Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"...Mr. Jin, the contestants have finished cooking; it's time for the judges to taste them..."

The host stammered as he asked for instructions; heaven knows how utterly devastated he was.

With three of the seven judges gone and the audience all lining up to buy spicy snacks, how can this competition proceed?

I don't know why, but being a host this year is particularly difficult.

He felt incredibly unlucky.

In particular, he was extremely craving spicy snacks.

But unfortunately, I can't go and queue up; I can only clean up the mess here and endure Mr. Jin's wrath along the way.

"Master Jin..." he asked again, trembling.

Jin Ye didn't speak, but he could already feel the overwhelming rage.

"What am I paying you for?" Jin was breathing heavily through his nose, clearly furious. "Do I even need to ask you about something like this??"

"I......"

The host almost cried.

When he took on this job, he didn't say he would have to clean up such a huge mess.

If he had known, he would have definitely asked for more money.

No, if he had known, he definitely wouldn't have taken the job, not even if it meant his death.

"Hurry up!!" Jin clenched his fist and slammed it on the table.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll go right away." The host, looking miserable, hurried off the stage.

He needs to call the three judges back.

Alas, the working class is a laborer, and those who work are all destined for hardship.

He has an 80-year-old mother to care for and a three-year-old child to raise.

You can't just give up and quit...

Unfortunately, the competition had to be stopped again.

Without judges, it simply cannot proceed.

The host went to invite Mr. Qingci and others, but they did not return for a long time.

I don't know what's going on.

Jin Ye's face darkened further.

Old Sun, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, they didn't do it on purpose. The spicy strips are just too delicious. We all tried them yesterday, didn't we? Nobody can resist them."

"Spicy strips are so powerful, if you had brought Madam Shen under your wing sooner, you could have made a fortune."

Old Sun didn't really want to talk.

But sitting next to Jin Ye was really uncomfortable.

Jin Ye's anger was surging; he felt that if he didn't say something soon, Jin Ye would explode.

"The others didn't do it on purpose, but Shen Qing definitely did it on purpose!" Master Jin gritted his teeth. "I was planning to invite her to join the Golden Sparrow Tower in a high-profile manner, but I didn't expect her to pull this trick on me!"

"The young girl is ultimately short-sighted, trying to make money by setting up a stall. If you promise her more wages later, won't she just join your Golden Sparrow Tower?" Old Sun took a sip of tea, his expression calm.

Jin Ye was taken aback: "That's right, this just proves that Shen Qing is greedy for small gains!"

Shen Qing's decision to give up the competition and set up a stall shows that she is short of money, doesn't it?

If he pays more wages, Shen Qing will definitely be groveling before him.

Moreover, his Golden Sparrow Tower could also make a fortune, huge sums of money.

Just looking at the people queuing up today, he felt that these spicy strips would be a huge hit.

In an instant, Jin Ye was completely appeased.

Looking at the crowds queuing up, he was overjoyed.

Those are all his potential future customers!

Just then, the host brought the three judges back.

He licked the oil off his hands and continued to oversee the competition.

Suddenly, Mr. Jin felt even better.

"The competition finally went smoothly..." A sense of relief appeared on his face.

With only nine contestants, Kong Lingxian advanced directly because the judges only needed to comment on eight dishes.

The winner was quickly decided, and the five who advanced would have to compete in another round.

clang--

As soon as the gong sounded, the five people sprang into action.

The other four all looked very confident and eager to show their full strength, while Kong Lingxian looked listless.

His hands were moving, but his expression was as if he had lost his soul.

He kept glancing in Shen Qing's direction.

But his movements remained swift and precise, with no deviation in either knife skills or heat control.

At this moment, Jin Ye was also focused on Shen Qing's situation and had no interest in watching the game.

He had already made his plans; once the competition ended today, he would directly invite Shen Qing to join the Golden Sparrow Tower.

Just then, I heard a wail from the crowd.

"So fast? How could it be gone so quickly??"

"Oh my god, my spicy snacks! Why do I feel like crying?!"

"I should have run faster! The spicy strips sold out way too fast!"

"Madam Shen, will you be coming again tomorrow?"

"..."

A commotion arose among the crowd as Shen Qing apologized and packed up his stall.

Clearly, she was preparing to push the cart away.

Upon seeing this, Master Jin couldn't sit still any longer. He jumped up, rushed off the stage, and walked straight to Shen Qing.

"Madam Shen, wait—" he shouted.

Just as Shen Qing was about to leave, he heard Jin Ye's commotion and turned around to ask in confusion, "Is there something you need?"

Master Jin looked around, then slowly resumed his usual haughty demeanor. He said loudly, "Madam Shen, although you have withdrawn from the competition, I invite you to join our Golden Sparrow Tower out of consideration for our past acquaintance."

"As for wages... I can give you fifty taels of silver a month!"

As he said this, he was arrogant, and his tone carried a hint of condescension.

After all, fifty taels of silver a month is more than five hundred taels of silver a year, which is an incredible wage for ordinary people.

It couldn't get any higher!

Master Jin is ready. He plans to hype up spicy strips, sell them at an exorbitant price, and make them a new favorite among the elite.

"Golden Sparrow Tower, fifty taels of silver a month! Heavens! What kind of life does Madam Shen have?!"

Before Shen Qing could even speak, everyone present erupted in a frenzy, their eyes wide with astonishment.

"Jinquelou is the best restaurant in the entire capital, and its guests are all wealthy and noble. It is a place that every chef dreams of."

"And fifty taels of silver a month? If I remember correctly, ten years ago, Master Jin also invited contestants from the Culinary Competition to join the Golden Sparrow Tower, and the price he offered at that time was only twenty taels."

"Madam Shen is about to strike it rich! Sure enough, capable people never stay poor for long!"

"..."

The surrounding audience was even more excited than Shen Qing, and the contestants on stage all showed envious expressions when they heard the commotion.

As for Shen Qing, the person involved, his expression was indifferent; he showed no excitement whatsoever, not even the slightest ripple on his face.