Chef Hua
Chapter 353: Episode 200: The Cooking Battle (Part 1)_2

Chapter 353: Episode 200: The Cooking Battle (Part 1)_2

"What’s... what’s wrong?" Hua Xiaomai felt uneasy under his intense gaze, lifting her head slightly and frowning.

"I was just thinking..." Han Fengzhi said thoughtfully, "For a master like you, there really is no need to compete with those chefs of varying skills."

"What do you mean by that?" Her heart sank heavily.

Here it comes, just as I feared!

How would Han Fengzhi brush her off next? "With your achievement at the Eight Treasures Conference, there’s no need for you to partake in the event for the distinguished scholars," or perhaps... "Anyway, I just won’t let you pass, who asked you to fall into my hands, hahaha"?

In just a brief moment, she concocted many excuses for Han Fengzhi in her mind, the more she thought about it, the more hopeless she felt, and the corners of her mouth drooped unconsciously. Zhou Yunyun, oblivious to the situation, saw her looking this way and reached out to tug at her sleeve, but she had no mind to care.

Han Fengzhi seemed to completely ignore her reaction and expression, pondered over the menu once more, and smiled with a corner of his mouth: "I think you needn’t bother with the preliminaries, I will add your name directly to the final selection list, saving you some trouble."

Hua Xiaomai’s mind was in chaos, only catching half of his words, and her eyebrows shot up immediately; forgetting her restraint, she exclaimed indignantly, "What gives you the right to bar me from participating? The County Government’s notice clearly states that all establishments under Fuzhe County are eligible to try their hand, on what grounds do you exclude me? You..."

Because she was so irritated, her voice was a bit loud, attracting the attention of people from other booths, who turned their heads to look in their direction. Zhou Yunyun, however, had heard Han Fengzhi’s words clearly and was about to clap her hands in excitement. Seeing Hua Xiaomai fly into a rage, she quickly patted her on the back and whispered, "Master, it’s a misunderstanding, this... this Mr. Han, he wants to let you directly into the final selection!"

What? Hua Xiaomai then realized her mistake, the anger on her face had no time to subside, but her lips were already curling into a smile, making her expression look peculiarly intense.

"But... why?" She still couldn’t quite believe it, fixing her eyes on Han Fengzhi, "My little diner doesn’t rank among the many establishments in Fuzhe County, it’s better to follow the rules, otherwise, inaccuracies might invite unwarranted comments, moreover..."

"Magistrate Tao asked me to oversee this, I believe I have that much authority," Han Fengzhi interrupted her without patience, waving his hand, "You bested me at the Eight Treasures Conference, if you are not among the final five in this event for the distinguished scholars, it won’t just be a joke, it would be a slap in my face. I am also considering my own reputation, you needn’t feel uneasy about this."

He looked around and, seeing countless eyes staring directly at them, raised his voice on purpose and said loudly, "This lady was the champion at last year’s Eight Treasures Conference. If anyone disagrees, they should first go home and see if they are even qualified to participate in the Eight Treasures Conference."

As soon as these words came out, the whispering sound nearby abruptly quieted down significantly, and the venue suddenly fell silent.

Hua Xiaomai was somewhat indecisive, pondering for a moment with her eyes cast down, then showed Han Fengzhi a smile: "Mr. Han, don’t say it like that, I know Provincial City has many famous chefs, and you are among the best. Last year at the Eight Treasures Conference, I was just lucky, and that was how I managed to scrape by..."

"Indeed, now that I think about it, I also feel that your luck was quite remarkable," Han Fengzhi interrupted her, his face growing cold, a gleam flashing in his eyes.

Hua Xiaomai’s heart skipped a beat, not sure what to say. However, a moment later, Han Fengzhi laughed again, his demeanor friendly and pleasant: "You don’t need to be nervous. I have roughly understood the whole situation and the causes and consequences of what happened that day, I am clear that those things had nothing to do with you. It’s just that, losing in such a frustrating manner, I truly can’t reconcile with it—I can allow you to enter the list of the final five, correspondingly, I also hope you can promise me one thing."

Hua Xiaomai didn’t respond, instead, she silently raised her eyes to look at him.

"I need to help with the preliminaries these two days, but I should be more available the day after tomorrow. If you don’t mind, why don’t we agree to a competition then?"

Han Fengzhi was not in a hurry, his voice gentle as he offered this suggestion, his tone so calm it was as if he was discussing with Hua Xiaomai what to have for dinner.

"You want to compete with me?" Hua Xiaomai had not expected him to make this request, her eyebrows involuntarily raised, her expression became somber, and her voice grew steady, "Is there really a need for that?"

"To you, it may be neither here nor there, but to me, it is a distressing matter," Han Fengzhi said with a faint smile, leaning in slightly towards her ear, whispering, "Because I simply never believed that I could lose."

Hua Xiaomai retreated subtly without changing her expression, her demeanor and tone growing even colder: "A culinary competition must have a winner and a loser, only the two of us are present, and in haste, where shall we find a fair judge?"

Han Fengzhi’s smile widened slightly: "My lady, please don’t make such an ignorant remark. Neither of us is a mediocre cook, we’ll both be working on the stove, and once the dishes are served, we’ll know how much weight each of us carries, who is superior and who is inferior. We have our own hearts to judge, why would we need those mediocre judges to do it for us?"

By this point, he narrowed his eyes slightly: "I’ve made myself quite clear at this point, my lady, so I think you should give me an answer, are you willing or not?—Or perhaps I should rephrase the question, do you dare?"

Dare or not? The word "dare" in all its forms is distinctly clear to me!

Hua Xiaomai knew he had harbored this idea for a while, and that he likely wouldn’t let the matter rest if she didn’t agree. More importantly, she herself was also roused by Han Fengzhi’s unabashedly provocative tone, she lifted her chin slightly and pursed her lips: "Since Mr. Han is so intent on competing, I shall reluctantly accompany you for a match, how about that?"(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)