Zhou Tian followed Anna's gaze and was equally stunned.

In Kimura's hands, the pumpkin had transformed into a pumpkin carriage, exquisitely clear and extremely delicate.

"How did he do that?" Zhou Tian's mouth hung open, his eyes filled with shock.

By then, Kimura had finished carving his pumpkin, and his faint laughter echoed across the square, "The knife skills of Chinese chefs are simply trash; how dare they present such an ugly thing."

Lin Chen stopped his carving knife and coldly snorted at the arrogant young man not far away, "That's not necessarily true."

Kimura's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his head towards Lin Chen, his face showing even stronger scorn as he looked at the pumpkin in Lin Chen's hand.

"Haha, Lin Chen, do you really not know what 'ugly' means?" Kimura burst into laughter upon seeing Lin Chen's carved work.

The pumpkin in Lin Chen's hands was crooked and covered in lines, but without any discernible pattern, and it was even harder to make out any specific shape.

"It's over, we've definitely lost this round." Anna's face changed slightly; she had placed her hopes of challenging Kimura on Lin Chen, but looking at the unsightly pumpkin, she instantly felt disheartened, convinced that Lin Chen had lost as well.

"Hmph, how dare you brag without any real skill, you're bringing shame to us Chinese," Zhou Tian took the opportunity to sneer.

Lin Chen paid no attention to Kimura's or the others' disdainful gazes, simply patting the pumpkin lightly with his palm.

A breathtakingly intricate pavilion appeared before everyone's eyes.

"My God, how did he do it?" At the sight of Lin Chen's carved pumpkin, exclamations of awe arose from the audience.

Although these people didn't understand culinary art, they still had a sense of aesthetics, and the pumpkin pavilion carved by Lin Chen was too beautiful.

The chefs around the square widened their eyes, even more shocked than the audience.

As fellow chefs, they knew how difficult it was to carve a pumpkin, and turning a pumpkin into a pavilion as exquisite as the one in Lin Chen's hands seemed impossible.

"This guy was actually hiding such a technique." Finally, Anna also breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Tian looked at the pumpkin carved by Lin Chen, his face looking even uglier.

To tell the truth, in his heart, he'd preferred Kimura to win, because by now he had a bad feeling that he was going to lose his bet with Lin Chen.

Thinking about their wager, Zhou Tian felt a twinge of pain.

Sitting in the VIP seats, Long Tianci's pupils shrank slightly as he looked at the intricate pavilion, "Could it be that he used Inner Strength? Has this little guy already reached Foundation Establishment?"

"Thank goodness for Lin Chen, otherwise we'd really have to put up with that bastard from the Island Nation," Sun Lina also let out a relieved sigh.

At this moment, all eyes were focused on Lin Chen. Having outperformed the braggart from the Island Nation in two rounds, he had undoubtedly become the only person who could contend with Kimura.

He single-handedly turned the tide, bearing the glory of Chinese chefs on his own — many young women were smitten. Xue Zi Qi bit her red lip gently, her eyes also filled with fervor as she looked at Lin Chen.

For the sake of fairness, the pumpkin sculptures of Lin Chen and Kimura were placed inside a machine for the machine to evaluate and score.

Everyone stared at the big screen, tense.

As the numbers rolled, Lin Chen's carved pumpkin ultimately scored 1288 points, while Kimura's scored 1100 points — Lin Chen won without any doubt.

Kimura looked at the scores on the screen, his face ashen, as he angrily embedded his carving knife deep into the cutting board.

The previously quiet square immediately erupted with cheers and applause; Lin Chen's victory was a triumph for Chinese culinary arts, and in the hearts of the people, he had become a hero.

Lin Chen looked at the popularity value inside the system skyrocketing and felt extremely pleased; the competition was broadcast nationwide, and this time he had really hit the jackpot.

"Haha, well done, you've really made us Chinese proud," Long Tianci nodded in approval with satisfaction.

"Thank goodness for Lin Chen!" Anna sighed with relief in her heart. Although she felt a touch of disappointment, she was mostly grateful. If Lin Chen hadn't been there, that guy Kimura would have been insufferably arrogant, especially considering the competition was being broadcast nationwide!

Zhou Tian's face darkened as he snorted coldly, "It's not yet decided who will lose and who will win. What are you so proud of? I won't hold back in the final round."

Lin Chen completely ignored Zhou Tian's challenge. His gaze fell on the sullen-faced Kimura, and with a faint smile and a hint of defiance, he said, "In terms of knife skills, your Island Nation is no match."

Kimura's expression grew ugly as he stared at Lin Chen and coldly huffed, "Kid, the final round is the real battle. I won't give you the slightest chance."

Lin Chen shrugged his shoulders, "I'm waiting. I'm going to show you that the five thousand years of Chinese civilization cannot simply be compared with your little Island Nation."

Anna blushed as she gazed at the handsome face of Lin Chen, her heart fluttering slightly. What's happening to me? Am I actually falling for this guy?

The results of the second round still placed Lin Chen proudly in first place, followed closely by Kimura, then Anna and Zhou Tian.

Of course, another group of competitors were eliminated, bringing the first day of the competition to an end.

Tomorrow's finale was the decisive battle that would determine the winner, the true highlight of the entire competition.

After Lin Chen had just finished packing up, Anna approached him with a flushed face.

"Lin Chen, are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you for a simple meal."

Hearing Anna take the initiative to invite Lin Chen, everyone else looked on with envy.

In their eyes, Anna was a goddess descending from heaven, taking the initiative to ask Lin Chen out to dinner—this guy was seriously lucky!

Lin Chen was taken aback at first, then apologetically shook his head, "I'm really sorry, Miss Anna, I have prior engagements tonight. However, I appreciate the gesture, and I'll treat you another time."

With that, Lin Chen turned and left amidst the stunned gazes of the onlookers.

"Damn, he doesn't even care about Miss Anna's invitation. He's really good at pretending to be cool."

The others sighed with jealousy, just as Zhou Tian approached Anna with a cheerful grin.

"Miss Anna, I have reserved a table at the most luxurious hotel in DY. Would you be free to join me?" Zhou Tian asked with an ingratiating smile.

"I'm not free," Anna said, brushing off the crestfallen Zhou Tian and walking away.

She had just been free to invite Lin Chen, but not free for Zhou Tian.

Watching Anna leave, Zhou Tian's face turned ashen with anger, and he forcefully punched the table, "Tomorrow, Lin Chen, I will definitely show you what I'm capable of."

No sooner had Lin Chen stepped outside the venue than Xue Zi Qi excitedly rushed over, "Lin Chen, you were amazing! I've decided, from now on, I'm your fan."

Lin Chen's face stiffened, "Haven't you always called me 'brother-in-law'?"

"Psh, like I would. I've decided to compete fairly with sister. You two aren't married yet anyway!"

Lin Chen had just taken a sip of mineral water, which he promptly spat out.

All the way, Xue Zi Qi clung to Lin Chen's arm without caring about the stares, her face beaming with the delight of a smitten woman.

From the high platform, Anna felt a pang in her heart as she watched the two of them looking like a couple below.

"Why do I feel this ache in my heart? Am I jealous of that guy?"

At that moment, Long Tianci, for some unknown reason, had already arrived behind her. Patting Anna's shoulder with a gentle smile, he asked, "What's the matter, girl? Have you taken a liking to him?"

"Master, what are you talking about? How could I possibly fall for that guy," Anna retorted coyly, her cheeks turning even redder.