"Liu Yu, huh… She's a pretty good kid."
Watching Liu Yu's outstanding performance on stage, Dylan nodded, a look of approval on his face. Although her dish still had many flaws, being able to create a Special Grade Cuisine at this age was, in itself, a manifestation of her talent.
To think the Dark Cooking Society had someone with this kind of talent. No wonder those old geezers sent her over. With a bit of training, she could become a Special Grade powerhouse.
"She is indeed a fine young lady."
Zhou Tai also agreed. She was about the same age as his granddaughter, yet her skill was a whole level higher. She must be exceptionally diligent and hardworking in her daily life.
He would use this girl to motivate Zhou Yuyu later. To be surpassed like this by a peer was quite shameful. He'd see if she dared to keep slacking off in the future!
Thinking of Zhou Yuyu, who had snuck off to have fun, a trace of helplessness flashed across Zhou Tai's face.
That girl was a lot like him in his youth, always wanting to run around, to see the beauty of the world, never able to stay still, or to calm her heart enough to study cooking.
But unlike him, her talent in cooking wasn't particularly outstanding.
His own talent was excellent. Even when he was young and spent his time playing, only dedicating an hour or two a day to cooking, he still became a Special Grade Chef before he turned fifteen.
Later, when he got tired of playing, he settled down and poured all his energy into cooking, quickly breaking through to Five-Star Special Grade, and then soaring straight up to his current level of skill.
But Zhou Yuyu, if she missed the optimal age for learning to cook, she would have to put in much more effort to improve in the future, and her ceiling wouldn't be as high.
Maybe I should leave her here. Suddenly, this idea surfaced in Zhou Tai's mind.
His granddaughter seemed to have taken a fancy to Dylan. Seeing her infatuated look, if she could see Dylan every day, she would probably be more than happy to stay here.
At that time, he could also ask Dylan to discipline her more. Given how well Dylan had trained even ordinary students, guiding his granddaughter shouldn't be a problem.
But how should he bring something like this up?
Zhou Tai fell into deep thought.
"Um, Master Dylan, may I ask you a question?"
Just as Zhou Tai was pondering how to broach the subject, and as Dylan was preparing to get up and leave, Megumi Tadokoro appeared before him. She looked up, her expression a little embarrassed, but she still mustered the courage to ask.
She couldn't help it. Dylan had clearly stated that they needed to rely on their own skills for the competition, to test what they had learned during this period, and that it was best not to ask him for help.
But when a question stays buried in your heart for too long, it can easily turn into a mental block. So, after struggling for a few days, she finally decided to come and ask Dylan.
Even if she ended up getting a lecture, or even dragged into a small room for a spanking and asked if she knew what she did wrong, it would be worth it!
Recalling the time she was worried about Ryōko Sakaki and went to the villa to comfort her, only to walk in on Dylan spanking her, Megumi Tadokoro's face suddenly turned bright red.
However, while it was a very shameful thing, if the one doing the spanking was Dylan, it didn't seem so hard to accept. It might even be a little... exciting…
Aah! What am I thinking?! How could something like that be exciting! If I was actually excited, wouldn't that make me an M?!
"What's wrong? Your face is so red."
Looking at Megumi Tadokoro, who was blushing just from meeting his gaze and couldn't stop her mind from wandering, Dylan showed a puzzled expression, then reached out and gently pinched her cheek.
Mm, it felt soft, with a faint warmth, giving off a strange sensation.
"Mmph…"
Her cheek suddenly pinched, Megumi Tadokoro couldn't speak properly and could only make muffled sounds, her eyes fixed on Dylan, her heart beating a little fast.
"Alright, go ahead and ask what you want to ask. As long as you're not asking about everything from start to finish, one or two questions are fine. After all, being able to get outside help is a skill in itself."
Seeing the girl's conflicted expression, Dylan instantly understood her worries and couldn't help but chuckle.
He had said it was best not to ask him during the competition, but if it was just some basic questions, asking him was no different from searching online. He wouldn't hide the answers to things like that.
The questions he refused to answer were the ones where someone brought him a dish and asked him what needed to be improved and how.
That was true, blatant cheating.
"Actually, it's like this. I'm planning to make a lemon mint salad, and the recipe uses honey, but I keep feeling that maple syrup would be better. To test my idea, I did an experiment. I tried both, and the final flavors weren't that different, but there was a subtle distinction."
Seeing Dylan agree, Megumi Tadokoro's face lit up with joy, and she began to talk animatedly. This had been troubling her for the past few days.
"If it's a cold dish, maple syrup is more suitable for the vegetables. That's because compared to honey, the sweetness of maple syrup is more refreshing. It doesn't have that rich, heavy feeling of honey, which suits fresh vegetables very well."
After a moment's thought, Dylan gave a simple explanation. He had a rough idea of the dish Megumi Tadokoro wanted to make; it was most likely a cold dish with a focus on freshness.
Because both lemon and mint leaves have very refreshing flavors, and the theme Megumi Tadokoro had drawn was 'cold dish', the answer was already obvious.
"I see."
Realization flashed across Megumi Tadokoro's face. The problem that had troubled her for so long was solved so easily. Master Dylan truly is amazing!
"Then I'll be going, Master Dylan."
She glanced at Senzaemon Nakiri and Zhou Tai sitting next to Dylan, knowing they might have things to discuss.
Megumi Tadokoro politely nodded to them, bowed at the waist, and then trotted over to Ryōko Sakaki and Yūki Yoshino, who were waiting for her not far away.
"Let's go, too. Come to my place for a cup of tea."
Watching the three girls' retreating figures, Senzaemon Nakiri's voice sounded, inviting the two to have a cup of tea at his place before leaving.
Dylan thought for a moment and, seeing as he had nothing else to do, nodded in agreement. Zhou Tai, having a favor to ask of him, also went along.
The departure of the three giants made Sonoka Kikuchi, still at the judges' table, pout. She gazed wistfully at Dylan's retreating figure, feeling a bit dejected.
She wanted to leave with Dylan, too!
"Ding!"
A notification chimed. Sonoka Kikuchi looked down at her phone, and the gloom on her face melted away, replaced by a smile. She quickly typed a few words.
"Okay, your humble servant is going to get all clean for you~"
On the screen was a message from Dylan. It basically told her to go to Alice's house first and take a shower; the key was under the doormat. He would take her out on a date in the afternoon.
An invitation from him. In her memory, this had rarely happened.
Almost every time, it was her who missed Dylan, texted him, and asked him to come over and keep her company.
And no matter how busy he was, Dylan would always make time and come over as fast as he could. This was something she was very happy about, because she felt his love in it.
"This girl…"
On the other side, looking at the slightly provocative message on his screen, Dylan chuckled. He had already made plans in his mind for the afternoon date.
…
Liu Yu and Wang Jing walked side by side. Thinking back on the exciting match just now, Wang Jing praised her with a smile. As sisters, she was genuinely happy for her.
"It's just the semi-finals, nothing to make a big deal about. I need to at least get into the top two to attract the attention of the Dark Cooking Society and be seriously cultivated by the leader."
Faced with Wang Jing's congratulations, Liu Yu's expression didn't change. She just shook her head slightly, clearly not satisfied with this result.
She had to go further, to stand at the true summit. Only then would the leader notice her and cultivate her with great effort.
As for why she was so eager for the leader's training, on one hand, it was a chef's pursuit of culinary skill. On the other hand, it was because of her identity.
She was from the Liu family, a culinary clan in Shanghai. To be precise, she *was* once a member of the Liu family. Now, she had long since been cast out, becoming a person without roots.
"One day, I will make you all regret it."
Thinking of the Liu family, a ruthless glint flashed in Liu Yu's eyes, and her fists clenched unconsciously.
Six years ago, on a night of torrential rain, her mother was framed for poisoning the newborn child of the family's main wife, leading to the child's death.
And that child was the Liu family's only male heir, the successor the entire household had eagerly awaited. This made the head of the family at the time furious to the extreme. Completely disregarding any past affection, he threw her and her mother out into the heavy rain.
Even worse, the maids and butler who had once been kind to them, even calling her 'Young Miss,' stripped them of everything that belonged to the Liu family, not allowing them to leave with a single coin.
And because her mother was an orphan and had been a full-time housewife for several years, she was used to spending money lavishly. Suddenly leaving the Liu family with no support, she lost all ability to survive.
It was raining at the time, and they were both hungry. In order for her to eat, her mother ran to a noodle shop and knelt down, begging the owner to give them a bowl of noodles.
The owner was kind-hearted. He hurriedly helped her up and served the mother and daughter two bowls of steaming hot noodles, allowing them to fill their stomachs.
Later on, her mother found a job as a waitress, and she helped out in the restaurant's kitchen, serving tea, pouring water, and cleaning the stoves every day.
Although that period was tough, it was very fulfilling. By watching the master chefs in the kitchen, she secretly learned many things.
But the good times didn't last. One day, the restaurant owner suddenly fired them. They went to several other restaurants in succession, but none of the owners would hire them.
This made them very confused. Later, a kind-hearted owner finally told them the reason, letting them know that the Liu family was behind it.
They were one of the leaders in Shanghai's culinary world, their word was law. Just by expressing their wishes, no restaurant dared to hire them anymore.
After that, her mother took her and left Shanghai. Five years later, she passed away from an illness caused by overwork. By then, the fourteen-year-old her had already begun to make a name for herself in the restaurant.
The main reason she honed her culinary skills so fiercely was to seize the Liu family's enterprise and become the head of Shanghai's number one restaurant, the Qunying Lou.
According to the rules set down by their ancestors, any living member of the Liu family whose culinary skill surpasses that of the head chef can unconditionally inherit the Qunying Lou and gain full ownership of it.
This was the method of revenge she had come up with. As long as her skill reached Three-Star Special Grade, she could surpass that father of hers who listened to slander and abandoned them.
At that time, she would use her absolute skill to take away the thing he was most proud of in his life.
However, with her own ability, reaching Three-Star Special Grade was incredibly difficult. It might take ten, or even twenty years.
Moreover, the current old master of the Liu family, her grandfather, was still alive.
To truly seize Qunying Lou without any future worries, she would need at least a Five-Star Special Grade level of skill.
But she could wait. After all, she had waited for so many years. But she didn't want to wait too long, which was why she joined the Dark Cooking Society.
As long as she could gain Dylan's recognition, even if it was just becoming his nominal disciple, her culinary skills could advance by leaps and bounds, saving a huge amount of time.
This was the main reason she had volunteered to come to Totsuki.
Two hours of guidance from a master teacher is equivalent to a hundred hours of studying on your own. As long as she becomes number one this time, she might be able to stand by Dylan's side…
"I'll be here to support you."
Seeing the hatred in Liu Yu's eyes, Wang Jing gently patted her on the back to comfort her, while speaking words of reassurance.
They knew each other's situations. An all-night chat had made them the best of friends, and they had come to understand each other's past lives.
Honestly, Wang Jing really felt for her. Liu Yu's childhood had been too bitter. It was already a miracle that she had survived to this age.
"Before the new theme is announced, let's relax for a bit. Striking a proper balance between work and rest is the driving force for us to move forward steadily on the path of cooking!"
Stretching lazily, Liu Yu suddenly made a suggestion. One must relax after working hard, or they would burn out sooner or later.
"Mm, speaking of which, we haven't gone swimming in a long time. It seems like a new water park just opened nearby with lots of handsome guys. Wanna go?"
"Do you even have to ask! Who doesn't love eight-pack abs! We'll go to the mall to buy swimsuits first, and after lunch, we'll head over!!"
Hearing Wang Jing's half-joking words, Liu Yu immediately perked up, a "you really get me" expression on her face, before announcing their plan for the afternoon.
"Boss, these eels are pretty fresh! Weigh out two catties for me. I'm making Stir-fried Eel with Hot Oil tonight!"
"You got it!"
In the bustling market, Alice Nakiri carried a shopping basket and stopped in front of a fish vendor. Seeing the still-living eels at the stall, her expression was joyful.
Eels are warm in nature and sweet in taste, with the effects of nourishing qi and blood, warming the yang and strengthening the spleen, and nourishing the liver and kidneys.
Dylan worked so hard on her all the time, and he had to take care of the women outside, too. She had to replenish his strength properly, otherwise it would be bad if he became weak one day.
A woman has to take care of her own man. Those bad women outside don't care about his health at all. All they know is how to take from him, without a single thought for his well-being…
Alice Nakiri, feeling moved by her own thoughtfulness, paid decisively, took the eels from the vendor, and then headed to the next stall.
Last night, Dylan had told her he was taking Sonoka Kikuchi out for a date. She didn't refuse, just clung to him and asked for a few more rounds.
This led to her being too tired to get up in the morning, but it also completely drained Dylan's reserves.
Thinking about last night's frenzy, Alice Nakiri stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, the corners of her mouth turning up in an unconscious smile, as if savoring a memory.
____
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