Chapter 5: The magnificent melee at the college celebration 4
The game begins!
When it comes to competing in cooking skills, I am not afraid at all, because I have been following my father in and out of the kitchen since I was five years old. As the daughter of a senior chef, I do have some talent and ability.
It’s just that our family doesn’t buy any expensive ingredients for normal meals. Most of what I’m good at are home-cooked dishes. I really can’t cook the luxurious dishes that young masters and young ladies like Xia Arthur and Ji Peipei often eat.
The bright flame shot up high, and the transparent olive oil made a sizzling sound in the red-hot pot. I was stir-frying the secret Kung Pao Chicken taught by my father with one hand, and sprinkling the seasoning jar into the pot with the other hand. I was busy and having a lot of fun.
After fifteen minutes of production, Ji Peipei seemed to be already plating the piece. It was hard for me not to hear the cheers and praises from the fans in the audience.
"Wow! It's so tempting! I can smell the fragrance from such a distance!"
Hey, classmate? You were obviously quite close to me, are you sure you didn't smell the aroma of the Kung Pao Chicken I made?
"Ah! It's actually red wine steak, and the side dishes are so gorgeous!"
Wow, it seems like he’s at a higher level than me!
“Excellent! Just as luxurious as the steak at the Grand Budapest Hotel!”
Hey…my dad is a chef at the Grand Budapest Hotel, so of course the steaks there are super high quality! Because my dad cooks them!
In short, Ji Peipei's cooking was completed one step ahead of mine, and it received countless praises as soon as it came out of the oven.
"In fact, the real orange is also very fragrant and has a unique taste!"
Hahaha, it seems that you still have a keen eye for me!
"Really? But it looks too plain..."
I didn't have time to pay attention to the voices of affirmation or doubt from the audience, nor did I bother to wipe the sweat from my forehead. I quickly scooped up the chicken while it was at its most fragrant and smooth and put it on a plate.
That’s right! Although my secret recipe of Kung Pao Chicken is not as fancy as the steak made by Ji Peipei, it is also very delicious!
We randomly picked a few members from the cooking club, and after they tasted the food, they voted for me and Ji Peipei to decide the final winner.
Ji Peipei and I stood side by side, each feeling extremely nervous as if our hearts were beating like a small drum.
The red wine-fried veal steak made by Ji Peipei is really delicious. On the white porcelain plate, there lies a perfectly cooked bone-in veal steak quietly, drizzled with fragrant red wine and black pepper sauce. The decorative egg is fried golden and tender, and there is a fresh lemon on the side. Just looking at the color and the presentation, I want to drool.
Looking at the Kung Pao Chicken I made, I have to say that with the decoration of red peppers and green rosemary, although the dish is very homely, it is also very delicious.
"I choose real orange!"
"Ji Peipei!"
…
The members of the cooking club lined up and after tasting the food prepared by Ji Peipei and me, they voted for the dishes they thought were more delicious.
When the last person was left, Ji Peipei and I each had 4 votes, which was considered a tie, meaning that the decision-making power fell into the hands of the last boy.
He looks very funny, with a round face and eyes narrowed into slits, looking like Maitreya Buddha.
The host said incitefully: "Ah! What a sacred vote! Student, you will decide history!"
Ah! He said that, and I felt a little nervous!
The boy took out his chopsticks and picked up a piece of my secret Kung Pao Chicken. After taking a bite, his eyes lit up: "Delicious!"
"Wow!" I silently made a "V" in my heart and smiled happily.
The boy with small eyes turned around, and Ji Peipei smiled at him. He was stunned for a moment, with a crazy smile on his face.
Just then, a familiar-looking girl sneaked up behind him and whispered something in his ear.
I blinked.
Isn't that girl Amy, the leader of Ji Peipei's support group? But...what is she whispering to that boy now?
I frowned, and for a moment, I felt uncomfortable. Although the competition did not stipulate that others were not allowed to go on stage, I had a hunch that what Amy said to that boy was definitely related to the outcome of the competition.
"Hey! Do you want to cause Ji Peipei to be disqualified from the competition?"
At this moment, a magnetic male voice came coldly over the noise of the crowd . I don't know when Xia Arthur was standing in the audience, and the expression on his handsome face was gloomy.
Suddenly, the noisy crowd quieted down and the entire stadium was silent.
Amy didn't react immediately. She still covered her mouth with her hands, and didn't have time to hide the subtle smile on her face. Everyone could see that she was encouraging the boy with small eyes to vote for Ji Peipei.
“Is it cheating?”
"Isn't that Amy? She's a member of Ji Peipei's fan club!"
"But even if we don't do this, Ji Peipei won't necessarily lose!"
…
The discussions from the audience came into our ears. It was probably the first time that Ji Peipei encountered such a thing. Her face instantly became very embarrassed. Her pair of pink hands were clenched into fists, and the joints turned white.
I could see that she was very angry now. She was somewhat embarrassed by what Sean Arthur said, but she was probably more angry about Amy's self-assertion.
"This is just a small incident, don't take it seriously." The host was at a loss as to how to calm everyone down.
Suddenly, I felt a little depressed.
Oh, how boring this is! It's just a small game. I don't really want to win. It's just that Ji Peipei asked me to play seriously, so I'm standing here. Since she wants to win so much, let her win.
I walked around Ji Peipei and said to the host's microphone: "Excuse me, the last judge, do you think Ji Peipei's steak tastes better?"
The boy with small eyes nodded hesitantly.
The crowd immediately booed.
Xia Arthur in the audience also glanced at him coldly, with a hint of cold light flashing in his pure black eyes, as if he would rush up if I said something unfair.
At this time, I caught a glimpse of the brothers Xia Youshu and Xia Youtian squeezed to the front, and even Lily looked at me with a nervous look and worry.
I gave her a soothing smile and said loudly, "Well, I believe your decision is fair. Ji Peipei's cooking skills are really great! I accept my defeat wholeheartedly!"
"Really orange?" Xia Arthur stared at me in surprise.
The stunned host took the microphone from me . He probably had never seen a contestant like me who didn't want to win. He hesitated for a long time before stammering, "So, the winner of today's cooking competition is... Ji Peipei!"
There was silence in the audience.
Everyone stared at us blankly. Even the fans who supported Ji Peipei did not cheer. Instead, they all had uneasy expressions on their faces. They looked at Xia Arthur, then at Ji Peipei, not knowing what to do.
"Forget it." Xia Arthur stared at my face and found that I really didn't care, so he stretched out a hand to me across the crowd, "Come down, this is an unfair game, there's nothing to be happy about even if you win."
The golden sunlight sprinkled on his white and slender hands. At this moment, I suddenly felt that Xia Arthur, who was wholeheartedly indignant for me, was so cute. He was like a god, guarding my joys and sorrows.
"It's fine!"
I grabbed his hand and jumped off the ring, smiling at the Xia brothers and Lily beside him.
Xia Youshu smiled back at me, silently and gently. This time, even Xia Youtian didn't say anything sarcastic and was much friendlier to me.
"So orange," Lily grabbed my hand, "Don't worry, I know how delicious your cooking is!"
"Yeah!" I nodded heavily, feeling very warm in my heart.
It doesn't matter! Even if I lose, it doesn't matter. I still have so many people who care about me!
Behind me, people began to whisper.
I couldn't help but turn around and look at Ji Peipei. I saw her biting her lower lip, her fingers tightly grasping the hem of her skirt, with a very unwilling expression on her face.
Seeing me looking over, Ji Peipei subconsciously smiled, but with an inexplicable sense of reluctance.
"Zhen Cheng! What are you still doing?" Xia Arthur took my hand and said, "Let's go!"
"……oh!"
I turned around, followed their footsteps, and walked into the bright sunshine.
