Entertainment to the death, make a tokusatsu film that will crush the entire internet.

Dongbei Catering specializes in Northwest Chinese cuisine.

Branch stores are located in major shopping malls across the country, with a rugged and bold decoration style.

The slogan is "The taste of the grassland, the warmth of home".

Yang Qian was fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, to have experienced it once.

The price is comparable to that of mid-to-high-end restaurants.

The taste... is hard to describe.

A serving of hand-pulled lamb chops from the grasslands costs 188 yuan, but only seven or eight pieces are served, with a pitifully small amount of meat and a bland taste.

A stir-fried vegetable dish cost 38 yuan. The broccoli was wilted and mushy, and the carrot slices were unevenly cut.

The most amazing thing was that bowl of Northwest-style fried rice.

It tastes distinctly like it's been microwaved and has a watery texture.

Even so, the average cost per person easily exceeds 100.

Before the Lunar New Year, some serious food bloggers and self-media conducted in-depth investigations.

Then even more shocking news broke.

Dongbei Catering makes extensive use of pre-prepared dishes.

The so-called freshly roasted lamb chops are actually frozen packaged semi-finished products, which are then removed from the packaging and placed in an oven for a timed heating.

Boiled broccoli is a frozen vegetable pack; simply blanch it in boiling water and then drizzle it with a pre-made sauce.

The specialty fried rice is frozen fried rice produced in a factory and can be cooked in the microwave for a few minutes.

Even freshly squeezed juice is made from concentrate diluted with water...

Public opinion was in uproar.

The hashtag #DongbeiPre-madeFoodSession# quickly went viral and became a trending topic.

Netizens are in an uproar.

"I knew it! The lamb chops I had last time looked exactly the same, even the bones looked the same! Turns out they came from an assembly line!"

"A serving of broccoli that cost 38 yuan tasted just like frozen vegetables to me. I thought there was something wrong with my sense of taste!"

"Freshly grilled lamb chops can't be without salt? Because the salt is already added during the pre-cooking process! Hahahaha!"

"Can't you remove the scallions from fried rice? Because the scallions are already mixed into the rice during the cooking process! Just microwave it and it's done!"

"Pre-cooked meals aren't necessarily inedible, but you're selling them at the price of freshly cooked meals, or even more! Do you really think customers are suckers?!"

Faced with questions, the middle-aged man named Jia Dongbei, the chairman of Dongbei Catering, gave a model response.

He first slammed his fist on the table during an internal company meeting, angrily denouncing it as "a malicious smear campaign by competitors, a dirty trick by industry forces!"

Then, he personally took to the field, posting several short essays on his personal Weibo account.

"Some people have no bottom line when it comes to traffic! Dongbei has been deeply involved in the catering industry for twenty years, relying on high-quality ingredients and freshly made food! They say we use pre-prepared dishes? Show us the evidence! If you can't provide evidence, it's slander! Dongbei is upright and has nothing to fear!"

"The online atmosphere is terrible these days! People spread rumors all the time! If you're so tough, stop hiding behind your screen and meet me in person! I, Lao Jia, am ready to fight to the end! I'll show you what the spirit of a Northwestern man is all about! (Angry)"

"Consumers are wise! Our Dongbei's customer traffic is the best proof! Those haters, the more you criticize us, the more popular we become! Thank you for giving us more attention! (clasped hands)"

These tough-guy remarks, instead of calming the storm, were like pouring water into a frying pan, making it sizzle even more.

Netizens were amused.

"Hahaha! He's getting anxious! He's getting anxious!"

"Evidence? The kitchen surveillance footage has been leaked; the Dongbei exclusive supply labels on the frozen packaging are clearly visible. Isn't that evidence?"

"What the hell is this about the 'spiritedness' of men from Northwest China? Does 'spiritedness' mean ripping off customers with pre-made meals?"

"Meet offline? This guy's the chairman of a restaurant group? I thought he was some kind of gangster boss!"

"Hilarious! Solving problems by fighting? How did someone with that level of intelligence build such a large company? Oh, you use pre-made meals, oh well then."

Some customers are even more meticulous, recording videos on their phones and ordering on the spot.

The recipe calls for less salt, omitting scallions, and making the broccoli crisper.

The dishes that were served were, as always, standard in taste and appearance.

The evidence is irrefutable.

Faced with irrefutable evidence, Jia Dongbei's attitude changed drastically, transforming from a tough guy into a rogue.

He started playing the emotional card, posting a long article complaining about how difficult the catering industry is, and how labor, rent, and raw material costs are skyrocketing.

The use of partially standardized semi-finished products is to ensure product consistency and food safety, and is a "common practice in the industry," which has been "misunderstood."

Then, the tone shifted, and a subtle threat began to emerge.

【Jia Dongbei V】：

"Recently, the false rumors against Dongbei have intensified, seriously affecting the company's normal operations and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of employees."

If this unhealthy trend doesn't stop, in order to ensure the company's survival, we will not rule out closing some underperforming stores and making business adjustments.

At that time, a large number of dedicated employees may be forced to leave their posts...

Please view this rationally and don't let innocent employees pay the price for cyberbullying.

This Weibo post completely ignited public anger.

"Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!"

"After being exposed for using substandard pre-made meals, instead of trying to rectify the situation, they're threatening the public and media with the threat of employee layoffs?"

"What kind of Northwestern man is this? He's a scoundrel!"

"Employees are really unlucky to have a boss like this; when something goes wrong, they're pushed out as a scapegoat."

"Pre-made meals aren't necessarily inedible, but you have to label them! You're selling pre-made meals at premium freshly cooked prices, and you still have the nerve to do it? And now you dare threaten your employees?"

"I have never seen such a shameless person!"

……

Nausea.

Discomfort.

This was Yang Qian's first reaction after seeing the news.

Some people are simply pigs that have caught the wave of the times and been blown up by the wind.

The wind stopped, and the pig fell and died; this is normal.

Instead of reflecting on why it couldn't fly, the pig blamed the ground for being too hard.

They even drag other innocent piglets down with them.

"A classic case of impotent rage, coupled with moral blackmail."

Yang Qian closed the news page and shook her head.

He didn't want to get involved in this mess.

In the business world, ups and downs and the survival of the fittest are perfectly normal.

The Land of Light just needs to focus on creating its own content.

but……

When he casually clicked on the comments section under the relevant topic and saw some messages that appeared to be from former Dongbei employees, his brows furrowed.

"I'm a former chef at Dongbei XX restaurant. I've been unemployed for two months. I'm 38 years old and have two children. When I apply for jobs, they either think I'm too old or say I can only reheat pre-prepared dishes... I really don't know what to do."

"I was a supervisor at Dongbei Restaurant. The restaurant closed down, and our whole team fell apart. The current economic climate is tough, and we can't find any jobs... We can't hold on much longer."

"Dongbei's purchasing department was laid off. Now, with the pre-prepared food controversy, many catering companies are afraid to hire purchasing agents from large companies, fearing their past record... It's truly a case of one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch."

"My parents both worked in the logistics department of Dongbei, and now they've both lost their jobs... We still have a mortgage to pay. It feels like the sky is falling."

……

Behind each message lies a vibrant family.

It's mortgage payments, car loan payments, children's tuition fees, and elderly people's medical expenses.

Ordinary employees who face unemployment due to poor decision-making at the top and the shamelessness of their bosses.

What should they do next?

Is the Land of Light capable of lending a helping hand?

Yang Qian glanced at the Evolution Truster on the desktop, his eyes gradually hardening.

Since that's the case, he wouldn't mind personally stepping in to reorganize things...

Just in time, the Land of Light needs to expand its business empire.

……