After hanging up the call, Liang Cong turned to Gan Lan, who was mixing a dipping sauce beside him. "The dean wants us to go over and meet Master Mo Ran."
Gan Lan paused mid-peel with a shrimp in hand, looking confused. "Master Mo Ran? Who is that?"
Liang Cong stood up. "He’s the one who set the topic for the third round of the competition. Let’s go see him, and we can continue eating when we get back."
Gan Lan reluctantly set down the pinkish-white shrimp meat. "Gulu, watch over these for a bit. I’ll come back and give them my full attention later."
"I got it! Stop being so gross and just go!" Gulu waved his hands frantically, wishing she would disappear from his sight immediately.
Xiang Xincai spotted Gan Lan walking through the crowd at first glance and waved happily. "Gan Lan, over here!"
Spotting Sister Xiang from a distance, Gan Lan’s eyes lit up. It was rare to finally see a familiar face here. Though she had been subjected to stares the entire way over, most of those gazes were filled with disdain, indifference, disgust, or complete disregard. There were occasionally a few friendly ones, but none showed genuine joy. Now that she finally saw someone who was happy to see her, how could she not be delighted? Otherwise, she would have started doubting if she was secretly some sort of villainous person.
"Sister Xiang, Yan, you guys are here too?" Gan Lan quickly approached, greeting the couple with a bright smile. She then turned her head. "Dean, I had no idea you knew Sister Xiang and the others." She reasoned they wouldn’t be sitting at the same table otherwise.
Gan Lan then bowed to the silver-haired middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table. "Hello, Master Mo Ran. I am Gan Lan, contestant number nine from Arena 99."
"Oh? You recognize me, young lady?" Master Mo Ran asked, puzzled.
Gan Lan smiled and shook her head, glancing around the table. "I know everyone here except you, so you must be the famous Master Mo Ran."
Hearing this explanation, Master Mo Ran burst into laughter and patted the empty seat next to him. "Not bad, you’re quite a clever girl. Come, sit down. Let’s have a good chat. Take that stinky Yao Yu dish you made in the competition, for example. I tried it myself, and it was excellent. Even I have to admit I fall short in comparison."
"Well, I just tried it on a whim, wondering if I could use a rich aroma to mask that undeniable stench..." After sitting down, Gan Lan started chatting away with Master Mo Ran. She couldn’t exactly tell him it was a technique she had learned in another world, so she racked her brain and started spinning a story.
Surprisingly, everyone at the table—except Huang Xingyan and Ge Feng—listened with great interest, occasionally nodding in agreement. This made Gan Lan feel a bit guilty, but she bit the bullet and kept talking.
Ge Feng secretly curled his lip as he watched their harmonious interaction. He scoffed, thinking that he had only lost once and was already being treated with such a cold shoulder. He would just wait until the finals, where he would ruthlessly trample Gan Lan underfoot and announce to the entire Federation Star System that he was the true champion of the Culinary World’s rising stars. If she wanted to break Banan Star’s decades-long winning streak, she was dreaming! He didn’t want to stay here any longer; watching them made him sick.
He turned to his teacher, who had joined the conversation, and whispered, "Teacher, many masters are here today. I want to go introduce myself to them."
Huang Xingyan nodded in understanding. Ge Feng had never been given the cold shoulder since he was young, and his conflict with Gan Lan had already caused a huge uproar across the stars. Seeing her chatting so happily with Master Mo Ran, how could he possibly stay? Thus, Huang Xingyan didn’t force him to remain. "Go ahead, but be mindful of your manners."
Gan Lan had talked so much she was thirsty, and she couldn’t keep her fabricated story going anymore. She quickly changed the subject. "Master Mo Ran, I brought my secret chili sauce. It’s incredibly delicious as a dip for shrimp. Are you interested in trying some?"
"Quick, quick, bring it here for us to try!" Hearing this, Xiang Xincai immediately urged Gan Lan on. "Is it the chili sauce you made on your livestream yesterday? It can actually be used as a shrimp dip? I absolutely loved the hot and sour noodles, and the roast chicken was amazing too!" She took the opportunity to shower more praise on Gan Lan’s cooking.
"Then I’ll go get it. You guys keep chatting, I’ll be right back!" Gan Lan stood up and headed out. Even though there was so much food right in front of her, she had been too busy talking. The moment she stopped, she suddenly felt starving.
A short while later, Gan Lan returned carrying a temperature-controlled box, with Gulu trailing behind her. She had no choice; she couldn’t just leave Gulu sitting there all alone.
"Who’s all alone? You’re the one who’s all alone! You’re the most pathetic one of all!" Gulu muttered incessantly behind Gan Lan. He then roared at the gossiping crowd critiquing his outfit, "Haven’t you ever seen such a handsome robot before?! Huh?"
Gan Lan arrived at the teachers’ table and began taking the chili sauce out of the temperature-controlled box. She asked if anyone had any dietary restrictions before mixing the dips for them. Once everything was prepared, she immediately picked up a large shrimp, peeled off its shell expertly, grabbed it by the head, and dunked it into the sauce. She took a massive bite of the shrimp meat. Dipped in the sauce, the texture was even better—spicy, sour, and a little sweet, with a satisfyingly chewy bounce.
Watching Gan Lan eat, the others followed suit. Xiang Xincai, in particular, mirrored Gan Lan perfectly—when Gan Lan peeled a shrimp, she peeled one; when Gan Lan dipped it, she dipped hers. They were completely in sync.
But the moment the food entered her mouth, Xiang Xincai exclaimed in awe, "I thought dipping it in light soy sauce was already delicious enough, but this chili sauce is spicy and fragrant, with a hint of tartness that brings out the natural sweetness of the shrimp! It’s absolutely spectacular. Gan Lan, do you have any more of this chili sauce? How many Credit Points is it? I want to take a few jars back with me," she added expectantly.
Hearing this, Yan Yongchang glanced up at Gan Lan before lowering his head to continue eating. For the first time, he realized shrimp could be this delicious! He usually found shrimp meat too bland and had tried mixing various dipping sauces for it, but none had tasted quite right. It turned out he had simply been missing chili sauce! A dip with chili sauce hit right to the soul. Xincai truly lived up to being his wife, asking the very question he was too embarrassed to ask. He figured he could just download Gan Lan’s video and learn how to make her secret chili sauce himself, but how could it possibly be that easy to master?
"Just give me your address, and I’ll send you a few jars when I get back. You two are like an older brother and sister to me; bringing up Credit Points makes us sound like strangers! Let me know when you finish them, and I’ll send you more," Gan Lan said, waving her hand in refusal.
"Alright then, I won’t stand on ceremony with you. From now on, you’re like my real younger sister!" Xiang Xincai held Gan Lan’s wrist, her face beaming.
"Gan Lan, you can’t play favorites. Everyone gets a share. I’ll give you my address later as well. This chili sauce is excellent—spicy, aromatic, and incredibly satisfying," Master Mo Ran praised.
"How could I leave you out, Master Mo Ran? The fact that you appreciate my chili sauce is a huge validation for me."
Chu Yuanyi watched the scene with a persistent smile. Seeing their attitude toward Gan Lan, he knew they were very pleased with her. He couldn’t help but chime in to remind her, "We leave Banan Star tomorrow and set off for the Red Demon Star. The finals officially begin in ten days, so we need to head there early to familiarize ourselves with the local ingredients."
Gan Lan was a little surprised to hear this. So soon? Though she didn’t want to stay on Banan Star any longer, wasn’t leaving tomorrow a bit too rushed? However, since the dean had said so, she nodded in agreement. If it was tomorrow, then tomorrow it was. She would go back and pack her things in a bit.