Huang Xingyan bit into the sponge cake expressionlessly. It tasted faintly sweet and soft, somewhat like a regular cake, yet different—sweet but not cloying, glutinous but not sticky.
Huang Xingyan couldn’t help but nod in agreement mentally. This kind of food was highly suitable for the elderly. This student indeed had considerable skill; he had underestimated her.
"How is it? Amazing, right? She can be considered a genius, right? Even you didn’t expect that rice could be prepared this way, did you?" Chu Yuanyi swallowed his bite of sponge cake, feeling delighted. "You’ve only said one sentence since you came in. How impolite. Don’t you always show off to us about the genius disciple you took in? Now that you’ve eaten it, you’re too stingy to even offer a single word of praise." Chu Yuanyi shook his head.
"Old Chu, aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?" Huang Xingyan said disdainfully. "It’s only the top thousand advancing to the top hundred. Why does it seem like this genius from your school has already won the championship?"
"She hasn’t won the championship yet, but as long as she can maintain her current level of skill, she has the potential to win." Chu Yuanyi didn’t mind his friend’s attitude; instead, he felt even more pleased. Gan Lan had already caught Huang Xingyan’s attention, and that was a victory in itself.
"Then let’s wait and see!" Huang Xingyan stood up, walked out of the living room expressionlessly, and left.
Chu Yuanyi watched Huang Xingyan’s retreating back, the corners of his lips curling up with a profound look in his eyes.
"I want all the information on Contestant Number 9!" Sitting in his Flying Car, Huang Xingyan made a call. His tone was rather displeased. After hanging up, he stared at his Light Brain in deep thought.
It seemed that the opponent his little disciple had encountered this time was quite formidable.
"Old man, just take a bite. These fruit glutinous rice balls only have a tiny hint of sweetness; the rest is just the fresh fragrance of fruit. You’ll really regret it if you don’t eat it!" Xiang Xincai scooped up a green glutinous rice ball and brought it to Yan Yongchang’s lips. "This is your favorite Green Mist Fruit flavor! I’m only willing to share it with you because you’re my old man, otherwise you wouldn’t get to taste even half a bite!"
Yan Yongchang caught the unique fragrance of the Green Mist Fruit, which was indeed a scent he liked. However, he liked the Green Mist Fruit because it had a salty taste, along with a rich, natural fruity aroma. The sweetness was negligible. He looked down at the green glutinous rice ball in front of him. It looked very cute, but it didn’t seem to suit a burly man like him. But seeing how attentive his wife was, he decided he would reluctantly eat a small one.
Thinking this, he parted his lips slightly, took the green glutinous rice ball into his mouth, and quickly bit into it.
His eyes widened in surprise. The outer skin was soft and chewy, and the fruity aroma was fresh. A trace of saltiness mixed with the rich, sweet filling. This novel and unique texture instantly gave him a pleasant surprise.
"Wife, this... can I try the other flavors too? That was too small, I couldn’t really taste it."
Xiang Xincai looked at Yan Yongchang’s expression with satisfaction and mercifully scooped up a Blue Jade Fruit flavored one for him. "Then I’ll give you one more. No more after this!"
The soft and chewy texture, the fresh fruity aroma, and the sweet but not cloying filling—it was not only pretty but exceptionally delicious. He was regretting it immensely now. If he had known, he would have finished his own portion. Now, if he asked his wife for more, she definitely wouldn’t give him any.
Yan Yongchang was crying streams of tears internally. He stared longingly at the remaining colorful glutinous rice balls in the bowl. "Then can I try the rice sponge cake? There are two of them. Aren’t you on a diet, wife? Let me share some of the burden."
"Only half! No more!" Xiang Xincai reluctantly cut half of a piece of sponge cake and handed it to the eager Yan Yongchang. She laughed inwardly, thinking that this was what he got for refusing to eat earlier; now he finally knew the meaning of regret.
Yan Yongchang took the small piece of sponge cake with a grievance. It was supposed to be half, so why was it only a third? But he didn’t dare complain, afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t even get that third.
What he could have normally finished in one bite, he forcibly divided into tiny portions, taking four or five bites to finish it. He really loved the taste of this sponge cake. It was sweet but not cloying, soft but not mushy, with the faint fragrance of rice. He hadn’t expected that even the bright red dried fruit steamed on top would taste surprisingly delicious.
Yan Yongchang sighed and stood up, not wanting to watch Xiang Xincai eating her dessert with such a satisfied and delighted look anymore. It was too cruel for him.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t eaten desserts before, but he just never liked them. Little did he know that his previous resistance to sweets was simply because he hadn’t met Gan Lan yet.
"I’m going to browse the Star Network and see if there are any good prospects." Although Yan Yongchang was only an average cook, he was an investor in the Sunny Day Restaurant. His share was small, but he still had some say.
His main purpose in coming here this time was to help the principal of their open faction evaluate Gan Lan’s skills and character, while also keeping an eye out for other promising talents. But how could he have the mood to look for other talents now? His cravings had been completely hooked by the desserts Gan Lan made. Since he couldn’t eat the real thing, he would just go to the Star Network to eat to his heart’s content.
The desserts were truly delicious! Gan Lan was a genius. Even a person like him who resisted sweets could be captivated by her desserts. Based on this alone, the principal’s investment this time was practically guaranteed.
How could Xiang Xincai not know what Yan Yongchang was scheming? But even if she knew, she wasn’t planning to expose him. She couldn’t bear to part with these desserts. This little bit was really not enough to satisfy her cravings.
Gan Lan slept until broad daylight. Getting enough sleep really put her in an exceptionally good mood.
Today was the day the voting results would be announced. She decided to check the voting rankings first before making breakfast. There were still three hours until the voting closed, but she wanted to take a look now and check out what her competitors had made along the way.
Opening the Star Network, she logged into Arena 99. At a glance, she saw Contestant Number 15 hanging high in first place. Her own ranking was only second, but her votes were increasing at a much faster rate than first place. She wondered if she could catch up in the remaining three hours.
However, Gan Lan’s nerves were no longer tense. She had adjusted her mindset and was even quite relaxed. She had already given it her all; the final result was beyond her control.
Still, she was very curious about what Number 15 had made, so she clicked into their tasting room.
After turning off the densely packed bullet comments, her gaze was captivated by a bowl of porridge made from a mixture of colorful rice. The porridge exuded the unique fragrances of various types of rice. Incredibly, she could distinguish the different flavors without any of them muddling together.
This was absolutely amazing! No wonder it was ranked first right now. Gan Lan scooped up a spoonful. Looking at the name on the side, it was called "Colorful Rice Porridge"—a very fitting name indeed.
Blowing on it gently, she put it into her mouth and felt that every grain of rice had a different texture and vastly different flavor. Gan Lan was amazed. This Number 15 was highly skilled. Even she wouldn’t be able to make a porridge like this.
Her eyes shifted to Number 15’s second entry, "Colorful Rice Cakes." Gan Lan picked up a piece of cyan rice cake and sniffed it carefully. It had a fragrance similar to green grass, carrying the unique rice scent specific to this era.
Then she squeezed it slightly. It was a bit soft, likely having been steamed. Her rice sponge cake was also steamed.
Gan Lan took a small bite. The outer skin was chewy, and she really liked the smell, but the texture in her mouth made her a bit unaccustomed. Perhaps she was so used to the taste of Huaxia cuisine that suddenly trying fresh, different foods felt a bit jarring.
Gan Lan took another bite. Inside, there was actually a filling made from various colors of rice. Eating it felt similar to eating the Colorful Rice Porridge, except it lacked the porridge’s soft and glutinous texture.
Then, she took another bite...