Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

Gao Yang's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

The audience had just recovered from the shock of advancing through the barbecue when Gao Yang's voice rang out, like heavenly music resonating in their minds.

The camera then focused on Gao Yang.

In Gao Yang's hand, three boat-shaped pastry boxes were placed on a plate, their black and beige colors complementing each other, and garnished with dark brown sauce.

"So beautiful, it looks so tempting!"

"I can smell its aroma; it must taste delicious."

"Let me have a bite, just one bite, just one bite."

The audience's words pierced Zou Li's ears like needles.

Looking at Gao Yang's dishes and then at his own, the audience's mocking voices seemed to still echo in his ears.

His face was extremely ugly, and Qian Wanshan, who was watching TV from outside the venue, also looked extremely ugly.

"Damn it, I'm spending money to help my own people succeed, not to promote this bastard, is this how you do it?!"

He angrily shoved the vase next to him aside.

The vase fell to the ground and shattered into pieces with a "bang".

Su Wanqing was also watching TV on the island, a faint smile on her lips.

"That's really good. He's truly my man. He's amazing."

Mr. Cai and Mr. Lin from Beijing also gathered together, looking at Gao Yang's dishes with great satisfaction.

"Looks like we can hand that project over to this kid."

However, none of this affected Gao Yang on stage.

He slowly placed the plate in his hand on the judges' table.

"Distinguished judges, this is my dish: Creamy Mushroom and Arctic Clam Pastry Box. Please enjoy."

As a woman, Xu Qinyun naturally couldn't resist such beautiful dishes, and was the first to pick one up and experience it.

"It's really nice, it feels quite heavy when you weigh it, I like it."

Her face, which had just been flushed with anger at Liu Jianye, slowly broke into a smile. The sweet aroma of milk and the freshness of seafood made her mouth water involuntarily.

Gu Jingzhou also found it extremely interesting and quickly picked one up.

"Hmm, young man, your dish is quite good."

Having tasted dishes for half his life, he recognized the exquisite nature of this dish at a glance. Without even tasting it, the flavor of the ingredients blending together was already in his mind.

"Come on, everyone, have a taste!"

Gu Jingzhou said with a smile, but he couldn't resist and put it in his mouth first.

"Um!"

His eyes suddenly lit up.

The crispiness of the pastry box is like eating bread – oily, sweet, and with a chewy texture.

The rich, mellow aroma of mushrooms lingers around the Arctic surf clam, adding a touch of mystery to its sweetness.

Immediately afterwards, the silky smoothness and sweetness of the cream appeared first, and the aftertaste was like a long ribbon, wrapping itself up tightly, with a rich hint of clam flavor.

All the textures and flavors blend together like a complex symphony, with each component reaching its best in its own way, bringing a qualitative leap to the entire dish and making you want to take a second bite.

"Delicious, so delicious! This dish is such a pleasant surprise. It's no exaggeration to say that this dish deserves to be the best in this competition."

Xu Qinyun was the first to comment, her words full of praise.

"What? Such high praise? Is this still the same iron-faced judge known for his impartiality and incorruptibility?"

"Look, look, the difference in scores is obvious. What was that barbecue? How dare they serve it like that? I almost thought I could win this competition."

"Yeah, what was that thing just now? Anyway, I really want to try this dish. I wonder if the Grand Court Hotel has it."

"You're right. After the competition today, I'll go to the Grand View Hotel and find Chef Gao to see if I can taste this dish."

The audience's comments reached Gao Yang's ears, and naturally also reached Zou Li, who had not yet left.

Zou Li's face turned ashen as he watched this scene, his heart filled with jealousy.

His eyes darted around, but he couldn't think of a way to slander Gao Yang.

At this moment, Liu Jianye, who was standing to the side, realized what was happening.

No, I was trying to slander Gao Yang, how did I get caught up in this?

He deliberately frowned and said coldly, "No, this dish has a major flaw. It was already cold when it was served, the seafood was a bit fishy, ​​and the mushrooms weren't prepared properly; they had a strange smell."

His words struck like a heavy hammer into everyone's hearts.

Xu Qinyun couldn't hold back any longer and slammed her hand on the table.

"Are you deliberately trying to go against me? You just let a grilled meat dish advance, and I didn't say anything. Now you're telling me that such a beautifully prepared dish can't advance? Are you kidding me?!"

Xu Qinyun's voice was so loud that everyone in the venue could hear it clearly.

Liu Jianye's bald head tensed, his face turned pale, and he hadn't expected this kind of scene.

He kept kneading the prayer beads in his hands, and chuckled awkwardly.

"No, that's not what I meant. I was thinking that as judges, we should give serious critiques of the chefs' work. These are just my personal opinions."

Xu Qinyun clearly didn't buy it, and looked at Liu Jianye with a cold smile.

"Just my personal opinion, haha. You should go to the food street near the university and buy some kebabs. You like these things, right? You're like a wild boar that can't eat fine food. Now you can't stand eating something good."

She showed no mercy and launched into a tirade, her words leaving Gu Jingzhou somewhat speechless.

Gu Jingzhou was genuinely afraid that the woman would get emotional and stand up to beat Liu Jianye, so he quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Hey girl, sit down first. I also think this tastes delicious. I understand you. Let's not be impulsive. We can talk it over."

Hearing Gu Jingzhou's words, Xu Qinyun's expression improved slightly. She glared at Liu Jianye disdainfully and sat back down in her chair.

She looked at Gao Yang and immediately smiled.

"Gao Yang, right? I've heard of you. You're very skilled. Could you tell me how you made this dish?"

Gao Yang didn't react for a moment, his movements were a little slow, and he hadn't even spoken yet.

Xu Qinyun quickly added, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I understand you. You must have your own formula. Could you let me write an interview for you? I'm sure I can make you famous."

These words immediately excited the audience.

"An exclusive interview! It's actually an exclusive interview! The Iron-Faced Judge actually took the initiative to interview someone; this is an immense honor!"

"My God, I can't believe how delicious Gao Yang's cooking is!"

"I'm going to the Grand Hotel tonight to find Gao Yang!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the crowd, leaving Liu Jianye stunned by the commotion.

He hid to one side, trembling.

He only accepted money to refuse Gao Yang's passage through the preliminary round, so why did he do that? Why was the commotion so huge?

He regretted it; he regretted taking the job. If he could do it all over again, he would never have messed with Gao Yang.

But there's no going back.

Amid cheers, Gao Yang slowly walked down the stairs, looked at the end, and revealed a determined smile.

"I'll be waiting for you in the next phase."