Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"Good morning, go wash up, we'll eat in a bit."

Seeing Alice Nakiri walking towards him, Bai Yuan raised his hand to greet her. Then he saw her open her arms and rush towards him, burying her face in his chest to recharge.

"what happened?"

Seeing Alice Nakiri's appearance, Bai Yuan thought something had happened to her, so he gently patted her back and asked with concern in his voice.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt like doing this when I saw you."

Burying her head in Bai Yuan's arms, Alice Nakiri spoke in a muffled voice. A faint warmth emanated from the boy's embrace, causing her face to flush slightly.

"I see. It's good that nothing bad happened. Hug me if you want. I'll stay with you no matter how long it takes."

Hearing that it wasn't because of anything that happened, but simply because she wanted a hug, Bai Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then gently patted her head.

"Although I really want to keep hugging him, I have to catch a flight today. It's not too late to continue hugging him on the plane. Brother Bai Yuan, sit next to me then."

"Okay, I'll sit next to you then."

Seeing Alice Nakiri looking up at him with her head held high, Bai Yuan nodded in agreement without hesitation. Upon hearing this, Erina Nakiri immediately stepped forward and said, "Then I'll sit on your other side."

Taking advantage of the fact that no one spoke, Erina Nakiri looked at Bai Yuan expectantly, and when she saw him nod slightly, she immediately raised her hand and made a celebratory gesture.

"Great!"

"Then I'll go wash up first."

As she spoke, Alice Nakiri got off Bai Yuan and ran to the bathroom to wash up.

Taking advantage of this moment, Erina Nakiri stepped forward and pressed her head against his chest. If Bai Yuan could look down at this moment, he would have seen that the place where she was lying was the same place where Alice Nakiri had been leaning against.

What are you doing here again?

Seeing Erina Nakiri taking the initiative, Shirabuchi chuckled to himself, somewhat puzzled by what she was up to.

"Alice can hug me, but I want to hug her too!"

Erina Nakiri said in a muffled voice.

"Are you a child? You have to argue about this. But if you want to hug me, then hug me. What I said to Alice earlier applies to you as well."

"Ah."

As she uttered the word, Erina Nakiri closed her eyes, and Bai Yuan placed his hand on her back, quietly enjoying this moment of peace.

The plane took off as scheduled at 8:00 AM.

Although it wasn't my first time on a plane, I had a new experience every time.

The girls looked out the window with curiosity, their faces filled with anticipation for the future.

The school exchange competition we are participating in this time is a real world-class competition, and the participating schools are all world-renowned culinary academies.

This also means that they have stepped onto a world-class stage for the first time.

Excited, thrilled, and overjoyed.

These simple words cannot express the emotions in their hearts.

There is only one battle!

Chapter 397 Determination, Rules of the Exchange Competition

Xiamen, Gulangyu Island.

The venue for this school exchange competition.

"so beautiful!"

With the intention of gathering intelligence in advance, Bai Yuan immediately took Nakiri Alice and others to Gulangyu Island by small cruise ship after landing in Xiamen.

With the school exchange competition about to begin, there are an unusually large number of tourists here, along with many food stalls.

The rich aroma wafted across the island, captivating passersby who couldn't resist buying the expensive snacks.

"It's great, isn't it? The beach scenery here is absolutely stunning, but the prices are a bit high, and there's even a suspicion of overcharging tourists."

Seeing Yoshino Yuuki's surprised expression, Bai Yuan explained to her from the side that the beach in front of him also made him feel nostalgic, as he had been here many times in his previous life.

No matter when, looking at the sea can always bring peace to one's body and mind.

However, compared to Gulangyu in the previous life, Gulangyu in this world is obviously much more open.

There were quite a few young girls in swimsuits, and they could be seen swaying slightly as they ran on the beach. Meanwhile, photographers were snapping photos frantically from the shore.

"The seaside is indeed beautiful, but the scenery along the shore is also quite nice."

What's that tall building over there? Could it be where our next match is taking place? Why is it shaped like a tower? I thought it would be more like a fighting arena...

Place your hand on your forehead as if gazing into the distance, and you'll see a tall tower standing in the center of the island, with tourists flocking towards it.

"Bingo, you got it right."

Bai Yuan snapped his fingers. This building didn't exist on Gulangyu Island in his previous life. It was started five years ago because of the school exchange competition and was completed this year.

"A stadium built specifically for a single match? That's incredibly extravagant! I doubt any academy would spend such a huge sum to build a stadium for something like this. The only possibility is that this stadium was built by a local organization."

Looking at the introduction in the travel brochure, Ryoko Sakaki couldn't help but sigh.

This building has never been used since it was built, nor has it been opened to the public. It was built to wait for the school exchange competition to begin.

"This situation is actually quite common. Not only in China, but also in foreign countries, buildings are built locally to accommodate many school chef competitions, depending on the location of the competition."

The reason is simple: for fame.

The chefs who can participate in the school exchange competition are all outstanding individuals with unlimited potential.

Today they compete here, tomorrow they may compete in a higher-level arena, and if they become famous one day, this place will become a famous tourist attraction.

For local mayors, scenic spots are like the key to boosting economic development, which is a real political achievement. So once the competition venue is determined, mayors will arrange for people to work overtime to start renovations, striving to make the venue look high-end and attractive to people.

"That's understandable, since the cost of building a structure isn't high; the main problem is the expensive land."

However, as mayor, he has the authority to control all the land on Gulangyu Island, making the construction of a suitable tower for competitions a very cost-effective option.

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Sakaki Ryoko quickly grasped the key point after a moment's thought.

Low cost, high political achievement—anyone who isn't a fool would know which option to choose, and so this magnificent building began to rise from the ground five years ago.

Gulangyu Island is a popular tourist destination in itself.

In addition, this tall tower attracts many tourists, even during the off-season, and even locals come to take a look.

That's how it is now.

Despite it not being a holiday, the entire island was bustling with activity, with a constant stream of pedestrians and vendors enthusiastically hawking their wares. The level of activity was even more exaggerated than when they had conducted their field research there.

Of course, like Bai Yuan.

The scenario of one person catering to the vast majority of customers never materialized.

"After all, it's where the competition will be held later. Let's go take a look so we won't get lost on the day of the competition."

"You're right. Everyone is free to do as they please. Whether you want to relax on the beach or visit the tower, it's up to you."

Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Shiro clapped his hands to draw the attention of those around him, and then offered his suggestion.

Everyone wants to go to different places, and forcing them to go together will only backfire. It would be better to relax the conditions and let them go wherever they want.

"Let's go together. I also want to see what the competition venue will look like in the future."

At the same time, Alice Nakiri spoke and took a step towards the tower. Erina Nakiri followed without hesitation.

Seeing the two walk away, Hisako Shinoto glanced at Shirayuki a few times, and after confirming that he didn't intend to follow, she immediately jogged after him.

"Let's go back and catch up on our sleep. We've been traveling all day, and to be honest, we're exhausted."

Bai Yuan glanced at the drowsy Mito Ikumi, then reached out and patted her shoulder, but received little response. The girl simply nodded her head slightly and then leaned against him.

"Looks like he's really exhausted."

Seeing Mito Ikumi unconsciously close her eyes and fall asleep, Bai Yuan raised his hand to brush her hair aside, then picked her up in a princess carry.

"You can decide where to go this afternoon. Xiao Rou Mei and I are going back to our accommodation to catch up on sleep. Call me if you need anything. At least two people should go together."

Watching the girls chattering away, Bai Yuan gave them a few simple instructions, then led Mito Ikumi towards their lodgings.

As for whether Erina Nakiri and the others will encounter danger.

He was unaware of this.

It's not that we don't care, but the children are growing up and can't rely on adults all the time. Erina Nakiri and the others are not young anymore, and it's time for them to stand on their own.

"Welcome back, Chief."

Upon entering the hotel, a gentle-looking woman smiled sweetly at Bai Yuan at the cashier.

She is the owner of this shop and also a member of the dark cuisine world. Although she is only an outsider, it has greatly helped her run the inn.

Before joining the world of dark cuisine, her inn was even seized by thugs who used various means to force her, a widowed woman, to hand over the inn's land. At that time, she was powerless to resist.

Just when he was forced to consider whether to sign the contract, he happened to run into a member of the Dark Cuisine World. She was stopped at her accommodation, and he stepped in to help her, resolving the trouble caused by the bully.

And at that person's invitation, she became an unofficial member of the dark cuisine world.

This kind of recruitment is not uncommon, and it is one of the main ways for the dark cuisine industry to attract new members, which can quickly and efficiently attract talent.

After all, a large chef organization cannot consist of only chefs; it also needs many staff members to serve the chefs and make things convenient for them in their daily lives.

These members won't come to us on their own initiative; we need to recruit them ourselves.

The most efficient way is to spend money to set up a company and recruit employees. However, this method requires too much money and is not a wise move when there is no profit. Only a small number of people with their own businesses have the ability to do this.

However, it is still too difficult for a chef to have his own business.

The most capable might run a restaurant.

Most people can only work for others or run a small restaurant.

This doesn't refer to culinary skills, but rather business management ability. If you want to open a restaurant and make it big, it's not enough to just cook good food. After all, no matter how skilled a chef is, he can't satisfy everyone's needs at the same time.

Especially when the head chef is in charge of managing the kitchen and controlling the quality of the food, a chef with slightly less experience may not be able to handle the various issues that arise in the kitchen.

Such people can only work in small restaurants, or become an unknown kitchen helper next to the head chef.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Seeing the woman smiling at him, Bai Yuan nodded slightly as a greeting, then carried Mito Ikumi toward the room.