Chapter 14: The Challenge of Achievement

After the release of his second game video, Bai Renzong also received a basic popularity boost from the Critic’s App. However, he had to admit that without the five hundred thousand “break the defense” popularity reward, this boost seemed rather underwhelming.

The Critic’s App functioned more as a promotional tool, but once the initial popularity faded, whether the video continued to attract clicks and coins depended entirely on its own quality.

For this reason, the achievement challenges within the app became all the more important. With those achievement rewards—such as the coveted “God’s Tongue”—he could dramatically and directly improve the quality of his videos.

Beyond the daily task rewards, there were now daily challenges for each review category, offering additional popularity points. Bai Renzong had no intention of wasting these, and today, the “Film” category presented a challenge: watch a designated movie and review it. The film’s title was “Future World.”

“Oh? James Franco as the Green Goblin, Milla Jovovich from Resident Evil, and Lucy Liu from Charlie’s Angels… such a star-studded cast? Why have I never even heard of this movie…” Bai Renzong glanced over the cast list, unable to hide his surprise as he muttered to himself.

Considering that his work here could earn him some money, Bai Renzong decided to pay for a legitimate copy of the film online.

An hour and a half later, having finished the movie, Bai Renzong let out a long sigh, a faint, bemused smile at the corner of his lips.

“How the hell do you make such a terrible movie with such an amazing cast?” Bai Renzong looked up to the ceiling in exasperation, suddenly inspired. He immediately began editing the film, preparing his review.

“It’s as if the director just improvised on a whim. At first, his central idea was, ‘Oh man, it’s the apocalypse, we must face the darkness of humanity, but still yearn for the light.’ But halfway through, the director must have thought, ‘Wait, what was I trying to say? I forgot. Never mind, let’s switch it up!’ So the middle of the film became a robot’s journey to find what it means to be human. Then, halfway through that, the director forgot again, but shrugged and said, ‘No problem, let’s try something new!’

“So, the film ended up as a complete mess. At first, you think it’s a post-apocalyptic survival story. In the middle, you think it’s a cross-species romance between the male lead and a robot girl. But by the end, the robot girl suddenly declares, ‘Surprise! I like women!’ and walks off with a female supporting character who only appeared well past the halfway mark.”

“Having watched this film, all I can think is—what the hell?! Such a spectacular cast in such a terrible movie—the sheer talent required to achieve this would stun my mother for an entire year.”

With the editing and commentary recorded in one sitting, Bai Renzong finally breathed a sigh of relief. The afternoon had slipped away unnoticed. He decided to tackle dinner first, then finish up the video that night.

At that moment, in Yijia Pavilion, Han Jiayi was busy in the kitchen.

There were more people in the restaurant than usual, as today’s special—the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs Set—had just been launched.

It had been more than half a year since Yijia Pavilion last introduced a new dish; many regulars had come specifically to try this long-awaited addition.

As a one-star Michelin restaurant, Yijia Pavilion had a solid base of loyal customers in Beichang City. This steady clientele was what kept the restaurant running even after Han Jiayi’s foray into the entertainment industry.

“Boss!” The manager burst in, beaming. “The new Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs Set is a huge hit! Everyone absolutely loves it! We’ve completely sold out of ribs in the cold storage… Boss?”

By the end, the manager couldn’t help but cast a suspicious glance at her employer. This was fantastic news, but the boss’s expression was growing darker and darker, as if she were anything but pleased.

Han Jiayi grew more irritated as she listened. She already knew the dish was good, but she hadn’t expected the feedback to be this overwhelmingly positive! It was as if everyone was saying her own taste paled in comparison to that critic’s!

She’d been hoping to gather customer opinions today that she could use to mock that nitpicking reviewer later, but…

Unanimous praise! Not just from new customers—even the regulars declared it her “crowning achievement”!

“Boss?” the manager prompted carefully. “Shall I go let the guests know we’re out of ribs?”

“Ah? Oh! Yes, please do just that,” Han Jiayi replied, snapping out of her thoughts with a slight smile. Once the manager left, she turned to the wall and pounded on it in frustration. “That damn critic… I’ll have to create something that leaves him speechless!”

Miles away, Bai Renzong sneezed at home.

“What’s going on? Did I catch a cold from the air conditioning?” he muttered, tidying up his takeout containers.

That evening, he planned to finish his review of “Future World.” Tomorrow, he’d have to take on yet another “God’s Tongue” achievement challenge for ingredients.

He’d already tackled the simple ones; the next round involved trickier ingredients.

These were either “dark cuisine” items like silkworm pupae, or premium ingredients such as A5 Wagyu beef.

“Well, let’s sort out the Wagyu beef first,” Bai Renzong said, checking his phone.

M12-grade Wagyu was fairly accessible, and the price wasn’t prohibitive. But A5 Wagyu was an entirely different matter—not only was it expensive, but there were only a handful of restaurants in all of Beichang City that served it.

Nevertheless, after some searching, he actually found one!

“Gaan Sushi Bar…” Bai Renzong read the description. It was a newly opened place, boasting about “direct supply from Japan” and a “thirty-year veteran sushi chef.” On the menu was “meat sushi” made with A5 Wagyu, two pieces for 388 yuan.

“Three hundred and eighty-eight for two slices of beef…” Bai Renzong shook his head in disbelief. But he’d heard that 100 grams of A5 Wagyu could cost over two thousand yuan, so these slices were probably worth the price.

He could accept it—it was just for the achievement anyway, a one-time tasting.

Just then, the sound of the door opening came from downstairs. Bai Renzong leaned over the second-floor railing and saw, sure enough, Han Jiayi had returned.

He was a little curious what she’d been up to, given her look of utter displeasure.

“What happened? Did something upset you?” he asked.

Han Jiayi shot him a glare so fierce it was a wonder her eyes didn’t roll right into the back of her head. She was fuming. She’d planned to test-launch the sweet and sour ribs at the restaurant, gather critiques, and use them to lambast Bai Renzong. Instead, all she’d gotten was overwhelming praise and approval, leaving her with nowhere to vent her frustration.

“Damn critic, just you wait…” Han Jiayi muttered angrily, kicking off her shoes.

She looked adorably petulant.

Then Bai Renzong remembered that she’d treated him to two servings of ribs earlier that day. Feeling a bit indebted, he asked, “Are you free tomorrow?”

“What’s it to you?!” Han Jiayi shot back with another fierce glare—did this infuriating critic want to pick another fight?

“I’d like to treat you to a meal,” Bai Renzong explained. “Consider it a return for the ribs earlier.”

Han Jiayi’s anger deflated instantly, a touch of embarrassment at her misunderstanding: “Well… alright then…”