The scene cut. Chen Yu and Burnett were in a tense confrontation with O’Neal.
"We need to install surveillance cameras throughout the entire villa. We also need someone to monitor them twenty-four hours a day."
"That’s right. Even in the bathroom."
Burnett recited the final ruling in a deadpan voice.
O’Neal slammed his hand on the table, his eyes wide as saucers. "The bathroom?"
’Is he really worried I’m going to hide in the bathroom and sneak food?’
Burnett smiled slightly, nodded, and then said, "Correct. We’ll also assign someone to follow you at all times to ensure you don’t sneak any food on the way to the arena for practice or during away games."
O’Neal looked like he’d seen a ghost. He pointed at the two of them and yelled, "You’re crazy! I’m not agreeing to this."
Burnett shrugged nonchalantly and called out directly to the camera, "Alright everyone, we can stop filming."
"Shaq, if this is your attitude, then I don’t think there’s any point in continuing this challenge. Because no matter how much effort Chen puts in, you’ll just sneak food and make all his work for naught," Burnett said to O’Neal with a serious expression.
As he spoke, he actually stood up and waved at the camera, as if to signal an end to the shoot.
Even though they knew it was just for the show, everyone in the locker room burst out laughing.
Because at that moment, O’Neal’s expression looked like he was constipated—he looked like he wanted to die from the sheer frustration.
"I’ll sign, I’ll sign, alright?" O’Neal raised his hands in surrender and signed his name with a pained look on his face.
Burnett collected the document, satisfied, and signaled for the cameras to keep rolling.
Chen Yu didn’t waste any time and started preparing his nutritional meal.
Then the camera cut to O’Neal’s interview. He was rubbing his cheeks, explaining with great vexation that this was a challenge of dignity and that he couldn’t lose so quickly. He said he knew Chen Yu and Burnett meant well, but he just couldn’t accept it at first.
"Shaq, are those the words you really wanted to say?" Oakley asked, pointing at the TV.
"If you’ve been kidnapped, just blink."
O’Neal grabbed one of his large-sized basketball shoes and threw it at him.
Oakley caught it with one hand, unable to stop laughing.
Chen Yu chuckled to himself.
’It was all for the show, of course.’
’Of course, there was a little trickery involved.’
They had already planned to install surveillance cameras and have someone follow him 24/7 at the right moment.
Chen Yu knew O’Neal’s personality all too well. He would absolutely try everything he could to sneak food.
But O’Neal had refused at first, feeling it was an invasion of his privacy.
This was just them taking advantage of the situation.
On screen, a nutritional meal was quickly prepared.
But Chen Yu didn’t stop. He seasoned a meat filling, steeped scallions and ginger in water, and gradually beat the water into the filling until it became firm and springy.
After seeing Chen Yu take out some pre-made dumpling wrappers, O’Neal, who had been eating his nutritional meal with a pained expression, couldn’t hold back any longer. He rushed over, pointed at the wrappers, and said, "I know what those are! Those are dumplings! Chinese dumplings."
He stared intently, then suddenly noticed something was off.
"Chen, you’re not wrapping them right! The dumplings I’ve eaten are completely sealed. You haven’t pinched the sides together. The filling will leak out."
Chen Yu replied as he continued wrapping, "That’s because these are potstickers. They’re different."
Soon, about ten potstickers were wrapped.
He placed them in a pan to fry, and in an instant, a unique aroma filled the air.
Once the bottoms were golden brown, he poured in a cornstarch slurry.
Steam instantly filled the air. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought Chen Yu was concocting a magic potion.
O’Neal watched, transfixed.
When Chen Yu finally removed the lid and flipped them over to reveal the crispy, golden-brown bottoms, O’Neal couldn’t take it anymore. His eyes began to gleam.
To O’Neal, this kind of slightly crispy food was the ultimate expression of Western cuisine.
Who could possibly refuse food that was slightly charred on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside?
"Chen, I want to eat one. I’m serious," O’Neal said, pointing at the potstickers with righteous conviction.
"No."
Chen Yu’s single word shut O’Neal down so hard his face turned pale.
He scrambled frantically to the dining table and watched, wide-eyed, as Chen Yu picked up a potsticker and took a bite. Oh my god, he could clearly see the juices dripping out.
At some point, Burnett had conveniently appeared on camera, picked up a potsticker, and eagerly took a bite.
The Brit was having an existential crisis about his past twenty-plus years of culinary experience. ’What the hell have I been eating all these years?!’
In an instant, only one potsticker remained on the plate.
Just as Burnett was about to grab it, a hand shot out even faster, snatching the potsticker first.
"Ha!"
O’Neal’s eyebrows danced with excitement. With an expression that said, "What are you gonna do about it?" he quickly stuffed the potsticker into his mouth.
It was still warm. The crispy, fragrant shell crunched as his teeth met, and the tender, savory juices exploded in his mouth.
"Oh..."
O’Neal was in heaven.
Back in the locker room, everyone erupted in laughter again.
Oakley craned his neck and asked, "Shaq, is it really that good?"
From O’Neal’s expression, anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was... you know.
O’Neal kept a straight face, not wanting to answer.
But next to him, Rodney Rogers patted his shoulder and said with a serious face, "Charles, trust me, they’re really good."
Across from them, Marion nodded in agreement. "Chen can make a lot of things, but I think the potstickers are definitely the best."
Potstickers were something that just seemed to hit all the right notes for Americans; they suited their tastes perfectly.
Oakley blinked, then immediately shouted to Chen Yu, "Chen, I don’t believe you, unless you make some for me to eat."
Chen Yu found this amusing. ’If you want some, just say so.’
On screen, O’Neal slammed the table again, his expression deadly serious. "I want more. For real, Chen. No matter how much you increase my training load, I have to eat more."
The scene cut to an interview with O’Neal.
"Oh my god, you have no idea how good that stuff is. Seriously, for that, I would give anything. Anything, you understand?"
O’Neal’s words were obviously an exaggeration, but with Burnett’s editing, they clearly achieved the desired effect.
At this point, if Chen Yu hadn’t known the whole story, even he would have become interested in the food he had made.
This was quickly turning into a cooking show.
Fortunately, they got back on track next.
On screen, Chen Yu showed everyone what professional weight loss truly meant.
Using an MRI to determine body fat percentage, professional calculations to set a weight loss target, and then creating a targeted training plan based on the distribution of body fat.
The group moved to the sports laboratory.
The first day was just an appetizer, a small warm-up.
O’Neal was covered in all sorts of sensors and micro-monitors that could track his heart rate and other physical stats in real-time.
Chen Yu was beside him, explaining the purpose of the exercises, how long it would take to see results, and when the fat-burning would begin.
After the training, there was a variety of top-tier recovery equipment: an Ultra-Low Temperature Freezing Chamber, a microgravity Floating Pod.
This equipment left even Burnett, during his interview, astonished. He hadn’t just never seen it, he’d never even heard of it.
Chen Yu nodded in satisfaction.
Burnett had edited all the things he wanted into the final cut.
The food show aspect was just a bonus. What Chen Yu really wanted was to use this show to introduce his training philosophy and his high-tech training equipment.
To achieve the effect where people would know at a glance that he was the absolute best in the business.
Only then could he attract the most high-end clients and become the authority in this field.
"Chen, I have a feeling this show is going to be a huge hit," Nelson said quietly beside him.
He was on screen too, so maybe he could ride the show’s coattails to fame.
Chen Yu shook his head slightly. "It’d be great if it gets popular, but it’s not a big deal if it doesn’t."
The most important thing was to make a name for his sports laboratory.
But Nelson shook his head and said with a serious expression, "Trust me, it’s definitely going to be a hit."
Chen Yu’s show wasn’t like other weight-loss reality shows that found a bunch of overweight ordinary people, set goals, and then had them compete through various training challenges to create conflict and win a prize.
O’Neal was a superstar athlete himself, and Chen Yu was a nationally renowned orthopedic surgeon.
So, even setting aside all the professional training content, just watching O’Neal and Chen Yu bicker and wage a battle of wits over food was, in his opinion, very interesting.
And that wasn’t even mentioning the introduction of new and different foods.
Nelson felt that what viewers were most curious about right now wasn’t how many pounds O’Neal could lose, but just how delicious that food was to make O’Neal act like a child, playing the rascal and trying to outsmart Chen Yu.
As they were watching, Chen Yu’s phone vibrated.
It was a text from Burnett.
The message wasn’t long: "Chen, I told you we’d be a hit. The initial rating is 12.4. Oh my god, everyone over here is going crazy."
Chen Yu was startled.
’The rating is that high?’
In the United States, television ratings are calculated in two ways: the initial rating, which is the rating for a specific time slot, and the final rating, which is the rating for the specific program.
The initial rating data is released on the hour and half-hour.
The show started at 10:00, and now it was 10:30, just in time for a rating update.
The key thing was 12.4!
That was a terrifyingly high rating.
To put it in perspective, last year’s NBA Finals only had a rating of 10.2.
And his show’s rating had already surpassed the NBA Finals.
No wonder Burnett said everyone at CBS Television was going crazy.
With a rating like this for the first episode, it definitely had the potential to become a massive national hit like *Survivor*.
Chen Yu nudged Nelson with his elbow and showed him the text message.
"Fuck!" After reading the text, Nelson let out a shriek and yelled excitedly, "Everyone, the initial rating is out! 12.4! Oh my god, do you know what this means?"
Everyone turned to look, their expressions varying.
They knew exactly what a 12.4 rating meant.
"How much?"
O’Neal’s eyes went wide. "Doesn’t that mean more than fifteen million people saw me sneaking food in the middle of the night?"
Thinking about his panicked expression while clutching a sausage, being seen by so many people, made O’Neal’s blood pressure skyrocket.
And this was only the beginning.
There were still more than ninety days to go. God only knew how many more embarrassing moments he would have, providing endless laughter for the audience.
"How did it get so popular?"
O’Neal scratched his head fiercely.
He had thought the show would be popular, but he never expected it to be *this* popular.

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