Mo Lihui’s heart was filled with regrets as she watched how everyone enjoyed Lu Xinyi’s dishes. Never was she able to produce such reactions from the judges and get compliments from the audience. Even she herself knew that she could never incite such reactions from her dishes.
Did she just underestimate Lu Xinyi?
What should she do now? Was this what it felt like knowing one’s going to lose?
Was this the reason why Lu Xinyi told her that this wouldn’t even turn into a compet.i.tion but a ma.s.sacre instead? Mo Lihui clutched her arm painfully. Just from looking at the expression of the judges and audience, she knew that Lu Xinyi had won.
She hadn’t even served her dishes yet, but she had been already been defeated by Lu Xinyi without giving her a chance! In the end, not only would she lose her face today, but also the Blue Haven Restaurant to Lu Xinyi.
“For our last dish, this is our Chicken Wonton Soup.”
This dish would surely be the final nail on Mo Lihui’s coffin!
Because of the town’s topographical features, the locals experienced longer cold winter than warm summer. Most of them sought meals that would make them feel warmer and comfortable. Lu Xinyi’s chicken wonton soup, with a silky and flavorful filling, was a perfect winter warmer.
Not only did the wonton have a flavorful filling, but the pre-made broth was also flavorful and enhanced by adding a few drops of soy sauce—with some pieces of ginger and green onions.
This cozy and comforting wonton soup was enough to make everyone drool. This also gave everyone a homey feeling while eating it on a cold weather.
Wonton, which can be translated to ‘swallowing a cloud’, was a perfect way to describe these yummy dumplings. Ground chicken, green onions, and flavorings were mixed together and then wrapped in wonton wrappers and cooked in a delicious broth for a light and healthy soup.
With Shen Yi’s ability to have everything lined up for her, Lu Xinyi was able to make wontons without encountering any problems. The wontons came together quickly, and she was able to produce several batches in a short time.
A round of applause echoed within the town’s pavilion, which brought Mo Lihui back to her senses. It was only then she realized that Lu Xinyi was done presenting her dishes and now staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face.
Was she expecting her to admit defeat now? No way!
Mo Lihui gritted her teeth, but her hands were trembling. How could she admit defeat now when her big mouth had brought her trouble?
Originally, she was thinking that Lu Xinyi might know how to cook but could never produce a decent dish to present to the judges. Letting Lu Xinyi serve her entries first would also give Mo Lihui enough reason to humiliate Lu Xinyi once she found out her cooking ability. Alas! Mo Lihui bit more than she could chew! She didn’t expect Lu Xinyi to be this good at all!
If she lost to Lu Xinyi now, how was she able to face Shen Yi and her brother in the future?
‘I can’t lose!’ She kept chanting to herself.
Mo Liwei didn’t wait for his sister and served their three dishes simultaneously to the judges. The judges weren’t impressed at all!
Looking at the Blue Haven’s entries, they sneered in their hearts as Mo Lihui once again proved that she only cared for the dishes’ aesthetic and visual presentation than the taste of the dishes and concept of the compet.i.tion.
Mo Lihui prepared spicy wontons and pork and chicken dumplings. There weren’t much variation on her entries for this year, which disappointed the judges.
Staring at Mo Lihui’s dishes, the judges only sighed and took a small bite from each one. They had been so pleased with Lu Xinyi’s dishes that they deemed it already the best.
Taking a bite from Mo Lihui’s dumpling, they felt like they were eating a second-rate meal from a five-star restaurant. They felt cheated and unsatisfied with their meal.
The judges brought their chopsticks down and gave Mo Liwei an apologetic look. He must be very disappointed with his little sister. Such a responsible brother but got a sister bring him down with her.
Seeing the look on the judges’ face, Lu Xinyi looked coldly at Mo Lihui. Did she really thought that she could just take Shen Yi away from her that easily?
The judging part continued until all the seven partic.i.p.ants presented their dishes. No matter what, all the dishes presented to the judges were below Lu Xinyi’s cooking. It didn’t matter how appetizing they looked, Lu Xinyi’s dishes were far beyond them.
The three judges and forty-seven civilians were given seven small pebbles with seven colors from the rainbow. Each color represented the seven restaurants with red representing Grace Palace and violet, Blue Haven. They were asked to drop a colored pebble on a small pot to vote for the restaurant they deemed that excelled today.
Half an hour later, the small pot was broken in front of everyone to reveal this year’s Master Chef. Once the pot was broken, a wave of b.l.o.o.d.y red pebble came down rus.h.i.+ng on the floor without any speck of a different color.
“You lost, Mo Lihui.”
Anyone who had a taste of Lu Xinyi and Mo Lihui’s dishes would know the difference between the two. It was clear that for this year, Mo Lihui lost to an outsider.
Lu Xinyi’s serious expression changed as she gave the other woman a wicked smile.
“Your restaurant. Are you going to give the deed today, or do I need to evict you from your own place?”