Chapter 168: Provocation With Meal Delivery

The glutinous rice was crispy and filled with golden autumn fish. It was called the macarons of the seafood world. The outer layer was crispy and soft, and the fish roe inside was salty and fishy. It had a unique flavor.

The beef liver fungi egg tarts were sprinkled with cheese, the freshly fried sardines with tartar sauce, the light abalone and sea urchin stewed with winter melon soup… Every dish was extremely exquisite and was finished in one or two bites.

But overall, the taste relied on the freshness of the ingredients themselves. There was nothing outstanding about the cooking.

The meal lasted for two hours, and Xu Tian was already playing with her phone in boredom. Shen Hui wanted to get closer to her family, so she asked a few casual questions at a time and Xu Tian answered from time to time.

The atmosphere became even more awkward.

At this moment, Shen Hui suddenly raised her voice and blinked at Xu Le. “Hurry up and stand up to greet him.”

Xu Le was eating a butter scallop when he looked up at the old man standing opposite the table.

Song Deyue was also surprised to see him. He looked at the head chef and Shen Hui and immediately understood.

Xu Zhexian looked nervous. He knew that his wife had tried her best to get Old Master Song to meet his son so that he could give him some pointers on his culinary skills and win the finals. However, this method was not considered glorious to begin with, and he did not know if Song Deyue would be angry.

Unexpectedly, Xu Le waved his hand, and a few wrinkles bloomed on Old Master Song’s serious face.

He sat down beside Xu Le and said, “Your performance in the first two rounds was very good. You don’t have to worry about whether the Master Chef has his assistant up or not. Just focus on the competition.”

Xu Le had called the judges before the show started, but the result was that they could not reveal anything. He also realized that there was something fishy about the show and that it would be too difficult for him to continue asking.

Hence, he decided not to mention the competition at all. The head chef added another serving of dish and the two of them enjoyed the delicacies happily.

“The meat of this roasted wonton is soft and smooth, but the fat content is very high. After chewing it twice, your mouth is filled with the fragrance of oil. Coupled with the ginkgo cake at the bottom, the texture is just right.”

After giving his comments, Old Master Song said, “Xu Le, if it were you, what would you do?”

“Just sprinkle a handful of barbecue ingredients and roast it until the surface is slightly charred. Then, you can eat the rolls.”

His words directly turned French food into Chinese food. Song Deyue smiled knowingly. Clearly, he thought the same.

There were fig-roasted duck, the potato truffle, the truffle-and-champagne shortcake… After tasting all the dishes, dessert was finally served.

This was Xu Tian’s favorite. She stuffed it into her mouth until she tasted an ice cream covered in blue-striped cheese. Her face scrunched up. After wiping her hands, she refused to eat anything.

Old Master Song and Xu Le chatted about the techniques and cooking methods of Chinese food. The two of them were like long time friends.

Xu Zhexian, who was still feeling uneasy at first, could not help but mutter again. He looked at Shen Hui. The two of them were wondering why Xu Le did not mention the competition.

After the meal, Shen Hui and the head chef chatted happily.

Song Deyue patted Xu Le’s shoulder and comforted him. “It doesn’t matter even if you can’t win. After all, your opponent is him. After the competition ends, you will know that this is not embarrassing. On the contrary, you are the only person who tied with him.”

“Hmm?” Xu Le raised his eyebrows and said calmly, “I realized that the most important thing about voting is to rely on the live audience. And the contestants in the past might not have made such a huge serving in one go, so it’s easy to be uncertain about the taste. There are subtle differences in every batch, but I’m a shop owner, so I don’t have that worry.”

“That’s a novel explanation.” Song Deyue nodded in agreement and continued, “Anyway, relax. After the last round of the competition, you’ll be able to see the Master Chef.”

The two of them chatted for a long time before they reluctantly parted at the entrance. They even agreed to have dinner next time.

After they left, Xu Zhexian caught up and said, “Lele, what did he tell you? Did he talk about the next competition…”

“Yes.” Xu Le knew what he wanted to ask and said directly, “But he said that it’s very difficult for me to win.”

His words dampened the couple’s expectations. A trace of disappointment flashed across Shen Hui’s eyes. “Don’t worry too much, Lele. Just compete well. After all, you’re still so young. There will be plenty of chances in the future.”

“Mmm.”

Xu Le agreed. When he returned, he bumped into Li Qing in the corridor. He said happily, “Thank you so much for cooking for us even though you’re so busy. I’ll go home and settle something. See you tomorrow.”

Li Qing had always been full of nonsense. Xu Le looked at him speechlessly and did not ask further. He waved goodbye. A few minutes after he returned to his room, someone knocked on the door and brought him a meal.

“Hello, this is your dinner. It’s from the producer.”

“Oh?” Xu Le refused. “No need, I’ve already eaten.”

However, the staff walked in without any explanation and placed the tray on the table. He said, “Producer Chen instructed me to bring it in for you. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

“Oh.”

Xu Le did not know what Chen Yeqi was up to again. After taking a look, he leaned on the sofa and started reading the trending news.

Ever since ‘Chinese Restaurant’ was broadcasted, his popularity had not subsided for a long time. The discussions on the Internet were also filled with praise and encouragement. Even his video platform account had tens of millions of fans and he received various invitations from advertisers.

Xu Le swiped on his screen and suddenly smelled the fragrance of the food. He lifted the lid and saw Kung Pao Chicken, braised pork rice, tomato egg soup, and a portion of pickled vegetables.

He had no appetite, but the pickled radishes and cabbages carried the fragrance of wine. Just from the appearance, they were crisp and delicious.

Xu Le forked a piece with a skewer.

He had just tasted it when his expression changed.

He had previously taught this method as a gift for his fans. The pickled vegetables that were sold online were unique to the system. Even if others took the recipe, it was impossible for it to taste exactly the same as what he had made, right?

After Xu Le’s expression froze for a moment, he tasted the dishes on the tray one after another. He felt his scalp explode. These dishes tasted exactly the same as those in the eight-year-old canteen. However, during the recent competition, neither of the shops had opened. Where did they come from?

The taste of one dish and two dishes was enough to make people suspicious, not to mention that these dishes were personally sent by Chen Yeqi.

Xu Le realized that he was provoking him.

As he sat and recalled for a while, Chen Zui’s eyebrows suddenly flashed before his eyes. The two of them looked alike, but their auras were worlds apart. No wonder he had mistaken Chen Yeqi for someone else the first time he saw him.

After hesitating for a while, Xu Le called.

“Hello, you are?”

Alex had just woken up and his voice was laced with impatience.

“It’s me. When I went to KL, you said that there’s a client who went to promote. What are they promoting? Is it a person?”