Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　"If it were a whole lychee, then your decision would be correct. But this is just a castrated version. If you insist on choosing it, then you are not seeing reality!"

　"Didn't you hear what the judges said? Despite the lack of ingredients, Contestant Yu's lychee pork made up for this shortcoming with her superb cooking skills!"

　"How could it be completed so easily..."

　For a time, the two argued heatedly, neither willing to be persuaded by the other; this emotion even transcended the cooking itself.

　"You two were even selected. The only people who can make the decision are the judges, right?"

　The surrounding audience looked at them speechlessly. These two were just spectators, and their opinions had no effect whatsoever. Then they looked at the competition venue not far away. The judges did not hesitate at all and directly chose the one they thought was most suitable.

　Soma Yukihira VS Rain

　3:0

　The moment the score appeared on the big screen, Soma Yukihira's face lit up with a joyful smile. He then forcefully removed the bandage from his forehead, clutched it in his hand, letting it flutter in the wind, and said to the three judges, "I apologize for the poor hospitality!"

　"why

　"Where is my lychee pork inferior to preserved egg and meatballs? Is it just because it's a traditional dish?"

　Looking at the scores on the big screen, Liu Yu's brows furrowed involuntarily.

　She practiced this dish for a long time last night, and even Teacher Bai Yuan praised her for her significant progress. Logically, she should have brought out the best flavor of this dish by now, so why did she lose to Yukihira Soma's hastily prepared dish?!

　"No, we judge the winner based solely on the taste of the dishes. We believe your dish is not as good as Soma Yukihira's, which is why we ruled you the loser."

　Zhang Zhong shook his head and revealed the cruel truth.

　"That's right. Although your lychee meat is very well prepared, the final taste is very monotonous because it lacks red yeast rice. It only has sweet and sour flavor and garlic aroma, which is far less delicious than Yukihira Soma's preserved egg meatballs."

　Besides serving as a natural coloring agent, red yeast rice also enhances the flavor of lychee flesh.

　Without red yeast rice, lychee pork reverts to its former state, becoming an ordinary dish, easily lost in the crowd. This is one reason why red yeast rice wasn't included in the ingredients section this time; we didn't want the contestants to forget to think critically and simply recreate the classic dish, but rather to unleash their creativity.

　"Not far at all..."

　Upon hearing Jin Shan's words, Liu Yu's heart sank. He had thought the gap between them was small, but he hadn't expected the other party's assessment to be far from it, meaning that the gap between the two was huge.

　How could she possibly accept this?!

　"Xiaoyu was too eager to win, so she lost."

　From the audience, Bai Yuan, who had been watching everything, suddenly spoke up.

　Liu Yu is quite strong; in terms of raw skill, she is even stronger than Tadokoro Megumi. However, she keeps losing, and the reason for her losses is quite simple.

　Her strong competitive spirit was not the key to her failure; it was her loss of interest in exploring cooking.

　You can win a game using classics, but you can't just stick to classics to win a game; that would be putting the cart before the horse.

　The core focus of this competition is to apply what one has learned in a practical way. However, Liu Yu only focused on his own strengths and completely ignored the disadvantages brought about by the competition rules.

　Therefore, it's only a matter of time before they suffer a backlash.

　"It's such a pity. If she had realized this sooner, she might have actually won the game."

　After all, in terms of strength, the two should be roughly equal, and Liu Yu might even be slightly better.

　Erina Nakiri said with some regret that, having lived together for so long, her feelings for Liu Yu were naturally deeper than her feelings for Soma Yukihira, so she hoped that Liu Yu would win the match.

　"There's nothing to regret; it's just the path I chose."

　If she doesn't realize this, she'll only face more and more failures in the future. Even though she's currently ahead of the crowd, she'll eventually fade into obscurity.

　Looking at Liu Yu on the field, head bowed, expression slightly bewildered and helpless, Bai Yuan slowly gave his evaluation.

　This little girl is great in every way, except that she has a very unclear understanding of herself.

　"Your cooking is very good, but how much of it is your own?"

　In crucial moments, you're even unable to make improvements. To put it bluntly, your lack of creativity is the key to your failure!

　Seeing Liu Yu's dejected and disappointed state, Soma Yukihira did not rush to leave. Instead, he strode up to her and explained the reason for her failure.

　His opponent was a respectable adversary, and he didn't want her to lose without a clear explanation.

　"Creativity?"

　Liu Yu murmured to herself. How could she not know her shortcomings? But if these things weren't cultivated when she was young, they would be very difficult to improve when she grew up.

　Even if it were possible, it would require ten or even a hundred times more effort than when I was a child.

　"Thank you for reminding me. I lost this time, but I won't lose next time we meet!"

　After saying this, Liu Yu turned and left, a tear still glistening in the corner of her eye—a vulnerable side she didn't want to expose to others.

　"I look forward to our next match. You're a good opponent!"

　Watching Liu Yu's departing figure, Yukihira Soma shouted loudly behind her with a smile.

　Now you can experience the same resentment you felt back then!

　"I lost... Is it all over? Before I even started to make a name for myself, I've been utterly crushed, never to rise again..."

　Some left the competition venue in a daze, walking in the players' tunnel, all their unfulfilled dreams and ambitions ruthlessly crushed in this battle.

　She was a complete failure.

　"It's not over yet. As far as your life is concerned, it's just beginning. There's no need to be so disheartened just because you lost a match. That's not the attitude that chefs in the dark cuisine world should have."

　Just as Liu Yu was about to fall into an abyss, Bai Yuan's voice suddenly rang out, pulling her out of the dark and damp quagmire.

　"leader..."

　Looking at the figure in front of her, Liu Yu was stunned for a moment, stopped in her tracks, and then called out softly, her voice filled with confusion about the future.

　"Giving up so quickly? We haven't even started yet."

　Bai Yuan appeared in the contestant passage at some point, marking his third appearance there, much like an NPC that refreshes precisely on time every day.

　"But I have already lost..."

　Liu Yu lowered her head again, her voice filled with resentment.

　If she could, she wouldn't want to be so lenient.

　It's easy to admit defeat.

　"Idiot, do you think losing this one match will affect your life?!"

　Seeing Liu Yu's pathetic state, Bai Yuan couldn't help but raise his voice, his tone filled with disappointment and frustration.

　His words struck Liu Yu like a thunderbolt, making her seriously consider the issue, as if it really couldn't be...

　Although she failed in the Fujian Youth Chef Competition, there are so many provinces in China, she can just try again in another province!

　"Now that you know what you're lacking, go back and train harder, and serve at least one improved premium dish every day."

　If you persist like this for a while, you'll definitely make significant progress. Then, defeating a mere Yukihira Soma will be a piece of cake, won't it?

　Lia's voice came from not far away, and the two of them turned their heads at the same time, looking at Lia who appeared at the corner of the contestant passage.

　"Sister Lia, one dish every day, and it has to be a top-grade dish, isn't that a bit too much!"

　Hearing what Liya said, Liu Yu couldn't help but complain, "This is a bit unreasonable!"

　If we disregard originality, she could certainly create a few top-tier dishes with her skills, but once we consider originality, even she is powerless to do so.

　She's not a top-tier chef; she couldn't possibly prepare top-tier dishes so casually.

　"That is indeed a bit of an exaggeration."

　Bai Yuan nodded, indicating that Liya's statement was somewhat exaggerated.

　"Right? Look, even the chief said so."

　"At least three dishes a day, otherwise it won't have any effect."

　Seeing Liu Yu grasp at a straw, Bai Yuan thoughtfully added a comment.

　"what?!"

　"Believe in yourself; there will be consequences if you fail to complete it."

　Seeing Liu Yu looking over, Bai Yuan nodded to her, indicating that he was not joking.

　"No time to be sad, let's start cooking today. Let's go to the market to buy ingredients later."

　Lia patted Liu Yu on the shoulder, smiling with great sympathy.

　No one knew the cruelty of Bai Yuan's training better than her.

　Because she was one of the victims.

　Please vote with monthly tickets! I'll be updating with 1.2 words tomorrow!

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　Requesting monthly votes! ...

　Chapter 244 Leah's Confession, and Alice's Jealousy

　"Boss Bai, are you getting ready to go back?"

　After resolving Liu Yu's matter, Bai Yuan prepared to return to the hotel to rest. He had only taken a few steps when he saw Liya chasing after him, following him like a butterfly flitting among flowers.

　"Well, there's nothing else to do here. It's getting late, we should head back."

　Looking up at the sky, Bai Yuan said to Liya, "Although it's only evening, there's nothing to do outside, so why don't we go back to the dormitory and go to sleep?"

　"That's it..."

　"Well, since there are no other plans, Boss Bai, would you like to go on a date with me?"

　I've been wanting to say this for a while, but you've always had someone around, and I haven't quite mustered the courage. If it really can't be done, then forget it... even though that might make me very sad.

　The two walked forward side by side for a while, and when they were sure that Liu Yu hadn't followed, Liya suddenly quickened her pace and took two steps forward. When she came in front of Bai Yuan, she grabbed his arm and shook it slightly, using all her charm to act coquettishly.

　The girl's golden hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, the slightly curled ends swaying gently with her movements, making her look very energetic.

　Their eyes met; her eyes were like clear lake water, blue and bright, radiating innocence and liveliness. Her skin was fair and delicate, with a faint blush on her cheeks and a hint of barely perceptible worry.

　Clearly, she had made a great decision to say those words.

　"A date..."

　What to do? To be honest, it's a bit late. But, with such a cute girl's invitation, I don't think any man could refuse.

　Faced with the courage that Lia had struggled to muster, Bai Yuan pretended to hesitate, which made the girl nervous, her fists clenched tightly.

　But his next words completely put her at ease, and he gave her a reproachful look.

　"Damn it! Seriously, Boss Bai is bullying me! He made my heart race like it was on a rollercoaster, and I still haven't calmed down."

　You better take proper responsibility!

　Thinking of Bai Yuan's teasing earlier, Liya's clear voice revealed a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. Her pink little hands couldn't help but clench into fists, and without much hesitation, she started punching Bai Yuan's body in dissatisfaction.

　Bai Yuan seemed to enjoy the gentle pressure, until he felt a bit bored staying in one place and realized it was time to head to their meeting place. Only then did he open his large hand and grasp her soft little fist.

　"Actually, I know that you have always harbored improper thoughts about me."

　His clenched fist suddenly opened, interlocking with Bai Yuan's fingers, and he listened...

　When she heard what the person next to her was saying, Leah's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

　However, she quickly returned to normal. She knew that Bai Yuan knew she liked him, but she didn't expect him to say it so easily.

　Wouldn't that be admitting he'd been stringing her along all along? Thinking this, Leah smiled and looked at his face, saying, "You knew I liked you all along, but you pretended not to. Now you're suddenly saying all this—are you finally going to accept me?"

　Bai Yuan's sudden statement was certainly not without reason; it was either an acceptance or a rejection, and a third option was unlikely.

　However, given that Bai Yuan had just accepted her date request and the current atmosphere, it was obvious what answer he would give.

　"The fact that I'm suddenly telling you all this means I'm willing to accept you. I just don't know if you still like me now. If not, I won't force you."

　Looking at the girl's eyelashes trembling slightly with nervousness, Bai Yuan already had the answer in his heart, but he still wanted to hear her admit it herself.

　He doesn't like to force others, even if that person once liked him.

　"Isn't this obvious already? I've been Boss Bai's man for a long time, and even if you don't acknowledge it, I'm still yours!"

　Lia's voice was very sincere; although it wasn't loud, you could feel her earnestness.

　As she spoke, Lia reached out and grabbed Bai Yuan's collar, pulling him down from mid-air. She then stood on tiptoe to kiss him.