267 – Scripted

The eighth episode, “The Eight Sauces,” was highly anticipated by everyone and their grandmothers. As the episode aired, the judge immediately revealed the identity of the chef. Everyone watched as the contestants reacted to the revelation.

Out of all the contestants, Mingya looked visibly upset. The camera switched back to the time when Ang had told her that he shouldn’t have voted for Li Yun two episodes ago. As the episode progressed, the viewers were taken to the shared apartment where Mingya confronted Ang. 

“Mr. Ang, I really want to know, why did you lie to me?” asked Mingya.

“It’s just a game,” said Ang. It was as simple as that. “And besides, you have never been in the bottom three. Even if you didn’t get the immunity, would it have mattered?”

It was also partially Ang’s perverse sense of enjoyment from messing with the other players' heads. To him, it was just a game, it wasn’t like anyone was going to be in trouble if he lied. It was the same mentality as to how some gamers like to player kill others in a game. They couldn’t do it in real life, but it was enjoyable in a game. Despite that, some people took it as a personal attack.

Mingya walked away to the living room where the others consoled her. From the start of the competition, Mingya thought of Ang as an older uncle whom she could rely on.

“Are you upset he took advantage of your naivete? Or at yourself for falling for it?” asked Xinda sitting next to her.

Mingya looked down and dug her toes into the floor. She was upset at both. She should have already known that everyone was in the competition to win the game. “What should I do? I feel so stupid.”

“Well, just cook,” Anthonio told her from the kitchen area. “It’s a cooking competition, and he has the skill. The only thing he lacked is your sense of taste. You have a better understanding of what others will like. That’s not something that can be easily trained, it’s only something you gain from cooking food for the ones you love.”

They were being filmed, and he was being purposely extra cheesy for the camera, but it still made her feel better. The audience was immediately on Mingya's side, cursing Ang out from the net. However, the hate that Ang had received was nowhere near the level of fervor that Li Yun was getting. The audience was either amazed or in disbelief at his ability.

The fervor spread throughout the internet and everyone was discussing the topic over their coffee break. All the staff from the television studio were stunned when they saw the report. The early rating reports for the 8th episode blew past their expectations. 

“Five percent? Am I really dreaming?” Asked Director Xian. The first week's episodes had barely reached 1%. The second week fared better with 2%, which was the standard for a popular cooking show. However, five percent was an achievement deemed as impossible for a cooking show.

“You’re not dreaming Director Xian, we are really going out with a bang!” No one was more excited than Nicholas. He had pooled together his own money to fund the final season. He wanted to work on all the ideas he had before the Great Chef ended as a series. Who would have known that the third judge would have generated so much interest? “Networks are already calling me about a cooking variety show with Dr. Li!”

Albeit, not all the interest was good, but any publicity was great publicity. There were very vocal groups of people opposing Li Yun’s abilities. He was labeled as a quack and con artist in many forums. The Great Chef was also called out for being scripted and fake.

(:Foodie:): : Isn’t that a fake ability in webnovels?

MrPotatoHead: Really fake and scripted. I can’t believe the show has sunk this low.

TeaDrinker456: How do you know it’s fake? You obviously have never met Dr. Li in real life. You should watch videos of his medical feats if you think his ability is fake.

IEATPIE: Hey, hey! I watched those clips, are they real? That’s insane, he’s like a modern day Tua Hua. He can put people to sleep with acupuncture needles!

MrPotatoHead: That is even more ridiculous! And if you look up the food supplied for the Sauce episode, it came from Shennong, a company that Dr. Li worked for.

(:Foodie:): Is that the same as the Shennong app? The ones where you can shop for groceries and view where they are grown?

Li Yun's name suddenly appeared on the trending list on many websites. The stations were receiving complaints about fraudulent activities and promoting scams.

“Director Xian, are you going to be addressing any of these complaints?” The news reporters asked with their mikes pointing at the director.

“Why should I?” Asked Director Xian. “If he did anything outside the show that is deemed fraudulent, I can’t address it. However, he really does have the ability to name ingredients. All cooking shows have a basic script to follow, but it's not like a television script. We can release to them the basic script for the show.”

“Really?” The CEO of the station was skeptical. 

“Really. Calling the show scripted is ridiculous. If we were, I would like the Golden Condor Award to nominate my show for best drama and best actors.”

The controversy didn’t simply play out over the internet. The various news channels saw an opportunity for views, and gathered everything about the miracle doctor. They invited experts to understand the nature and perception of taste. 

“From a scientific standpoint, the taste is our perception of different molecular compounds,” the neuroscientist explained. “For example, alkali metals are perceived as salty, hydrogen ions as sour, menthol as cooling, alkaloid as bitter, and ketosis as sweet. To be able to identify all the food, especially those with a neutral taste is impossible.”

“I also do not think it is possible for anyone to accurately name all the ingredients,” the gastronomist opined. “For one, no one had tasted all the ingredients, and two, during the cooking process, many ingredients undergo chemical changes and create a different flavor compound.”

“Why are you making it sound so technical?” The news anchor joked. “Makes me feel like I’m in chemistry class again.”

“Many great chefs are chemists, and ultimately alchemists that can make people happy,” said Chef Pirout, a celebrity chef. “I have personally met with Doctor Li on the show, so I know his ability is real. It isn’t perfect as it is dependent on what sort of food Dr. Li had tried out before.”

“Oh, Chef Pirout has met Doctor Li? I assume it’s a future episode, can you give us some spoilers?”

“The viewers should be able to see me on the future episodes,” responded Chef Pirout.

“Then can Chef Pirout know if Dr. Li uses his nose?” asked the neuroscientist. “I do not believe absolute taste is possible, but absolute smell is certainly more plausible. In the back of our nasal cavities, the epithelium can distinguish between 1 trillion different scents.”

Chef Pirout recalled that Li Yun had mentioned that his nose was sharp, but not as sharp as his stomach. At the time, Li Yun was still understanding the different profiles of food, which was nothing more than substances that provided energy. If he was to compare his ability then and now, his ability was much more advanced. His sensitivity to food wasn’t caused by his tongue, but by his ability to zoom into his body. Before acquiring an upgrade to Qivi, he could only accurately identify molecules that were absorbed into his bloodstream.

After achieving a large perfection, his ability to look at substances in the respiratory system and digestive system had improved. He was able to see the molecular substances of materials inside his stomach, intestines, and lungs. Even before he tasted the food, his nose receptors picked up the flavor compound steaming from the food. This allowed Li Yun to identify substances and compounds more quickly.

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