Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 258 Xia Ming, who is catching up at lightning speed, and Kang Xincheng, who sticks to his choice (First Update)
Bai Susu's reaction surprised the other judges and sparked a lot of discussion among netizens.

What's wrong with this woman? She's acting on and on!

Judging from her expression just now, she must have been very satisfied with the food to say that!

[I don't understand how someone like this could pass the "Level 8" cooking exam, which doesn't require any basic skills.]

Actually, Bai Susu didn't do much. Compared to that guy surnamed Cao, she was much gentler.

[While it probably doesn't come down to character flaws, being unfair means you can't be a judge. She might be a very skilled chef, but if her bias is wrong, it doesn't matter.]

Fortunately, she didn't have much power this round, otherwise the other contestants would have been in big trouble!

Bai Susu's reputation won't be easily reversed by a single comment she makes about Xia Ming.

Viewers who followed the competition already knew that Xia Ming had surpassed the other contestants.

What netizens don't know is that the "others" Bai Susu was referring to weren't just the contestants present.
In the commentary booth, even Bai Susu, who was the most difficult to deal with, gave her a positive review, so the other judges naturally had no reason to hesitate.

6 positive reviews from judges = 12 positive reviews from diners.

Combined with the previous "Starry Sky Lemonade", Xia Ming's position on the positive review list is hard to shake.

And this is not the end. After these college students finish eating Xia Ming's "two-color yellow croaker jelly", they will naturally follow their feelings and give it a good review.

Seeing Xia Ming far ahead of the leaderboard, leaving the second-place player far behind, the other contestants felt despair.

Based on the consumption vouchers currently being used by diners, there is a very high probability that the trend will gradually increase in the future.

Back then, one person could order a whole bunch of dishes, but the number of positive reviews was still only two hearts.

It is foreseeable that the positive reviews will become more and more scattered as time goes on.

If the next round is the dividing line, those players who are still at the bottom of both the leaderboards in the second wave will basically be slowly dying if they don't seize the last chance.

Bai Heng glanced at the list during a break from his busy work, then sighed silently.

"Unless they are prepared to use their raw strength to crush all the diners with their taste, the next round will be the end for many contestants."

Zheng Zeqian yawned as he watched his ranking on the list climb up little by little.

"Positive reviews are not the standard of judgment; sales revenue is."

"Although Xia Ming controlled the largest 'Recommendation List,' the other nine recommendations remained."

As he spoke, he glanced at Kang Xincheng, who was at the very bottom and hadn't closed a single deal yet.

"Furthermore, for some contestants, everything that came before might not be that important, since some people already have a reputation."

Chen Xiaodong was very anxious. He wasn't considered a very skilled "Level 4" chef before, and his appearance on "One Meal to Fame" was just a matter of being invited.

The current "Hua 5 Level" exam is clearly like peeling an onion, dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates layer by layer for comprehensive comparison.

"Should we change the menu? Should I trust myself?"

His brief trip to Sichuan and Chongqing improved his skills and broadened his horizons, but those skills were related to cooking.

As a business owner, he is clearly incompetent in his current downstream position. Should he believe he can recover in the next round, or should he modify the menu and focus on stabilizing the situation for the next round?
This is Chen Xiaodong's problem, and it's also the problem of many players who are in the lower ranks of the "revenue rankings".

In contrast, the top performers on the "revenue ranking" also face some challenges.

First, Bai Heng, who is currently in first place, is a typical "restaurant-style player." Thanks to their affordable pricing, they have gained an advantage in the early stages.

But the advantage is only temporary. Just like the "Battle of the Golden Pots," if you pull too hard in the early stages and the transition isn't smooth enough later on, you'll inevitably suffer a series of defeats in the end.

Especially Bai Heng, whose most expensive dish costs 288 yuan, enough to last through the next round.

She also discovered a problem: after nearly four hours of competition, even with the kitchen air conditioning on full blast, her back was still covered in sweat.

Physical stamina is a common challenge faced by these top performers on the "revenue list," since not everyone can elevate a cold dish to the level of a featured product.

On the other hand, Xia Ming didn't even need to turn on the stove after two rounds, except for about ten "pig blood curd set meals".

After all, the braised rice was prepared well in advance.
Lemonade is mass-produced, and the plain water area is separate from it. Occasionally, a little bit of "two-color yellow croaker jelly" is also plated.

Compared to a chef, Xia Ming is more like a bubble tea vendor now.
Although it looks like he has a mountain of "completed orders", in terms of physical strength alone, he is probably the one who has preserved the best among the top players on the field.

That's right, because the amount of the first round of consumption vouchers was relatively low, while the amount for college students in the second round was doubled.

Therefore, Xia Ming's disadvantage in the first round was quickly covered by the revenue in the second round.
The second round of the competition is about to end.
He has now sold a total of 53 servings of "two-color yellow croaker jelly", 214 cups of "starry sky lemonade", 24 servings of pork blood curd set meal, and 17 servings of "seafood risotto".

Total revenue: 12306 yuan.

Currently ranked 3rd on the list

Of the first two groups of diners who generated a total revenue of 6 yuan, Xia Ming took 20.51%, and this was almost entirely contributed by the college students in the second round.

Now, the only people in front of Xia Ming are "Bai Heng" and "Du Jian".

Both businesses operate on a "restaurant-style" basis, with their best-selling dishes priced around 50.

One reason is that the stir-fry is so good that it wins over the male diners' stomachs.

One reason is that the desserts are so good that they catch the eye of female diners.

Only Xia Ming has achieved his current level of revenue through this round of "high-end cuisine".

At that moment, watching the last college student leave the banquet hall, Xia Ming took the opportunity to eat a "seafood risotto".

"After two rounds of competition, the gap between the 48 contestants is already very obvious."

"Bai Heng's turnover was 13683 yuan, I guess his hands were almost broken from selling so much. This guy named Du Jian sold for 13041 yuan, he can be said to have seized the opportunity."

"Now, the top three control more than 60% of the resources on site, while the remaining 40% is distributed among the remaining 45 people."

"Starting from fourth place, the entire curve shows a sharp downward trend."

"Luo Hui, who ranked fourth, only had a turnover of slightly over 4000 yuan, and Jiang Chuanhong, who ranked fifth, only had 2500 yuan."

"Last one."

Xia Ming raised an eyebrow. Kang Xincheng was currently in last place among the 48 contestants, with zero revenue and zero positive reviews.

This means he didn't sell a single dish. "Was the price too high? Or was it deliberately set so high?"

"I'm afraid the latter is more likely."

The camera then shifts to Kang Xincheng's kitchen, where he is extremely busy despite not having received any orders.

A large amount of prepared ingredients were piled up in front of him, like a small mountain, and the results from the outside world seemed to have no effect on him at all.

After the college student couples left, he glanced at the screen indifferently.

Then, he picked up his menu, checked the prices on it, and put it aside.

This clearly indicates that they have no intention of changing the menu.
At this moment, the director also cut to a close-up of Kangxincheng's menu, looking at the last row of labels.
Small portion of refreshing vegetable salad: NT$160

Netizens finally understand why he couldn't sell his products!

[Is this guy crazy? With this pricing, I doubt he'll survive the next round.]

[What do you mean? You don't want any regular customers, you only serve high-end clients, right?]

[Wow, this guy's so arrogant, I don't even know Xia Ming acted like this!]

Xia Ge is a really nice guy. Without him, the first batch of migrant workers probably wouldn't even have had a sip of water.

[As expected of a champion, you're certainly arrogant. Hopefully, that arrogance will help you win the game!]

Kang Xincheng cannot see the comments from netizens.

Even if he sees it, he won't react at all.

Because these doubts have never stopped since he started working as a chef.

What will an ordinary junior high school student gain if he comes home one day and tells his mother that he wants to become the world's top chef?
Kang Xincheng didn't know what others were going through, but he received the comment, "You don't even know how to open the valve on your gas cylinder, and you want to be a chef? Be good, go back and do your homework."

If his father hadn't told him to give it a try, he would never have embarked on this path.

But talent is useless; a chef's learning depends on hard work and diligent practice. Talent cannot be realized without sweat.

He is a bit smarter than Wang Qingrui, but that doesn't mean he will necessarily go further.

Unable to find a master, ridiculed in the dormitory of the culinary school, he calmly passed the first-level exam with the composure of an average student.

His teachers never imagined that this child would have a great future in the culinary world, because he really was just an ordinary person.

She has a little bit of talent and inspiration for cooking, is quite hardworking, and is an ordinary person who asks questions and is willing to learn.

His father was quite happy, as kitchen jobs were actually easier to find compared to liberal arts majors.

After all, even netizens are joking that the last time liberal arts students surged in large numbers was during the "Ancient Song Dynasty."
After working for a while, Kang Xincheng managed to get a position as a head chef, and the salary was considered pretty good by local standards.

The boss is a good person, and there's an ordinary-looking but quick-handed waitress in the restaurant who cares about Kang Xincheng.

Everything is progressing towards a simple scenario: Kang Xincheng may become a small business owner in the future, have a child, and live a happy life.

Until one day, during his free time, he saw footage of the "domestic and international exchange competition".
It was only then that he realized there are actually differences between "chefs".
The "Hua Level 2" exam went smoothly, and the boss gave Kang Xincheng a 500 yuan raise and handed over the kitchen to him. The atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.

Kang Xincheng passed the "Hua 3 Level" exam smoothly, but this time the boss did not give him a raise.
A small temple cannot accommodate a large Buddha statue.
Kang Xincheng left the restaurant where he had worked for a long time and headed towards "Level 4 Hua".

He sought out many teachers, but none were willing to take him on as a personal disciple because he was an ordinary person, an ordinary person whose future was predictable.

"Level 3" was already his limit, and failing to reach "Level 4" for two consecutive years seemed to mock all his efforts.

Ultimately, he returned to his culinary school, hoping to apply for a teaching assistant position there.

During this time, he met his teacher, who had been a "Level 4" teacher but had now been promoted to "Level 5" and become the vice principal.

After hearing about his experiences over the years, the teacher was quite moved, because he really never thought that Kang Xincheng would one day reach the "Hua 3rd level".

Looking at Kang Xincheng, who had been battered and bruised by reality, the teacher pointed him in the right direction.

"No, let's try Western cuisine. It just so happens that our school's Western cuisine department is short of teaching assistants. However, we'll have to start learning from scratch."

"But no one can predict the future. Your teacher succeeded in advancing by incorporating Western cooking techniques into Chinese cuisine."

"Skills have no limits; they can be used in any way."

The teacher's words led Kang Xincheng to another path. During the two years that he stopped studying Chinese cuisine, he made up for all the basic knowledge of Western cuisine and showed extraordinary talent in this area.

It turns out that some trash is actually misplaced treasure.

The teacher was also very surprised by Kang Xincheng's talent in Western cuisine. After two assessments, he was lucky enough to get a ticket to the "Gallic Western Cooking Competition" from a friend of the teacher.

Even just a ticket to the preliminary selection made Kang Xincheng extremely excited.

He traveled to "Gallic Kingdom" three months in advance and found a culinary school there, where he used all his savings to undergo intensive training for a period of time.

Faced with a Chinese face, the students from Gaul, who had been studying since elementary school, felt a natural aversion to him.

His many attempts to modify French cuisine using Chinese culinary theories were called "garbage" and "outlandish".

This noise accompanied him into the "Gallic Western Cooking Competition," and until the day before the final, someone on Facebook was still posting that he would be badly beaten down by the opposing chef.

The result was obvious. The moment he lifted the trophy, the noise disappeared, and he was crowned with glory and ribbons. Some Chinese media reports even omitted his teacher and portrayed him as a success story of overcoming adversity.

He was surrounded by flowers and applause, and the noise was left behind. He returned to his alma mater to give a speech, took on a part-time reputation management job, opened his own shop, and many high-end people were eager to be his customers.

But when the night is deep and the surroundings are quiet, Kang Xincheng can always hear the echoes of the noise from back then.

He has never forgotten that it was his teacher's help and his own self-acceptance that brought him to where he is today.

"So I believe in my own abilities, and I also believe in the kitchen knife in my hand."

"Once my cooking is seen, the balance of the competition will be back in my hands. My current dormancy is just a temporary period of biding my time."

Those who achieve great things never dwell on immediate victories or defeats.

Kang Xincheng knew that Xia Ming was doing this in order to become a true dual-rank king and leave an insurmountable obstacle for this "Hua 5th level" advancement competition.

But he was also eager to see just how far this culinary genius, hailed as a once-in-a-century talent, could go!
Can this ordinary man use his beliefs and skills to challenge Xia Ming and achieve final victory?

He had no intention of taking Xia Ming's top spot on both lists; he was simply doing this to prove that he was on the right track.
(End of this chapter)