The competition continued.
Zhang Wei's gaze swept across the eighth arena.
"Alas..."
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"Tang Zhihun has lost."
"Tang Zhihun? The chef from the Century Collection Association? But the competition is only halfway through."
"From the selection of ingredients, cooking, and processing methods, one can already judge the taste of a dish. That is, if one can understand it."
Mo Du thought for a moment and said, "His loss is actually more beneficial to us. If he kept winning, our future acquisitions would not be smooth."
Zhang Wei sighed again, a little regretful about Tang Zhihun's defeat.
Given his strength, there was hope he could have dragged it to the next round.
It was just a pity that his opponent was far stronger than average.
"Which Eiffel Vineyard, is it famous?"
Mo Du flipped through the资料 and scoffed, "Not at all. That Eiffel Vineyard is doing terribly. It was on the verge of bankruptcy not long ago, and there are no masters there. In a way, it's very similar to the situation with Wine and Beauty."
"Mysterious and powerful chefs... an organization on the brink of collapse..."
The prize for this grand event was a seat in the Northern United Government. The intentions of these mysterious individuals were obvious.
However, this had nothing to do with Zhang Wei, and he couldn't be bothered to delve deeper.
...
...
The competition ended.
As expected, Tang Zhihun lost.
The members of the Century Collection Association offered words of comfort.
"You did very well. Reaching the main competition is already a testament to your skill."
"A close loss..."
"Actually, the association is very satisfied with this result."
Zhang Wei also walked over and said, "Chef, you performed wonderfully today, you were just a little bit short."
Looking at the comforting faces, Tang Zhihun was expressionless at first, then forced a smile.
"Oh dear, I gave it my all. I apologize to all of you."
"But don't worry, I won't just wallow in despair!"
"Enough talk, I'm going to the restroom. I've been holding it in for so long, my intestines are about to dry up."
Tang Zhihun waved goodbye to everyone with a stiff smile and dashed into the restroom.
He was gone for a long time.
The others didn't disturb him, but Zhang Wei, with his sharp hearing, could faintly discern sounds of sobbing.
Sniffles, choked sobs, and mumbled words that lingered between his teeth.
"Alas..."
Zhang Wei sighed helplessly.
As a grown man, Tang Zhihun truly didn't want to expose his weakness to everyone.
If he hadn't reached his limit, he wouldn't be so heartbroken.
...
At this moment, a man wearing an embroidered grape pattern walked out of the venue, followed by a group of reporters.
He first bowed deeply and then said, "Hello everyone, I am Gangze Xiaoquan, a contestant from the Eiffel Vineyard. As requested by the organizers, I am here to take a photo with Mr. Tang Zhihun."
"I'm very sorry, Chef Tang is... busy."
"No, I'm fine now."
Tang Zhihun's voice came from the restroom, accompanied by the sound of flushing water.
A moment later, Tang Zhihun emerged from the restroom, still wearing a stiff smile.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his eyelids and under-eye bags were swollen.
Tang Zhihun stepped forward, clasped Gangze Xiaoquan's hand, and said sincerely, "Chef Xiaoquan, your skills are profound. It is only reasonable that I lost to you."
*Bang~*
The flash of the camera illuminated, freezing this moment on film.
A group of reporters immediately swarmed Xiaoquan, "Mr. Xiaoquan, what about this match was particularly memorable for you?"
"Winning was expected, and the process wasn't particularly eventful, so it's hard to say anything was particularly memorable."
"Mr. Xiaoquan, your culinary skills are astounding. Do you have confidence in winning the championship?"
"Of course, I came here to win."
"Then Mr. Xiaoquan, do you have anything to say to your opponent?"
"Opponent?"
Xiaoquan chuckled lightly, "Among these people, none are qualified to be my opponent. They are all... mere weaklings."
Gangze Xiaoquan's words pierced Tang Zhihun's heart like knives.
Yet, Tang Zhihun could say nothing.
After all, the reality was just as he said!
The reporters seemed to have been injected with adrenaline by Xiaoquan's provocative remarks!
A scoop!
This was definitely a scoop!
With this exchange as the headline, the newspapers would sell like hotcakes!
"Shocking! Mysterious contestant sweeps through all, claims northern heroes are nothing more than mediocre!"
"A single misstep leads to eternal regret, this is what that contestant said!"
"Ambitions Fulfilled, Eiffel Vineyard Releases Victory Statement in Advance!"
The reporters could already see promotions and raises, a bright future ahead!
"Mr. Tang Zhihun, facing Xiaoquan's provocation, what do you have to say?"
Tang Zhihun withdrew his hand and gritted his teeth, "Nothing, he's right!"
"Then Mr. Xiaoquan, do you have anything to say to Tang Zhihun?"
Xiaoquan pondered, then walked up to Tang Zhihun and bowed deeply.
"Tang-san, trash like you should really stop participating in competitions. It's embarrassing! After all, my goal is to win the championship. After interacting with you, I feel my culinary skills have declined!"
Xiaoquan's tone and demeanor were extremely polite, but his words were like sharp knives.
The reporters were so thrilled they were about to scream, never expecting the refined-looking Xiaoquan to utter such explosive statements.
Tang Zhihun could bear it no longer and turned to leave.
Xiaoquan suddenly called out, "Mr. Tang, please wait!"
"Haven't you had enough attention?"
"No, no, no, I also want to ask you a question. Tell me, can I, Xiaoquan, win the championship?"
Tang Zhihun roared, "Do you think you're worthy? The North is full of talent. Do you think a clown like you can win?"
"How about we make a bet?"
"You name it!"
Xiaoquan looked around at the reporters and said, "Let's bet on crawling between someone's legs. If I don't win the championship, I'll crawl between Mr. Tang's legs."
"And if you win?"
"Then I'll trouble Mr. Tang Zhihun to cripple his own arms, cease all culinary activities, and never again claim to be a chef. How about it?"
More and more people gathered.
Onlookers who didn't know the full story were cheering from the periphery.
Tang Zhihun shook his head, "I will never risk my qualification as a chef for any gamble."
Xiaoquan sneered, "Since the Century Collection Association is full of spineless rats, there's really no point. Goodbye!"
"Wait!"
"What?"
"I accept the bet!"
Tang Zhihun roared through gritted teeth, "What do you think this Northern Culinary Feast is? Even if you defeat me, you still won't win the championship!"
Gangze Xiaoquan bowed again and smiled, "Oh, how frightening. I'm already scared."