Chapter 74:
{I go! Bing Bing is crying! She actually cried too!} {Her expression looks so real. I can feel that she's genuinely sad!} {Huh? I'm still skeptical! It's just egg fried rice, it can't be that serious!} {Exactly! The acting is pretty good. Bing Bing gets an extra chicken leg tonight! Hahaha!} {This is getting interesting. The program effect is here now, right?} {......}
The viewers were discussing heatedly. Many simply refused to believe it!
No matter how you explained it, it was still just a bowl of egg fried rice!
How could it have such magical power?
You think this is music?
Music evoking emotions is normal.
But saying one bowl of egg fried rice can stir up deep emotions? That's stretching it too far.
It's simply impossible!
The chefs at the venue were even more dumbfounded.
Earlier, when Bing Bing said she would taste it herself, they had full confidence in her.
In the end! Bing Bing turned around and started bawling!
This was too bizarre!
"Speechless! The acting is way too over the top!" "Bing Bing, I'm so disappointed in you." "I'll try it myself. If it's really that delicious, I'll call Xiangling 'Mom' right here!"
Many chefs loudly demanded to taste it themselves.
Bing Bing didn't stop them. She said: "You can try it if you want, but I hope you taste it sincerely, without any prejudice!"
"Don't worry! We still have basic professional ethics." "Exactly! We just don't want to lose too unfairly!" "If she really has the skill, of course we won't say anything!"
Hearing that they could taste it personally, the chefs were eager to try.
Soon, one chef walked up to Xiangling's egg fried rice with a spoon.
He looked at the golden bowl and sneered continuously: "I admit the color, aroma, and appearance are all excellent, but the difference from our egg fried rice shouldn't be that big!"
On the internet, the netizens also widened their eyes.
One word from a fellow chef and you know the truth!
Whether it was scripted or not would become clear immediately.
{Hehe! Xiangling is about to be exposed now.} {Fellow chef tasting it! Now we'll see if she has real skills.} {She's probably going to be exposed. As everyone knows,同行是冤家 (fellow professionals are natural enemies)! Hahaha!} {Ah! WTF! Holy shit!} {The chef is crying! He's crying too!} {...}
The netizens had originally come to watch Xiangling get embarrassed.
But the next moment! They were stunned.
Because that chef who tasted it — a man who looked over forty — actually started crying as well.
At the venue, the chefs who hadn't tasted it yet were shocked.
Filled with doubt, they took turns tasting a spoonful.
After that, every chef present who tasted Xiangling's egg fried rice couldn't hold back their tears.
The scene looked extremely comical.
Yet it also carried a strange sense of sadness.
Half an hour later, the judging panel finished scoring.
The top ten spots for today's main competition had been decided.
First place, without any suspense, was Xiangling.
Second place went to the previous Chef God, Lao Hei.
The difference between their scores was only 0.5 points. Their strengths were extremely close.
"Alright! Today's competition ends here for now. We'll see you again at the same time tomorrow," Bing Bing announced the rankings and said goodbye to the audience.
As soon as she finished speaking, the live broadcast room went dark.
The netizens stared at the black screen, still feeling unsatisfied. The discussion continued.
{Sigh! It's not enough at all! I can't wait to see Xiangling cook other dishes!} {Hahaha! My wife Xiangling's cooking is so awesome! I'm in love!} {If I could marry a wife like Xiangling, I'd be willing to pay five million in betrothal gifts!} {Wuwuwu! Bros, my buddy's wife is also really good at cooking. He even made her cosplay as Xiangling earlier, and most importantly, he sent me her private photos. Should I cut ties with him?} {......}
At the same time!
On the internet.
CCTV noticed that this year's National Chef Competition had unusually high viewership ratings.
Right after the show ended, they edited the footage and uploaded it to their official website.
As soon as the video was posted, it attracted massive attention from netizens.
{WTF! There are female chefs in the competition? And she's a young girl? A 2D-style girl?} {What year is it? What year is this? How is this even happening?} {Holy crap! CCTV was hiding such a big move! Wuwu! I'm definitely tuning in live tomorrow!} {This girl is called Xiangling. She usually streams in Tang Yu's live room. Bros, go follow him!} {.....}
The moment netizens saw Xiangling, they were instantly captivated by her cute appearance.
Her actual cooking skills were almost overlooked.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu's live room, thanks to this indirect promotion from CCTV, saw another explosive surge in followers.
It had now reached two million.
At the same time.
Many large food companies and high-end hotels across the country were secretly making moves.
Kyoto Grand Hotel.
Inside a private room.
"Young Master Ye, an unusual contestant appeared in this Chef Competition. She has great traffic. Should we try to sign her?" A middle-aged man in a suit and tie stood respectfully in front of a handsome young man in casual clothes and spoke softly.
The young man had a refined appearance and clearly came from a wealthy family.
He smiled while looking at the computer screen, which was playing the replay of today's National Chef Competition.
"Interesting. Try contacting her. If we can sign her, great. If not, we can settle for making her the spokesperson for our hotel."
"As long as she doesn't sign with Kyoto Imperial Pavilion, everything else is negotiable."
"Understood, Young Master Ye."
The middle-aged man's eyes flashed as he retreated.
He naturally understood the meaning behind Young Master Ye's last sentence.
If Xiangling was sensible, she would gain immense wealth and status!
On the other hand, if she offended Young Master Ye, Xiangling's future days would definitely not be easy!
Kyoto Imperial Pavilion!
This was the property of the Xiao family in Kyoto.
At this moment!
Xiao Yang, the eldest young master of the Xiao family, swirled the red wine in his glass and took a light sip.
"Lai Fu!" he said softly.
Behind him, an elderly man stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said: "Young Master Xiao, what are your orders?"
"This year's CCTV Chef Competition is much hotter than previous years. Take this opportunity to sign more popular chefs and boost the reputation of our Imperial Pavilion."
The old man nodded. "Young Master Xiao is right."
"I'll leave this matter to you. Pay special attention to a girl named Xiangling. Don't let that guy Ye Chen snatch her away."
"Understood!" The old man nodded again and turned to leave.
Scenes like this were happening not only in Kyoto.
Famous hotels and catering enterprises across the country all treated signing Xiangling as their top priority!
After all, she was a chef who had become popular through CCTV!
Signing her would bring an enormous boost to any company's image.
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