Chapter 92 Win or Lose

Chapter 92: Win or Lose

"!!!"

"I can't believe my eyes, OMG, it's a clean sweep, three to zero!"

"Where are those who claimed the streamer only uses special effects and can't cook, calling him a royal waste? Come out and apologize!"

"Even a Silver Shell Three-Star Head Chef lost, and it was a shutout. This is just too surreal."

"Lucas's dish looked expensive and delicious, but honestly, if both dishes were placed before me, I'd pick the spicy crab."

"Agreed!! No one can resist spicy crab!"

"Streamer, you're incredible! Once again, you've turned the tide for us. Who understands this kind of thrill?"

"Ash: Turning a losing game into a victory is my specialty."

"After reading this power fantasy, the streamer thought: This isn't satisfying enough."

"Wait, does anyone remember Ms. Roland saying Ash surprised her *again*? That means she was the one who gave him the highest score in the first round!"

"Exactly! So there's no way the judges were bribed by the production team to give the streamer high scores, and there's no such thing as royal treatment. It was all malicious rumors. The streamer was completely and unjustly accused."

"Congratulations to Ash for successfully advancing!"

"Lucas, please proceed to the waiting area for now."

"Lucas, you actually performed very well, very excellently," Ms. Roland began, "but the theme of this round was to conquer the taste buds."

"What you presented was too mainstream, too conventional. In fact, we eat this kind of food every day. So, no matter how premium your ingredients or how perfectly you prepared them, honestly, it couldn't give us that 'wow' factor."

"If Ash hadn't been a gem nearby, I think I would have voted for you. But unfortunately, the two of you ended up as opponents."

The judges were unaware of the true circumstances behind the opponent selection; they genuinely felt sorry for Lucas.

"Don't worry, we still have one revival spot left, and I think it belongs to you," Felix said, winking at him.

But Lucas was beyond caring about revival. In fact, from the moment it was announced that Yu Xin had beaten him three to zero, he had gone completely stiff.

How was this possible? How could this be?

How could he lose to a young man who hadn't even properly learned how to cook?

And to someone he had confidently vowed to send packing.

The judges' seemingly comforting words felt like sharp swords, piercing his fragile facade and pouring boiling oil on his heart.

Over and over again, they reminded him that he, Lucas, had completely and utterly lost to Yu Xin.

His expression was so awful that the director had to temporarily stop the livestream and switch the camera to other contestants.

"Mr. Lucas, are you alright?" Yu Xin asked with concern. "You don't look too well."

Lucas's eyes were bloodshot, desperately suppressing his emotions. At this moment, more than Yu Xin's sarcasm or ridicule, he couldn't stand Yu Xin's sympathy and concern!

He felt like a complete joke and could no longer bear to breathe the same air as Yu Xin for even a second.

"Just you wait," he hissed through gritted teeth when no one was looking. "I'm not leaving like this. I will definitely—"

He didn't finish his sentence because he remembered his earlier boast about sending Yu Xin packing. The taste of defeat was bitter.

"Sure, I'll be waiting."

Yu Xin's tone shifted, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. He dropped the act, his voice lazy and casual.

"I'll be waiting to see how many times you need to lose to me before you admit defeat, Mr. Lucas."

*

In the studio, as soon as Yu Xin appeared, the other contestants who had finished their dishes and were waiting for reviews gathered around him.

They had all heard the news that Yu Xin had defeated Lucas three to zero. Astonished, they were even more curious about Yu Xin's dish.

A young boy couldn't hold back and asked, "Ash, can we try the rest of your dish?"

Others nodded vigorously, their eyes full of expectation as they looked at Yu Xin.

"Of course," Yu Xin said, finding it hard to refuse under their collective gaze.

The remaining portions of his dish had been stored in a high-tech insulated container, and they were almost identical to when they were first placed inside.

The spicy crab was brought out, and everyone cheered, crowding around it. The spicy crab was quickly snatched up, leaving many who missed out sighing in regret.

The rich aroma spread, making everyone's mouths water. Those who didn't get any crab soon noticed Yu Xin's leftover noodles—and so, the noodles were also completely snatched up.

"This is so delicious. Oh my god, I think the noodles might be even better than the crab," someone who managed to get both said, savoring the taste.

Song Yu approached Yu Xin. She had also tried the spicy crab and noodles.

"You're very skilled and quite daring," she said, her gaze carrying a hint of admiration. "No one has ever made a dish like this in a cooking competition before."

"Probably because I'm not professionally trained. My unconventional approach means I don't overthink things," Yu Xin replied.

Song Yu quickly waved her hand. "I didn't mean it like that. You've given me a lot of inspiration. Can we exchange ideas more in the future? I'm sure I can learn a lot from you."

Looking into the girl's sincere eyes, Yu Xin agreed. "Sure."

One by one, all the contestants received their reviews. Fifteen advanced to the next round, while the other fifteen were eliminated.

The three judges had one revival spot among them, and they gave this opportunity to Lucas. Overall, Lucas's experience and skill indeed made him the most deserving of the spot.

Lucas, who had already left, was called back to record a segment announcing that the revival spot was his. But his expression remained stormy, showing no joy at being revived.

The livestream viewers naturally noticed.

"This Lucas has been sulking ever since he lost to Ash. He even got the revival spot and still isn't happy?"

"He was the one who questioned the streamer first. Now that he's been proven wrong, he's throwing a tantrum. Such a sore loser."

"If I were him, I wouldn't have the face to stay. He lost the competition and his dignity. So embarrassing."

At the Yu Residence.

"Crash—" A cup was thrown, hitting the projection, but the projection quality was so good it remained unaffected.

The livestream of the Supernova Cooking Competition continued. The scene of Yu Xin being surrounded by everyone alternated with Lucas's dejected departure, creating full dramatic effect.

"This good-for-nothing Lucas…"

Yu Ning punched the sofa beneath him. By now, public opinion online had completely reversed. Many who had jumped on the bandwagon to bash Yu Xin came out to apologize. Netizens were no longer blind or foolish; they could tell that the posts accusing Yu Xin of using special effects and filters were smear campaigns. A large number of accounts were reported and taken down, causing the internet troll company to bill him for losses, threatening to expose him online if he didn't pay.

He certainly wasn't foolish enough to hire internet trolls under his real name, but he was terrified that some resourceful netizens might trace it back to him, so he had no choice but to pay the troll company.

It's all because of that Ash who came out of left field!

And Lucas—he went to such great lengths to bring him in, yet he couldn't even handle an amateur live-streaming cook. What a waste!

What's the point of being revived? If things continued like this, his restaurant wouldn't just fail to take off—it'd be lucky if people didn't throw rotten eggs at it.

He immediately called Lucas, and it took several attempts before the call was finally answered. Yu Ning's anger boiled over: "Didn't you say you could handle it? And this is the result?!"

"Don't get worked up yet. That kid just had the novelty factor going for him. I underestimated him and didn’t expect him to completely go off-script," Lucas replied, calmer than before. After reviewing the situation, he realized he hadn’t taken his opponent seriously enough. Moreover, this competition was ultimately a reality variety show, not the professional cooking contests he was used to, so the judges' standards were naturally different.

"I haven’t been eliminated yet. I haven’t completely lost to Ash. Don’t worry—once I get serious, he’s no match for me!"

Yu Ning said nothing. At this point, he had no choice but to continue believing in Lucas, but he wouldn’t let Ash win so easily.

No, he had to come up with another plan.

On the other side, Yu Xin’s successful advancement made Cheng Zikun the happiest of all. He had finally cleared his name, and netizens who had previously made sarcastic comments on his posts were now apologizing.

"Never criticized Young Master Cheng or the streamer—better than 99% of netizens."

"Back when I said the streamer’s cooking didn’t look bad, you all said I was talking nonsense."

"Mom’s back in the picture ❤️."

"Alright, alright, putting on new faces without including me."

Cheng Zikun, feeling triumphant, invited his friend Qi Wei to celebrate Yu Xin’s success. Jing Yun also wanted to join to apologize to Yu Xin, but Cheng Zikun refused.

"Producer Jing, let’s not. Last time, just because of a few words from you all, my brother Xin was labeled as a 'production favorite.' Now that he’s finally cleared, if he’s seen dining with you, it’ll be impossible to wash off the suspicion," Cheng Zikun retorted sarcastically.

"Sorry, I didn't think that through. Enjoy your meal," Jing Yun replied, not pushing the matter after being rejected, and quickly hung up.

"Never mind the production team, let’s just eat," Qi Wei raised his glass. "I brought some good wine especially for this."

"Cheers!"