Liu Changyi logged out of the Star Network, still craving more. Hearing the others discussing Gan Lan, he felt a little smug, thinking that this was a slap in the face for those who had underestimated Mingzong’s dark horse.
He noted that this was the perk of being Judge No. 1, especially for Ma Wenzhou, who actually demanded to eat the real thing. He recalled how Ma Wenzhou had mocked Gan Lan for being a streamer with no real skills earlier. Now, not satisfied with eating it on the Star Network, Ma Wenzhou had the nerve to demand the physical dish at the competition venue. That wouldn’t do; everyone present was entitled to a share.
With this in mind, Liu Changyi put on a gentle smile and walked over to Ma Wenzhou.
"Who was it that mocked her for having no skills just now? But seeing as you have good taste, I’ll forgive you on behalf of Mingzong. However, everyone who sees it gets a share!"
"Yes, yes, Fatty Liu is right!" Judge No. 66 nodded in agreement.
Ma Wenzhou’s face darkened. He wondered if they were really going to fight over such a small amount of food.
Before he could reply, a robot assistant walked over to him, carrying a temperature-controlled box.
"Mr. Ma, this is the allocated portion of No. 9’s work. One portion still needs to be kept in the Star Network tasting room," the robot assistant said in a flat tone.
"Got it, put it here for now." Ma Wenzhou tapped the table and nodded.
After the robot left, Liu Changyi snatched the temperature-controlled box right away and chuckled. "Let me open it for you." With that, he opened the temperature-controlled box in front of all the judges and took out the golden egg fried rice and the tomato and egg stir-fry.
The aroma and appearance were even more exquisite than what they experienced during the Star Network tasting, and the scent was much richer. Liu Changyi couldn’t help but lower his head and take a deep sniff.
"Alright, alright. I’ll just try a small bowl. You guys can split the rest. If you don’t get any, don’t blame me." Ma Wenzhou picked up two clean small bowls and scooped the stir-fried eggs spoonful by spoonful. When he finished, he even pressed it down hard to fit in more.
"I say, Ma Wenzhou, that’s not very nice of you. Don’t you know that pressing it down will ruin the texture?" Judge No. 28 snatched the stir-fried eggs away, quickly filling a small bowl for himself as he complained.
Not to be outdone, Liu Changyi managed to snatch a small bowl and a chopstick’s worth of tomato and egg stir-fry, leaving him completely satisfied.
He carefully scooped a small spoonful and slowly put it into his mouth. Although the taste of the physical food didn’t differ much from the Star Network tasting, this actually went into his stomach, leaving him feeling comfortable in both body and mind. The distinct grains of rice were wrapped in the golden egg yolk, and the texture was absolutely incredible. To think that such ordinary ingredients could be transformed so masterfully.
"So rice can be stir-fried too. It’s savory without being greasy; the only downside is that the portion is too small," Judge No. 33 praised. "Being a judge here really has its perks—it broadens your horizons!"
"Of course. Our Mingzong’s dark horse has plenty of brilliant ideas. This is just the tip of the iceberg!" Liu Changyi said, proud and smug.
"Look at how smug you are. But hearing you say that, I’m actually quite looking forward to it. There’s going to be a good show coming up. The competitor Banan Star is facing this time is quite formidable," Judge No. 45 teased.
Hearing that everyone generally rated No. 9 very highly, Ma Wenzhou didn’t continue his mockery. Instead, he silently agreed with them. It seemed uncertain whether Banan Star would win the championship this time, provided that this No. 9 maintained a stable performance.
After leaving the competition venue, Gan Lan went straight back to rest.
She wouldn’t know the results until tomorrow. However, she had full confidence in her culinary skills, and even more confidence in the delicacies originating from Huaxia.
Mr. Liang followed Gan Lan out of the venue. "You performed well. I went to the Star Network tasting. You have no idea—the comments in your No. 9 tasting room completely blew up. Making it from the top thousand to the top hundred is a sure thing. You might even take first place."
Mr. Liang praised Gan Lan. It seemed this student never disappointed him. Her preliminary round was already this stunning, making him wonder if her next match would be even more amazing. In any case, she had garnered enough attention today. Even the judges, who usually only exchanged brief nods with him, had come over to ask about Gan Lan, which made him feel exceptionally gratified. He had never received such treatment when bringing students here in the past; back then, everyone had merely maintained a superficial politeness.
Hearing Mr. Liang’s praise, Gan Lan felt even more reassured. It wasn’t in vain that she made two dishes at once. Her goal was first place; it was to win the championship!
"Mr. Liang, the topic for the preliminaries was relatively simple. Will it get harder as we move up?" Gan Lan asked in confusion.
"Do you think this topic was simple? Oftentimes, the simpler and broader the topic, the harder it is. There are still over three hundred participants who haven’t finished." Mr. Liang shook his head as they walked, then opened the car door to let Gan Lan in first. "Go back and get some good rest. The results will be out tomorrow, and the competition won’t resume until the day after. Another student from our school has a match soon, so I need to head over there."
Gan Lan nodded in response.
She was indeed quite tired. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous. After all, with so many competitors, she had to go all out every single time to fight her way through a hundred thousand participants.
Rubbing her forehead, Gan Lan walked into her room. She didn’t plan on cooking today; brewing a bowl of instant noodles would suffice. She boiled a pot of water, steeped her noodles, and turned on her Light Brain. First, she logged into the [Foodie Group] to check her friends’ messages.
Handsome Mingyu: [Junior! I truly fell in love with the golden egg fried rice. It’s way too delicious! Ordinary ingredients become completely extraordinary in your hands!]
Sky Blue: [After finishing the golden fried rice and tomato and egg stir-fry, I feel so empty inside. I’m brewing a bowl of instant noodles to keep me alive! These instant noodles are so convenient, but it hurts to know that eating one means I have one less left T^T]
Hot Pot Balls: [Although I want Junior to come back soon, I don’t want her to get eliminated at all. Ah, I’m so conflicted.]
Feiran: [The champion will definitely be you ^^]
Feiran: [I asked a teacher from the Manufacturing Department to modify the Combat Robot. It probably won’t arrive until tomorrow, so pay attention to your safety.]
Binbin: [Junior, I’m still in the Star Network tasting room and can’t get out! The champion will definitely be you!]
Come and have some barbecue!: [I performed pretty well today. No need to rush the Combat Robot. There are plenty of Combat Robots patrolling the participants’ residential area right now, so my personal safety isn’t an issue ^^]
After replying, Gan Lan exited the [Foodie Group] to check her current voting rank.
As soon as she entered the tasting room for Arena No. 99, she saw herself sitting firmly in first place, with her votes still surging rapidly. Furthermore, she was leading the second place, No. 15, by hundreds of millions of votes.
Seeing this, Gan Lan breathed a sigh of relief. Barring any accidents, with her current growth rate, she would be first when voting closed tomorrow. Even though it was only the preliminary round, getting first place in every match carried a different kind of significance.
She opened her No. 9 tasting room and looked at the real-time comments. Hmm... she couldn’t read them clearly. They were densely packed, but it was still very comforting. Having no choice, she scrolled through the comment section below.
1st Floor: [Caught a dark horse! AWOO, my heart has been captured by this No. 9 Culinary Master! It’s so delicious, so delicious! I can’t leave at all. I’ve been eating continuously from the end of the competition until now. It’s just that eating data leaves me feeling so empty...]
8th Floor: [Me too... Originally, I was going to No. 66 to try the work of our Banan Star’s chosen one, but a friend recommended this No. 9 to me. I, I...]
Eating her instant noodles while reading the comments, Gan Lan felt they tasted even better.