After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

Qi Lei clearly recognized the other person, stood up and stood in front of Lan Qingqing, smiling and protecting her:

"Manager Chang, this is my new apprentice. He hasn't been in the coffee business for long, so his basic skills are indeed not as solid as yours."

"But this time, we brought her to the competition simply so that she could exchange ideas with other professionals, observe and learn from each other on-site, and focus on participation."

"We're all veterans in the industry, seasoned competitors, why target a newcomer like this?"

At this point, Manager Chang's face completely fell.

The other person didn't say anything more, waved to the other four people behind him, and left.

After lunch, Lan Qingqing took a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Lan Yujuan.

Then, sitting back in her seat, she grew angrier the more she thought about it, and with red eyes, she said aggrievedly:

"Sis, what did I do to offend Zhang Dan earlier?"

"I know I'm weak, do I really need her to deliberately flatter me like that?"

Lan Yujuan took the water and gulped down two mouthfuls.

Chen Mo, who was next to him, took the phone from his phone and continued drinking.

Lan Yujuan's eyes flickered slightly, but she pretended not to see it.

"Don't take it to heart. I suspect they're just deliberately trying to cause trouble and upset me!" She gently patted Lan Qingqing's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"If you get angry and upset, and it affects your performance in the afternoon's semi-finals, then you've truly fallen into their trap!"

Lan Yujuan was just saying it casually to comfort people.

Unexpectedly, Chen Mo, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly nodded and spoke up:

"Hmm, I think you have a point!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them turned their heads and looked at Chen Mo in unison.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Lan Yujuan was a little confused.

She had just finished lunch and was feeling a bit dizzy from the carbon dioxide; her mind wasn't quite clear yet.

Chen Mo put away his phone, looked up, and said with a faint smile:

"I suspect that during the live broadcast this morning, many industry colleagues who participated in the competition this afternoon recognized you and Qi Lei."

"They know that you two have participated in previous coffee competitions and achieved very good results, and they are already wary of you."

"Think about it, based on the current situation, what is the most important factor affecting your team's chances of reaching the finals and competing for the championship?"

Lan Yujuan and Qi Lei both fell silent.

Lan Qingqing, standing to the side, blushed and silently raised her hand, saying, "It's me."

Chen Mo glanced at Lan Qingqing, his smile deepening.

"Yes, Lan Qingqing is the deciding factor. She is your team's weakness and your Achilles' heel."

"Everyone can see the skill level of Yujuan and Manager Qi; their performance has always been very consistent."

"Right now, how far your team can go depends on Lan Qingqing's performance going forward."

"Therefore, they are highly suspicious and deliberately trying to manipulate her mentality. If Lan Qingqing has an off day this afternoon, they can squeeze out a strong opponent."

Upon hearing this, Lan Qingqing's listless demeanor vanished instantly, and she clenched her fists once more.

"They're so ruthless in their pursuit of victory!"

"They want us to underperform and let them get away with it? Humph, today we'll teach them a lesson!"

The semi-finals officially began at 2 PM.

In the preliminary round, there were 6 teams that registered offline and 14 teams that registered online, for a total of 20 teams participating.

After the preliminary round, 12 teams were selected to enter the afternoon's semi-finals.

In addition, the host announced before the start of the semi-finals that there were three other specially invited coffee shops, which are highly regarded in the industry.

Therefore, he/she was granted permission to skip the preliminary round and directly participate in the semi-finals.

These three cafes are Mountain Top Cafe and Wilderness Cafe, both located in the city, and Rainforest Valley Cafe, which I came all the way from out of town.

Therefore, a total of 15 teams participated in the semi-finals.

Although the number of participants was less than in the preliminary round, the pressure was significantly greater.

The three cafes introduced by the host rose from the crowd one after another and appeared together with smiles.

The main waving direction and angle were all aimed at the live broadcast camera.

Lan Qingqing clenched her fist and muttered under her breath:

"I haven't been able to tell how well the coffee is brewed yet."

"However, the people in these three cafes are quite photogenic."

"They almost all skipped it, while the audience and other contestants were smiling obsequiously and artificially at the camera..."

Someone in the know happened to be sitting next to Lan Qingqing and couldn't help but join in the吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to complain or criticize).

"Exactly, who wouldn't see that?"

"This doesn't look like someone seriously participating in a competition at all. Anyone with eyes can see they're just here to get attention!"

"Hmph, skipping the preliminary rounds and going straight to the semi-finals, what's the point of making things so complicated?"

"In my opinion, we should just award the first, second, and third place prizes directly to these three cafes!"

Qi Lei sat beside them, listening to the two who seemed to get along exceptionally well, watching the spectacle and making sarcastic remarks. He couldn't help but join in with a laugh, whispering gossip:

Even if the award is predetermined, the procedures still need to be followed.

"I heard that several high-traffic stalls on the first floor of this mall have been vacated, and they intend to attract a few well-regarded coffee shops to move in, but nothing has been decided yet."

"I estimate that one or two of the top three this time will be invited to open a branch in the mall."