Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

The documentary director in the lead nodded immediately, his face beaming with excitement.

"Don't worry, I thought this part might be useful, so I filmed the whole thing. It's absolutely amazing!"

Lin Xiaoyu was completely confused and tugged at Gao Yang's clothes, shaking him from side to side.

"I'm so anxious, Gao Yang! What are you thinking? How confident are you really?"

Gao Yang raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. His tone remained gentle, yet it contained an undeniable certainty: "I said, they can't win. Not participating doesn't mean we've lost."

He paused, his gaze drifting out the window as if it could penetrate the morning light.

"Some things can't be won by gambling; skill and conscience can never lie."

The director leaned closer and asked curiously, "Gao Yang, what do you mean by that? Did you know from the beginning that they wouldn't win the championship?"

Gao Yang smiled and shook his head.

"It's alright, time will tell, let's wait and see."

Looking at his composed demeanor, Lin Xiaoyu's anxiety gradually subsided.

She knew that Gao Yang would never do anything without being sure of success. Since he dared to take this big gamble, he must have his reasons.

But she still couldn't figure out what that confidence came from.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen of Hongyun Hotel.

Guo Yun stood in front of the stove, his eyes bloodshot. He had been thinking all night, but still couldn't figure it out.

He felt extremely confused, with voices constantly echoing in his mind.

It was her son's upcoming wedding, her master's admonitions, and the words Gao Yang had spoken to her.

"Ugh."

He let out a long, helpless sigh.

Just then, a loud "bang" interrupted his thoughts.

"Master Guo, why are you drinking so much?"

Zhao Lei walked into the kitchen and smelled the alcohol. He covered his mouth and nose in disgust, but only for a moment. His expression returned to normal, and he put on a smile and slowly walked over.

"What's wrong, Master Guo? You seem a bit restless these past few days. Are you under a lot of pressure?"

Guo Yun looked at Zhao Lei, unsure of what to say.

"Boss, to be honest with you, these past few days you've been asking me to control costs and modify the menu, and it's really making things harder and harder for me. We old folks all grew up following your father, and we all hoped that Hongyun would become bigger and stronger, but now, sigh."

Guo Yun's words were sincere, but they took on a different meaning in Zhao Lei's ears.

Zhao Lei's expression kept changing, but he finally managed a smile.

"I understand you, Master Guo. You have your principles, and I have my difficulties, right?"

He paused, then continued.

"Your son is getting married soon, right? Has the wedding date been set? When is it?"

A smile finally appeared on Guo Yun's face when her son was mentioned.

Seeing this, Zhao Lei understood that he could move on to the next step.

"Master Guo, we're having a half-game match in Yuncheng, and this match is crucial for us. If you win, your son's banquet will be held at the restaurant; I'll pay for it, and I'll even give you a big red envelope as an extra bonus!"

Zhao Lei spoke with such sincerity that it was as if he were marrying his own son, not Guo Yun's.

Guo Yun was deeply moved.

"Okay, I'll go back and rest for a while, and come back later to continue the research."

"Then be careful on your way home."

Only after Guo Yun walked out the door did Zhao Lei's true colors slowly emerge.

His expression turned cold in an instant, and his gaze was like a knife as he looked at Guo Yun.

"If my men hadn't yet learned your skills, would I still be keeping you around today? Once I win the championship, I won't need you anymore. As for your son wanting to hold his wedding here with my money? Get lost. You old bastard, just as annoying as my father."

Guo Yun spoke in a very low voice, angrily kicked a chair, turned around and strode out of the kitchen.

Little did they know, Guo Yun had not gone home at all, but was sitting at the kitchen doorway, using the door to block his body.

At this moment, his face froze completely, his hands gripping his arms tightly, his nails digging into his flesh without him even noticing.

His eyes were red, and two lines of clear tears silently slid down from the corners of his eyes.

The man did not shed tears, but he did not go to the sad place.

…………

The day of the competition arrived quickly; this was just a preliminary round, designed to weed out those who were not up to par.

As a major event in Yuncheng, it was held in the largest stadium.

As one contestant after another entered the arena, even though she was prepared, Lin Xiaoyu's body still trembled, and she looked at Gao Yang with worry.

"Gao Yang, do you think Hongyun will win the championship? I'm not sure."

Gao Yang smiled as he found his seat, pulled Lin Xiaoyu down to sit with him, and comforted her, "In the preliminary round, they will definitely get first place. There's no need to even think about it. Let's just watch their skills."

"What about the final?"

Lin Xiaoyu was eager to know the answer, her hands clenched into fists, her face full of hope.

"Don't worry, they will never win the championship."

Gao Yang remained confident.

Why?

Of course, it's because of those three judges.

Does he really know nothing?

Did he remain unmoved when he thought about Zhao Lei bribing the three judges?

To be honest, those three judges, under duress and bribery, are now all Su Wanqing's people, but they just don't tell outsiders.

As for Zhao Lei, let him do whatever he wants. The higher he climbs, the harder he'll fall.

He gave Lin Xiaoyu a mysterious smile.

You'll find out then.

At this point, all the contestants had entered the arena and were standing in front of their seats.

"Bang bang bang"

The lights on the field suddenly went out, and spotlights came on, shining on the high platform.

On the high platform, the host, holding a microphone, slowly walked forward.

Where are the judges?

Lin Xiaoyu asked, puzzled.

"He's backstage; he probably won't come out until the match is over."

Gao Yang noticed a small, makeshift cubicle in a corner of the gymnasium and understood immediately.

This clearly shows that after the contestants finished their work, it was delivered to the judges for blind tasting by a designated person. On the surface, there was no possibility of cheating, making it very fair.

But he knew in his heart that if he communicated before the competition and made some changes to the dish decorations, the judges would immediately understand how to proceed.

Sure enough, the host's words were almost exactly what Gao Yang had expected.

As the host shouted, "The competition begins!"

The huge gong was struck with a deafening roar, and the atmosphere on the field reached a climax.

The dish for this competition was squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. After the chefs received their ingredients, they began their preparations.

"Gao Yang, look at that master, his knife skills are quite good."

"Gao Yang, look at that, the technique is very skillful."

"Gao Yang, Gao Yang, he's so handsome! It seems like everyone here is a master!"

Lin Xiaoyu had never seen so many chefs competing together, constantly producing results, which annoyed Gao Yang.

"Don't say anything, or I'll throw you out."

Gao Yang rolled her eyes at her and said irritably.

He pointed to where Guo Yun was.

"Look over there, that stove belongs to Master Guo. His skills are better than these people's."

Lin Xiaoyu looked in the direction Gao Yang was pointing and nodded.

"Yes, yes, Master Guo is clearly more skilled, cutting and arranging the noodles in one smooth motion."

Gao Yang kept explaining from the side, and then he noticed the seasoning in Guo Yun's hand and frowned.

"Why would he use this?"

"No, could it be that he discovered something?"