CHAPTER 158: CHAPTER 153: THE FEMALE SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE SPIRITUAL SPRING SPACE

"Brilliant!"

"Truly worthy of a master chef!"

The praise from the on-site judges was continuous. The camera swept over, and the plate of cold mixed julienne that Ye Qiu had prepared was almost completely devoured, and the majority of people voted for it.

During the preparation of the main dish, the chefs were also allowed to taste each other’s dishes. Taking advantage of the time braising the meat, Ye Qiu came to the tasting area and tried all the other nine cold dishes on the table one by one.

What attracted her the most was a cold mixed chicken feet dish, the clean chicken feet were coated with a brown sauce, garnished with millet chili, cilantro, and minced garlic. The chicken feet were chewy with just the right firmness, very appetizing.

"Is this your work?" the internet-famous chef pointed at the cold mixed julienne and said to Ye Qiu.

"Yes."

That cold mixed chicken feet was his creation. He was confident in his dish, but he didn’t underestimate the others. He had just tasted the other dishes and, apart from a dish of old vinegar peanuts that was passable, he was unimpressed by the rest. The only dish left unchecked was the cold mixed julienne in front of him.

The color combination of the dish was visually appealing. He picked up a chopstickful and brought it close to his nose to smell first and immediately, a refreshing, tangy scent rushed into his nostrils. With slight skepticism, he put it in his mouth, and a burst of sour, salty, and fresh crispy flavor exploded deliciously.

His eyes widened in disbelief that someone could create such a rich and diverse flavor in a cold dish. The seasoning of the sauce was just right, whetting his appetite the moment he ate it, making him eager to go for a second bite.

"Impressive!" he muttered with food still in his mouth, giving Ye Qiu a thumbs up, a scene naturally captured by the camera.

Meanwhile, the score for the first cold dish was tallied. Ye Qiu topped the list with a score of 105, with the internet-famous chef’s cold mixed chicken feet coming in second with 52 points.

An hour later, the main dishes from the ten competitors were served, among which three servings of Braised Pork Belly drew attention. Within the same dish under the same ingredients, the skill level of the chefs really stood out.

First, Ye Qiu’s Braised Pork Belly was cubed with a dark red sauce covering it, the outer layer was glossy and perfectly presentable, with a blanched piece of Xiaoqing vegetable next to each portion of pork belly, which visually outdid the neighboring one cooked mushy in a pressure cooker.

Next, the aroma of Ye Qiu’s Braised Pork Belly was tantalizing; He Qingfeng thought that with some white rice, he could eat three bowls.

Finally, upon biting into it, the rich pork juice mixed with fat that was rich but not greasy, and lean meat that was flavorful but not dry, created a wonderful symphony in the mind. After savoring it, He Qingfeng regretfully said, "Why is there only one piece!" Still dissatisfied, he picked up the accompanying Xiaoqing vegetable, which was cooked just right, crunchy and fresh, soaked in rich pork juice, cutting through the richness yet lingering.

After eating Ye Qiu’s Braised Pork Belly, He Qingfeng lost interest in the similar dishes prepared by other chefs, but, stubbornly, he still tried them. Just one taste made him frown; it was as if having tasted the delicacies of the Immortal Realm and then eating at an ordinary human restaurant. There was no comparison, and he lost all interest.

This round, Ye Qiu’s victory was beyond doubt; except for a very few judges who didn’t prefer pork, every judge showed utmost enjoyment while eating the Braised Pork Belly.

The chefs on site were thoroughly convinced. Initially, they thought she was a contestant relying on beauty to woo the audience, but it turned out she was a true master. With high scores in both rounds, Ye Qiu had almost certainly secured her victory, leaving other contestants disheartened.

For the final dessert, Ye Qiu planned to make Osmanthus Glutinous Rice Lotus Root, but since the organizers did not provide osmanthus, she improvised and made Honey Glazed Lotus Root instead.

She selected lotus roots of even size and intact shape to peel, cut a small slice from one end to make a cap, then stuffed soaked glutinous rice into the holes of the lotus root. After stuffing, she covered it with the lotus root cap and secured it with toothpicks. Due to time constraints, Ye Qiu put the lotus roots in a pressure cooker, filled it with water to above the roots, added some red dates and a bit of brown sugar, and stewed until the glutinous rice was cooked and the lotus root could be pierced with...

The last dessert, although slightly lower in score than the first two dishes, still ranked first. Ye Qiu was unquestionably crowned the champion of the first preliminary match and would enter the final contest next month, competing with the champions of the other nine preliminaries for the last three places in the finals.

However, after today’s competition, both the judges and competitors unanimously felt that Ye Qiu would definitely make it to the final round, and possibly even outperform some international chefs.

Because the dishes she made had a magical quality, they were endlessly delightful, like the miraculous dishes in a young chef’s show, bringing a sense of happiness and excitement when tasted.

"Ye Zi, I just knew you could win," Cao Lu exclaimed excitedly outside the competition field.

"It’s delicious." He Qingfeng’s eyes shone brightly; although his original intent was not to come for the food, at this moment, he was completely enchanted by Ye Qiu’s culinary skills.

"Thank you!" The first competition went smoothly, but with this experience, Ye Qiu believed she would do even better next time.

As the next competition was a month away, Ye Fu temporarily returned to Southern Province, and Ye Qiu, Cao Lu, and He Qingfeng went back to school together.

"We meet again." After He Qingfeng left for some errands upon arriving at the school, Ye Qiu and Cao Lu were walking on the campus path when they saw a tall, leggy, mild-mannered and composed young man walking towards them.

He had perhaps just come back from outside, dressed in formal attire, still wearing those gold-rimmed glasses today, looking... uh... quite impressive.

Please forgive Cao Lu, that was the only thought in her head at the moment.

But he really was very handsome!

He walked straight towards Ye Qiu, smiling like a breath of spring, "Good afternoon, little junior."

"Hello, Senior," Ye Qiu replied, then bypassed him, taking the smitten Cao Lu along with her.

"She really is as cold as the legends say!" Lin Jiayan chuckled softly, a glint of interest flashing in his eyes.

"Who is he?" Cao Lu asked softly as they walked away.

"That’s Lin Jiayan, the one Qingqing is infatuated with."

"Oh, that’s him!" Cao Lu suddenly realized, "No wonder!"

"But how do you know him?"

"Met him once, not familiar."

The two chatted and returned to their dormitory, not noticing that not far from the supermarket entrance, Lian Lan, holding a cup of milk tea, looked at this scene with resentment, her fingers almost digging into her flesh, her heart bleeding.

"Senior Lin, please wait." Despite resenting Ye Qiu, Lian Lan still turned her head and chased after Lin Jiayan.