Ch. 221..230
Chapter 221 The Outcome Charles Dean placed the vote on Cain Velman’s box.
“Since the auditions’ dumplings, I’ve never forgotten them. In today’s competition, I have high expectations for Cain Velman. I want to see what kind of surprises she’ll bring. However, I’m also a bit worried that her performance during the auditions might have been too good, exhausting her creativity in cooking. Even if her performance is just mediocre today, I would still be disappointed. ” “But, Cain Velman didn’t disappoint me. She proved that she could do even better, and it wasn’t just a one-time creativity.”_Charles Dean said. “Creativity doesn’t come from thin air – it mostly comes from the perspective of the diners. In my opinion, this kind of creativity is more precious than just imagining it yourself.” “I also hope that the contestants, whether they advance or get eliminated, can focus more on the diner’s perspective when they finish their dishes in the future,” Charles Dean said.
Besides Cindy Clarke, all the contestants’ expressions seemed not to be good, unable to hide their shock.
Michael Greene, Charles Dean, and Hunter Clarke, these three votes accounted for 30 votes!
There were a total of 1,000 votes in the audience, which seemed a lot, but with 40 contestants, the average number of votes per person was only 25!
Of course, the final number of votes would not be equally divided – there would be more or less.
But even more votes wouldn’t be that exaggerated.
These 30 votes could be said to be crucial, even having the potential to secure victory.
Even if they couldn’t achieve first place, at least they could ensure not being eliminated.
Everyone had some idea of how many guests they had attracted.
It would be very difficult to surpass these many votes!
Even Cindy Clarke might be able to make a counterattack due to these 30 votes!
After Charles Dean finished his words, he nodded at Michael Greene.
At this point, Grace Green went back on stage: “The judges have finished their evaluations. Now, our staff will count the votes. There are monitoring devices installed in every corner of this stage, ensuring 360-degree coverage. The audience can also supervise the process through several screens on-site.” Forty staff members, each responsible for one box, showed the boxes to the audience.
When the 1,000 votes were distributed to the staff, there weren’t too many per person; they could quickly finish counting them.
Another staff member made a final check to ensure there were no omissions in the boxes.
The staff recorded their votes, calculated the total to make sure the final votes came to 1,000, and there were no errors.
“Now, the results will be displayed on a big screen,” Grace Green said.
From the audience, little Morgan Zhekova stared nervously at the screen.
Although he had confidence in Cindy Clarke, it still made him nervous at this critical moment.
Morgan couldn’t read many words, but he could identify the name Cindy Clarke.
“Don’t worry, we have faith in Cindy,” The Old Madam comforted, even though she too was quite nervous.
“Yes!” Little Morgan tightly grasped the Old Madam’s hand.
“Cindy has already got the 30 votes from the judges, and if you add the votes from the audience who went to her just now, things are looking good. It’s even possible that she will be first,” Adrian Zhekova said.
“Really?” Victoria Wheeler was surprised.
‘Even if she isn’t first, she will definitely rank high and won’t be eliminated,” Adrian Zhekova spoke confidently, as if the result had already come out..
Chapter 222 People Like This Shouldn I t Be Participating in the Competition at All This in turn calmed Morgan Zhekova and the Old Madam, boosting their confidence.
At this point, Grace Green announced, “Firstly, we will announce the scores from 31st to 40th place.”.
Not only the audience, but also the contestants’ hearts are beating faster, becoming increasingly nervous.
They all prayed that they would not end up in the last 20 places.
Zoe Silverstone nervously stared at the screen, only to find herself placed 38th.
Zoe Silverstone’s heart sank instantly.
“Would the ten contestants please remove your aprons and come over here,” Grace Green said again.
Zoe Silverstone removed her apron, giving Cindy Clarke a resentful look.
Cindy Clarke raised an eyebrow, thinking it wasn’t her who caused Zoe Silverstone’s elimination. Why was Zoe Silverstone looking at her with such resentment?
If she had that much power, she would have made sure Zoe Silverstone didn’t even pass the auditions Once the ten contestants were standing behind Grace Green, she said, “Now, we will reveal the vote totals for those in the 21st to 30th positions.” Cindy Clarke was also nervously scanning several times and didn’t see her name.
At that point, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what position she ended up in, at least, she was sure that she had advanced to the next round.
The ten contestants also stood behind Grace Green, forming a line.
“Now, let’s look at the votes for those in 11th to 20th place,” Grace Green said. Iris Doone saw herself, barely made the cut-off for advancement, at 20th place.
Iris Doone exhaled a breath of relief; just advancing was enough.
In the next round, she resolved to show everyone what she was made of.
Blake Walker was in the 15th position, and they both advanced again.
“Cain Velman isn’t in this group,” Blake Walker mentioned to Iris Doone, as he walked over to her side, “Looks like she made it into the top ten again.” Iris Doone did not reply, her expression somewhat sour.
Seeing this, Blake Walker then said, “Don’t take to heart what the judges said earlier, none of us think anything of it. Your ingredients were obviously different from Cain Velman’s. Just because Velman has used a method, does it mean that no one else can use it? That’s a bit too arrogant!” “But after what the judges said, I’ve lost face.” Iris Doone muttered.
“This is just the top thirty, the competition gets even fiercer from here on out. Who will remember this slight?” Blake Walker scoffed, “The judges seem to favor Cain Velman very much. It’s one thing for three people to vote for Velman, but for them to say that to you… That could seriously affect the audience’s impression of you.” Iris Doone looked over at Cindy Clarke and said, “People like Cain Velman shouldn’t even be allowed to participate in the competition! Her results aren’t fair at all!” At this point, it was finally time for the 1st to 10th place results.
Blake Walker murmured, “I hope to god Cain Velman isn’t in the lead, that would be too sickening. Who knows how much of her score is inflated?” At this moment, the results for the top ten were displayed on the screen.
Instinctively, everyone looked to see who was in first place.
To everyone’s disbelief, it was Cindy Clarke.
Cindy Clarke: 90 votes + 30, a total of 911 votes!
The first 90 votes were from the audience voting.
The following 30 votes were from the three judges.
Putting aside these 30 votes, out of 1000 votes, what does it mean for Cindy Clarke to monopolize 90?
That would be equivalent to nearly one-tenth of the votes among all 40 contestants!
Zoe Silverstone was shocked as she looked at the screen, as if there was a calculation error.
“Could the advancing contestants please come and stand with the judges, ” Grace Green said..
Chapter 223 A Question “So now, the top 30 contestants for this Cooking Competition have been decided, congratulations to all of you. For those who have not advanced, don’t be discouraged. The fact that you made it into the top 50 out of thousands of contestants nationwide is already an outstanding accomplishment. We hope you will continue to work hard, and if you’re willing, we welcome you to participate again next year. By then, we’re sure to see an even better performance from you all,” Grace Green said.
“Next, we invite the judges to announce the theme for the next round of the competition. Contestants can use the time before the next round to think and prepare, ” Grace Green continued.
Michael Greene then announced, “The theme for the next round is ‘Ocean’.” The advancing contestants looked at each other, all somewhat perplexed.
Such a broad theme was both easy and difficult to work with.
The scope of the theme was wide, giving them many options.
However, precisely because the scope was so broad, it was difficult to focus on the key points.
“Today’s competition concludes here; thank you all for attending. We’ll see you next time,” Grace Green ended.
As soon as Grace Green finished speaking, a voice rang out, “Hold on! I have a question!” The audience was about to leave when they heard this voice and returned to their seats.
Obviously, they were eager for some tumult.
“What’s going on? Is it Zoe Silverstone?” fans of Cindy Clarke recognized the voice and immediately took out their mobile phones to record. They planned to upload the footage online as soon as they got home.
Zoe Silverstone was somewhat of an internet celebrity. If she stirred up any trouble, the video would go viral.
Since not everyone was livestreaming the event, she could upload this particular segment online separately.
With everyone’s attention on her, Zoe Silverstone stepped forward.
Since she was eliminated anyway, she had no fear of being retaliated against in future competitions.
Besides, as a food blogger, she had no vested interests with the Pingla Group.
Even if Cain Velman did have some connection with Adrian Zhekova, what could Adrian do to her as a food blogger?
Therefore, Zoe Silverstone felt that she had nothing to lose.
Since she was eliminated, she wouldn’t let Cain Velman enjoy his first place either!
“I have a question,” Zoe Silverstone said, not waiting for Grace Green and the judges to react.
Zoe then pointed at Cindy Clarke and said, “I have doubts about Cain Velman’s vote count.” Grace Green maintained her smile, “If you have any doubts, please feel free to report to us afterward. The judges and the organizers will definitely provide a fair and impartial explanation.” “What can’t be said here?” Zoe Silverstone coldly replied, “The audience and the livestream viewers are all here. Let’s get things cleared up in front of everyone.” Zoe Silverstone was determined to stir up trouble – if she couldn’t have it good, neither could Cain Velman!
Michael Greene’s impression of Zoe Silverstone wasn’t very positive. He frowned slightly, “Alright, since you insist on making things clear here, go ahead.” “From the organizers to us five judges, we have all followed the rules and acted fairly and impartially in this competition. We have a clear conscience and are not afraid of your doubts, ” Wesley Gordon coldly stated.
“The rules of this competition had flaws to begin with. It allowed the audience to vote, yet just now, I saw Pingla Group’s Adrian Zhekova and his family members all voting for Cain Velman,” Zoe Silverstone said. “Let’s assume their votes were taken away from the audience.” “Most of the audience went to Cain Velman’s booth only after they saw Adrian and his family go there. They figured that if Adrian and his family were eating Cain Velman’s food, naturally, they had to try it too.. In that case, how could Cain Velman’s vote count not be high?” Chapter 224 Cindy Clarke reached out and pinched the mask.
“I don’t know how Wendy Clarke is so powerful that the major competition has made exceptions for her time and time again. Up till now, she hasn’t even dared to show her face, always wearing a mask and avoiding people. As soon as Adrian Zhekova went on stage, he headed straight for her food truck.” “I just want to ask, would those audience members have gone to eat her skewers if it weren’t for Adrian Zhekova and his friends?” Zoe Silverstone said loudly, “Even if the skewers were not delicious, the votes had already been cast.
Naturally, she would have more.” “Not delicious? So you think we judges blindly cast our votes? Or do you think our judgment was unfair?” Wesley Gordon said coldly.
At this moment, Cindy Clarke stood up.
“You’re doubting me on two points.” Cindy was looking at Zoe Silverstone when she said this, “You’ve been holding onto the issue of my wearing a mask since backstage. I told you I had applied for it, and the organizer had approved it, but you didn’t believe me. Even when the person in charge of the organizer told you that they had received my application and approved it, you still brought it up.” Originally, the audience felt that Cindy was getting special treatment.
But now that they heard Cindy’s words, they thought Zoe Silverstone was just being too nitpicky.
“I think Zoe Silverstone is just looking for trouble.” “Right, just mention the problem once. She keeps bringing it up, probably because she’s jealous of Wendy Clarke.” “Obviously, she’s intentionally causing trouble for Wendy.” There happened to be some of Cindy’s fans nearby, and one of them immediately said: “You guys don’t know, Zoe Silverstone has always treated Cindy as a rival, she’s always picking on her. She even hired trolls to discredit Cindy’s cooking skills, saying they were not as good as hers. Now that Cindy is in first place and Zoe is eliminated, isn’t that a slap in the face? Even if she can’t get Cindy eliminated, she’ll still try to tarnish her image.” Another fan said: “1 feel like Zoe Silverstone is bound to fail. She never learns her lesson from being slapped in the face by Cindy. She really has a tenacious spirit. ” Zoe Silverstone didn’t expect Cindy to talk about this matter on stage.
“You think that because I don’t show my face, my results are somehow fraudulent, do you?” Cindy said coldly, ‘You said earlier that me not showing my face in videos means I have someone else do the work for me, but now you bring it up again. Can you come up with another reason for your suspicions?” “Since you want to see my face so badly, I’ll oblige.” Cindy said loudly, “I just don’t want my personal life to be disrupted, it’s not that I can’t be seen in public.” As she said this, Cindy reached up and grabbed her mask.
“Cindy, don’t!” Peggy Lewis, unable to hold back, shouted.
The VIP section is close to the stage.
At this moment, everyone was quietly listening to Cindy speak, so Peggy’s words were clearly heard on stage.
Cindy looked towards Peggy, her mask not yet removed, her eyes curved with a smile.
As she had just said, she wasn’t afraid to be seen.
In order to avoid being harassed by Christy Xenos and Wendy Clarke, she had been careful all these years, not daring to show her face online or even let her voice be heard.
But she knew she couldn’t keep this up forever.
She couldn’t hide her face in public for the rest of her life, always concealing her true self.
This wasn’t a sustainable solution.
She couldn’t keep hiding forever.
Before, she was afraid that Morgan Zhekova would be harassed by Christy Xenos and Wendy Clarke.
But now, Morgan had Adrian Zhekova’s protection.
Christy Xenos and Wendy Clarke would dare to touch Morgan, just try it!
No longer worried about this, Christy Xenos and Wendy Clarke could only harass her, but she wasn’t afraid!
Chapter 225 The Loving Glances Between the Couple Wendy’s gaze moved from Peggy Lewis to Morgan’s face.
The little guy also knew why Cindy didn’t want to show her face.
But he didn’t care.
He was a big kid now, and he wasn’t afraid.
No matter what Christy Xenos and Adrian Zhekova said, he wouldn’t believe them or listen to them.
He wouldn’t give them a chance to use him.
Cindy protected him, and he could protect Cindy too.
So, Morgan didn’t object at all.
He didn’t want Cindy to keep hiding like this, always in the shadows.
In the end, Wendy looked at Adrian Zhekova.
It seemed as if Adrian Zhekova understood Wendy’s meaning, and he nodded at her.
So what if Christy Xenos and Adrian Zhekova found out?
If they had the guts, let them come!
He didn’t do anything after finding out what Christy Xenos and Adrian Zhekova did, which was actually to let the mother and daughter feel at ease staying in Nork City.
Since they had their family business in Nork City, they naturally couldn’t leave.
If the Restaurant collapsed, their family would be finished, and they would have to struggle all around, right?
They didn’t want to find Wendy before because they felt that their family business was big and didn’t want Wendy to share the profit.
They were happy not to find Wendy.
But once the Restaurant got into trouble, they would definitely think of finding Wendy again.
Therefore, it’s better to let them run the restaurant well in Nork City, with a home and a business.
Even if they found out about Wendy, they probably wouldn’t dare to find her easily, fearing she would split the family property.
Otherwise, Adrian Zhekova would have already taken action against them.
Wendy and Adrian Zhekova, one on stage and one off stage.
They didn’t say a word to each other, just exchanging glances.
But Adrian Zhekova could understand Wendy’s meaning.
And Wendy seemed to be able to read Adrian Zhekova’s meaning too.
He was saying, I’m here, you can go ahead without worries.
Wendy, with the mask still on, revealed a smile.
Adrian Zhekova couldn’t see it, but he could see the corners of her eyes and eyebrows curve.
The Old Madam watched their interaction with delight.
This little couple’s silent communication and understanding was truly a perfect match !
Only then did Wendy take her eyes away and decisively remove her mask, revealing her face without hesitation.
Cain Velman was a very famous food blogger.
With a massive fan following on CouTube, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms, she was no lesser than a typical celebrity.
For so many years, Cain Velman had never shown her face.
Now, suddenly revealing her face in this major competition was indeed a big deal!
Wendy’s fans excitedly posted on Facebook: “Cindy is revealing her face! Watch the Cooking Competition live broadcast now!” In just one minute, there were tens of thousands of shares!
No matter if they were Wendy’s fans, passersby, or casual viewers of her videos, everyone who had time gathered around to watch the excitement.
The staff responsible for checking the live viewer count noticed a significant increase in the number of viewers!
When they looked back and made a chart, it looked like a soaring parabolic curve.
“Switch to close-up! Switch to close-up now!” the director urged.
As a result, Wendy’s face was clearly shown on the big screen.
“Oh my gosh! I never knew Cindy was this beautiful!” Wendy’s fans exclaimed. “She’s way more beautiful than Zoe Silverstone!” “Zoe Silverstone’s beauty is all plastic surgery. She didn’t used to look like this. She kept doing a little bit every once in a while, and then gradually became what she is now.” “Even with surgery… she still doesn’t look as good as Cindy..” Chapter 226 Questionable Character “Cindy Clarke’s face looks so naturally beautiful,” said some audience members, overhearing the conversation and laughing.
“Absolutely. We’ve studied this stuff quite a bit, and we can tell if someone’s had work done in a glance. Cindy is genuinely a naturally beautiful woman,” added another.
“Before Cindy revealed her face, Zoe Silverstone’s fans used to say Cindy was ugly. They praised Zoe as if she was the only pretty girl around. I wonder if their faces hurt now,” someone said, laughing.
“I’m not a fan, but I have to admit Cindy Clarke is more beautiful,” someone added. She even rivals some celebrities.
“Heh, now that Cindy’s revealed her face, Zoe can’t be so arrogant anymore. That’s satisfying!” another person exclaimed.
“Now, it’s really embarrassing for whoever’s uglier,” someone chimed in.
Zoe Silverstone never expected that, after being forced to the breaking point, Cindy Clarke would take off her mask!
“Are you satisfied now?” Cindy said coldly, with a hint of mockery in her eyes.
She had already made her decision, but there’s a huge difference between choosing something for herself and being forced by Zoe Silverstone. Indeed, she was going to reveal her face sooner or later – she couldn’t hide forever.
But if she had chosen for herself, she would have had the opportunity to pick a better time.
Not like this, forced by Zoe Silverstone.
Cindy stared coldly at Zoe, not hiding her disgust at all.
However, nobody thought that she was in the wrong.
Who could keep their temper after being pushed and provoked by Zoe like that?
Considering she hadn’t slapped Zoe yet, her manners were exemplary.
Zoe never thought that Cindy would be this beautiful.
Although she didn’t want to admit it, she couldn’t deny that Cindy was truly stunning.
So stunning that it made Zoe jealous!
Before Cindy showed her face, Zoe had always thought she was ugly and deliberately cultivated an air of mystery.
And now, this was the result!
“I’ve cleared up your suspicions about my face,” Cindy said coldly. “Now, you’re questioning my cooking skills, right?” “In fact, I anticipated it. I entered this competition because you hired an online troll army to discredit my cooking skills, saying that I didn’t dare to reveal my face because I’m ugly, and that my cooking is terrible. You even claimed that I hired someone else to do the cooking for me,” Cindy continued.
Many in the audience were still unaware of the truth.
“So, I came here to prove myself,” Cindy said with a cold chuckle. “During the auditions, I ranked 11th, while you barely advanced, ranking 50th.” “Today, I won first place, and you were eliminated,” Cindy’s every word was like a slap to Zoe’s face.
“Now, you’re discontented and questioning the competition results and the judges’ professionalism,” Cindy said coldly.
Zoe’s face turned red in anger, “Don’t try to put words in my mouth! I didn’t question the judges!” “I got a total of 911 votes, with 30 of them from the judges. The audition results were also determined by the judges. So, by questioning the legitimacy of my scores, aren’t you questioning the judges?” Cindy suddenly raised her voice.
“Out of the 1000 audience votes and 50 judges’ votes on the scene, I received 90 audience votes. Are you saying my scores are inflated? Who inflates their scores by only 9%? You claim that the audience only tried my cuisine because it’s trendy, but even if they did, only 90 people followed?” “I understand you’re unsatisfied with losing, but casually denying my achievements, my abilities, and even slandering me and the judges – that shows a problem with your character..” Chapter 227 In The End, She Is Discredited and Disgraced “Her morals are questionable.” Some audience members were discussing, “Otherwise, how could she have bought people to slander Cain Velman before?
Now that Velman has proved himself, she’s up to trouble again.” “She lacks the ability, she should accept her loss.” “Velman was ranked 11th in the auditions before, which was determined by the judges’ scores and today’s scene is not the same. Since Zoe Silverstone questioned it, she involved the judges, and now she refuses to admit it.” Cindy Clarke’s fans said, “Has Zoe Silverstone got the nerve to think Cain Velman’s score is rigged? I wonder who was drawing customers by flaunting their looks before. Cain Velman has been wearing a mask all along, solely relying on his cooking skills. Silverstone, on the other hand, was just fluttering around with her flirty demeanor.” “Exactly! If Cain Velman had shown his face earlier, what business would Silverstone have? She wouldn’t be able to get any votes.” “Cain Velman, stop trying to sidestep,” Silverstone grumbled angrily.
How could Cindy Clarke manage to change the audience’s impression with just a few words?
The one who exploited backstage connections was Cindy Clarke, but now it turned out to be she who is immoral!
“Do you dare to let us all taste it now? If it really tastes good, then I will admit it!” Silverstone said.
“Absurd!” Wesley Gordon said grimly, “Is this major competition held by you? Do whatever you want? Just because you don’t admit defeat, should we change the rules and start over again? Where do you put the rules of our competition?” Billy Houston hurried to terminate the live broadcast of the competition.
The reason he didn’t terminate it immediately was because Zoe Silverstone had already spoken.
If he had immediately terminated the broadcast, it would have made people suspect that there was something fishy about the competition. No matter the truth, suspicion usually falls first on the side of power.
So, Billy Houston didn’t terminate it immediately.
But now, Zoe Silverstone’s proposal has become a farce.
How so?
If she was dissatisfied with the rule of the competition, should it be re-established by her?
However, Billy Houston was stopped by Adrian Zhekova.
“Master Adrian?” Billy Houston looked at Adrian Zhekova in confusion.
Adrian Zhekova said softly: “No need to terminate.” He looked at Cindy Clarke on the stage.
Seeing her calm demeanor, he knew that Cindy Clarke had her own way of dealing with this matter.
So, Adrian Zhekova smiled and said, “If Zoe Silverstone is willing to boost the viewer ratings of our competition, let her make a fuss. If she ends up discredited in the end, she has only herself to blame.” Billy Houston was taken aback, “But Cindy Clarke…” Is it really okay for Adrian to let Zoe do as she pleases?
What if Cindy suffers a setback?
If this goes on, even if Zoe Silverstone doesn’t gain anything, Cindy must be affected considerably.
It’s inevitable that some people will side with Zoe Silverstone, thinking that Cindy is not good.
Adrian Zhekova didn’t expect that Billy Houston would have some insight.
He could actually see that his relationship with Cindy was not ordinary.
So why didn’t he ask him earlier when he had asked him? Feigning ignorance when he knew the truth is ridiculous!
Adrian Zhekova’s face immediately fell.
Billy Houston:
What happened to the scumbag CEO?
What did he say wrong?
He didn’t say anything at all!
Adrian Zhekova said: “No need to worry, she knows what she’s doing.” in response to Billy Houston’s frustration.
Saying this, he looked back at Cindy Clarke on the stage.
Cindy Clarke didn’t look at him, nor did she seek his help.
She just had an amused, self-confident look on her face, it seemed she had thought about how to deal with it.
If that’s the case, Adrian Zhekova decided to leave this stage to Cindy Clarke and not to interfere for the time being..
Chapter 228 Special Treatment Zoe Silverstone took advantage of people’s sympathy for the underdog, and stubbornly said, “What? Are you feeling guilty now, so you’re afraid and using the major competition to suppress me?” “Having a rematch or changing the competition system to start over isn’t realistic,” Cindy Clarke said, “Besides, there’s no problem with the current competition system. The competition is designed from the diners’ perspective, as a chef’s cuisine is meant to be enjoyed by them, right? Their satisfaction is what matters.” “Moreover, today’s audience wasn’t specially pre-selected, but rather randomly picked from ticket purchasers,” Cindy continued, “If this still seems unfair to you, it must be that any competition you don’t win is considered unfair.” “You want me to prove my culinary skills to you, as if participating in the competition isn’t enough? I have to demonstrate it to you again,” Cindy added.
“That’s too bullying,” one of the audience members remarked.
“Exactly! Why should she have to prove herself to her? It’s as if she thinks she’s all that,” chimed in another.
On stage, Zoe Silverstone couldn’t hear the murmurs from the crowd.
Cindy said, “I can prove my skills to you and make sure you’re convinced. But if this time, because of your questioning, regardless of whether it’s directed at me, the system, or the judges, I satisfy your demand, does that mean other contestants can cause chaos later on just because they’re unhappy with the competition rules?” “If everyone starts following suit, causing scenes during live broadcasts just because they’re sore losers, even if they’re eventually proven wrong, the drama has already taken place. Should we still hold the competition if this happens every time?” Cindy questioned.
“Indeed.” Adrian Zhekova left Billy Houston and walked on stage.
Cindy didn’t expect Adrian Zhekova to actually step up like that.
As the CEO of the Pingla Group, he had even more authority to speak onstage than Billy Houston.
Adrian Zhekova stood beside Cindy. Though he was supposedly facing all the contestants, the audience couldn’t help but feel that he was there to shield Ciliuy.
He positioned himself so that Cindy was almost entirely enveloped by his silhouette.
He protected her firmly.
Strangely enough, the scene of the two of them together was incredibly harmonious.
As the audience grew somewhat dazed, Adrian Zhekova said, “Zoe Silverstone wants proof? Fine. We’ll give her this opportunity. But this happens only once, never again. If anyone else thinks they can act like Zoe Silverstone and resort to slandering the judges and competitors just because they’re sore losers, in an attempt to receive special treatment, I’m sorry, but that’s impossible! You will be immediately disqualified from the competition.” “By participating in the competition, it means you’ve accepted its rules. You’ve already agreed to them, and now you’re trying to back out—the racecourse isn’t a place for you to mess around. So from now on, no more exceptions will be made.” Sheldon Rowland thought to himself that the scumbag CEO’s move was really ruthless.
Zoe Silverstone kept saying that Cindy Clarke was getting special treatment.
Everyone could suspect it, but there was still no concrete evidence.
Yet now, Adrian Zhekova had personally taken the stage and stated that Zoe Silverstone was indeed receiving special treatment.
Even if her demands were met this time, no one else could expect to receive the same concession as Zoe Silverstone in the future.
Anyone who raised questions later on would be sent away straightaway. Whether Cindy Clarke received special treatment or not remained unknown to the audience.
But as for Zoe Silverstone’s special treatment, the proof was clear for all to see..
Chapter 229: Almost Brainwashed Adrian Zhekova looked at Zoe Silverstone, his expression a mix of a smile and subtle mockery: “Miss Silverstone, the major competition has made an exception just for you this time.” Everyone: ‘ .
It didn’t sound like a good thing at all.
Zoe Silverstone: ‘ Could the situation be the same as with Cindy Clarke?
Adrian Zhekova kept saying they made an exception for her, but she couldn’t feel happy about it.
“How do you want to prove it?” Adrian Zhekova asked Cindy Clarke again.
Cindy raised her head to look at him and saw Adrian nodding at her.
In front of so many people, Adrian couldn’t show any particular favoritism towards Cindy.
He couldn’t even afford to give her a gentle smile, as he had to hold back because of his concerns.
If he did, it would confirm the suspicion of Cindy getting in through the back door.
But in reality, Cindy had made it this far on her own merit.
Cindy took a deep breath and said loudly, “I can make more, but who gets to taste them needs careful consideration.” “There are too many people in the audience, and it’s not realistic to give every one of them a portion,” Cindy said. “To let the judges taste it, you think it’s unfair. Moreover, the five judges have already expressed their opinions just now, and it would be the same even if they tasted it again.” “Cain Velman, if you have anything to say, just say it already. Stop stirring up trouble and framing me by saying the judges are unfair,” Zoe Silverstone was furious.
Every time Cindy spoke, she did that.
It was almost brainwashing.
“Isn’t what you organized implying exactly that?” Cindy didn’t give Zoe Silverstone a chance to rebut and immediately said, “But if I let the contestants on stage taste, forgive my paranoia, I won’t trust that either. We are all competitors today, so we need to avoid that.” That made sense.
And even the contestants on stage agreed.
Moreover, Cindy spoke quite euphemistically, allowing everyone to save face.
So no one felt uncomfortable after listening to her.
“So, what exactly do you want? Is there nobody suitable after so much consideration?” Zoe Silverstone sneered, “After all the talking, you still don’t dare. If you don’t dare, just say it outright! Stop pretending!” “That’s why I’d like to invite the 10 contestants from Pingla Academy who didn’t take the stage today and directly entered the top 30 to be the tasters,” Cindy said.
After the surprise, everyone realized that this was indeed the best choice so far.
“Today, the 10 people from Pingla Academy did not participate in the competition. They have no interests or personal stakes on today’s Racecourse and can provide a fair evaluation,” Cindy explained.
“Also, the 10 of them are the most outstanding students in Pingla Academy this year. From the auditions’ results alone, you can see they are far ahead of us in terms of scores,” Cindy continued, “With that level of skill, they naturally carry equal pride.” “They have the confidence to believe that we won’t be able to catch up, so regardless of who wins, it won’t affect them in any way,” Cindy looked at Pingla’s 10 representatives in the VIP audience seats.
“Isn’t that right?” Cindy asked.
Apparently, among the 10 participants from Pingla Academy, the one whose decision mattered the most was Parker Honi, who ranked first.
Pingla Academy was known for its standard of strength above all else.
Parker Honi didn’t even look at the others; he seemed to be long used to being their spokesperson.
Seeing Cindy looking at him, Parker nodded and said, “That’s right. We don’t care who wins or loses in today’s competition..” Chapter 230: That’s Asking for Trouble Speaking out, not afraid of offending others, this is confidence, the posture of the strong.
No matter who wins, it poses no threat to them.
Not just Parker Honi, but the other nine contestants also have an indifferent attitude and even a few of them are expressionlessly amused.
Obviously, at this moment, the competition on the field and matters concerning Zoe Silverstone weren’t even on their radar.
Then Cindy Clarke turns around and asks Adrian Zhekova again. “So. can I ask these ten contestants to taste and evaluate?” Cindy Clarke looks at Zoe Silverstone, “These ten contestants, like us, are competitors, and there’s no reason for them to favor anyone.” Zoe Silverstone looks at the ten contestants, and they all have an unconcerned look.
“If you still think it’s unfair, then you might as well leave. Whatever you say, I don’t care anymore. I don’t have the patience to keep up with your drama,” Cindy Clarke said coldly.
“Fine!” Zoe Silverstone was forced to this point, even if she didn’t want to agree, she had no choice, “Then let these ten contestants be the judges.” Cindy Clarke turns to Adrian Zhekova and asks, “Is that alright?” Adrian Zhekova nods, “This is a very good solution.” Adrian Zhekova then says to the Five Judges, “This time, I have crossed the line.” Cindy Clarke also quickly apologizes, “I’m sorry, I’m the one who caused the trouble.” “It’s not your fault.” Wesley Gordon was the most straightforward person, “We wouldn’t be in this situation if some people didn’t trust us, five judges. Your approach is excellent. If even your competitors acknowledge you, I don’t think any one else can say anything.” Rosaline Parker doesn’t hesitate to say, “If they still have something to say, then they’re looking for trouble.” Rosaline Parker didn’t even vote for Cindy Clarke.
Seeing even her saying that now, it’s clear how much she dislikes Zoe Silverstone.
After discussing with Billy Houston, Grace Green goes on stage and tells the audience, “Dear audience, we are very sorry for the sudden change in today’s live broadcast, causing the originally scheduled conclusion at 6 pm to be extended, wasting everyone’s time.” “To ensure the fairness and openness of the competition, after consultation, due to the time constraints of the TV station, the live broadcast has been terminated. However, the live broadcast on various video platforms continues, ensuring the audience present and those watching the live broadcast on the Internet can see the final result.” [Zoe Silverstone, please leave, you’re making a mess here.] [A good live broadcast has been turned into a farce by Zoe Silverstone.] [I didn’t expect Zoe Silverstone to be this kind of person.] Zoe Silverstone, of course, is unaware of the audience’s current assessment of her.
Besides her fans, no one has a good impression of her anymore.
Zoe Silverstone was a little unsure, but then she thought that the ten contestants from Pingla Academy were just judging Cindy Clarke’s cuisine and not comparing hers to Cindy Clarke’s, so what did she have to worry about? Zoe Silverstone genuinely lacks confidence, she knows she’s not all that good.
But does Cindy Clarke have no shortcomings?
She doesn’t believe it!
The ten contestants go on stage, and Cindy Clarke makes some more Skewers.
First, they taste the Skewers grilled by Cindy Clarke.
None of the ten contestants immediately give their opinions. Parker Honi asks the judges, “Can we taste the dishes made by the other two contestants who have just been voted and selected by the Five Judges?” “Yes,” Michael Greene nods.
As a result, Larry Bennett and Natalie Campbell, who were ranked second and third, also made several portions of Fried Chicken and Wheel Pie..