Qin Hao, seeing Su Wuyao's pitiful expression, decided to cheer her up with a playful tease.
"Honey, let's buy a piece of land."
"What kind of land?"
"The land of my unwavering devotion to you."
Su Wuyao froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Ugh, you're so annoying!"
Blushing, she playfully punched Qin Hao, her mood instantly lifted, and the gloom in her heart dissipated.
Who would have thought Qin Hao would drop such a cheesy line at this moment?
Neither Su Wuyao nor the livestream audience saw it coming.
She gazed at Qin Hao, his reflection shimmering in her eyes.
Then, stealthily…
She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Qin Hao's cheek, leaving behind a faint lipstick mark.
She knew the audience was watching, but there were no rules against showing affection during a livestream.
After all, it's perfectly normal for couples to be lovey-dovey—and they weren't just a couple; they were practically an old married pair.
The sudden display of affection caught the audience off guard.
"Goodness! This is like luring the dogs in just to slaughter them!"
"Such a corny line, but I love it. You can tell Qin Hao truly adores the streamer."
"I'm full now. What about you guys? Today's dog food is enough for everyone—no need to order takeout."
"Say what you will, as long as Qin Hao genuinely loves Su Wuyao, that's all that matters. Who cares if he's a genius chef or not?"
"An identity can be hidden, but a heart that loves someone cannot. Even if you cover the mouth and eyes, love will find a way to show itself."
Meanwhile, Qin Hao and Su Wuyao remained unaware that a storm was quietly brewing around them.
…
At Pineapple Media, the company behind Chu Chu Baby, a targeted attack on Su Wuyao was quickly launched.
To completely suppress her, they enlisted a renowned food critic from the internet to write an exposé about Qin Hao.
This food critic was highly respected in the culinary world, boasting a following of five million fans.
Having once been part of the Culinary Association, the critic used connections within the association to investigate and found no records of Qin Hao in their database.
Using this as evidence, the critic concluded that everything was a staged farce orchestrated by Su Wuyao and Qin Hao.
The dishes like Lamp Shadow Beef and Peony Fish Fillets? All part of a scripted act.
Qin Hao, according to the critic, was just an ordinary cook with decent skills but nowhere near the level people imagined.
The claims of being a National Special Grade Chef or holding a Viscount title from the Empire of the Eagle? Completely fabricated.
Soon after, an article was published:
"A Staged Internet Farce: The Tale of a Fake Chef."
Fueled by Chu Chu Baby's die-hard fans, the article quickly spread across the internet.
It appeared on various social media platforms, literally everywhere.
The controversy spread like wildfire, with the article appearing almost everywhere online.
"I knew it! Those certificates were fake. Otherwise, why wouldn't the Culinary Association have any records of Qin Hao?"
"Confirmed. The internet is a mess these days—any random person can use fake credentials."
"I almost fell for it. Thank goodness someone stepped in to debunk it."
"A scripted act? This is just absurd."
"Come on, every popular figure online has a script these days. How else would they gain fame?"
Even in Su Wuyao's livestream chat, the tone of the comments began to shift.
Chu Chu Baby's die-hard fans were outraged, rallying to defend their beloved streamer and demand justice.
They declared that they wouldn't rest until Su Wuyao was completely discredited.
Some even organized efforts to file complaints with the Culinary Association, urging them to take action against Qin Hao for allegedly deceiving the public.
They called for Qin Hao's arrest and prosecution for fraud.
With Pineapple Media fueling the flames, the situation escalated further.
Various marketing accounts, incentivized by Pineapple Media, joined the chorus of criticism against Qin Hao and Su Wuyao.
They framed Chu Chu Baby as a positive example while portraying Su Wuyao as a cautionary tale.
While suppressing Su Wuyao, they simultaneously boosted Chu Chu Baby's reputation.
Outlandish reports flooded the internet, each one about Qin Hao garnering thousands of comments.
Finally, Chu Chu Baby announced a collaboration with the food critic who had written the exposé.
They planned to host a livestream dissecting Qin Hao's preparation of Lamp Shadow Beef and Peony Fish Fillets.
Every move was calculated to target Su Wuyao.
They couldn't tolerate her success, which they saw as a threat to their interests.
Many uninformed individuals were completely swayed by this wave of manipulation.
Believing the marketing accounts' reports, they took to the internet to condemn Qin Hao and Su Wuyao for allegedly fabricating stories for fame and tarnishing societal values.
Even feminist activists, sensitive to trending topics, joined the fray.
They loudly sided with Chu Chu Baby, using harsh language to criticize Qin Hao and Su Wuyao across Weibo and other media platforms.
"See? This is typical of men in China. He clearly knows how to cook but deliberately hides it, making his wife cook for him every day. How cruel can someone be?"
"I think Qin Hao treats his wife like a slave. Ladies, open your eyes and don't let men like this ruin your lives."
"Su Wuyao is pathetic. She forgave Qin Hao after a few sweet words? If it were me, I'd make him pay for it."
"Men like this shouldn't exist in this world. Why should his wife have to do all the work and cooking?"
The feminists' comments were far more cutting than those of the marketing accounts.
While the marketing accounts merely steered public opinion, the feminists launched direct personal attacks against Qin Hao.
Their words were venomous, sparing neither Qin Hao nor Su Wuyao.
It was clear these individuals were mobilized by Chu Chu Baby.
However, Chu Chu Baby didn't spend a dime to recruit them.
She simply posted a few messages in a feminist group chat, claiming that a man had stolen her spotlight and was threatening her livelihood.
The response was overwhelming.
Some activists didn't even bother verifying the situation, immediately launching verbal attacks without hesitation.
Others, unable to stand the negativity, argued that this was a private matter between husband and wife and didn't warrant such interference.
"Qin Hao may have hidden his identity, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love Su Wuyao."
"During the livestream, everyone saw that Qin Hao handled all the household chores when Su Wuyao wasn't home."
"Qin Hao truly treasures Su Wuyao, treating her like a precious gem."
"Besides, Su Wuyao doesn't always cook for Qin Hao. They order takeout quite often. Let's be reasonable here."
"Don't you know? It's all scripted. Qin Hao hiding his chef identity is just part of the act to grab attention."