1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 497 Still Shining in Their Forties
Ronan's two chocolate 'almonds' were so realistic that after the organizing committee arranged for a photo opportunity, none of the judges were willing to crack them open and taste them.

This is absolutely a work of art; who would dare to eat it?

Everyone kept searching their minds for information they had heard or seen before—how much did that dessert called 'Lovebird' cost to sell for?

Seeing that everyone was just watching without moving, Ronan took the initiative to crack open the 'almonds' and distribute them to the judges, while explaining to the eagerly waiting onlookers:

"Don't worry, everyone, we'll make the same thing for you to try in a bit."

"Will you continue making the first almond lava chocolate?" a girl in the front row asked.

She had just witnessed the entire process of the chocolate pouring out. God, that looked so tempting!

Ronan returned to the operating area and began preparing tastings for the tourists:

"Yes, we have them all. Remember to come and pick them up later."

Seven or eight voices of different ages and genders rang out simultaneously:
"We're not leaving, we'll wait here for you to cook! I want to be the first to eat!"

The quick-witted Isabel immediately went out to maintain order:
"If you like, you can go to our restaurant in Lourmaran later. We have dozens of desserts available, and they are all incredibly delicious. Everyone, line up! We're about to give out samples."

Isabel knew very well that Ronan's purpose in participating in this competition was to promote the restaurant.

We brought her along this time, just wait and see!
She'll convert all those people waiting for samples!
Leah helped Ronan with the taste test, adjusting the molds while also calling out to customers:

"We will also be offering the two desserts from today year-round. If you didn't get to try them, or if you did try them and liked them, you can go to Lourmaran."

Ronan looked at Leah uncertainly and asked in a low voice:
"Is the second one okay?"

Leah's styling skills have indeed improved a lot, but replicating the second chocolate almond is still a little difficult. She can do it, but not as well as Ronan, so at the last moment she handed the knife to Ronan.

Leah returned Ronan's smile with a confident one:
"Give me a week, and I'll definitely be able to learn it. I've memorized everything you just did."

Ronan bent down and picked up a large piece of chocolate:
"it is good!"

Meanwhile, Ronan and Leah have already begun their next move—driving customers to the restaurant.

The judges, however, were still stuck in the previous step and unwilling to move forward—to carefully savor their work.

Ronan and Leah's desserts are not only beautiful and meaningful, but also taste amazing.

The still slightly warm chocolate shell shattered between my teeth with a snap, as if I were biting into a piece of fragile glass. Then, a 'crack' sound echoed throughout my head, and the rich aroma swept across my tongue like lightning streaking across the sky—the chocolate storm had officially begun.

When the storm ended, only one thought remained in my mind—I hadn't eaten enough!

In fact, the first dessert left the judges wanting more; the molten chocolate was unforgettable for both its appearance and taste.

The combination of the two dishes made these Provençal gourmets set aside their pride and status, racking their brains to try another piece.

More and more tourists gathered in front of Ronan's preparation area because the tastings originally intended for tourists were all snatched up by the judges, guests, and officials, forcing Ronan to politely ask them to leave.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I bet you still have many entries to taste and critique. I can't wait to know the results."

At Ronan's prompting, the professional judges finally left with reluctance.

Is there any suspense left in the outcome?
The first Aix Dessert Competition demonstrated a consistent level of stability.

A food event set up to promote X should ideally avoid creating too much conflict or infighting.

To ensure fairness and give due recognition to the numerous celebrity pastry chefs, there were several awards in the end, including those specifically for appearance, taste, creativity, and popularity. And that wasn't all; more than one group of contestants won each award.

Despite the seemingly fair competition, a "biggest winner" emerged – a group of contestants consistently ranked highly, with Ronan and Leah's names now firmly etched in everyone's minds.

No matter what awards the guests on the stage were presenting, there would always be crowds of people eager to join in the fun, shouting out Ronan and Leah's names.

As the biggest winner of today's Xerox, Ronan naturally received special 'treatment'. The organizing committee arranged for a TV camera and host to conduct a separate interview in his area, while the other contestants were only briefly shown on camera.

However, when they arrived, they discovered that Ronan hadn't come alone for the interview; he had brought a middle-aged woman with him.

It's not uncommon for multiple people to work together in culinary competitions; most of the contestants today are in groups. However, there's always a primary and a secondary role among the two participants, usually a head chef with an assistant. Therefore, the host naturally said to Ronan:
"You and your assistant have produced such a wonderful piece of work and received so much recognition. Do you have any secrets to it?"

Ronan immediately corrected himself:
“Lia is my partner, not my assistant. The two works today are a collaboration between us.”

An uproar erupted among the tourists.

The competition has been going on for quite some time now, and many people have heard about Ronan's identity.

This is a famous pastry artist from Provence, a national treasure!

Are the women around him just as capable as him?

Leah's courage and confidence are limited to when she's making desserts.

Ronan's insistence on bringing her to face the cameras had already made her extremely uncomfortable, unsure of what to do with her hands. Now, he was even calling her a partner, drawing the attention of countless passersby.

She took a step to the side, looking lost, trying to slip away from the interview area while no one was looking.

But Ronan swiftly pulled her to his side and proudly introduced her:
"Friends, please allow me to introduce you to—Leah!"

Not giving Leah another chance to escape, Ronan asked the onlookers in a highly persuasive tone:
"Have you tried our dessert? Was it delicious?"

"Delicious!" the tourists answered loudly in unison.

Ronan pointed to Leah beside him and said:

"The chocolate and almond flavors were all made by Leah; she's the best pastry chef in Lourmaran! Please remember her name!!"

"Lia! Lia! Lia!!" The surrounding area erupted in cheers.

Leah's eyes stung with tears, and she excitedly covered them. After a few seconds, she hugged Ronan tightly.
"Thank you, thank you, darling."

God, this must be the most important day of her life.

Louis, standing in the crowd, cried even harder than he had on the day his daughter was proposed to, tears and snot streaming down his face as he roared at the top of his lungs:
"Lia! My dear, you're the best!! I love you!!!"

Zoe was a little better than Louis, but not much better, and she covered her mouth, trying to hold back her tears: "Thank you."

This thank you was said to Ronan.

Being in your forties is more than just a time for hard work; you can still shine in your forties.

As the saying goes, if you're going to help someone, help them all the way to the West.

Since Llorente acted as the intermediary to introduce Bernard and Ronan, he naturally had to take full responsibility for their meeting.

After the dessert competition concluded and the crowd calmed down, he went to Ronan again to explain that Bernard wanted to meet with him and to convey Bernard's reason for wanting to meet—for his high-end winery.

If it's convenient for you, why don't we all get together tonight?
After listening, Ronan said apologetically:
"We can meet, but we won't have a meal together. If it's convenient for Bernard, you can come here anytime this afternoon."

People in Provence have a special significance for eating.

If you need something from someone and they agree to sit down and have a couple of drinks, it means there's a high chance that what you're talking about will work out.

If a Provençal person declines your party invitation, it's highly likely they're also declining your other offers.

Bernard wasn't from Provence, and Llorente wasn't sure if he knew this 'rule'.

Ronan wasn't from Provence either, and Llorente wasn't sure if his refusal had any other meaning.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

After much deliberation, Llorente cautiously asked Ronan:

"You have plans tonight?"

Ronan shook his head:

"No, nothing else tonight."

“Then may I ask—” Llorente asked more cautiously, “Are you not very interested in the collaboration Bernard proposed? Ronan, please believe me, I’m on your side, and I’ll help you solve any problems, just like those markets.”

Llorente patted Ronan on the shoulder solemnly, as if to say, "I will definitely help you solve this problem. You just need to tell me the real reason."

To everyone's surprise, Ronan awkwardly touched his neck:

"It's because I'm on a diet. I'm not attending any parties lately, and I'm temporarily not eating or drinking alcohol."

There's less than a week until the wedding photoshoot, but he's still a few pounds short, so he has to be a bit more aggressive.

Llorente looked shocked.

This is a real challenge for me!
Ronan didn't say he wasn't interested in Bernard's collaboration proposal, so Llorente dared to boldly bring people over.

However, there were some things he couldn't understand.

Llorente was convinced that Ronan was, in some ways, the same kind of person he was; they didn't look at what was in front of them, but rather at things that were far, far away.

Given this, Ronan will not be satisfied with the current state of Stellaco and will definitely strive to develop it to a higher and farther level.

Therefore, he would inevitably be unable to collaborate with Bernard—Ronan wanted to fully leverage his high-end influence as an artist to empower Stries.

So why did he agree to this meeting?
Is a direct refusal more sincere?

Or is there another reason?

Llorente decided that he would stay by Bernard's side today and listen to what the two of them had to say.

Bernard lived in the big city of Avignon and was mostly in contact with Parisian winegrowers, so he was unfamiliar with the local customs of Provence.

He wasn't disappointed that Ronan declined his dinner offer and instead asked to meet on Via Mirabeau; in fact, he was quite excited.

Their meeting place was a café not far from the René Fountain, a place Llorente had chosen.

“Ronan is just too busy, you know Bernard. Ronan shocked Provence again today.” Llorente winked at Ronan secretly, there was no need for everyone to know about his weight loss.

Ronan gratefully raised his coffee cup, and in sync with Llorente, said to Bernard:

"Yes, I've been a bit busy these past few days. Let's get straight to the point."

After settling in Provence, Bernard developed an indelible fascination with efficient people, especially Ronan, whom he greatly admired.
“Alright, then I’ll get straight to the point. Ronan, I’d like to invite you to form a deep partnership with my winery. This partnership will include more than just designing our packaging and participating in the filming of our documentary. In addition to a satisfactory fee, I also promise that you can appear as a spokesperson in various events that I sponsor.”

Bernard crossed his legs and confidently tapped the sofa armrest:
"The dessert competition is just a very small event that I sponsor. To be honest, I wouldn't have paid any attention to this event if you hadn't been involved, because I'm aiming for the highest end. Our sponsorship targets are the Cannes Film Festival, the Cannes Television Festival, the Avignon Theatre Festival, the Provence leg of the Tour de France, the Menton Lemon Festival, the Provence International Dance Festival, and the Camar Bullfight. If all goes well, I might also sponsor the French Open."

Although Bernard described the first Axe Dessert Competition as "a very small event," Llorente, the chief organizer, showed no sign of displeasure.

This is absolutely not an act; it's because compared to the other events Bernard mentioned, the dessert competition is indeed too small.

The Cannes Film Festival is the 'face' of Provence, and its highest award, the Palme d'Or, represents the pinnacle of global film art. Every year during the Cannes Film Festival, the world's largest film copyright trade fair is also held here, with transaction prices calculated in the hundreds of millions.

The Cannes Television Festival is not as famous as the Cannes Film Festival, but it has a stronger commercial atmosphere. Almost all the TV series broadcast on French television stations are filmed and financed during this period. When the television festival is held, the whole of Cannes is filled with the smell of francs.

The Avignon Festival is Europe's largest theatre festival, attracting more visitors each year than the Cannes Film Festival.

In Provence, the Avignon Theatre Festival and the Cannes Film Festival form a 'twin star' structure, one focusing on the film industry and the other cultivating the performing arts, both of which are world-class.

The Tour de France is the world's largest coastal sailing race, with 22 countries participating in 1987.

The Menton Lemon Festival is a large-scale local event comparable to the Nice Carnival. This annual event, which has been held since 1934, is the only citrus-themed carnival in the world, and countless international brands have drawn inspiration from it.

The Provence International Dance Festival is one of the three major classical dance festivals in Europe (alongside Edinburgh and Salzburg).

The Camar bullfight drew more spectators than the Tour de France in Provence.

And the legal net
Llorente took a deep breath and vowed to serve his God, Bernard, well!

He believed that Ronan would also be shocked by Bernard's strength, and wondered if his mentality was about to waver.
But after hearing Bernard's confident words, Ronan calmly said:
"I don't care about these activities. What I care about is whether your winery is high-end enough. How can you prove that your winery is high-end?"

(End of this chapter)