The café had been running smoothly for just over two weeks, but the change in atmosphere was immediate and unsettling.
Where once the afternoons buzzed with chatter, today the place seemed… hollow. A few students sat at their usual tables, but the cheerfulness was gone. Several regulars had walked past, their eyes guilty, heading for cheaper food stalls down the street.
Liang Chen watched from behind the counter, brows furrowed. His chefs were cooking as passionately as ever, the aroma of fresh pastries and stir-fry drifting through the room—but it was as though an invisible cloud hung overhead.
By evening, the whispers started.
"Did you hear? Someone said they use recycled oil here.""I saw online—they claimed their desserts made people sick.""Wait, wasn't there a photo of roaches in their kitchen?"
Each sentence felt like a knife, stabbing through the pride Liang Chen held for his café. He quickly pulled out his phone and scrolled through the trending feed. His café's name was plastered everywhere, buried under sensational headlines:
"Local Café Accused of Using Expired Ingredients!""Health Officials to Investigate East Gate Café?""Beware! Rumors of Drugs in Popular Student Hotspot Desserts."
Attached were blurry photos of soiled kitchens, one showing a half-dead cockroach near what looked like a fryer. Another post featured a fabricated "testimonial" of a girl who claimed she'd fainted after drinking their hot chocolate.
Liang Chen's hands clenched around his phone. None of it was true. Their kitchens were spotless, their suppliers certified. But the more he read, the clearer it became—this wasn't an accident. It was a deliberate smear campaign.
That night, as Liang Chen was locking up, the screech of tires broke the silence. A glossy black BMW rolled to a stop in front of the café, headlights casting long shadows across the street.
The driver's door opened, and out stepped a young man in a tailored jacket, his hair perfectly styled, every step oozing smug superiority.
"Liang Chen?" he called lazily, striding into the café without waiting for an answer.
Liang Chen eyed him coolly. "That's me. And you are?"
The man smirked, hands in his pockets. "Zhao Rui. Maybe you've heard of me. My family owns the Ruihao Diner chain."
Ah. That explained it. The Ruihao Diners were cheap, greasy places scattered across East Gate, long-time favorites for broke students.
Liang Chen's expression stayed calm. "So what does Ruihao Diner want with my café?"
"What do you think?" Zhao Rui's grin widened. "You've been stealing business. My family's profits dipped twenty percent this month, and that's because naïve kids think your little playground is worth their time. You're in my territory, Liang Chen. And I don't like pests crawling around uninvited."
Students who were still hanging around looked up nervously. The chefs stopped cleaning, their eyes narrowing at Zhao Rui.
"So the rumors," Liang Chen said evenly, "they're your handiwork."
Zhao Rui didn't even deny it. He chuckled, clapping his hands mockingly.
"Welcome to the hospitality business. It's not about food—it's about power. Reputation. Influence. If I say you're dirty, then you're dirty. It doesn't matter what's true. Do you understand?"
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Here's my advice: sell me this café. I'll pay you just enough to cover your tuition fees. Walk away before I crush you."
The audacity made Liang Chen laugh softly. Everyone stared, surprised at his reaction.
"Thank you," Liang Chen said calmly, his tone polite but laced with steel, "for confirming what I already suspected."
Zhao Rui blinked. "What?"
"You're right—this industry isn't just about food. It's about trust. And unlike you, I don't need lies to earn it. Come back tomorrow. You'll see for yourself what real power looks like."
Zhao Rui's smirk faltered, irritation flickering across his face. But before he could retort, Liang Chen turned his back and began wiping the counter, dismissing him as though he were already irrelevant.
Zhao Rui clenched his jaw, spun on his heel, and stormed out.
Back in his dorm, Liang Chen sat with his phone, scrolling through the false accusations again. His café's ratings had dropped sharply, several students even demanding refunds.
The familiar chime echoed in his head.
[Crisis Detected: Host's business under malicious attack.][New Sub-Quest: Clear defamation and restore brand reputation.]Reward: $50,000 + PR & Marketing Lv.1]
Liang Chen exhaled slowly, determination flashing in his eyes. "So, you're giving me the tools, huh? Then let's fight fire with fire.
The next morning, Liang Chen gathered his chefs and waitstaff in the café before opening. Everyone looked tired, anxious.
"Boss," one of the pastry students said quietly, "what if those rumors kill us? What if people stop coming entirely?"
Another chef muttered, "We can't compete against a chain with backing. If this goes on, we'll be finished."
Liang Chen raised his hand, silencing the room. His voice was steady, reassuring.
"Listen to me. We have nothing to hide, right? Our ingredients are clean, our kitchen spotless. The world doesn't trust words—they trust proof. So we're going to give them exactly that. From today, everyone gets to see how their food is made. Live. No secrets."
He unveiled the high-definition cameras he had purchased overnight, positioned perfectly to capture every corner of the kitchen. Wide-angle views for the cooking stations, close-ups for plating, even handheld rigs for when servers carried dishes to tables.
"From now on," Liang Chen said with a confident smile, "we'll let the whole world into our kitchen."
At noon, Liang Chen pressed the button.
A bold title popped up on streaming platforms:
"LIVE: Cooking with Café East Gate – See How Your Food is Made!"
Within minutes, hundreds tuned in, curiosity fueled by the recent scandals. The feed showed students in crisp aprons washing vegetables under clean water, slicing meat with precision, pastries baking golden in the ovens.
The kitchen gleamed under bright lights, not a speck of dirt in sight. The sound of sizzling woks and clattering pans filled the stream.
"Wow, that place is spotless!""Look at those branded ingredients—totally legit.""This feels more real than half the cooking shows on TV!"
Inside the café, QR codes on tables directed customers to the stream. Students began scanning and showing their phones, excitedly pointing to the live feed as they received their plates.
"Look, that's literally my chow mein being made!""Haha, I saw my latte on the stream before it even reached my table!"
Some even filmed themselves side-by-side with the livestream, posting it on social media:"No lies, no rumors. I ate it, it's fresh. #EastGateCafe"
The café's atmosphere transformed instantly. What was meant to be a crushing blow turned into a unique selling point.
By evening, the stream had tens of thousands of viewers. Food bloggers picked up the story, praising the café's transparency. Even a local news channel mentioned them, calling it "a new era of trust in student-run businesses."
Clips of young chefs working passionately, sweat on their brows, determination in their eyes, went viral. People admired not only the cleanliness but the hard work of students pursuing their culinary dreams.
"This isn't just food," one comment read. "It's art, and it's honest."
Meanwhile, Zhao Rui sat in his lounge, staring at his phone, face pale with disbelief.
"How… how is this trending?" he snarled. "They were supposed to be ruined!"
His assistant stammered, "Boss… the café's popularity has tripled. Everyone's praising them for honesty. Our diners look filthy in comparison. Customers are leaving us."
Zhao Rui slammed his fist on the table, teeth gritted.
Liang Chen's face appeared on the trending feed, smiling calmly in the livestream as he explained dishes to customers.
For Zhao, it was like being slapped in public, over and over.
Late that night, Liang Chen reviewed the day's numbers. Not only had they recovered, but sales were triple the usual. Customers were already reserving tables for the weekend.
The system chimed:
[Quest Completed: Defamation Cleared.][Reputation Restored. Popularity: Surge.]Rewards Granted:]– $50,000 (real-world currency)– Skill: Public Relations & Marketing Lv.1
A rush of knowledge flooded his mind—crisis communication strategies, viral marketing tricks, influencer outreach. He understood how to turn scandals into opportunities, how to position a brand for maximum impact.
Leaning back, Liang Chen chuckled.
Zhao Rui thought dirty tactics would bury him. Instead, they'd handed him free publicity.