The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 342 Let me do it!

"It's so abominable!"

Off the field, Cao Dongdong cursed angrily, clenched his fist tightly, but could only land in an empty space in frustration.

"How can you conduct a duel like this? This is too despicable!"

"Exactly!" Zhao Qian nodded in agreement, her voice rising a few decibels. "This is simply shameless!"

“If ‘Fish Flavor’ restaurant loses, it will have to sell the premises to ‘Sea Feast’. I can’t even imagine what will happen if Mr. Xu Chen finds out about this,” Zuo Ge said in a deep voice.

“Mr. Xu Chen is over seventy years old and bedridden.” Fatima’s voice turned cold. “If he were to learn of this terrible news…”

"Then let's not let this bad news happen!" Qin Lang, who had been silent until now, spoke in a deep voice.

He watched as Xu Zhe staggered off the stage and quickly went to greet him.

Seeing Qin Lang's actions, the other four were slightly taken aback, and then their eyes suddenly lit up.

Yeah, how could they forget that this is also possible!

"Mr. Xu Zhe!" Qin Lang called out, then stepped forward to block Mr. Xu Zhe's path.

Looking at Xu Zhe's current appearance, he sighed deeply.

In just one minute, this once spirited and popular restaurant owner suddenly looked much older, and his utterly desperate eyes made anyone who looked into them feel a lump in their throat.

"You've come." Xu Zhe forced a bitter smile.

He recalled that he had confidently invited the other party to the ceremony yesterday, wanting more people to witness the victory of "Fish Flavor".

Looking back now, I feel like I'm just a clown.

He understood better than anyone what it meant for Wen Tao, the head chef of "Fish Flavor" restaurant, to represent "Sea Feast" restaurant in the competition.

This means that "Fish Flavor" is bound to lose this battle.

“Mr. Xu Zhe, there is still a chance.” Qin Lang said earnestly, “I can represent ‘Fish Flavor’ restaurant in this competition.”

“You…” Xu Zhe paused for a moment, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes, but it quickly died down again. “I know you are a Spirit Chef.”

"But we at 'Fish Taste' have extremely high standards for the quality of our food, so we also have very high standards for our chefs. Wen Tao was able to serve as the head chef because his culinary skills are exceptional."

"He even took the Level 2 assessment, and although he didn't pass, he's no ordinary spirit chef..."

Xu Zhe's voice stopped abruptly. Looking at the gleaming pure silver badge in front of him, his pupils contracted sharply, and an unimaginable look of astonishment appeared on his face.

"You...this is yours?!"

“That’s right.” Qin Lang put away the Yuanhui badge. “I also participated in the Level 2 assessment and passed it.”

“Mr. Xu, please trust Qin Lang!” Zhao Qian, who was standing next to him, pulled out a video of Qin Lang’s performance in the cooking competition finals and placed it in front of Xu Zhe.

"With Qin Lang's strength, he will definitely win this battle!"

Watching Qin Lang lift the championship trophy in the video, Xu Zhe's breathing suddenly became heavy, and his eyes seemed to burn with fire, a fervor of grasping the only glimmer of hope in despair.

"I'm sorry, I..." He gripped Qin Lang's hand tightly, "Are you really capable of representing 'Fish Flavor' on stage?"

"If you win, I can give you shares in 'Fish Flavor'..."

"No need, no need." Qin Lang shook his head, both amused and exasperated. "I just don't want Mr. Xu Chen's hard work to go to waste."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhe was stunned for a moment, suddenly recalling the scene when Qin Lang and the others came yesterday to see his father.

He tightened his grip on Qin Lang's hands slightly.

"Let's not talk about anything else for now. After the duel is over, I'll take you to see my father. I'm sure he'll be very willing to talk to you!"

"It's a deal!" Qin Lang's eyes lit up, and he quickly followed Xu Zhe onto the stage.

Seeing Xu Zhe return, Liu Tong chuckled, "Boss Xu really has a wide network of connections; he managed to find a chef so quickly."

As he spoke, he glanced at Wen Tao without leaving a trace, while Wen Tao silently shook his head.

Now that Liu Tong felt confident, he immediately raised his voice.

"However... this young chef isn't from your 'Fish Flavor' restaurant, is he?"

"What?" Qin Lang looked calmly at Liu Tong. "This Chef Wen behind you, did he work in the kitchen of your 'Haishengyan' restaurant?"

Slightly taken aback, Liu Tong snorted, "Youth is indeed impetuous, but I wonder if your cooking skills are as fluent as your words!"

"Our chefs are all here, so let's begin!"

As he spoke, he winked at the host.

The host, microphone in hand, announced loudly, "Both chefs are here. Now, please proceed to your respective cooking segments."

As he spoke, he pointed to the two standard cooking units that had already been prepared on the stage.

The restaurant rivalry involves each other's signature dishes, so the cooking process is conducted in a closed environment, preventing outsiders from seeing what's happening inside the kitchen.

Before entering the cooking unit, Wen Tao and Qin Lang looked at each other, as if a flash of lightning had passed through the air.

"boom--"

With two almost simultaneous door slams, the cooking officially began.

On the judging panel, Su Chang couldn't help but shake his head upon seeing this scene, "It seems that Mr. Xu from 'Fish Flavor' has probably given up completely."

"Although the 'Fish Flavor' restaurant has lost its head chef, other chefs can try to fill in."

"If all else fails, Mr. Xu can try to get help from the head chefs of other restaurants. As far as I know, Mr. Xu had a good relationship with many restaurant owners back then, and I'm sure someone would be willing to give him that face."

"He asked the chef for help on the spot, which was a desperate move."

"That chef looks to be only a teenager, probably a new Spirit Chef. How could he possibly compare to Chef Wentao?"

"Even whether he is good at cooking fish is a question."

As Su Chang finished speaking, the other judges and guests in the room echoed his sentiments, clearly agreeing with him.

That overly young spirit chef doesn't look like a master at all.

Zheng Chuan's previously unpleasant complexion slowly faded, replaced by a strange radiance.

He glanced at the other judges, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes as he listened to their disapproval of the "Fish Flavor" restaurant.

Unexpectedly, this showdown took such a turn. The "Fish Flavor" restaurant, which was thought to have lost for sure, was able to invite him.

This makes the outcome of the duel even more anticipated.

Of course, he did not intend to reveal the boy's identity at this moment.

After all, seeing the other judges' transformation from disdain to shock is interesting in itself.

Thinking of this, Zheng Chuan tapped the table with his knuckles, his gaze falling on the standard cooking unit where Qin Lang was.

and so…

As the champion of the Tianhuazhou Youth Cooking Competition, what kind of fish dish will you present this time?

(End of this chapter)