Chapter 21

Xi Mi hung the shopping bags on her arm. After getting off the subway, the bag handles had left red marks on her pale, tender skin.

Ying Quhe took all the bags from her hands and gestured for her to go first as they passed through security.

He looked down at the pile of bags, remembering how the three brothers had gathered before the New Year to dine and go shopping. His elder and younger brothers had brought their wives on a wild shopping spree while he silently tagged along.

Today was the first time he truly experienced what it felt like for a man to take a woman shopping.

Summed up in three words: pretty damn great.

…

Three hours before the start of the top-fifty to top-ten elimination round of 《China’s Supreme Taste》.

Ying Quhe avoided the staff and escorted Xi Mi to the back door. Saying only “Good luck, go on in,” he turned and left.

Xi Mi felt strongly that Ying Quhe wasn’t being a very considerate master. Shouldn’t he have cautioned her about important matters before she entered the arena?

Upon entering backstage, she received WeChat messages from “Culinary Dao” and “Ji Donglin” at the same time.

Comparing the two, she happily opened Culinary Dao’s message first.

– Culinary Dao: “Good luck with the competition. Don’t be nervous. Just think about the ten-million prize money, and don’t dwell on how impressive the other chefs are. Remember not to put pressure on yourself. Good luck, work hard toward your goal of buying every shade of lipstick.”

Xi Mi was stunned for a moment. For a split second, she thought it was Ying Quhe.

By the time Ying Quhe realized he had logged into the wrong WeChat account, the message could no longer be recalled. With a guilty conscience, he added: – Culinary Dao: “If you don’t like lipstick, think of other material things, like a house, designer bags, traveling the world…”

– Xi Xi Xi Mi: “I got it! Set material goals for motivation, right meow? Thanks, Bastard Dao, I’ll do my best!”

– Culinary Dao: “Good luck, Little Xi Mi. Once you win the competition, I promise to grant you one wish.”

– Xi Xi Xi Mi: “Then can I wish for Culinary Dao to disappear from Weibo forever?”

Ying Quhe’s hand holding the phone paused.

Shouldn’t her wish be… to meet him in person, or not to have to pay back the money?

– Culinary Dao: “I thought you’d wish to meet me in person. :)”

– Xi Xi Xi Mi: “If you can’t fulfill my first wish, then help me fulfill my second wish: treat me to hot pot. :)”

– Culinary Dao: “Then it will be my honor to treat the beautiful Miss Xi Mi to hot pot.”

– Xi Xi Xi Mi: “I’ll definitely break into the top ten. Here’s wishing us a pleasant meet-up!”

– Culinary Dao: “Pleasant indeed.”

Closing the chat with Culinary Dao, Xi Mi opened her chat with Ji Donglin. The kid had gone a bit frantic, sending twelve messages in a row.

“Empress, good luck with the competition! Win or lose, it doesn’t matter! What matters is that you give it your all! 【Cheer.jpg】”

– Xi Xi Xi Mi: “I’ll do my best! 【HoldingFace.jpg】”

– Ji Donglin: “Goddess, you finally answered me! Good luck! Everyone will give you strength. Just perform normally and don’t feel pressured because of the large fan club. We don’t care if you win or lose; in our hearts, you’ll always be number one!”

– Xi Xi Xi Mi: “T.T… I’m so touched… Thank you, fan club!”

…

One hour before the competition began, the chefs were resting backstage, waiting to take the stage.

The show staff handed each person a dossier of all the chefs. After reading through the thick stack, Xi Mi let out a long sigh.

Uncle jn was a famous island chef and the Executive Chef of Hailiting Hotel.

The three master chefs of the Traditional Group were Li Cheng, Chen Ming, and Wen Lin. Hailing from Yang City, Gansu Province in the northwest, and Xiang City respectively, all three were top local chefs and Executive Chefs of premier hotels in their regions.

Among the fifty chefs, only Nan Qing and Xi Mi had relatively sparse credentials. Nan Qing ran her own private restaurant as the owner. Xi Mi’s profile, on the other hand, listed her as an “Internet Celebrity Master Chef.”

Sitting to Xi Mi’s left, Nan Qing spoke to her for the first time. “Hey, aren’t you a chef?”

Finding herself addressed by Nan Qing for the first time, Xi Mi shook her head, then nodded, stammering, “I am a chef, but I only cook and help out in my family’s restaurant. Even though I’m the head chef, I can’t compare to these grandmasters. They’re all Executive Chefs…”

Nan Qing rested her chin on one hand while tapping the fingers of her other hand against the table, looking rather impatient. “What’s so great about Executive Chefs? They aren’t necessarily better than us. What do you think?”

Xi Mi blinked and said with utter seriousness, “An Executive Chef makes hundreds of thousands a year! Do you know what hundreds of thousands means? You could buy every shade of lipstick and fill an entire wall of display shelves!”

“…” Nan Qing nudged her with an elbow. “Are you nervous?”

Xi Mi shook her head. “Not nervous, just envious.”

Right now, the prize money was her driving force. For the sake of the money, she couldn’t afford to be nervous. That kind of emotion would impair her judgment.

Nan Qing took a deep breath. Perhaps because she was too nervous, she suddenly became unusually talkative. Pointing at Li Cheng, the Yang City master chef seated across from them, she whispered, “That guy over there, I once wanted to apprentice under him. Unfortunately, he looked down on me for being a girl and refused to take me in.”

“What’s wrong with being a girl? That’s gender discrimination!” Xi Mi placed her hand on the back of Nan Qing’s and patted it, consoling her. “Miss Nan, you’re so skilled, you’ll definitely beat him!”

Nan Qing’s gaze rested on Xi Mi’s face, softening slightly. “Hey, are you comforting me? Can’t you show a little hostility? I’m your rival and your enemy.”

Xi Mi pulled her hand back.

Oh right, love rivals.

Thinking of this, she turned back around and asked Nan Qing in all seriousness, “Miss Nan, are you and Ying Quhe really in a relationship leading to marriage? How come I can’t tell at all? Ying Quhe doesn’t seem to care for you very much.”

“…” Nan Qing frowned at her. “Girl, are you provoking me?”

“No, not at all! I’m just trying to distract you from your nerves by gossiping.” Xi Mi cupped her face in her hands, looking at her with an expectant expression.

Nan Qing’s eyes lingered on her face for a moment before she squeezed out a smile. “If you can successfully make it into the top ten, I’ll tell you.”

Xi Mi huffed indignantly, “You’re just keeping me in suspense!”

*

The stage for the competition venue was slightly smaller than in the previous round, but the seating area for the audience had doubled in size.

Xi Mi quickly realized that the audience seating was divided into two sections. The fan clubs were seated in the red zone, while the other section, the blue zone, held people who didn’t seem to be anyone’s fans, or rather, weren’t fans at all.

Once all fifty chefs were in position and finished checking their cooking stations and basic equipment, the host announced the rules: “Before today’s match has even begun, the air is already thick with gunpowder. As you can see, there is a small metal box next to each of your stations. Inside is your challenge topic for today. Please go ahead and open them.”

Xi Mi and Nan Qing were stationed close to each other, and they exchanged a look.

She pulled out her topic slip. She had never expected it to be seafood, the exact ingredient she worried about and feared the most. She hadn’t been nervous before, but now her hands began to tremble.

In Nan Qing’s hands was her own worst nightmare: noodles.

Chinese cuisine encompassed countless regional styles, and most famous chefs specialized in only a specific branch. Yet for this competition, every single one of them had been handed the very style they were worst at.

The host explained, “Today’s competition is a test of your adaptability. We tailored each topic to your specific weaknesses, hoping that everyone can overcome their shortcomings and work miracles. As you can see, the fifty audience members in the blue zone are folk gourmets from all over the country. Today, all voting power rests in their hands.”

Forcing them to prepare their worst dish in the middle of a competition, this twisted rule left every chef feeling completely uncertain.

Xi Mi looked toward Ying Quhe at the judges’ table. He met her gaze with an indifferent expression, as though she were a complete stranger, making her heart sink even further.

Xi Mi tried her best to calm down, recalling the details of how Ying Quhe handled seafood and his saying that “a bit of spiciness covers a multitude of flaws^[1].” Heading to the pantry to select her ingredients, Xi Mi picked out the freshest grouper.

Using chili peppers or Sichuan peppercorns wouldn’t quite fit.

What should she use instead?

Xi Mi stroked her chin as she thought, carefully mulling over what Ying Quhe had said. Correcting her weakness in a short time was impossible, but masking it was doable. She ran through every strong flavor in her mind before finally choosing cumin, which could stimulate the taste buds just as intensely as chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.

Watching her through his monitor, Ying Quhe let out a quiet sigh of relief when he saw Xi Mi choose cumin as her primary seasoning in the pantry.

Her ability to apply what she learned was truly impressive. While cumin wasn’t quite as heavy-handed as chili or Sichuan peppercorns, it was still capable of masking flaws.

Xi Mi was the third chef to select her ingredients and return to the main stage. With swift knife skills, she gutted the grouper, washed it clean, patted it dry with paper towels, and sliced it diagonally into paper-thin pieces.

The host began introducing her dish: “Ooh, as everyone can see, Xi Xi Xi Mi is playing to her strength in knife skills, slicing the grouper diagonally into exceptionally thin pieces! I wonder how the final dish will turn out? Stay tuned!”

Xi Mi intended to make Cumin Grouper Slices.

First, she sprinkled a mixture of sea salt and cumin onto the plate. Then she arranged the paper-thin fish slices one by one until the entire plate was covered, before sprinkling another layer of sea salt and cumin over the top so both sides were evenly seasoned.

Food processors were not provided on stage, so Xi Mi chopped parsley, scallions, garlic, lime, and bird’s eye chilies with her knife before throwing them into a mortar. She vigorously pounded them together with lime juice and fish sauce until the sauce was thoroughly combined, then set it aside.

The intense effort of pounding the sauce left Xi Mi dripping with sweat, which the camera caught right on screen. Viewers on the livestream platform immediately showered her with sympathy: “Our Goddess is so petite, yet she has to pound the sauce with all her might! Is the show’s crew really that poor? They couldn’t even provide a blender?”

“My heart hurts for Goddess! She looks so serious grinding that sauce with her teeth clenched. You’ve worked hard, Goddess!”

“If I were a man, I would never let my Goddess cook so hard!! Look at her pouring sweat, poor Goddess!”

“Nan Qing, hurry up and help your wifey pound her sauce!”

“Waaaah, remembering Goddess Nan Qing and Goddess Xi Xi Xi Mi have to face off against each other makes me hurt for them even more!”

…

As time ran down on the competition, the chefs finished up their dishes one after another.

Although Xi Mi had been among the first to start cooking, the seafood needed time to marinate. If it was too short, the flavors wouldn’t penetrate and the fishy odor wouldn’t be properly eliminated.

With five minutes remaining, every chef except Xi Mi had hit their completion bell. The host asked Master Li Cheng of Yangcheng, who had finished first, “As everyone knows, Yangcheng cuisine focuses on health and wellness, characterized by a refined, fresh style, delicate and varied knife work, and lighter flavors. Trying out a dish from the capital of spicy food today, did you feel a lot of pressure?”

Living up to his status as a master chef, Li Cheng smiled and replied, “I didn’t feel much pressure. Though Chinese cuisine has many regional branches, all variations stem from the core of flavor. As long as you grasp that ‘flavor’ and touch the diner’s palate, it’s a good dish.”

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Amid the applause, Xi Mi began searing her fish slices, opting for butter instead of traditional olive oil.

As the butter melted in the pan, a rich, milky aroma filled the air. The fish slices were paper-thin, browning slightly within seconds of hitting the pan as their edges curled into crisp corners. She immediately plated the fish slices, poured the sauce over them in the final minute, and hit her completion bell.

The audience judges took turns tasting the dishes. For each item, they could choose whether to taste or skip, and whether to vote or pass, based on the dish’s appearance and aroma.

For the final segment, the host tallied the votes and stepped onto the stage to announce: “Alright, as of this moment, the vote counts are in! Please look at the main screen!”

Xi Mi held her breath as she watched the numbers constantly shifting on the screen.

The three master chefs of the Traditional Group held a commanding lead, Uncle jn was ranked ninth, while Nan Qing and Xi Mi were tied in votes, stuck at tenth place.

With both tied in votes and only one spot remaining, one of them had to leave.

According to the rules, their dishes would be tasted once more by the four main judges to decide who stayed and who went.

The host walked over to the judges’ table and passed the microphone to the first judge.

Yang Zong had voted for Xi Mi in the first match, though he had never explained his reason.

Just when everyone thought he would vote for Xi Mi again, Yang Zong smacked his lips and said, “It’s very hard to separate them. In the first match, Xi Xi Xi Mi’s Wild Mushrooms in Golden Broth was truly stunning, but this seafood dish falls quite short. Nan Qing did remarkably well today; knowing she wasn’t good at pulling noodles, she focused her efforts on the broth. The noodles might not be fine, but the broth’s flavor profile compensates perfectly. I cast my vote for Nan Qing.”

Nan Qing breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “Thank you, Teacher Yang.”

Judge Lin Hua had not voted for Xi Mi in the first match because he did not eat cilantro. He said, “I disagree with Teacher Yang’s assessment. The format changed for this round, setting themes based on the contestants’ weaknesses, so none of today’s dishes are in their usual comfort zones. Xi Mi used cumin with grouper, which removed the fishiness while whetting the appetite. The savory, slightly spicy sauce pairs wonderfully with the crispy fish fillets. I really like this dish, so I’m giving my vote to Xi Mi.”

“I agree with Teacher Lin.” Judge Song Baoguo took the microphone handed over by the host, pondered for a moment, and added, “What I find most extraordinary about these grouper fillets is that after swallowing, there isn’t just the flavor of lamb skewers lingering on the palate, but also a rich, silky hint of milkiness. That must be the interplay between the cumin and butter. I’m voting for Xi Mi.”

Host: “Ooh! So far, Nan Qing has one vote, while Xi Xi Xi Mi leads with two! If Teacher Ying casts his final vote for Xi Mi, Nan Qing’s run will end right here. But if Teacher Ying gives his final vote to Nan Qing, both contestants will move to the candidate area, and the audience will re-evaluate and vote!”

All the cameras turned to Ying Quhe. Xi Mi held her breath, her eyes locked onto him as if trying to drill straight through him.

“I cast my vote for Nan Qing.”

A loud roar exploded in Xi Mi’s ears. Giving that vote to Nan Qing meant he was deeply dissatisfied with her dish—completely disappointed in her.

Ying Quhe’s gaze settled on Xi Mi’s face. He asked her, “Miss Xi, do you want to know where your dish falls short?”

Xi Mi nodded, indicating that she did.

“Your dish is certainly creative, but you committed a fatal mistake.” His sharp gaze pierced her like a knife. “As for this dish of yours… it has zero merit whatsoever.”

The audience erupted into an uproar.