America's Greatest Villain: I Defeat Magic with Magic

With the release of the second video in the "Streetscape Video Notes" series, the controversy surrounding Rongding Pavilion in the USC campus community has finally begun to subside.

As a result, Rongding Pavilion has been hailed as a "philanthropic pioneer for underprivileged minorities." Many netizens and local media outlets are even anticipating what form this popular restaurant's next large-scale charity event will take.

The increased popularity led to a surge in revenue, and during peak evening hours, even dine-in customers had to queue and wait in line – a phenomenon that had never occurred when Boss Huang was in charge.

Chen Yuan wasn't idle either. Based on Vivian's suggestions that day, he used his [Beginner Cooking Mastery] skill to try and improve two popular dishes: Kung Pao Chicken and Mapo Tofu.

While most American diners prefer sweeter flavors, recently many, like Vivian, have dared to challenge authentic Chinese spicy dishes.

To satisfy these diners' tastes, Chen Yuan reduced the "spicy" flavor while maintaining the authentic Sichuan cuisine's "numbing" flavor.

More precisely, the intense spiciness that hits you right in the throat has been replaced with a milder, more palatable spiciness that locals can appreciate.

For Kung Pao Chicken, instead of using cheaper chicken breast, they use more tender and juicy chicken thigh meat, and add more egg white and starch during the marinating process.

The amount of dried chili peppers is halved, but the amount of Sichuan peppercorns remains the same, and an extra layer of Sichuan peppercorn oil is added when the dish is finished cooking.

The ratio of sugar to vinegar has also been adjusted, making it a little sweeter and a little less sour.

The Kung Pao Chicken cooked this way is almost indistinguishable from the original in color and still carries that irresistible aroma.

For first-timers, the initial taste is of the chicken, peanuts, and sauce, before they gradually realize that the numbing and spicy flavors hidden behind it are what truly make this dish unique.

As for Mapo Tofu, the amount of Pixian chili bean paste was reduced, and the color was restored with clean chili oil.

In this way, the whole plate of tofu remains bright red and tempting, with even a layer of oil gloss on the surface.

The modified Mapo Tofu is still Mapo Tofu, but the spiciness is reduced by half.

There's no secret to these two dishes; Lao Cao and Zhou Xingye learned them in no time.

Chen Yuan added them to the menu simply to satisfy locals who were interested in Eastern cuisine; he didn't intend for them to become a hit like the grilled squid.

After studying the new dishes, it was already past 8 p.m. when I returned to the lobby.

Since it was Friday, there were still quite a few customers dining in, and there was still a queue at the snack stalls outside.

Fortunately, the security situation has improved a lot recently, so Su Nian and Hu Dan can get off work a little later without much of a problem.

With the start of the new school term approaching, the two women planned to earn more tips to supplement their income, especially since Boss Chen offered very generous overtime pay.

Chen Yuan walked to the cashier, where the LCD TV on the wall was playing the evening news as usual.

He looked up and unexpectedly spotted a familiar face on the screen.

It was Liszt!

Lister was dressed in a crisp uniform, with a newly awarded police department medal hanging on his chest.

In the narrator's impassioned voiceover, Lister is portrayed as a "lone hero" who, under the crossfire of two brutal gangs, not only fights to the death but also braves a hail of bullets to drag his wounded partner into cover and hold out until the SWAT team arrives.

The actual situation was that Lister was simply too frightened to move and fired blindly from behind the car door. It wasn't until the SWAT Panda arrived that he risked his life to treat a colleague who had been shot in another car.

But in this country, the truth doesn't matter; what matters is what kind of heroes the media needs.

With media coverage, Lister has become a positive role model for LAPD!

The anchor then changed the subject, saying in a sentimental tone, "However, this tough guy has the softest spot in all of Los Angeles."

The scene then switches to the viral video "Streetscape Notes," in which a young girl named Lisa hands a steaming plate of fried chicken to a ragged elderly homeless man on a smoky street in the South District.

Just as viewers were wondering why a public service video was inserted into the news, the host explained the reason with great emotion:

This "South District Hot Food Charity Girl" who touched millions of netizens is the biological daughter of heroic police officer Lister!

A heroic father fighting gangs, an angelic girl rescuing the poor – in the eyes of the American public, this is practically a double dose of political correctness!

Clearly, this news story was likely orchestrated by Vivian using the Sinclair family's media resources to amplify the narrative.

Unexpectedly, in just a few days, Lister even received a medal. The Sinclair family wields considerable influence in Los Angeles' political and media circles.

With this medal, and the added embellishment from the news media, Liszt's promotion should be a foregone conclusion.

Not only that, Su Nian's TT account also saw a surge in followers as the news was broadcast, with the number of fans exceeding 10!

To Chen Yuan's surprise, the next news subject was someone he knew.

Charles Vanderbilt, an elite student in the USC School of Life Sciences, was Chen Yuan's classmate in the same major and is also the heir to Pioneer Medical, a well-known pharmaceutical company in California.

He was speaking eloquently to the camera, announcing that Pioneer Medical had just overcome a medical challenge and launched an affordable targeted new drug for "congenital immunodeficiency syndrome".

"We are keenly aware that a significant portion of low-income groups cannot afford expensive, effective medications. Therefore, the Pioneer Foundation has decided to initially invest five million US dollars to launch a six-month 'Free Community Clinical Medical Assistance Program,' giving every child who cannot afford medical care a chance to live."

Hu Dan, who was clearing the table nearby, also saw the news. She wiped her hands and casually remarked:

"I've heard that congenital immunodeficiency syndrome is quite difficult to treat, and many patients are children, and the effective drugs are very expensive. I didn't expect this company to be willing to use that money for charity?"

Chen Yuan looked at Charles's compassionate expression on TV and laughed:

"This is actually a drug trial under the guise of free clinical recruitment in the community. Some poor people suffering from intractable diseases who cannot afford to receive regular treatment are often persuaded to sign agreements with pharmaceutical companies to try new drugs in exchange for a chance to survive."

Hu Dan was taken aback upon hearing this, stopped what she was doing, and subconsciously asked:

"But since they dared to release a new drug, it must have undergone safety testing, right? Even if it's ineffective, it shouldn't harm the patients participating in the trial, right?"

However, Chen Yuan shook his head:

"That is certainly true under normal circumstances, but no unapproved drug can be guaranteed to be absolutely harmless."

"If it's a completely safe new drug, why don't they promote it in the affluent areas of Beverly Hills? Why are they specifically delivering it to the poorest people who can't even afford funeral expenses?"

At this point, Chen Yuan sighed again and said:

"American pharmaceutical companies often sign hundreds of pages of 'Informed Consent Forms for Drug Trials' with these low-level trial participants to perfectly avoid the legal risks of drug-related deaths or disabilities."

"Therefore, only patients who are truly desperate will participate in this so-called free treatment and assistance."

Hu Dan was completely stunned. She watched the young people receiving applause on TV and felt that this country was really too magical.