Ch. 461..470
Chapter 461 I’ll Handle the Rest “What do you have against Cindy Clarke?” Iris Doone asked, puzzled.
Initially, her relationship with Cindy Clarke was just a competitive one, and there was no deep grudge between them.
However, they were particularly jealous in their competition.
But because of the last competition, Iris Doone had become an enemy of Cindy Clarke.
Surprisingly, Cindy Clarke had quite a few enemies.
This was the rhythm of making enemies everywhere.
Eleanor Ward didn’t hide anything and said directly, “Because of her, my father was removed from his position as Dean! I was humiliated, my friend…” Eleanor Ward thought of Ian Morris, “My friend was also belittled by her and left with nothing good. I can’t stand her arrogant and domineering look. Relying on Adrian Zhekova’s support, she does whatever she wants and plays with others!” Iris Doone said in surprise, “You know Adrian Zhekova and her relationship?” “Of course, I even saw them walking around the shopping mall and having dinner together,” Eleanor Ward said without thinking.
“It was because of Adrian Zhekova that my father was replaced as Dean,” Eleanor Ward said resentfully.
When Iris Doone heard that Eleanor Ward was a doctor earlier, she guessed that Eleanor’s father was probably the Dean of the Hospital.
“Others may fear Adrian Zhekova’s power, and my father could only accept being removed as Dean. Unless Adrian Zhekova stops pursuing the matter in the future, there might be a chance for my father to return. But for now, there is no hope,” Eleanor Ward said angrily.
“I can’t do anything to Adrian Zhekova,” Eleanor Ward continued, “but if we join forces, we can get Cindy Clarke off the racecourse. What can Adrian Zhekova do about it?” Iris Doone was swayed and, seeing Eleanor Ward’s attitude, didn’t think she was just fishing but actually hated Cindy Clarke.
“What do you say?” Eleanor Ward asked. “If you agree, I’ll tell you what Cindy Clarke plans to do today. As for the rest, you should know better than me how to handle it. After all, in terms of culinary competition, you are the professional.” Iris Doone quickly weighed the pros and cons in her heart.
Looking at Zoe Silverstone’s current situation, Iris Doone felt that she was also in danger.
Since that’s the case, why not take a gamble and bring down Cindy Clarke first?
“Okay,” Iris Doone made up her mind and said, “You tell me, I’ll handle the rest.” “I heard she plans to make Yellow Croaker in Soup,” Eleanor Ward said.
Iris Doone’s eyebrows twitched, and she didn’t expect Cindy Clarke to choose to make Yellow Croaker in Soup!
Many restaurants offer a simplified version, but she felt that Cindy Clarke definitely wouldn’t make a simplified dish.
However, she didn’t expect Cindy Clarke to choose such a challenging dish.
Moreover, this dish was also Michael Greene’s signature dish. Cindy Clarke was basically challenging Michael Greene!
“How do you know?” Iris Doone asked.
Cindy Clarke didn’t choose any other options, but instead decided to cook Yellow Croaker in Soup.
Was she stupid or truly that confident in her cooking skills?
“I found out through my ways.” Eleanor Ward said, “The organizers asked the contestants to submit a list of ingredients to them. In case some contestants need certain ingredients, and the organizers don’t have them prepared during the competition, which would be quite embarrassing.” “Based on the list of ingredients submitted by Cindy Clarke, we can deduce that she’s going to make this dish.” Not only the judges could infer, but some meddlesome staff members would also guess.
In the past, even if the news leaked, the contestants would hear about it.
However, since the rules of each competition were different, even if you knew what certain contestants were going to cook, you wouldn’t know how the next round would be played.
Chapter 462 What Kind of Beautiful Dream Are You Having?
Therefore, knowing the cuisine of the competitors isn’t actually very useful.
So, there have been leaks in the past, but nothing ever really came of it.
It’s not that the organizers haven’t thought about the possibility of loopholes being exploited, but it’s just unavoidable.
Where there are people, there will always be those looking for ways to exploit loopholes.
There is no such thing as a perfect competition format or set of rules.
They can only be continuously improved based on various situations.
In response to this, the organizers’ solution is to constantly change the rules and format of each match.
Players won’t know how the next round will be played.
As a result, not only can the players be caught off guard, creating a sense of drama in the competition, but it can also keep the audience feeling fresh and constantly increase their expectations.
For this reason, even if someone guesses the player’s cuisine, it won’t make much of a difference.
But this year, there is Iris Doone, who only targets Cindy Clarke regardless of any other competitor.
Whether it’s about competing or not, she just can’t stand seeing Cindy being successful.
No matter how the format changes, Iris just wants to target Cindy.
“If you don’t believe me, forget it, I’ll find other ways,” Eleanor Ward said coldly.
Eleanor was getting frustrated with Iris’s continuous suspicions.
“Wait,” Iris immediately said, “I’ll believe you.” “Leave the rest to me,” Iris said.
Eleanor looked around to make sure no one was there, and then quickly left.
Iris left quickly as well.
Although she wasn’t confident about making the Yellow Croaker in soup, she knew the methods and ingredients required.
She went to the food storage room to check, and sure enough, all the ingredients needed to make Yellow Croaker in soup were there.
Seeing that, Iris thought that what Eleanor said might be true.
Iris looked at the ingredients, and ideas started forming in her mind.
Cindy and Morgan Zhekova followed Adrian Zhekova to the family mansion first.
Because ever since little Morgan video called the Old Master on Friday, his adorable and clever manner had deeply imprinted in the Old Master’s heart.
Even when he went to sleep at night, he dreamt of the child holding his face asking, “Great Grandfather, am I cute?” In the dream, the Old Master happily nodded repeatedly, “Cute! Cute!” The Old Master was so delighted in his dream that he talked in his sleep.
He chuckled “Hehehe,” waking up the Old Madam.
The Old Madam was very curious what kind of indecent dream the Old Master was having, causing him to laugh like that.
However, the Old Madam didn’t wake up the Old Master, but endured her sleepiness, groped for her mobile phone by the pillow, and recorded his laughter.
The next morning, as soon as the Old Master opened his eyes, he heard the Old Madam ask, “What kind of dream did you have last night that made you laugh out loud?” “How could that be!” The Old Master denied, “I sleep very soundly, and I don’t talk in my sleep. How could I possibly laugh out loud?” “Tsk!” The Old Madam sneered, “I knew you wouldn’t admit it. Luckily, I had the foresight to record it. Here, listen to how lewd your laugh was. What kind of sweet dream did you have?” Who would have thought that the old man, at this age, still had such fanciful thoughts?
“It really was a sweet dream.” Seeing that the Old Madam shamelessly recorded him, the Old Master simply admitted, “I dreamt that little Morgan held his face and asked me if he was cute.” Chapter 463 It Must Be Inherited from Cindy “You’re good at dreaming.” Old Madam was a little jealous that she couldn’t dream about the lovely Morgan Zhekova.
“Let’s bring Morgan over.” Old Master sat up excitedly, “Cindy Clarke has a competition today, right? Morgan wants to go too.” “Let’s let Adrian Zhekova bring both mother and daughter directly, and then we’ll leave together from here for the competition,” said Old Master.
“I think that’ll work.” Old Madam clapped her hands in agreement.
The couple already woke up early, and now they couldn’t sleep at all.
Old Master excitedly called Adrian Zhekova.
At this time, Adrian Zhekova was still sleeping soundly while holding Cindy Clarke.
Ever since he had the fragrant and soft Cindy Clarke to hold while he slept, Adrian Zhekova never woke up early to work on weekends again.
He was sleeping so soundly when his mobile phone suddenly rang, startling him awake.
Cindy Clarke instinctively burrowed into Adrian Zhekova’s arms.
The mobile phone was so noisy.
She hummed before burying her face into Adrian Zhekova’s chest.
Seeing her unconsciously act so coquettishly, Adrian Zhekova’s heart softened.
He lowered his head to kiss Cindy Clarke’s forehead and quickly picked up the phone.
Seeing the screen clearly, he said to Cindy Clarke with a slightly hoarse voice, “It’s a call from the family mansion.” Cindy Clarke immediately pricked up her ears.
Adrian Zhekova was amused by her reaction and pecked her on the tip of her ear.
Her ears, still covered with soft fuzz, trembled slightly.
Adrian Zhekova finally picked up the phone with a smile.
“Adrian,” Old Master’s exceptionally energetic voice came from the mobile phone.
“Grandfather.” Adrian Zhekova’s voice was still heavy with sleep.
Old Master naturally heard it: “Are you still sleeping?” “Of course, Grandfather, while you two wake up early, we don’t get up that early,” Adrian Zhekova said.
“I’ll just say one thing and hang up,” Old Master said, “You and Cindy Clarke bring Morgan to the family mansion. We’ll leave the mansion in the afternoon to send Cindy Clarke to the competition.” “Alright, that’s it. Go back to sleep.” After saying this, the Old Master hung up the phone.
He didn’t give Adrian Zhekova any chance to speak, let alone object.
Adrian Zhekova:
By now, Cindy Clarke had also sobered up and asked, “Was that Grandfather’s call?” “He wants us to bring Morgan to the family mansion. After we leave the mansion, we’ll send you to the racecourse,” Adrian Zhekova laughed, “It seems that both of them were charmed by Morgan.” Cindy Clarke couldn’t help but laugh, “What time is it now?” Adrian Zhekova looked at the mobile phone again, his face darkening, “It’s only five-thirty.” Cindy Clarke:
Adrian Zhekova held Cindy Clarke: “Let’s continue sleeping. We can still make it to the family mansion if we wake up at nine.” Cindy Clarke thought for a moment, anyway, Morgan hadn’t woken up yet.
So they continued to sleep.
In the end, the two of them woke up a little after eight-thirty, not quite nine.
After freshening up, Cindy Clarke told the little one that the old couple missed him and that they would go to the family mansion first before heading to the racecourse together.
Little Morgan listened, swinging his head happily, “Ah, my personal charm is just irresistible.” “That’s true.” Adrian Zhekova carefully examined the little guy and nodded in agreement.
Morgan was surprised that Adrian Zhekova agreed with his words. This was really rare.
But then Morgan heard Adrian Zhekova say, “After all, he inherited my genes.” On this point, Morgan just couldn’t agree.
He puffed up his little face and said crisply, “No way, my being likable definitely comes from Cindy.” Adrian Zhekova:
Chapter 464 Do you guys miss me?
His words genuinely left him at a loss for a retort.
Not that he couldn’t, rather he dared not.
If he did counter, wouldn’t that imply that Cindy Clarke was not likable?
That was evidently false.
How likable Cindy Clarke is!
Adrian Zhekova was thoroughly silenced by Morgan Zhekova, that cunning little fox, with nothing to say.
Thus, Cindy quickly prepared breakfast.
After the three of them had breakfast, they set off for the family mansion.
Since it wasn’t their first visit and they were family, Butler Howard didn’t specially come out to greet them.
He just opened the door for them and let them in on their own.
The elderly couple was still in the Main Hall. From afar, before they saw Morgan, they heard the cute voice of the little fellow: “Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother, did you miss me?” Only when these words rang out did the elderly couple see the little fellow come into sight.
His two tiny legs were lifted high trying strenuously to step over the high threshold connecting the courtyard.
Then he hurriedly dashed towards the Main Hall.
The elderly couple could no longer hold it in and both rose to walk towards the doorway.
The little fellow just reached the doorway too.
Stepping over the threshold with effort, for his tiny little legs, the height of the Entrance Hall was almost as tall as his legs.
The effort it took to step over the threshold was almost like him sitting directly on it.
Thus, the little fellow just managed to step in one leg, when the rushing Old Master scooped him up.
The little fellow was startled. The old man was aged, he didn’t expect him to still be pretty vigorous.
“Oh my, my little cutie!” As soon as Adrian and Cindy entered, they heard the Old Master speaking to Morgan in this way.
Cindy’s face took on a startled expression.
Previously, when they asked the Old Master to say these words, he seemed quite uncomfortable and reluctant.
But just a few days later, today he readily started saying it even before Morgan had the chance to tease him.
As Cindy heard him, she felt somewhat cringey.
Morgan already felt the Old Master’s affection deeply, and immediately nestled half of his face close to the Old Master’s lips: “Then you shouldn’t delay planting a kiss on your little cutie!” “Yes! Alright, alright.” The Old Master hastily nodded, and promptly kissed the little one’s cheek.
“Great Grandmother, did you miss me?” Even in the Old Master’s embrace, the little fellow couldn’t stay quiet and leaned to ask the Old Madam standing by.
The Old Madam responded with a beaming smile: “Missed you, of course I did, I missed you a lot.” The little fellow right away stretched out his arms to the Old Madam requesting a cuddle: “Then why don’t you hug me quickly?” Cindy worried that the weight of the little fellow could be a bit too much for the Old Madam to bear.
She was thinking about whether to voice her worry, fearing that speaking up may dampen the Old Madam’s enthusiasm.
It was rare for the Old Madam to be so intimate with Morgan.
But before Cindy could voice her concerns, the Old Madam had already enveloped Morgan in her embrace.
The Old Madam’s manner was simply akin to snatching him away.
Thus, the moment the Old Master’s embrace was empty, the little fellow landed in the Old Madam’s embrace.
The little fellow promptly extended the other half of his face to the Old Madam: “Kiss me too.” Was she truly missing him?
Why does he have to remind her to kiss him?
The Old Madam promptly puckered up her lips and planted a kiss on the other cheek of the little fellow.
A satisfied Morgan, holding his face, said: “Great Grandmother, better put me down quickly. I’m a big kid now, very heavy.” Truth be told, the Old Madam really felt Morgan was a bit heavy.
He felt quite hefty in her embrace, she hadn’t set him down only because of her love for Morgan, which compelled her to hold on.
The Old Madam quickly put him down and said to Cindy: “We, your grandfather and I, will attend the competition this afternoon.” Chapter 465: Suffer a bit for my own biological father.
“Good.” Cindy Clarke laughed, “I will definitely try my best.” “What are you planning to cook today?” the Old Madam asked curiously, “I still remember the topic mentioned by the judges at the end of the last competition.” “I’m planning to cook Yellow Croaker in soup.” Cindy said.
“Oh, I wonder if the audience will get a chance to taste it today?” The Old Madam asked with anticipation.
Cindy knew that there wasn’t a famous dish that the Old Madam hadn’t tried yet.
Especially with the Zhekova family running a food empire with many renowned chefs and diverse signature dishes. The Old Madam must have tried plenty of those.
But she was still so excited about her cuisine.
Touched, Cindy smiled and said, “Even if you can’t taste it at today’s competition, I can cook it for you when I get back home. After hearing the judges’ comments, I would know what needs to be improved. I am confident it will taste better, and then serve it to you.” “That sounds great, that sounds great.” The Old Madam nodded with a smile.
With this in mind, the dishes judged by the panelists could merely be considered as defective items.
The level instantly dropped.
After having lunch at the family mansion, everyone headed for the Racecourse together.
The youngest one, Morgan Zhekova, was taken by the grandparents in their car.
Cindy then had no choice but to go with Adrian Zhekova alone.
Adrian realized that he rarely had the chance to be alone with Cindy.
There’s nothing he could do about it, since Morgan at home draws much attention.
Morgan herself already has quite a strong presence, has taken away a lot of Cindy’s attention, and yet, she still seems eager to grab even more attention.
As a result, the time he got to spend alone with Cindy was fleeting.
This time, both were sitting alone in the car, as Cindy needed to head to the Racecourse to prepare for the contest beforehand.
The Old Madam thought it would be better to be well-prepared, so she decided to leave a bit earlier.
So, there was plenty of time to leave.
Adrian didn’t hurry to start the car. He stepped in the car, heaved a sigh of satisfaction and said, “Finally, the kid isn’t here.” Cindy gave Adrian a glance, wondering what he meant by ‘that kid’.
Morgan was his son!
Adrian paused for a moment and hurriedly explained, “Morgan is adorable, and we all like him. But isn’t our situation special? The way we fall in love is quite different from others.” “When people are in love, they share their world with each other. But for us, our sequence was a bit different. We had a child first, then fell in love. We barely had the chance to be alone together.” Adrian said pitifully, making Cindy lose her temper.
“There are so many things we couldn’t say or do in front of Morgan.” he was so repressed.
“It’s a rare opportunity for us to be alone together, so of course I’m happy.” Adrian reached out, took Cindy’s hand into his palm and gently squeezed it for a while.
His fingers threaded through hers, becoming tangled together.
As if he and Cindy were tangled together, inseparable.
His thumb gently rubbed the back of her thumb and suggested, “How about we send Morgan to stay with the grandparents for a few days?” After all, the grandparents did adore Morgan deeply.
Adrian had never considered sending Morgan to his parents’.
If he did, Victoria Wheeler would ask Maverick Zhekova every day, who he loved more?
Thinking of that scenario, Adrian felt sympathy for his poor father.
Thinking again, he’d better not put Maverick in that situation.
So, Adrian had never thought about sending Morgan to stay with his parents for a few days.
Chapter 466: Madly Shifting the Blame to the Pot Moreover, even if he is sent to the family mansion, Victoria Wheeler would probably rush over immediately and ask the Old Madam who she prefers.
Cindy’s gaze wavered, slightly off-balance.
She guiltily found that she actually thought Adrian Zhekova’s plan was feasible!
Of course, she loved little Morgan very much.
But sometimes she wanted to have some alone time with Adrian Zhekova.
When she was with Adrian Zhekova, sometimes the atmosphere between them was especially sweet, but then the little guy would suddenly pop up.
Disrupting the atmosphere between the two was trivial, but every time it gave her a fright, her heart pounding in a very awkward manner.
She and Adrian Zhekova hadn’t really experienced a romantic honeymoon period yet.
Seeing that Cindy was also intrigued, Adrian Zhekova continued to persuade: “Isn’t it feasible? The elderly also love little Morgan so much. Just bringing him here for a few days is no big deal, not like he’s staying here permanently. We could even bring Morgan to the family mansion every week, and the elderly certainly wouldn’t have enough of him.” “But Morgan still needs to go to nursery school during the week,” Cindy added.
“That’s easy, the family mansion has a driver who could take him to the nursery,” Adrian Zhekova said, “Of course, we could also bring Morgan over every weekend. It’s just perfect since Morgan doesn’t have to go to the nursery, and the elderly can play with him!” Cindy:
Why did it feel like Adrian Zhekova was frantically passing the buck?
“When Morgan goes to nursery school on Monday, Cleave Roland can pick him up after school. Isn’t that perfect?” Adrian had thought the whole plan through.
He added, “We don’t have to bring Morgan over every week. Sometimes we can bring him for a few days, then we don’t have to bring him over every weekend. Sometimes we can take Morgan out for fun or go hiking over the weekend. That’d be great.” Cindy:
She was swayed by Adrian Zhekova’s words.
“So… let Morgan stay over occasionally?” As Cindy spoke, she felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
However, Adrian Zhekova’s words did make sense.
The elderly were really extremely fond of Morgan.
Seeing him only once a week was indeed too short.
Moreover, the elderly were getting older, and they should be spending more time with Morgan.
With this in mind, Cindy’s guilt lightened quite a bit.
“Will you mention it after the competition today?” Adrian Zhekova asked with a grin.
Cindy:
Although she agreed, she hadn’t thought of mentioning it so soon.
They should at least give Morgan a heads-up, right?
Otherwise, if Morgan felt they didn’t want him anymore and found him a nuisance, what would they do?
They had to take Morgan’s feelings into account as well.
Adrian Zhekova suddenly realized his suggestion might be too sudden. If Cindy was distracted during the competition this afternoon thinking about this, it might affect her performance.
So, Adrian Zhekova hastily said: “After the competition is over today, shall we spend the night together at the family mansion?” Cindy looked at him, and Adrian explained: “To celebrate you winning today’s competition, of course. If you win, the elderly will definitely want to celebrate for you. We’ll have a meal together as a family.” Cindy’s heart was touched.
A warm scene of the family having dinner together to celebrate was so heartwarming.
Back when she was in school, she performed well academically.
However, no matter how good her grades were or what awards she received, her family never celebrated for her.
After all, not even a birthday cake was given to someone who didn’t receive celebration or acknowledgment from her family members.
It was always Joshua Clarke who secretly added a dish for her, making sure neither Christy Xenos nor Wendy Clarke would find out.
Chapter 467 My Intuition Is Very Accurate Otherwise, Christy Xenos would criticize Joshua Clarke for being wasteful. Isn’t it just because of her good grades?
Is there any need for such extravagance?
Is it easy for the family to make money?
She doesn’t think about the family at all.
The restaurant business is difficult, and Wendy doesn’t understand the value of money.
Regardless of how much Christy talks, Cindy doesn’t love having them celebrate.
After hearing those words, who would still be in the mood to eat?
She doesn’t even want to eat her meal anymore.
But Wendy is different.
As long as Wendy achieves the slightest success or progress, Christy must praise her to the skies and prepare a large table of delicious food.
The only time Cindy gets to eat cake during the year is when Wendy celebrates her birthday.
Even Christy Xenos and Joshua Clarke’s birthdays don’t involve buying a cake.
Now, hearing Adrian Zhekova say that the whole family is celebrating her.
Cindy thought, no matter what, she must win today’s competition and advance successfully.
She smiled at Adrian Zhekova: “The competition hasn’t even started yet, and you think I can win?” “My intuition is very accurate,” Adrian Zhekova said confidently. “Last time I felt you could win, and you won. This time, I still think you can win. You will definitely win.” “Then you have more confidence than me,” Cindy couldn’t help but laugh.
“You don’t even have this much self-confidence?” Adrian Zhekova asked, raising his brow slightly. “I don’t believe it.” At this moment, a sudden honking sound came from behind.
Adrian Zhekova rolled down the car window to look back, and saw the Old Master sticking his head out of the car behind them and shouting at him, “What are you dawdling for? Get moving! If you delay Cindy’s race, you’ll be sorry!” Adrian Zhekova: “…” “Let’s go,” Adrian Zhekova said helplessly.
He rolled the window back up and drove away.
The Old Master, satisfied, told the driver to start the car.
He turned around and saw Morgan Zhekova holding her face in admiration, staring at him.
The Old Master immediately straightened his back in satisfaction of the little guy’s adoring gaze.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” The Old Master asked, his mouth trembling with repressed joy.
“Great Grandfather, you’re so impressive,” the little girl said, holding her face. “When you roar, Dad obeys immediately. In front of you, he’s very well-behaved.” Morgan believed that the Old Master was a person who could suppress Adrian Zhekova!
“Of course,” the Old Master said with a straight back and unabashedly. “In this family, my words carry the most weight!” The Old Madam didn’t expose him; she just silently sneered.
The Old Master could maintain some dignity in front of Morgan.
Outside, the Old Madam always gave him face.
But after speaking, the Old Master himself felt a little guilty and stealthily glanced at the Old Madam.
Seeing the Old Madam ignoring him, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Great Grandfather, you’re so mighty!” The little child immediately hugged the Old Master’s arm.
The Old Madam looked at them and thought that the little one was really silly.
She still doesn’t know she’s mistaken the person.
Adrian Zhekova dropped Cindy off at the entrance of the racecourse and deliberately parked the car in an inconspicuous spot to avoid being seen by others.
“Good luck in the competition,” Adrian Zhekova said to Cindy.
“Mm,” Cindy nodded heavily, “I’m definitely going to win.” Adrian Zhekova smiled warmly and leaned down to kiss her forehead, “I know you will.” Cindy got out of the car and entered the backstage of the racecourse through the contestant’s passage.
First, she signed in and then proceeded to get prepared.
Chapter 468 PK There were already a few contestants backstage.
It seemed that everyone had come early to prepare to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
But there weren’t many people here yet.
Those who arrived earlier were getting their makeup done.
Cindy Clarke had already shown her face last time, so it didn’t matter this time.
She came without wearing a mask, acting casually.
There was an empty seat.
Cindy sat down and let the makeup artist apply her makeup.
Halfway through, Iris Doone rushed in.
By this time, most of the contestants had already arrived in the makeup room.
When Iris entered, her face was flushed from running, and she greeted everyone with a slightly breathless tone.
“Why did you arrive so late?” Blake Walker asked.
“The traffic was jammed.” Iris glanced at Cindy, “Luckily, I made it.” Cindy didn’t even look at Iris.
After everyone finished their makeup, a staff member came over and said, “You can all go to the food storage room now to check the ingredients. If there are any oversights, please point them out, and we will replenish them immediately.” Allowing all the contestants to check together was to prevent any tampering.
It made each contestant a witness.
So, everyone followed the staff to the food storage room.
The ingredients needed by each contestant were sorted and separated.
Each contestant had a storage area labeled with their name.
They found their own ingredient area according to the name tags.
Cindy came to her ingredients and found that there was an extra piece of shark fin.
She hadn’t asked for this when she submitted her list before.
She didn’t know if it was a mistake by the organizer or if it was just in case.
Cindy was about to tell the staff that she didn’t need the shark fin, but when she turned her head, she saw Iris looking at the ingredients in her storage area.
Cindy looked away and changed her mind about telling the staff.
She took out her mobile phone, slightly angled herself to block Iris’s view, and took a photo of her ingredient storage area.
The photo details also showed the time it was taken.
After that, Cindy left to see the other condiments and ingredients she needed, but kept an eye on Iris.
She saw Iris seemingly inadvertently walk past Cindy’s ingredient storage area.
The staff confirmed with all the contestants one last time.
The contestants all said there were no problems with their ingredients.
Cindy also said the same.
After that, everyone returned to the backstage area.
Not long after, the live stream officially began.
All contestants took the stage.
This time there was no surprise like in the first competition.
Because this time, the stage had the standard cooking stations.
However, the difference was that the cooking stations were paired up.
This way, contestants would face each other two by two while cooking.
“Why is it arranged like this?” Some contestants whispered.
“Are we going to have a PK match?” The contestants stood in three rows on the stage, with ten people in each row.
The host was still Grace Green.
Grace Green came on stage and walked to the front, saying to the audience, “Welcome everyone to watch the second round of the Pingla Culinary Competition. In the last competition, the top ten contestants from the auditions received a bye. The remaining forty contestants competed and eliminated twenty people.” “So, there are a total of thirty contestants in this competition,” Grace Green said, “Standing behind me now are the top thirty chefs in this year’s national youth competition. Congratulations to all of you for entering the national top thirty!” Chapter 469 Terrible Luck Below the stage, congratulatory applause rang out.
“Now, let’s welcome our five judges to announce the rules for today’s competition!” Grace Green continued.
Amidst the audience’s applause, the five judges took the stage.
Michael Greene cast a brief glance at the audience and suddenly felt a twitch at the corner of his eye.
What’s going on?
This time, not only Old Madam and Victoria Wheeler had come but also the Old Master and Maverick Zhekova!
Did the entire Zhekova family come to support Cindy Clarke?
Isn’t this too grand for just a competition?!
“What’s the matter?” Wesley Gordon sensed Michael Greene’s stiffness and asked in a low voice.
With a twitching mouth, Michael Greene replied, “Look at the audience – the entire Zhekova family has gathered.” Apart from Wesley Gordon, the other three judges also heard this and looked at the audience together.
Old Madam was waving at Cindy Clarke on stage.
Morgan Zhekova was sitting on Old Master’s lap, and his laughter made him resemble a fool, as Wesley Gordon observed.
The five judges quickly regained their composure.
Wesley Gordon stepped forward and said, “Congratulations to the 30 contestants who have successfully advanced to the present stage.” “Today’s competition will be even more intense, and the elimination rate will be higher,” Wesley Gordon added.
Upon hearing this, the contestants’ hearts tightened.
Wesley Gordon glanced at Michael Greene, and he continued, “Today’s competition will eliminate 15 contestants, meaning 2-to-1 selection, with a 50% elimination rate.” Everyone was shocked.
Even the audience was buzzing with excitement.
A 50% elimination rate, isn’t that a bit too much?!
By the end of this match, only 15 contestants will remain!
Does it have to be this brutal?
“Next, I’ll explain the rules of today’s match,” Hunter Clarke followed up.
He explained, “Today’s match will be one-on-one. That’s why Michael has said that it will consist of a 2-to-1 selection.” “As for who your opponents will be, that is up to you to decide by drawing lots,” Rosaline Parker said.
All the contestants became even more nervous at this point.
Though everyone here is part of the top 30, and there are no weak contestants on the field, there are still some who are relatively weak and strong.
For example, compared to those under Pingla Academy, Iris Doone is the weakest of the weak.
As a result, everyone considered their ranking among the contestants and the possible position they could reach.
Some could clearly recognize their position, yet others were overly confident, believing they could enter the top 20 no matter what.
At that moment, a staff member brought a box on stage.
“There are 30 balls in this box, each marked with a number from 1 to 15,” Charles Dean said. “Two contestants with the same number will face off against each other. The loser will be eliminated.” This means that relatively weaker contestants, if lucky enough to face even weaker opponents, have a chance to advance as well.
But if two strong contestants face each other, their luck is simply horrible.
And it feels quite unfair to be eliminated, Weak contestants prayed in their hearts that they would draw someone weaker than themselves as opponents.
Meanwhile, strong contestants felt this was unfair.
Wouldn’t it be too unlucky and unfair if they encountered equally strong opponents and got eliminated?
Joseph Tanner immediately asked, “Isn’t this competition format unfair? Strong contestants can easily be eliminated.” Chapter 470 What’s Wrong With It “If they were really strong, how would they be worried about being eliminated?” Wesley Gordon retorted.
Joseph Tanner was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to counter this statement from Wesley Gordon.
Anyway, he just felt that this competition system was not fair.
But what Wesley Gordon said, it’s hard to argue against.
Then Wesley Gordon continued: “If you’re worried about being eliminated, it means you’re not strong enough. If you have absolute confidence in yourself, how could you have such concerns?” Wesley Gordon asked Parker Honi, “Parker Honi, are you worried?” Parker Honi said indifferently, “Of course not.” He didn’t say anything else, but his eyes were clearly saying, “No offense, everyone here is garbage.” This confidence really made people both angry and envious.
Wesley Gordon then asked Leon Hernandez, who was ranked tenth in Pingla Academy, “Leon Hernandez, are you worried about being eliminated?” Leon Hernandez replied briefly and coldly, “No.” Wesley Gordon asked again, “What if you get to compete against Parker Honi? Are you worried about being eliminated then?” Leon Hernandez looked at Wesley Gordon and said, “I’d relish the opportunity.” Wesley Gordon found that he seemed to have asked the wrong person.
Could Leon Hernandez say more than just a few words?
So, Wesley Gordon asked Ava Brown, who was ranked ninth in Pingla Academy.
The little girl had a cute appearance, so she should say more, right?
He asked, “Ava Brown, are you worried about being eliminated?” Ava Brown shook her head, “No.” Her head-shaking manner was indeed adorable, but she didn’t say much else.
“What if you get to compete against Parker Honi?” Wesley Gordon asked.
Ava Brown smiled even cuter, “I’d relish the opportunity.” Wesley Gordon:
He couldn’t believe everyone else would be like this, so he asked Daniel Vahn, who was ranked fifth in Pingla Academy, “Daniel Vahn, are you worried about being eliminated?” Daniel Vahn laughed, “Not at all.” Wesley Gordon’s smile was becoming dangerous, “What if you face Parker Honi then?” Daniel Vahn laughed even more happily, “I’d relish the opportunity.” Wesley Gordon:
What’s wrong with the people of Pingla Academy?!
They’re doing this on purpose, right?!
Couldn’t they say more words?!
Wesley Gordon took a deep breath, reminding himself that this was a live broadcast, and he couldn’t lose his temper!
He wouldn’t ask anyone from Pingla Academy again, so he went to ask Cindy Clarke instead.
Cindy Clarke was ranked eleventh, just behind the people of Pingla Academy.
“Cindy Clarke, are you worried about being eliminated?” Wesley Gordon asked.
At this time, Cindy Clarke’s name card had been changed to her real name, rather than Cain Velman.
Cindy Clarke smiled faintly, “I’m not worried.” “What about if you get to compete against Parker Honi in the same group?” Wesley Gordon asked.
Cindy Clarke wouldn’t be as weird as the people from Pingla Academy and give him the same “I’d relish the opportunity” answer, right!
Through his interactions with Cindy Clarke, Wesley Gordon found her to be quite a normal girl.
The only abnormal thing she did was becoming the fiancée of the scumbag CEO, and somehow tolerating Adrian Zhekova’s temper.
Thinking about this, Wesley Gordon suddenly froze, feeling that he might have been wrong!
How could a person who can tolerate Adrian Zhekova’s bad temper and still like him so much be normal?!
Wesley Gordon suddenly lost hope in Cindy Clarke as well.
So, under Wesley Gordon’s desperate gaze, Cindy Clarke gave him four words, “I’d relish the opportunity.” Wesley Gordon: