The day of the festival arrived. Compared to the previous compet.i.tion Tian Lingyu and Huang Shenghao partic.i.p.ated, this was different; for it had been too long for the two of them since they last partic.i.p.ated in such an event outside Silver Leaf Academy.
Meanwhile, it had been a year since Lu Xinyi did this, last when she competed against Mo Lihui and gained Blue Haven Restaurant in the process.
Her mood today was calm as she faced the audience crowding around the two kitchen counters placed at the plaza along Emerald Lane. Shen Yi and Shen Xue, who were in disguise, sat at the audience with the twins; and Lu Xinyi occasionally saw them conversing with Old Man Ji.
Although she was curious as to what they were talking about, Lu Xinyi switched her attention to the compet.i.tion. She was eager to see how her brother would recreate and improve the Ji family recipes as well as cooking alongside him.
It felt like it had been a long time for her since she last saw him cooking up close. The last memory of him cooking for her was when he attempted to make her favorite cheesecake after their mother’s funeral.
She could also remember the overly sweetened cheesecake she’d tasted that day and realized that her older brother wasn’t as good as their father at making her favorite dessert.
“Lingyu, I’m really excited. We’re going to compete against professional chefs, ah. Just in time before our graduation tomorrow.” Huang Shenghao put an arm around Tian Lingyu’s shoulder as they looked at the opposite kitchen counter across them.
“Shenghao, you better make sure you wouldn’t mess up this time, or else I’ll literally kick your a.s.s out of here.” Tian Lingyu glared back at his friend. The memory of Huang Shenghao tweaking the dish they both cooked together resurfaced into his mind.
“Okay, okay, but at least let me eat and taste the ones you’ll make today, alright?” Huang Shenghao wiggled his eyebrows. It was rare for him to have a taste of Tian Lingyu’s cooking anyway so he’d use this opportunity to eat more.
An emcee stepped onto a makes.h.i.+ft stage and looked down at the two teams on both sides. Since the festival started early that morning, the compet.i.tion itself was flocked with people coming from different cities and places.
“The rules of today’s compet.i.tion are very simple. A hundred servings should be prepared by both teams, and a hundred customers will taste both dishes. Once the taste test is done, all of them have to vote on which team has satisfied them. Each customer will receive two b.a.l.l.s. One red for Oriental Bliss, and the other one, white in favor of la Reverie.
“As both teams agreed earlier, the dishes they’ll present today should be dishes that their restaurants have on their menu.”
Lu Xinyi leaned forward to her brother and whispered.
“I thought Lei Peng said that there would be 5,000 customers.”
“He’s just bluffing to scare us. It is more likely that 5,000 people are gathering for the festival,” Tian Lingyu responded.
Lu Xinyi nodded. That made sense to her. She initially thought that they were going to serve 5,000 customers so she asked Zhang Qing, who’d recently discharged from the hospital, to find her a reliable supplier of the goods and ingredients they would need for today.
She was also lucky enough to have Surya Rath.o.r.e’s help in providing the herbs and spices for Oriental Bliss from his spice shop downtown.
When Lu Xinyi saw Lei Peng, he was standing behind the three chefs he brought to represent la Reverie, grinning at her.
“Miss Lu, are you sure you’re not going to back out? You still have time to change your mind. I’m a forgiving person.” His l.u.s.tful eyes swept through her body, making Lu Xinyi feel disgusted.
Shen Yi’s face darkened. He was in close distance from his wife and was able to hear and see the underlying implication of Lei Peng’s words. This man was really asking for a swift death! Wasting no time, Shen Yi pulled out his phone and dialed Qiao He’s number, ordering him to find everything about Lei Peng.
Beside Lu Xinyi, Tian Lingyu’s desire to beat la Reverie rose, his hand itching to beat the h.e.l.l out of Lei Ping for disrespecting his sister.
“Ah, Mr. Lei. I think I should be the one to say those words, don’t you think? I hope you’re prepared to lose 550,000 dollars today as Oriental Bliss will surely win. Can’t you see we’re wearing black today? You should be grateful we’re ready for your funeral.” Lu Xinyi maliciously smiled back at the bald man who broke into a cold sweat upon hearing about the half a million dollars he will owe her if Oriental Bliss won today.
Half a million dollars? Was she really serious? Lei Peng thought. However, the sinister smile plastered on Lu Xinyi’s face was enough to let him know that she wasn’t joking at all. He just didn’t think that Oriental Bliss would cost as much as that.
The kitchen counter set up for Oriental Bliss was top-notch, something that one could only find in high-cla.s.s restaurants. The cost alone could leave a dent on one’s bank account.
The goods used for the dishes and the utensils could also be considered as a big expense. Thinking about it, not only this Miss Lu flaunted her wealth, but she also clearly drew a line between Oriental Bliss and la Reverie. She was basically slapping him with money.
However, that wasn’t all. This Miss Lu had also forced him to sign an IOU form the day before to pay the damages his men left at Oriental Bliss the night they met. Lei Peng, at that moment, thought that she was quite shameless to threaten him to burn down la Reverie if he doesn’t pay up.
Who did she think she was? This Miss Lu didn’t know she was messing up with the wrong person!