Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 171 Hacker Wei Wei, Qiao Ruoning Who Gave Up, Xia Ming's Top Four Opponents. (First Update of 5K)
"Dasu District, Olympic Stadium Center"

While rehearsing for his concert tour, Nicholas Tse saw a clip of Xia Ming's "New Chef Competition" during a break.

"Good lad, I was right about you back then!"

"These pastries are absolutely delicious."

He originally thought that Xia Ming's skills, as demonstrated in "One Meal to Fame", needed to be further honed in the "New Chef Competition".

Unexpectedly, after entering the "New Chef Competition", this kid's attitude, creativity, and the strength he displayed far surpassed his previous performance.

At this moment, Xie Tingfeng could clearly see that Xia Ming had been holding back earlier.

At this moment, Xia Ming has entered the top 8, which means that no matter what the final outcome is, he has already obtained a ticket to the "Hua 3 Level" speedrun.

Of course, judging from this appearance
Xia Ming is clearly aiming for the championship.

Xie Tingfeng was delighted to think that he had invested in Xia Ming when he was still a nobody.

Over the years, he has supported many people.

Aside from "Ou Hao" indeed made a name for himself in the entertainment industry after winning second place in "2013 Happy Voice".

Most of the others achieved limited success.
Even "Ou Hao" only achieved his success after many years of hard work and dedication.

Unlike Xia Ming, who invests today and sees his investments skyrocket tomorrow.
This can hardly be considered a promotion; it's more like pointing him in the right direction before he even reaches the finish line.

Thinking about this, Xie Tingfeng, while marveling at his own insightful vision, also began to consider his future plans.

He is no longer satisfied with Xia Ming's one-time returns.

The idea was to solidify the relationship between the two while Xia Ming was still in a period of rapid growth.

Whether it's movies, variety shows, or TV dramas, Xia Ming will seize any opportunity that suits him.

Even the domestic "Black Pearl" title, and the international "Michelin Night" and "Michelin Creative Feast".
He could use his connections to arrange things for Xia Ming.
He had already realized that Xia Ming was a top talent who combined good looks, culinary skills, and a unique personality.

In the future, they will have outstanding performances in various aspects such as food promotion and winning honor for the country.

"Next May, Michelin will be hosting a high-profile summer dinner that many international chefs will be attending."

"I'll ask him if he has any thoughts after the match."

After writing down the memo, Nicholas Tse got dressed. He would be going on stage in just a few days, so he had to make the most of every minute to rehearse.
"The Secret Base of Cloud Travelers"

Owl looked at the numbers after "Xia Ming" on the odds board and felt a headache coming on.

Over the years, Chef Yunjian had been in business and had seen all sorts of culinary competitions, but he never expected to be defeated in a national "New Chef Competition."

To be precise, they were defeated by Xia Ming.

After his comprehensive and brutal all-around attack, their actuaries had given up the fight.

After all, even a child could answer this question if you asked them to.

The best solution is to ban "Xia Ming".

Unfortunately, although Yun Jianke is not innocent, he still has to do business. Owl can bring Xia Ming's odds down to an all-time low, but he cannot openly prevent others from betting.

Even though the network of "Yunjianke" was "constantly fluctuating" during this period, approximately 1800 million yuan was still being invested in Xia Ming every day.

This means they have to spend 20 yuan every day on Xia Ming.

For Yunjianke, this amount of money is indeed not much, but the problem is that this is the state after "network fluctuations".

It's worth noting that many people placed bets on Xia Ming when Yin Shengjiang announced the roster. At that time, he wasn't even a star player yet.
The owl is heartbroken about the bottom pool.
It should be noted that this national competition had already caused quite a stir, and Owl even suspected that he had been targeted. He had originally planned to manipulate Cloud Guest to make this move.

He then took his team back to headquarters to lay low for a while and decided not to interfere in the Chinese chef competitions for a short period of time.

But now it seems that if he doesn't earn enough, he'll have a hard time explaining himself.

"Damn it, if I hadn't been trapped, I would have simply vanished into thin air."

Reaching the position of "owl" involves too many risks. He still has his brains when it comes to deciding whether money or life is more important.

After a moment of contemplation, the owl pressed the button, and shortly afterward, a man wearing an orange cat mask walked in.

"Orange Cat, still can't get in touch with Xia Ming?"

The orange cat nodded in agreement with the owl's words.

"Boss, as the competition progresses further, the security at the hotel is being tightened. Now, it's completely impossible for unauthorized personnel to enter the hotel."

“We tried to bribe the cleaning staff and security guards inside, but without exception, we failed.”

"It feels like all the staff in this hotel have been replaced from top to bottom. I don't know what went wrong at the top, making this all so formal."

Listening to the orange cat's complaints, the owl nodded in agreement.

"The 'Culinary Cup' competition is only a few years away, and the culinary world has been investigating problematic older recipes lately, so it's normal for new chefs to be paying close attention."

"I can't find the person, but where's their phone? Where's their contact information? Even a text message will do! There must be a way to bypass the hotel's network!"

The orange cat's head is a bit big
"Boss, we've tried it. We've definitely breached the hotel's network, and we can even lock Xia Ming's room."

"But just as we were trying to negotiate, we discovered that he had been equipped with professional 'shielding protection.'"

"Theoretically, this level of 'blocking protection' requires extremely high privileges and carries the risk of leaking users' personal privacy. The Chefs Association is unlikely to do such a thing."

"So I had Rattlesnake investigate. The 'Technical Department' now strongly suspects that Xia Ming has a 'special signal' interface on him, or around him. According to Rattlesnake's description, this is very likely from 'Manman'."

The owl was a little confused when it heard the word "manman".

Because this is a purely female hacker organization belonging to China, its leader "Xiaoxiao" has planned many counterattacks against overseas entities.

But compared to perfect justice, she is more like a casual, neutral hacker group.

Previously, Owl had never heard of "Manman" having any dealings with the Chefs Association. Considering this, the so-called "shielding and protection" of Xia Ming was very likely the private behavior of one of its members.

"But theoretically, this kind of 'special signal' interface should be quite obvious, and it shouldn't be something like in the movies where someone secretly sticks it on."

"It can't be that Xia Ming and 'Manman' have some kind of relationship, and Xia Ming volunteered for protection!"

"These women can find out countless pieces of information with just a mobile phone. Does this mean Xia Ming really has no one he cares about in this city?"

Just as the owl was wondering, Wei Yan, who had finished his day's work, happened to be riding the same elevator as Xia Ming back to his hotel room.

Only then did he realize that his room was directly above Xia Ming's, but that wasn't anything to worry about.
After returning to his room, he took off his clothes and casually tossed them next to the hotel's small wardrobe before taking a shower.

After washing up, he walked out naked and took out a change of underwear from the suitcase next to the wardrobe and put it on.

Then she picked up a bag from the side; inside were several pieces of clothing that Wei Wei had brought last time.

Seeing that the seam on one of the garments was torn, he sighed helplessly.

"My silly sister, you can pick out clothes with the seams even when they're sent over. With your naive nature, you still want to associate with Xia Ming."

After saying that, he seemed to remember the pastries Xia Ming had prepared for the competition today. His original intention to rest faded, and he leaned against the headboard, pulled out an old cookbook and started reading.

What he didn't know was that an unidentified device was quietly operating inside that ripped jacket.

Inside an ordinary residential building in the Guangzhou-Shenzhen area

After finishing her classes for the day, Wei Wei returned to her room.

Her home is very close to the university, and her parents are often away from home for work, so she would be happier to commute back to her own room than to live in the school dormitory.

Moreover, she's been preparing for her postgraduate entrance exam, so a quiet environment would definitely be better for her.

Of course, all of the above are reasons given externally.
Wei Wei is not the obedient little sister that Wei Yan sees her as; she knows very well what she is interested in.
She turned on her computer, connected it to her tablet, and after several layers of encrypted input, entered a black space.

Then, as the data flowed, some data appeared on the tablet next to it.

She then captured and organized this data, and connected it to the screen of her other phone. After a series of operations, Xia Ming's phone interface appeared on the screen.

Looking at the software above, Wei Wei happily browsed through it.
In the darkness, the shimmering blue light from the screen shone on Wei Wei's face as she drank Snow King tea and gleefully began her "spying."

Wow, that selfie is so cool! Eight-pack abs! Judging by the time, it must have been from college!

"Lots of photos of girls, this must have been from the previous store! And I must say, the decor of this barbecue restaurant is quite nice~"

"That's strange, there's hardly any recipe-related information on his phone, unlike my brother, who carries his pile of old books everywhere he goes~"

"The remaining messages in the chat logs contain names like Qian Youdao, Qiao Ruoning, and... sigh, who are Fang Xiao and Qu Yuyu? Are they girlfriends?"

"Hmph, Fang Qing hasn't even talked to him much, and she still won't give me her contact information. How stingy!"

"Ugh, what kind of software is this?!"

Wei Wei looked curiously at the blue icon beside her, somewhat puzzled. She couldn't recall ever seeing an app like that on the market.
"Could it be that someone specially ordered this?! Wow, I know, Xia Ming's recipes must all be kept in here!"

Thinking of this, Wei Wei showed extreme excitement. Having been a member of "Manman" for so long, she had never been so eager to explore a person's deepest secrets.

So she began to decipher the software on Xia Ming's phone.

"Why is it so hard to chew!"

After half an hour of deciphering, Wei Wei felt her head was spinning. The software looked unremarkable, but the amount of encrypted information it contained was outrageous.

As an expert capable of intercepting "Yun Jian Jun's" messages, she was actually blocked by a file reading software!
This immediately piqued her curiosity.
After connecting the equipment, Wei Wei launched a fierce attack, and after another hour of fighting, she was just a little bit away from breaking through the goal.

"Come on, let me see what's inside!"

She then smiled and opened the software's backend.

There were indeed a huge number of pictures inside, and her eyes lit up. She immediately clicked on one of them.

However, the picture contained the personal information of a contestant named "Zhou Jing," which was far from the recipe she had expected.

"That's it? It's boring!"

Wei Wei pouted, preparing to look at other photos, when suddenly she was kicked out of the app.

Just as she was wondering what was going on, she suddenly noticed pop-up windows appearing on her computer screen.

In an instant, she realized she had been "blacklisted".

"???"

A question flashed through her mind, and she quickly began to counterattack, but she didn't expect that her opponent's skills were far superior to hers. In less than two minutes, her opponent completely broke through her defenses.

She can't even turn off her phone now.
Just as she was about to give up and forcefully cut off the power.

Suddenly the attack from the other side disappeared again.
Upon witnessing this scene, Wei Wei held her breath, a very ominous feeling rising within her.

"Could I have... had my box opened?"

Just as she was feeling nervous, her phone suddenly received a message.

She shakily reached out and tapped the message, only to find that it contained a brief sentence.

Get out of here; this is not a field for you.

[—Yiluo]

A security camera image of her doorway was also attached below.

Upon seeing the photo and the signature "Yi Luo," Wei Wei felt a chill run down her spine.

This is because the ID "Yiluo" is a legend in the hacker world and the most renowned among the new generation of Chinese hackers in the past 20 years.

Those in the industry only know that he is young and appears and disappears mysteriously. To this day, no one knows whether he is male or female. Wei Wei never thought that she would be able to get involved with "Yi Luo" after she recruited Xia Ming.

Without the slightest struggle, she quickly replied with an apology, "Yi Luo" was someone she couldn't afford to offend right now.
The other party did not reply after receiving the message. Wei Wei was unsure whether she had been forgiven, but she was now determined not to try to snoop on Xia Ming's phone again through any other means.

However, the more this happened, the more curious she became about Xia Ming.

"Xia Ming actually knows 'Yi Luo'? Is this the mutual appreciation between geniuses?"

"No, Xia Ming, I'm liking you more and more. It seems like it's time to find an opportunity to meet you in person."

Just as Wei Wei was being warned by the inexplicably appearing "Yi Luo".

After saying goodbye to Xia Ming, Qian Youdao, and He He, Qiao Ruoning, who was eliminated, moved out of the hotel and checked into another high-end hotel.

Just as she finished moving her things and was about to take a shower and rest, her phone suddenly received a call.

Seeing the name "Qianqian" in the contact information, she raised an eyebrow slightly, then answered the phone with a smile.

"Qianqian, why are you calling me so late? Are you here to comfort my wounded heart?"

Upon hearing Qiao Ruoning's words, the person on the other end remained silent for a moment before skipping over her topic.

"The 'mini-database' I made for you has been targeted by hackers."

"?ah?"

Qiao Ruoning raised an eyebrow and quickly switched the call to the background to check, but found that there was no notification.

"Wait a minute, I didn't get any notification!"

Upon hearing Qiao Ruoning's words, Qianqian on the other end fell silent again. After a few seconds, she spoke again.

"Did you share the database software with others?"

Upon hearing Qianqian's words, Qiao Ruoning's eyes flickered, and then she suddenly realized.

"Yes, I remember now. Didn't you want me to add Xia Ming to the group? He's the kind of person who won't get things done unless you give him something in return?"

"I offered to share the database with him. You know, there's a lot of information in there; it would take me three days to screenshot it all."

The other side understood what Qiao Ruoning meant.

"So you just let him download the software and also gave him background sharing permissions?"

Qiao Ruoning smiled.

"That's right, isn't this the feature you created for me to use?"

Qianqian on the other side seemed a little speechless. After a while, she sighed softly.

"If it's Xia Ming, then forget it. Just let me know before you do something like this next time."

Qiao Ruoning sensed the helplessness in her tone and became nervous.

"What's wrong? Did I get into some trouble?"

Qianqian paused for a moment before continuing.

"It wasn't you. That hacker was probably from 'Manman.' They put a 'barrier' on Xia Ming's phone, probably to steal some information and satisfy their voyeuristic desires."

"She must have accidentally clicked on the 'database,' which I found, so I immediately hacked her device. She probably won't dare to do it again."

"Of course, that's not a problem. 'Manman' and her group don't dare to come to me, but I hacked her devices and broke her 'barrier,' which allowed 'Cloud Guest,' who had been kept out, to get in."

Upon hearing that they had provoked the "Cloud Travelers," Qiao Ruoning frowned. She knew what they did, and if things went wrong, it could lead to someone's death.

"So, Qianqian, have they found you? Why don't you come and hide here for a while? Don't worry, it's absolutely safe near my place."

Hearing Qiao Ruoning's concern, Qianqian's tone clearly softened.

"No need. In the end, this whole thing was my fault. If I hadn't asked you to add Xia Ming to the group, none of this would have happened."

"Although they're called 'Cloud Travelers,' they're just a small branch. Their technology isn't enough to do anything to me."

"However, after checking the IP address, I have to admire their audacity in setting up their base in China."

"In that case, I have no reason to let them get away with this. Judging by the time, Uncle Hat should have already made his way there!"

Hearing Qianqian's words, Qiao Ruoning felt relieved. She knew that her friend just didn't like to cause trouble, but once she provoked her, the other party usually didn't have a good outcome.

After confirming the situation here, Qiao Ruoning chatted with Qianqian for a while.

This time, she ranked 13th in the New Chef Competition, which is definitely impressive. But for some reason, after seeing Xia Ming, her interest in becoming a chef faded a lot.

"If all the chefs were as talented as Bai Heng, I might have some hope, but Xia Ming... he's just too discouraging."

"Qianqian, I'm starting to not want to be a chef anymore. It's not as fun as collecting cards and drawing gacha pulls."

Qianqian knew Qiao Ruoning's personality, so she didn't try to persuade her, but instead asked her about her future plans.

"I don't know, we'll see. Who knows what the future holds? Maybe I'll become a hacker too!"

You don't have that talent.

"(ˉ▽￣～) Tch~~ You don't need to tell me~"

Just as Qianqian hacked into "Cloud Guest's" base and reported it to her superiors, causing chaos among them...
Xia Ming, however, was in his room, using his phone to watch videos of his opponent in the semi-finals, Han Tianyan, from previous matches.

Compared to Fang Xu, Han Tianyan is clearly much more mature, both in terms of strategy and culinary skills.
"A larger version of Fang Xu? Interesting."

"I just don't know, what are you planning to do to me?"

(End of this chapter)