie Tingyan’s new song was about to be released, but he had brought his personal composer to a reality show under the guise of “finding inspiration,” while actually clearly slacking off. It was no wonder the company was anxious. His manager and the director were originally on good terms, but this time, he had almost secretly hired people to beat him up.
Zhou Zichen and Shen Ruan also returned soon. Unfortunately, neither of them was popular; Wen Ze wanted to go over and greet them, but Ji Yun held him back.
Of course, neither of the two showed any intention of paying attention to anyone else. Shen Ruan was pestering Zhou Zichen with flirtatious behavior, while Zhou Zichen, already mired in his own filth, was in no state to worry about his image.
Unexpectedly, Gu Chao and Ji Hang were the last to return.
Everyone looked curiously toward the production team. Logically speaking, these two should have been the most intelligent and capable; what kind of task could have stumped them like this? Was there someone intentionally sabotaging them, or was it a deliberately difficult task?
The production team was near a breakdown. The first-round task certainly wasn’t difficult, but they couldn’t help it when the two were dragging each other down! The entire task had been a series of “you sabotage me, I sabotage you.” Both of these “black-on-the-inside” big shots had been made to look incredibly wretched. The chat in their live room was laughing hysterically. Those who knew said they were meeting for the first time and just had a natural personality clash; those who didn’t would have thought they had some deep, long-standing vendetta.
Finally, with all eight guests present, the rule was that they had to cook dinner together. The production team provided the ingredients, but from then on, they wouldn’t even provide those; they would have to use the money earned from tasks to buy groceries.
It was standard variety show procedure; everyone expressed understanding, as they had all, more or less, practiced cooking before coming. Whether it had any effect was another matter entirely.
Shen Ruan said happily, “I can cook some home-style dishes, so I can be responsible for that part.”
Xie Tingyan was a notorious “kitchen assassin.” He kept quiet, and no one dared to ask him anything.
Qu Zheng whispered, “I can do some home-style ones, too.”
Qu Zheng had always been socially anxious and wouldn’t expose his personal life on social media; everyone was quite surprised to hear he could cook. However, even ordering takeout required interacting with people; as someone with deep social anxiety, it was actually quite normal that he would know how to cook.
Ji Yun said straightforwardly, “I’m about the same as Little Xie also in the ‘kitchen assassin’ category. I can’t do anything except things that don’t require frying. Ah-Ze makes great desserts; I don’t know about other things.”
Great desserts?
Everyone cast doubtful glances at Wen Ze, suspecting Ji Yun was intentionally flattering him.
Ji Yun tutted. “What’s with those looks? Be careful you don’t get slapped in the face later.”
Shen Ruan was unconvinced. “Teacher Ji, don’t be fooled. Wen Ze is very good at lying.”
The audience in the chat were speechless. The popularity that had just returned thanks to his sweet interaction with Zhou Zichen sank once again:
【I hadn’t heard of any bad blood between Shen Ruan and Wen Ze before. Why is he trying so hard to trash Wen Ze?】
【I just came back from the video of Wen Ze making cakes it looked so delicious.】
【Shen Ruan is really… he has the feeling of a ‘pretty idiot.’】
【User above, look at Wen Ze—who is the real beauty?】
The chat drifted off-topic.
Wen Ze only smiled and didn’t argue with Shen Ruan. Instead, he turned and asked the last two: “Mr. Gu, Ji Hang, what about you?”
The duo was sitting far apart, one on the sofa at the far east, the other on the sofa at the far west.
Hearing this, Ji Hang immediately replied cheerfully, “I can cook big dishes! I’m very skilled~”
Ji Hang’s fans immediately testified:
【I can verify that. Back when Ji Xiao-Hang wasn’t famous, he even ran a lottery on Weibo, sending his home-cooked dishes to local fans. I won one, and it really was delicious.】
That was something Ji Hang had done when he first debuted and wasn’t yet red; he had been very idle then. It seemed these were veteran fans.
Being beaten to the punch, Gu Chao’s face turned black.
He could cook “big dishes,” too, and his skills were excellent!
“Mr. Gu?” Seeing Gu Chao remaining silent, Wen Ze had no choice but to ask again, helplessly.
Only then did Gu Chao say, “I can cook Western food.”
The CP (shipping) fans were stirred into action:
【Ooh, President Gu is too aloof and arrogant; he only spoke after Ah-Ze asked.】
【I saw his mouth open before, but he was beaten to the punch by Little Ji. Hahahaha.】
【This round goes to the Husky (doge).】
【Fine, fine, Little Ji is being insufferable again, isn’t he?】
【Doesn’t anyone else feel like these two are a perfect match? President Gu does Western food, Wen Ze specializes in desserts isn’t that a complete meal right there!】
【So what’s your CP name? A Meal?】
【Hahahahaha, you’re so talented, user above.】
Everyone went into the kitchen to cook. Only then did a weak comment drift up:
【What about Best Actor Zhou? Why didn’t anyone ask him?】