Chapter 66 - Branch Store As Reward!
Chapter 66: Branch Store As Reward!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Behind Xu Le was a dish of fish tofu. After the fish meat, prawn meat, and egg white were minced into a paste form, it had a grainy texture and was chewier.
This dish was novel and looked good. In the end, under the discussion of the judges, the scores it obtained were considered good.
At the final moment when the results were going to be announced, the audience had already guessed who it was on the bullet screen. The host was not left with any suspense, so he simply spoke openly.
“First place, Chen Xian. He came from the Eight Alley. He used the method of steaming in red sauce, and his choice of ingredients was bold, and it greatly stimulated the tempting taste of the dish…
Before he could finish his introduction, the bullet screen was filled with comments again. They were all claiming for justice for Xu Le.
Xu Le, on the other hand, looked indifferent. When he found out that he was second, he didn’t have much of an expression. After all, if he could enter the top three, his mission would be considered complete.
“Second place, Xu Le! He’s the little chef from the 8-year-old canteen. He used a lost dish [Stir-fried Three Baldie] to successfully tnter the preliminary round. Under his refined cooking method, the [Smoking Duck] was simpler to make and even chewier, earning him the praises of the entire audience. And today’s sashimi showcased this little chef’s cutting skills in all aspects! He deserves it!”
As for the rankings of the restaurants after him, the host did not even finish reading it. The audience was not concerned at all.
“Is there a conspiracy behind your show? Why isn’t Xu Le in first place?!”
“Hmph, anyone with eyes can probably tell who the champion is, right?”
“The sashimi is a traditional delicacy from the ancient Zhou Dynasty. It’s your own business if you can’t get used to it. Why did you give a low score?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t have watched it. I’m so angry…”
Xu Le still did not know how much the audience was fighting over him. When he went on stage to receive the award, he looked at the spatula-shaped trophy and did not know whether to laugh or cry.
The person who presented him the award was Old Master Song. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were filled with endless kindness. He lowered his voice and said, “Do you know why I only gave you six points today?”
“Hmm?”
Xu Le looked at him in confusion.
Old Master Song smiled and whispered to him in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “You’re talented and you’ve always gotten first place in competitions. You’ll definitely be envied by others. I’ve lowered two points for you today. Consider it to help you improve your relationships with your peers in the industry.”
If Xu Le won the award all the time, the audience watching would not only think that he was good, but there would also be people who would be jealous. They would definitely deliberately smear his reputation. After all, there were many people with evil intentions in this world and they would make groundless accusations. Being “perfect” would make one the target of some people’s attacks.
When Old Master Song was young, he was someone who had been through a lot. This time, he had the intention to protect Xu Le, so he lowered him to the second place, so that he would build a good affinity with the audience.
Xu Le smiled at him with gratitude.
“Alright, good luck. This child will definitely have a bright future!”
Old Master Song patted his shoulder.
Beep! Beep!
After obtaining the trophy, the system’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the mission. You will receive the reward for this mission.”
“Choose a branch location, the rent will be paid by the system, and you will receive a book of home-cooked dishes worth 1,000 Gourmet points!”
‘The system is paying rent? Doesn’t that mean I can choose anywhere!’ Xu Le was overjoyed.
After the competition ended, he didn’t stay in Beijing. Instead, he booked the earliest flight and immediately flew back.
Xu Tian looked through the peephole sleepily and immediately lost her sleepiness. She opened the door and pounced on him.
“Brother!”
The little girl’s soft voice was filled with joy. Xu Le’s heart softened. “Did you miss me?”
“I really do!” Xu Le raised her face. “And I want to eat Big Brother’s cooking!”
“Okay.”
It was getting late when Xu Le returned. He looked at the clock’s minute hand and rubbed Xu Tian’s head. “I’ll cook something delicious for you tomorrow morning. I’ll go prepare the ingredients now, okay?”
Xu Tian was not hungry, so she nodded and agreed. She started to pester him to read her a story. Before Xu Le could sit down on the sofa, he saw a woman’s sleeping robe and was shocked.
“Who else is at our house?”
“Sister Lu, she’s been coming over to take care of me recently. Since she has nowhere to go, I let her stay at our house.”
Xu Tian pleaded in a low voice, “Brother, just agree to it. We have a guest room in our house that can accommodate her.”
Lu Yuxi had indeed given them a lot of help when Xu Le was not around.
Seeing that her brother was silent, Xu Tian frowned. “If you don’t agree, I won’t be friends with you anymore!”
Hearing her childish threat, Xu Le giggled and waved his hand. “I will definitely agree to it. Where is she now?”
Xu Tian covered her face with one hand and leaned over to whisper to him, “Brother, Sister Lu was fired from her previous company and has nowhere to go now. That’s why she was staying at Ms. Li’s house. But they are stepsisters, so their family relationship is very complicated. That’s why I asked her to stay at our house for a while.”
“Okay, then just let her stay here.”
Xu Le did not mind. Since he was not accepting the other party’s rent and Lu Yuxi could help take care of Xu Tian, there was nothing bad about benefiting from each other.
“Ah!”
With a scream, Xu Le looked up and saw Lu Yuxi, who was wearing a bathrobe, with her eyes wide open. She covered her face and rushed into the guest room.
A minute later, she walked out again and said, “You scared me. I thought there was a man sitting on the sofa, but it turned out to be you.”
Xu Le raised his eyebrows in shock. “Aren’t I a guy too?”
“Oh.” Lu Yuxi waved her hand indifferently. In her eyes, the person in front of her was just a child. She took off her cap, combed her hair, and then sat down beside Xu Tian.
“What fairy tale book are you reading? Oh, it’s the Little Prince, do you understand the story?”
Xu Tian insisted, “Yes.”
Lu Yuxi’s hair, which had water droplets on it, had the fragrance of shampoo. She also had a faint shower gel smell on her. It seemed to be mint citrus and smelled very refreshing.
As she blow-dried her hair, she looked at Xu Le shyly. “I’ve been disturbing you by staying at your place for the past few days. Don’t worry, I don’t have much luggage. I’ve already found a rental place. I’ll move out tomorrow…”
“No need.”
Xu Le interrupted her and asked calmly, “Have you found a new job?”
“Not yet.”
“But you don’t have the money to pay the rent. Why don’t you stay here with us? We won’t charge you for the rent. You can just help to look after my sister when you have time.”
Lu Yuxi’s beautiful eyes lit up and she said happily, “Really?”
It was true that she could not find a good house in this place where every inch of land was worth money, let alone pay the huge amount of rent, water, and electricity fees.
“Yes..”