Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 311 - 310: Just to Attract Hatred

Chapter 311: Chapter 310: Just to Attract Hatred

Early morning.

Far Moon Educational Area.

A group of people from Polar Star Dormitory had just gotten off the school bus when they heard students rushing about, discussing something.

Faintly, Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto heard the students mention Instructor Xia more than once. There was only one Instructor Xia at Far Moon School, and it was obvious who that was.

"Isn’t today Monday?"

Xingping Chuangzhen, with his hands in his pockets, felt puzzled.

The previous Saturday, two days ago, Xia Yu had come to Far Moon to teach as usual and even called together more than a dozen excellent students for private tutoring. Xingping Chuangzhen was one of them, and he clearly remembered the excitement he had felt when Xia Yu praised the dish he made during that class.

"Look, look—"

Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoko ran back from the newsstand in the educational area, panting heavily, each clutching a wrinkled food magazine.

Sato, with his blonde slicked-back hair, pointed to the magazine cover, gasping, "Xia, Instructor Xia!"

"What?"

At first, Tanaka Hikari, Shen Liangzi, Morioka Makoto, and Yoshino Yuji were confused, but as they took a closer look and clearly saw the person on the magazine cover, they were all shocked and speechless for a long while.

The cover featured a vibrant young man.

He was dressed in his Xia’s Main Store kitchen uniform, not wearing a chef’s hat, holding a knife in one hand and a spatula in the other. It was undeniable that the photographer’s skills were exceptional; paired with the immaculate kitchen background, the cover looked impressive no matter how you looked at it.

Below the cover was a row of introductory text:

"Xia Yu, sixteen years old, the youngest ’Super Chef’ certified by the IGO organization."

"Far Moon’s special guest lecturer."

"The popular manager and head chef of Xia Restaurant."

Of course, Taste Weekly couldn’t resist the cliché, the cover also featured a big, bold, red headline:

"Neon’s youngest, homegrown Super Chef in history!"

Goodness, in history!

Looking at the picture and then at this headline, Tanaka Hikari, Shen Liangzi, Morioka Makoto, and others were all stunned.

Although Tanaka Hikari, Morioka Makoto, and Xingping Chuangzhen had witnessed Xia Yu passing the Chiyoda assessment with their own eyes, they still felt it was somewhat frivolous and absurd at this moment. "That, that kind of headline, really now?" Morioka Makoto said worriedly.

Tanaka Hikari’s small face crumpled with concern as she clasped her hands and muttered nervously, "I’m afraid it’s going to provoke envy from other chefs."

"It’s not a matter of if, it’s definite!"

Xingping Chuangzhen pulled his hands out of his pockets, clenched them, and let out a loud cry, "Seeing this headline, my blood’s pumping. Neon’s youngest, homegrown Super Chef? I want to skip class right now, rush to the shopping district, and have a proper cooking showdown with that guy! If I defeat him, won’t I be even more amazing than a Super Chef?"

His eyes brimmed with an intense fighting spirit.

"Hey, hey, Xingping, haven’t you lost enough times already, and you still want to challenge Instructor Xia?" Yoshino Yuji rolled her eyes and mocked.

"This time is different!"

Xingping Chuangzhen clenched his fists, his body shaking with excitement.

"If I manage to defeat him just once, his halo will be mine!" Xingping Chuangzhen declared, "Overturning the hierarchy, winning against the odds, that’s the real challenge, isn’t it!!"

Everyone was taken aback and felt helpless in the face of Xingping Chuangzhen’s indomitable spirit.

"Xingping seems to have a point..."

Marui Zenji pushed his glasses up, his expression serious, and pondered, "For sure, Xingping isn’t the only one with similar challenging thoughts. A title like that is just stirring up animosity!"

Then, Marui Zenji found it strange.

"Taste Weekly has always been mainstream, never a sensationalist, right?" he questioned.

"Uh..."

"I have this feeling this interview belongs to the Food Review Conference." Yoshino Yuji critiqued again, and a clear look of disgust appeared on her face at the mention of the Food Review Conference.

This gourmet media organization had always received poor reviews within the Far Moon School, not just from students but also from teachers, professors, and even the board of directors, all of whom held a deep animosity towards the "Food Review Conference."

Suddenly, Tanaka Hikari said, "I actually think it was Instructor Xia who instructed the magazine to do this."

Hearing this, everyone in the Polar Star Dormitory stared at him intently.

Bowing his head, Tanaka Hikari thought he had spoken out of turn and fell silent awkwardly.

Then, all eyes turned to Morioka Makoto.

"Makki, what do you think?" Yoshino Yuji asked with a playful smile, wrapping her arms around Morioka Makoto from behind.

"It does seem like his style..." Morioka Makoto recalled how, when he first arrived at Far Moon, he directly challenged Si Yingshi by name and soon after engaged in a culinary battle with the Five-Star Chef, Lancelot. So much had happened in these two months; one could tell a lot from little signs, and with so many events, anyone could see that Xia Yu was incredibly bold, or one might even say, crazy.

"I guess the culinary world is going to be in an uproar for a while."

Yoshino Yuji spoke gleefully.

...

Meanwhile, at the Tiqie Mansion within Far Moon.

A butler placed the latest magazine on the low table in the tea lounge.

"Lord Tiqie, this is the latest issue of ’Taste Weekly’ magazine," the elderly butler announced.

Lord Tiqie, Tiqie Xianzuowen, was kneeling in front of the tea table. His breakfast was abundant yet simple and light. Six or seven dishes and bowls were arranged on the table, including a side of vegetables and fruits and a fragrant bowl of rice with miso soup.

Additionally, there were pan-fried fish, tofu, eggs, and other sweetly prepared seafood dishes.

Because Neon was rich in seafood, the Neon people’s diet invariably included a lot of sea fish, shrimp, shellfish, and other marine products. A classic Japanese breakfast, in addition to rice, intentionally featured a variety of small side dishes. These small portions were not just exquisitely prepared, to prevent waste, but also allowed a more complete intake of nutrients.

Reading the newspaper over breakfast was a habit of Lord Tiqie.

Aside from the domestically published ’Taste Weekly’ that came out weekly, most other newspapers and magazines were from overseas.

"Hm?"

Glancing at the cover of today’s magazine, Tiqie Xianzuowen’s thick white eyebrows suddenly raised, and the scar over his right eye became more ferocious with the movement of his muscles.

Looking surprised, he set down his chopsticks and focused on the vibrant young man on the cover. After gazing for a good while, he revealed a meaningful smile, "The youngest Super Chef in Neon’s history?"

The IGO organization had one principle.

Chefs are registered with the department of the country they belong to, and they are classified by that region.

In the eyes of the IGO, chefs have no nationality, only regional division, and Neon inherited the classic title of District 11.

Therefore, the Neon Department within the IGO is also known as Division 11, and Shinohara Shigetaro is the head of Division 11.

Losing his appetite, Lord Tiqie opened the magazine.

Unsurprisingly, the first few pages were all devoted to interview features.

After glancing over them briefly, he seemed to come across some unbelievable content. The pupils of the Far Moon Commander narrowed slightly and, after a long silence, he finally ordered the butler standing by.

"Turn on the television and switch to the ’Taste Weekly’ program..."

The butler did as instructed.

Soon, the big television hanging on the wall of the tea lounge broadcast the pleasant voice of the female host.

The program was just at the interview segment, where a young man and the well-known Dubian Yuuki were seated on a couch facing the camera, smoothly going along with the back-and-forth questioning.

"Chef Xia, what is your opinion on the recent negative news about the restaurant?" the television’s Dubian Yuuki inquired.

"Can I swear..."

What followed was a string of expletives. The old butler of the mansion, evidently fluent in Chinese, repeated in astonishment, "I bought a watch last year... Is this swearing?"

"I’m not targeting anyone in particular, but what I want to say is..."

He stopped abruptly.

The old butler looked towards Lord Tiqie, his expression extremely awkward.