Lu Xinyi went back to her station and slumped down the floor as she waited for the judges to finish the second round. Surya Rathore was surprised to see her tired and exhausted.

“Sister Lu! Are you alright? Do you need anything? Should I call a medic?” he said in a panic. He’d seen how Lu Xinyi made her handmade noodles and was impressed by her kneading techniques. He had seen the same performance once while watching a live show on how to do the hand-pulled noodles at one of the restaurants they visited up north.

Lu Xinyi gave him a weak smile and shook her head. “It’s alright. I’ll be fine.”

She needed to take a rest. She could feel her hands trembling and wondered if it would affect her next dish. There were still examinees still presenting and serving their dishes, and she thought that maybe she still had enough time to take a break for a while.

Surprisingly, it was Tang Lilou who tied up with Ye Xieren for this round. Her tangy, savory, cold skin noodles (Liang Pi) won the hearts of the judges while Meng Jiao was able to surpass Lu Xinyi’s score and Yan Chen’s linguine at 4.7 with her fettuccine pasta, earning her a 4.8 score.

1 Ye Xieren (Li Corporation) 5.00

2 Tang Lilou (Griffin Entertainment) 5.00

3. Meng Jiao (Sun Corporation) 4.80

4. Lu Xinyi (SY Holdings) 4.70

5. Yan Chen (Liu Technologies) 4.70 ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

6. Tang Liang (Griffin Entertainment) 4.50

At the end of the second round, Lu Xinyi fell down the ranks while Meng Jiao was able to redeem herself. Meng Jiao gave her ex-best friend a side glance, but Lu Xinyi ignored her presence.

Lu Xinyi smiled to another examinee like she was happy and content right to her soul like there was no part of her where sadness dwelt. She had no mannerisms that show weakness and negativity of any kind; she was perfection right down to her facial expressions. Lu Xinyi might not be aware, but since they were at middle school, the boys followed her with their eyes silently—even the ones who don’t tend to notice girls.

Meng Jiao wouldn’t mind selling her soul just to be her for one day, to walk in Lu Xinyi’s shoes instead of her own. If that’s envy, she didn’t care. How fair was it to be born so ordinary and then be judged for wanting more?

Would anyone still dare to compare her to Lu Xinyi? Would they still think she was Lu Xinyi’s shadow? For the longest time that they were together, it wasn’t easy to stay beside someone so bright. While Lu Xinyi preferred to be alone by herself most of the time, she was still able to get everyone’s attention without trying.

She turned her gaze down to her hands. People would judge her if they knew what she had done before taking this entrance exam. There were times that she asked herself if she had made the right choice. It was too late for her to regret. She had sacrificed everything she had just to attend Silver Leaf. She might not know Sun Feiyan’s real motive, but if this woman could help her advance, Meng Jiao didn’t mind being used as a pawn.

The anger from her eyes showed the insecure child within, the girl who was taught to fight and starved of the love she craved. Meng Jiao had seen the pain beneath it, and her soul drowning in this persona she’d carved to fit a world of indifference. No one could help someone like that; not unless the tears come, and they realize what’s really going on. She felt like she was trapped in Lu Xinyi’s shadow.

The sunshine warmed everything it touched, and the shadow could not ignore it. How could the shadow vie the sunshine?

Lu Xinyi groaned as she stood up from the floor. The last leg of the exam was about to start. She wasn’t the only one who wanted this phase to come. Tong Yan had been waiting for this moment. She’d specifically set everything in place, and now, Lu Xinyi was the willing prey that had been trapped on a cage. Her sweet smile was full of malice.

Tong Yan let her eyes wander up and down Lu Xinyi once more, an involuntary sneer appearing.

“Lu Xinyi, you cannot escape this time. Submit yourself to the Sun family.”

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