Chapter 94 Surprise

Chapter 94: Surprise

This round deviated from the previous format of waiting for all dishes to be completed before judging. Instead, contestants would present their dishes to the judges as soon as they were finished.

Thus, timing was paramount; the later one completed their dish, the greater the disadvantage.

Yu Xin’s dish was among the top three in complexity, yet his swift execution allowed him to finish ahead of most others.

Yu Xin stepped forward to personally present and deconstruct his creation.

The first layer: with a gentle incision into the pigeon’s breast, the meat parted effortlessly, releasing a burst of succulent juices.

The second layer revealed a filling of tender, springy seafood, with distinct scallop pieces clearly visible.

The third layer, cut deeper, unveiled a dark brown, intensely fragrant mushroom filling.

When the knife reached the very center, a golden, molten salted egg yolk core oozed out, blending with the clear broth and instantly intensifying the aroma, elevating the olfactory experience to its peak.

How substantial could one pigeon be? Divided into ten portions, each serving was quite modest.

Ten delicate small bowls held just a couple of bites of pigeon meat each, accompanied by clear broth and garnished with vibrant red goji berries and verdant green vegetables, presented before the judges.

At this moment, regardless of their status—be they socialites or ordinary audience members—everyone was immersed in the captivating aroma, tasting the dish with reverent appreciation.

For a moment, only the soft clinking of bowls and spoons could be heard, as all ten judges fell into a simultaneous, profound silence.

The first to break the silence was, surprisingly, the lucky audience participant.

“Delicious… truly delicious! My goodness, compared to this dish, everything I’ve eaten before is utterly incomparable!”

He looked up, his expression flushed with excitement, and addressed Ash: “I’m sorry, Ash. I can’t believe I ever doubted you. No need for further words—today, you are the champion!”

“Champion!” the audience echoed with a roar.

Although the audience hadn’t tasted Ash’s dish, they had witnessed his fluid and masterful cooking process from start to finish. Now, no one questioned Ash’s skill.

“An exceptional dish. This could serve as the showstopping finale at any banquet and would satisfy every guest,” remarked another judge, the chairman of Perfection Hotel. “After the competition, whether you win the championship or not, I invite you to join my hotel as head chef.”

The other judges were stunned.

The chairman of a seven-star hotel had just extended an offer on the spot.

The executive chef of Perfection Hotel earned at least tens of millions of credits annually, and Ash looked no older than 30!

“Whose peak life moment is this?”

“No, streamer, please don’t abandon us!”

On the professional judging side, Luo Lan was the first to speak: “The outer layer of pigeon meat is firm yet tender, the middle seafood layer is springy and bursting with flavor, the inner mushroom layer is soft, rich, and aromatic, and the molten salted egg yolk core at the very center elevates the entire dish. The broth is clear, the taste exquisite, the mushrooms fresh, the pigeon rich—a symphony of flavors with an endless aftertaste. A truly exceptional dish.”

She looked at Ash, a smile breaking through her usually stern expression. “The dish mirrors its maker: seemingly simple, yet layered with one surprise after another. I have nothing more to say. For me, this dish is a perfect score.”

The audience was awestruck. This was likely the highest praise Ms. Luo Lan had ever given since becoming a judge for culinary competitions.

“Clap clap clap!” Someone started applauding, and the venue erupted into enthusiastic applause.

“Thank you, Ms. Luo Lan,” Ash said, bowing toward the judges’ table amid the applause.

“Please, judges, score the contestants’ dishes.” After the evaluations, the judges began scoring. The scores of all contestants would be revealed only after the last dish was completed.

Ash exited the judging area. Those who had finished their dishes were already lining up, with Song Yu right behind him. The girl looked at him with admiration. “Ash, with your brilliance preceding us, the rest of us are merely supporting acts.”

Song Yu’s Wellington steak was also exceptionally well-executed: the flaky, buttery pastry, the savory aged cheese, the earthy aroma of black truffle, and the tender, juicy filet mignon were equally impressive.

Lucas’s expression was complicated. He never expected Ash to possess such skill.

He realized he had been completely wrong, terribly mistaken.

This young man was no amateur cutting corners but an extraordinarily talented genius who had emerged from nowhere.

Such ability and mindset, completely disproportionate to his age, could only be explained by innate talent.

But it was too late to realize this now. He had already made his stance clear, and aside from giving his all and praying, there was nothing else he could do.

For this round, he chose a classic showpiece dish: Dragon’s Breath Strawberry.

The essence of molecular gastronomy is deconstructing and reconstructing ingredients to create desserts that look familiar but offer entirely different textures and layers, a process that is extremely intricate.

Lucas poured all his skill into it, and the final product was impressive: biting through the realistic strawberry-shaped sugar shell revealed a filling of low-temperature strawberry jam and strawberry ice cream, delivering the crunch of the shell, the chilled creaminess of the ice cream, and the tangy sweetness of the jam, with multiple textures and flavors clearly layered in the mouth.

Every dish in the finals represented the peak of culinary artistry. The judges enjoyed the tasting immensely but found scoring particularly challenging.

Finally, all dishes were tasted and scored, and it was time to announce the results.

All contestants gathered at the center of the stage, joining the live audience in intently watching the large screen.

Amid tense music, the scores were revealed from lowest to highest: fourth place, third place, second place—and securely in first place was Ash!

The venue erupted into deafening applause and cheers.

No one doubted the result anymore. The contestants gathered around Ash, shaking his hand, patting his shoulder, some expressing amazement, others offering congratulations.

This outcome was truly deserved.

In a corner offstage, Yu Ning clenched his teeth. Lucas hadn’t even secured second place this round, losing not only to Ash but also to Lu Qian.

Around him, everyone was chanting Ash’s name, one after another, as if he had already won the championship.

No—even if he didn’t win, all the attention had been drawn to him.

Once the show ended, who would still care about Lucas or his restaurant?

This couldn’t happen. It absolutely couldn’t.

Lucas was no longer reliable; he had to find a way himself.

After the first round, the contestants had a few hours of rest before the second round began.

Ash headed to the contestants’ lounge. Cheng Zikun, as part of his support group, had come to the venue and was waiting eagerly outside the studio.

“Bro, you’re amazing! The championship is definitely yours!” he said with a wide smile, eagerly holding the door open for Ash. “That Eight-Jewel Stuffed Pigeon you made today—can you make it again for me later? I was nearly drooling down there…”

“Sure, after the competition, I’ll treat you and Boss Qi to a meal. I’ll cook it myself,” Ash agreed. Cheng Zikun had helped him a lot during this competition, so cooking a dish was no trouble at all.

“By the way, are you going to wear your mask to the award ceremony? I think you should rip it off right when you accept the award and shock everyone…”

“Let’s not forget—this face of mine ‘can’t be shown,’” Ash joked.

As they chatted and walked toward the lounge, neither noticed a staff member behind them quietly stopping a device recording and sending the audio file to an account.

In another lounge.

Yu Ning finished listening to the audio and transferred a sum of money to the sender.

"Afraid to show his face?" He pondered intently.

Is this Ash extremely ugly in appearance, or does he have something wrong with his identity? Could it be that he is actually someone with a stained reputation, hence afraid to reveal his true face?

Either way, it's good news for him.

Yu Ning once again was glad he had bribed a staff member of the show in advance.

He thought of a surprise—a "big surprise" for the audience, and even more so for Ash himself.

To unveil everything at the moment of his greatest triumph and highest achievement, causing him to fall from grace—sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

*

After a few hours of rest, the contestants returned to the stage once more.

Now only six contestants remained. What followed was the real fight for the championship.

In the pre-competition interview, the host asked, "This is the final round of the Supernova Cooking Competition. Does everyone have the confidence to win the championship?"

Lu Qian took the microphone and said with a relaxed smile, "As for the championship, I'm too old to compete with the youngsters."

"I didn’t come here aiming for the title. Over the past few decades, I’ve witnessed ready-made meals and nutritional supplements become mainstream, while those who can actually cook have become a minority. The simple act of enjoying a proper meal seems to be slipping away from us."

His appreciative gaze swept over the other contestants on stage as he remarked with emotion, "Culinary art shouldn’t fade into obscurity. Now that I’ve met such an outstanding group of young people, I'm confident about the future knowing you all are here."

The audience erupted into thunderous applause.

Song Yu then spoke up, "To be honest, I don’t think I can win the championship either. But participating in this competition has brought me great joy, and I’ve learned a lot—that’s enough for me."

Lucas was uneasy; everything had gone completely off-script. For the first time, he was doubting himself. He hurriedly said a few words and ended his speech, his expression remained tense.

Finally, the microphone reached Yu Xin.

All eyes on the stage converged on him. Everyone had a feeling—this masked young man had carried himself with ease and casualness throughout the competition, yet he had never lost since the qualifying rounds.

Tonight would likely be no exception.

But when Yu Xin spoke, he started talking about something completely different: "I have a little cat at home who loves gold the most. We’ve always lacked a cat bed that suits its liking."

He turned his face, and everyone followed his gaze toward the dazzling golden trophy on the high platform—its shape seemed just perfect for a little cat to curl up in.

A clear, cool male voice rang out across the entire studio: "This trophy will do nicely. I’ll happily take it for my little cat."

Iris Base.

In the general’s lounge, a man relaxed comfortably on the sofa, a small black cat nestled in his arms. Both man and cat fixed their eyes on the figure at the center of the live stream.

Amid the astonished cheers from the audience, Ji Yixing scratched the little black cat under its chin, his voice filled with laughter:

"Did you hear that? You’re getting a new bed."