Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 71: Sudden Withdrawal from the Competition, Outrageous Competition Format, and Tan Zhifeng's Olive Branch
[An urgent announcement is here!]

Chef Dong Jiaqi's mother was hospitalized this afternoon due to a sudden illness; her condition is quite critical.

Chef Dong, deeply devoted to his mother, decided to withdraw from the variety show recording to focus on caring for her.

The production team expressed their understanding and support for Chef Dong's choice, and the organizers were also moved by Chef Dong's filial piety, so they specially presented him with a gift.

[We hope that viewers watching the variety show will also pay more attention to their parents, as they are the closest people to them.]

[Meanwhile, because Chef Dong's position is vacant, there is one less spot in the final four. After collective discussion among the judges, a temporary revival round will be added!]

[New Revival Tournament Theme: Kitchen Leftovers Showdown]

The job of a head chef involves more than just cooking; it also involves managing the kitchen of a restaurant. Even the most meticulous head chef will inevitably encounter leftover ingredients during actual business operations.

At this point, how to properly prepare the remaining ingredients into a dish requires the chef's mastery of the ingredients and your creative range.

Now, the seven judges will each select two ingredients from the remaining ingredients of each contestant in the quarterfinals, resulting in a total of 14 blind boxes.

The four eliminated contestants will then randomly select from 14 blind boxes and have 40 minutes to create a dish for the judges to review.

The final revival spots have been decided!

"Second floor of the competition venue"

Xia Ming glanced at the last-minute notice and the blind boxes already selected below, and snorted coldly.

"You're acting like a prostitute and still trying to maintain a virtuous image. You might as well just transfer the credits based on the scores."

"What's the point of playing a match whose outcome has already been decided again?"

"Even if the judges disagree, the production team will definitely use the excuse that the number of chefs and contestants needs to be balanced in the final four to brush them off."

"Not to mention that Lolo's whining might very well be opening a 'Bright Bag,' and a dark horse will most likely get the blood of the animal whose soul I've drained."

Thinking of this, he shook his head and then silently found a blind spot in the surveillance cameras on the second floor and squatted down.

In this match, Shuai Xiaojian and Zeng Huaijun will definitely not go all out. Even if a dark horse wants to try its best, it will most likely get the worst hand.

"Instead of wasting this time, I'd rather go back and break through the Blood Gate."

Just as he was thinking, Xia Ming suddenly felt someone sit down next to him.

Looking to the side, I saw it was Sui Wubai.

Sui Wubai glanced at Xia Ming and then smiled.

"Why are you squatting here? Are you confused about Chef Dong's departure, or are you dissatisfied with the revival format?"

Although Sui Wubai gave Xia Ming a high score when evaluating him, he was still not entirely sure of Sui Wubai's stance, so he just glanced at Sui Wubai and didn't say anything.

Sui Wubai understood what he meant.

"I'm just here because a friend invited me to go through the motions. If there's good food, I'll share it with the higher-ranking people; if there's not, I'll share it with the lower-ranking people. They can't control me."

Seeing that Xia Ming still didn't speak, Sui Wubai turned his gaze towards the arena.

"The scale of this competition is so large, and the food supply is so complete. It's much better than when we competed back then."

"Don't feel it's unfair. There's no such thing as charity done in vain. After spending so much money to entertain netizens, we still need to get something back in the end."

"You have a long road ahead of you. This variety show is just the beginning and doesn't mean anything. Relax, perform well, and maybe the result will be even better than you expect~"

After saying these words, Sui Wubai smiled sheepishly, then stood up and left Xia Ming's side.

Watching Sui Wubai's retreating figure, Xia Ming raised an eyebrow, mentally giving the guy a half-hearted "good guy" card, and then continued to rest to the side.

But before he could even take a two-minute nap, another person sat down next to him. This time, it was Tan Zhifeng.

Tan Zhifeng glanced at Xia Ming, then slowly spoke.

"I sense you're not very interested in this revival match. How about we talk somewhere else?"

Xia Ming and Tan Zhifeng exchanged a glance.

"I'm a contestant, and you're a judge. What can we talk about?"

Tan Zhifeng stroked his chin.

"Your competition is over, and you didn't even get a shot in the revival round. Now, I'm a senior chef, and you're a newcomer wanting to pursue this path. It's not unreasonable for us to exchange ideas, is it?"

Xia Ming blinked as he listened to Tan Zhifeng's words. To be honest, he still didn't quite understand Tan Zhifeng's position in this variety show. Currently, he was inclined to believe that Tan Zhifeng was neutral; otherwise, with just Tan Zhifeng and Zhang Yong, Luo Luo wouldn't have needed to participate in this revival competition at all.

After thinking for a few seconds, Xia Ming stood up. He wanted to see what Tan Zhifeng wanted to talk to him about.

"Inside the coffee shop downstairs from the recording studio"

Xia Ming chose a seat that most people wouldn't sit in.

Seeing this, Tan Zhifeng smiled and squeezed into the narrow corner. He understood that Xia Ming was still wary of him.

However, he really didn't mean any harm; he simply felt sorry for the talented player during the competition.

Although Xia Ming's appearance was unexpected, judging from his performance in so many matches, Xia Ming has a unique logic for doing things in competition.

Most people strive to improve themselves, but after several rounds, he observed carefully that Xia Ming would use all available resources to improve himself while indirectly undermining others.

In a fantasy novel, this might seem a bit unlike a righteous story, but Tan Zhifeng didn't mind.

It's important to know that Chinese culinary circles frequently hold exchange competitions, and quite a few overseas chefs use underhanded tactics in these competitions.

For example, in Maple Leaf Country, there is a lady who often tampers with the drinks she prepares, and in Bear Country, there is a big bearded man who looks unrestrained, but his dishes are full of scheming.

In a competition, you need someone with Xia Ming's mindset to compete against them. If you encounter an honest person like Chef Zeng, you're more likely to fail.

In fact, many years ago, there were several eccentric geniuses in the Chinese culinary world. Among them, the most impressive was Xia Yitian, the beloved apprentice of "Sichuan and Chongqing's No. 1 Chef - Chef God Shi Zhenliang".

This guy really gave Tan Zhifeng and his gang a lot of trouble back then.
At first, Tan Zhifeng even suspected that Xia Ming was Xia Yitian's son, but after investigation, he found out that it was just a coincidence.

Xia Ming's father is named Xia Minhui. He now runs a grocery store. For more than ten years, almost no one has seen him cook. It's probably just a coincidence that they share the same surname.

Upon seeing this news, Tan Zhifeng gave up. After all, Xia Yitian had suffered such unfair treatment back then, so it was only natural that he wouldn't show up again.

Furthermore, although Xia Ming and Xia Yitian have somewhat similar styles, their techniques are completely different, making it difficult to say that they are master and apprentice.

Thinking of this, Tan Zhifeng also spoke up and revealed his purpose.

"Xia Ming, I see you're still an unranked chef. Did you learn all your skills on your own, or did you have a teacher? If you learned them on your own, would you mind if I were your teacher?"

Xia Ming glanced at Tan Zhifeng, then lowered his eyebrows slightly.

According to his recollection, he did not have a teacher, but in reality, he had dozens of masters, among whom the master master's skills were unparalleled. If we were to make a comparison, Tan Zhifeng could only be ranked in the lower middle range among his masters.

Although the master chef is no longer here, Xia Ming is determined to pass on the master chef's skills in this world. It's not Tan Zhifeng's place to reap the rewards.

So he refused without even thinking.
Tan Zhifeng had anticipated this outcome, so he put the topic aside and instead produced a contract.

"Xia Ming, I believe you are a smart person. This variety show has some off-screen factors, so it's not entirely pure in nature. But I admire you. This is my restaurant in the Shanghai area. If you'd like, you can skip the kitchen helper stage and start as a chef."

Xia Ming glanced at it and saw that the contract was for a period of 3 years. For an ordinary person, being able to enter a restaurant with a "Hua 7 level" chef is definitely a privilege.

But for Xia Ming, three years is enough to climb to a very high position, so how could he possibly waste such precious time in a single store?

Seeing that Xia Ming was not interested in the contract, Tan Zhifeng realized that the two had probably not reached an agreement.

After carefully putting the contract away, he remained silent for a moment before finally giving Xia Ming a hint.

"Go home and rest early after filming today. Tomorrow's competition will be more challenging than you think. Conserve your energy and persevere to the end!"

That night, inside the hotel.

As expected, Lolo got a spot in the revival competition. He hummed and hawed, looking at the mysterious woman across the table with gratitude and struggle in his eyes.

"Auntie, isn't this a bit..."

Luo Fangjin gave her a loving look.

"What do you mean, a little unfair? Jinran, you need to understand that only those who stand to the end have the right to talk about fairness."

"Tomorrow's competition is a round-robin tournament, with a total of seven rounds. Each round has a corresponding cooking time and a corresponding main ingredient."

As she spoke, Luo Fangjin placed an envelope in front of Luo Jinran.

"This is the order of the ingredients. It's up to you whether you look at it or not. Alright, I have other plans, I'm leaving now!"

Just before leaving, Luo Fangjin added one more sentence.

"Winning the cooking competition is your skill, but getting advance information is no less important. Don't be as rigid as your grandfather; people ultimately need to be adaptable."

As the hotel room door closed, under the moonlight, Luo Jinran stared at the envelope in front of her, pondered for a long time, and finally slowly extended her right hand.
(End of this chapter)