The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 194 Fierce Voting
"Egg Baby, we only have one last step left."

"Gulu!"

Amidst Danbao's excited response and under the close-up view of the high-definition camera, Qin Lang poured hot rapeseed oil over the boiled beef.

"Fuck-"

Expensive recording equipment clearly transmitted the sizzling sound of oil throughout the venue. Dried chili peppers and green garlic sprouts danced in the hot oil, creating a simple yet exquisite visual feast together with large slices of beef.

Boiled beef, now complete.

In an instant, countless sounds of swallowing saliva filled the arena.

"Ding--"

Qin Lang pressed the exit bell and pushed the food cart out.

The food cart was quickly taken away by the staff, and Qin Lang walked all the way to Qiu Lei's side.

“I’m faster than you, you have no advantage in this match.” Qiu Lei covered the microphone with one hand and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"That's not necessarily true." Qin Lang smiled calmly, then changed the subject, "I did some research beforehand, and the Roasted Beef Cube is one of your restaurant's signature dishes. Is it really a good idea to just reveal the recipe like this?"

"Publicly available? No." Qiu Lei's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident expression. "Although this is the 'Burning Bull Cube,' it's an improved version that only I can make. The method is completely different from the original."

"In terms of taste, it has reached a new level."

“I’m never afraid of someone stealing my recipe, because some things can’t be stolen. Like your dragon beard noodles, would you worry about someone learning it?”

Hearing this, Qin Lang smiled and nodded.

"In that case, let's wait for the voting results."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Qiu Lei turned his gaze to the judges' panel on the other side.

At this moment, the seven food critics on the judging panel have already begun to taste Qin Lang's boiled beef.

Judging from the amazed expressions on the faces of the food critics as they tasted it, and their somewhat unrestrained eating habits, it's clear that this dish is absolutely delicious.

Even so, Qiu Lei didn't feel too much pressure.

Because the seven food critics had behaved similarly when they were tasting his roasted beef cube.

Time passed slowly, and the plate of boiled beef was quickly devoured by the seven food enthusiasts, leaving not even a trace of the side dishes.

If the soup hadn't been so incredibly spicy, they probably would have eaten it all...

"Cough cough cough-"

A violent coughing fit rang out, and Song Changtian, the youngest of the seven food recommenders, blushed deeply. When he saw the other six food recommenders casting their gazes at him, he awkwardly waved his hand and pointed to the empty bowl in front of him.

Well, he couldn't resist and drank the soup too.

The other six food recommenders exchanged knowing smiles, and Pang Ju, the food recommender of the animal, couldn't wait to speak up, "How about I go first for this round?"

The other food critics naturally had no objection to Pang Ju's request.

After all, this competition is about beef.

In this regard, Pang Ju is the most professional.

"Both of the dishes served by the contestants were amazing to me." Looking at the two standing side by side on the stage, Pang Ju was the first to express his approval, and then continued, "Qin Lang's pre-treatment of the beef may seem ordinary, but it is full of details, which has created this incredibly tender, spicy and smooth boiled beef."

"Qiu Lei's method of cutting beef is also very bold. Cutting it perpendicular to the grain makes the beef more likely to fall apart, but this problem is solved with the help of a specially made square cooking mold."

"If I'm not mistaken, you chose this slicing method to allow the fat and spices from the grilled beef to penetrate the meat more quickly and evenly, right?"

"You've absolutely nailed that. Every bite of the final product is bursting with juice, and the taste is absolutely amazing." "Both dishes have their own unique characteristics, but unfortunately, I can only choose one in today's competition..." Pang Ju paused slightly, then spoke in a deep voice,
"I choose Qin Lang's boiled beef."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cheer erupted from the audience.

The contestants have all made it through the auditions and have each gained their own supporters. Qin Lang is now at the point where he gets recognized and asked for photos whenever he goes out.

On stage, Qiu Lei's expression instantly froze.

Although this was only the first vote, from a professional standpoint, Pang Ju's vote was the most valuable.

Qin Lang won first place. Was he really inferior to his opponent?

Thinking of this, Qiu Lei suddenly looked at Qin Lang beside him.

Qin Lang, however, still wore a calm smile, as if he had never worried about failure from beginning to end.

“My opinion is a little different from Pang Ju’s.” Cao Feng, the food recommender, pushed up his glasses and said with a faint smile, “I prefer the Roasted Beef Cube. Its juicy texture gives me the feeling of eating fruit.”

Laughter erupted in the room upon hearing this.

As expected of someone who recommends fruit, they can even connect beef with fruit.

However, this temporarily tied the two candidates' votes.

The subsequent voting remained tense and exciting. Grain food recommender Lu Suzhi and flower food recommender Xu Yueran chose Qin Lang, but vegetable food recommender Ye Ting and fish food recommender Bao Heng voted for Qiu Lei.

A 3-3 tie!

The crucial vote fell to Song Changtian, the recommender of the mountain food!

"Oh no!" Cao Dongdong's face tightened immediately in the stands. "How could it be him?!"

"What happened to Mr. Song Changtian?" Zhao Qian couldn't help but ask.

“This is a big problem. Have you forgotten? In the last round of sixteen, he was the only one out of the seven food recommenders who didn’t vote for Qin Lang!” Cao Dongdong couldn’t help but mutter under his breath. “Maybe he thinks Qin Lang is more handsome than him, so he won’t vote for him this time either?”

Zhao Qian: "..."

Yu Zaozao: "..."

"Don't be so petty, kid!" Zhao Qian said, laughing and crying at the same time, and slapped him on the back of the head. "Last time, he gave Pang Xin an encouragement vote because she used rare mountain ingredients in her noodles."

“I believe that every food recommender will be impartial this time.” As she spoke, Zhao Qian couldn’t help but look nervously at the scene.

"I choose..." Noticing the gazes of everyone focused on him, Song Changtian, who had just choked and was only now recovering, chuckled and pointed without hesitation to the empty bowl in front of him, "Contestant Qin Lang!"

"It's a bit spicy, but the soup from this boiled beef is really delicious!"

Laughter erupted in the room upon hearing his words.

"Let's congratulate Qin Lang on securing the last spot in the semifinals!" The host's voice rang out amidst cheers.

But at the same time, there were also sighs of disappointment.

On the field, Qiu Lei looked rather grim.

He never expected that even with his best subject matter and all-out effort, he would still lose to Qin Lang.

Qiu Lei couldn't help but turn his head and look at the figure who was smiling and waving towards the stands.

Making those dragon beard noodles requires ten years of hard work. How did this guy manage to be so young and so skilled?!
But then, thinking of the other three who had advanced to the semifinals, Qiu Lei shook his head with a wry smile.

Perhaps there really are geniuses in this world, and I'm not good enough for them.

(End of this chapter)