The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 216 Questioning and Mutual Trial

"Qin Lang, well done!"

In the stands, Cao Dongdong excitedly waved his arms, his eyes filled with excitement, "The championship is ours!"

"Finally, this arrogant guy has been taught a lesson." Zhao Qian also had a smile on her face. "It would have been great if Qin Lang could have won 7-0."

"That's a bit difficult." Yu Zaozao shook her head in disbelief. "Although four food recommenders have already voted for Qin Lang, the next three food recommenders may not necessarily vote for Qin Lang as well."

“That’s right.” Cao Dongdong nodded in agreement. “Especially Bao Heng, the one who recommended the fish’s food, he cried when he tasted the white jade pearl.”

"This vote will definitely go to Du Ziyan, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

"Okay." Zhao Qian sighed with some regret, clearly still resentful that Du Ziyan had eliminated her 7-0. "No matter what, it would be best if Qin Lang could win the championship."

“Indeed.” Cao Dongdong laughed. “After the awards ceremony, we’ll have to make him treat us to a meal. As for the ingredients…”

"I think the mysterious and rare ingredients that the competition rewards are pretty good!"

The group chatted amongst themselves, and with the championship already decided, they no longer felt the tension they had felt before.

On the judging panel, the three judges who had not yet spoken exchanged glances.

"Looking at it this way, it seems that it doesn't matter who I vote for anymore?" Sensing the atmosphere at the scene, Xu Yueran shook her head in distress.

"Even so, I still have to make my choice."

She paused slightly, her gaze falling on Qin Lang and Du Ziyan on the stage, "The dishes that both of you presented in today's competition were truly amazing."

"Without a doubt, both Qin Lang and Du Ziyan are the best chefs of the younger generation, and I am very proud that we have such outstanding young chefs."

“If I had to choose one of the two chefs today, my choice would be Qin Lang. As for the reason…” Xu Yueran looked at Lu Suzhi, who had also remained silent, “I believe Lu is the most qualified to speak on this matter.”

“Sister Xu, you’ve really put me in a difficult position.” Lu Suzhi shook her head helplessly, then her expression turned serious. “My choice is also Qin Lang.”

"Du Ziyan, I'm sure you're very curious, why?"

"Yes," Du Ziyan said in a deep voice.

If you listen carefully, you can hear that his voice seems a bit hoarse, clearly indicating that he is completely unable to accept this result.

“Actually, the Yangzhou fried rice and the white jade pearl in this round are somewhat similar in concept,” Lu Suzhi said slowly. “You have both chosen to concentrate the essence of various ingredients into rice.”

“Although your ideas are similar, your actual practices are quite different.” Lu Suzhi paused slightly. “Du Ziyan’s focus is on the soup. You used a rare sea bass to make a perfect fish soup, and then concentrated it into rice.”

"Isn't Qin Lang the same?" Du Ziyan couldn't help but ask.

Although he didn't follow Qin Lang's actions the whole time, he still roughly understood the key steps. Wasn't Qin Lang adding soup to the fried rice?

“No.” Lu Suzhi shook his head slightly. “Although Qin Lang’s Yangzhou fried rice is similar to yours in concept, it has more layers in actual cooking. Different ingredients are well-ordered and intertwined harmoniously. Even the same ingredient has a unique sense of layering.”

"And this is something that white jade and pearls do not possess."

"That's why I chose Qin Lang."

“A sense of layering…” Du Ziyan stood there, stunned. “It seems I’m the only one left.” Bao Heng, the fisherman’s food recommender, sighed, a conflicted look on his face.

"To be honest, when I tasted Du Ziyan's White Jade Pearl, I was really excited and even felt an unprecedented sense of emotion. This kind of food will definitely become an important memory in my life."

"At that moment, I had only one thought in my mind: I must cast my vote for Du Ziyan."

“But…” Bao Heng paused slightly, “I then tasted Qin Lang’s Yangzhou fried rice.”

He found it hard to describe the moment he tasted Yangzhou fried rice, the feeling that struck him like a thunderbolt.

After a moment of silence, Bao Heng finally gritted his teeth and said, "I've decided to cast my vote for Qin Lang!"

Qin Lang, unanimous vote!
The atmosphere in the room had cooled down a bit because of Qin Lang's early victory, but it was now going crazy again because of Bao Heng's vote.

Bao Heng was so moved by Bai Yumingzhu that he cried!

He actually voted for Qin Lang now?
This scene was so dramatic that cries of "rigged" quickly arose in the audience.

Many of Du Ziyan's supporters believe that this match result was a complete conspiracy!

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the seven food recommenders were somewhat complicated.

Unlike other food competitions, it's impossible for everyone to taste a bite of the contestants' dishes. Therefore, the winners and losers must be judged by a judge with absolute credibility, such as a food recommender.

But right now, even the credibility of those who recommend food is no longer convincing.

Fortunately, there are other rules for the competition.

"Everyone, please be quiet!" the host immediately announced. "To ensure fairness in the competition, each elimination round has an additional rule: if one side questions the voting results, they can request both sides to taste each other's dishes!"

"Now, Mr. Du Ziyan, would you like to try it?"

“I…” Du Ziyan took a deep breath and slowly began to speak, “I have no doubt about the impartiality of the seven food recommenders, but this time, I really want to try Qin Lang’s Yangzhou fried rice myself.”

Even though he narrowly lost to the champion in the previous competition, Du Ziyan had never been shut out, which can be described as a major blow to his culinary career.

Even if he loses, Du Ziyan wants to understand why he lost.

Soon, two staff members responsible for serving the food came up with two dishes, but both of them looked somewhat resentful.

In each elimination round, the food is divided into eight portions. In addition to the portion tasted by the seven food recommenders, a portion is also prepared for both contestants to taste, in order to avoid any doubts about the competition results.

If there is no sharing session, then this portion will be consumed by the two staff members themselves.

The two had originally planned to enjoy a delicious extra meal during this final match.

The result... it's gone!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Du Ziyan scooped a spoonful of Yangzhou fried rice into his mouth. His expression changed from calm to astonishment, and then to admiration.

After quickly finishing his Yangzhou fried rice, he simply said, "I did lose," and left dejectedly.

(End of this chapter)