Once the timer started, Lu Xinyi and Ye Xieren simultaneously picked up the tray of their squids and started cutting them. The two tuned out everything and focused their attention on the dish they were about to cook.

Lu Xinyi made a clean long cut on her first squid and ripped the ink sack gently away from it, setting it aside before moving to her next squid. Once all the ink sacks were collected, she took a small clear bowl and pressed her fingers on each sack carefully, squeezing all the ink she could get from it.

Squeezing the ink out was a little tricky, but Lu Xinyi and Ye Xieren managed to collect a decent amount of ink they could use for their pasta. Now that they had the squid ink they needed, they both started working on their pasta which needed to be made from scratch.

“Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi should be able to predict how much pasta they could make from squid ink. Headmistress Han’s squid pasta has a jet black color and has the flavor balanced sweetness and saltiness,” Chef Qin commented.

He was quite surprised seeing Lu Xinyi in person. Ye Xieren had been talking about her incessantly, and he’d been curious to meet this woman who was able to beat his nephew.

Having been able to make handmade noodles and pasta before, Lu Xinyi easily made a huge ball of black dough and let it rest for about ten minutes while she prepared the sauce and her soft-boiled eggs. Her eyes constantly checked the time to make sure she wouldn’t overcook them.

He Haotian hummed beside Chef Qin while he watched his apprentice cook her sauce for her pasta while keeping an eye on her boiled eggs.

“Time is essential to make soft-boiled eggs. The egg must be perfectly soft-boiled, which can be obtained by cooking it for about five to six minutes. It is also crucial that after cooking it with boiling water, they have to cool it down as soon as possible so it will stop cooking from the inside.”

‘Yes, there should ice-cold water prepared ahead,” Chef Qin agreed with him.

In He Haotian’s view, Lu Xinyi had already passed her amateur phase. Born with a gilded palate, it would be a way for her to advance in her chosen career as a chef. However, being a chef required more than aptitude and zeal. It wasn’t only about the act of cooking.

Cooking was as much a trade as an art: a chef must—mundanely—negotiate with vendors, run inventory, train staff, maintain safety protocols in the middle of the most helter-skelter dinner service, and occasionally compromise dishes to placate restive customers. In this field, Ye Xieren had beaten Lu Xinyi in terms of experience, but that didn’t mean that she would fall behind.

Everyone was at awe when the two started chopping their garlic and chives in swift motions. It was as if they were watching a cooking show on television.

“Mr. Ye, Miss Lu, you only have fifteen minutes to finish your dishes and to start plating!” Huo Meili’s voice echoed inside the arena. Both Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi heard her, but they continued to move at a normal speed as if they hadn’t heard anything.

“Now, this is about how they’ll perform impeccable time management. If one of them put the noodles in boiling water too early, it will become mushy; but if they don’t pay attention to the time, it will become too al dente.” He Haotian yawned and slumped lazily on his seat. He wanted Lu Xinyi to beat Ye Xieren faster so the chef beside him would stop pestering him about Ye Xieren.

When the timer reached the last ten minutes, Lu Xinyi threw the squid-inked noodles she made and cooked it at least three minutes before tossing it to the pan with the sauce, giving it a good stir. Unlike Ye Xieren, Lu Xinyi prepared three porcelain bowls to present her dish and twirled the pasta according to how He Haotian had taught her.

“Wow, that looks so good.” Someone in the audience drooled at the sight of glossy black pasta with a soft-boiled egg on top. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

“Time’s up! Please present your dishes to our judges!” Huo Meili’s voice followed the loud beep of the timer that irritated Lu Xinyi’s ears. She and Ye Xieren lifted their hands in the air and watched the staff take their plates and bring it to the judges’ table.

“Since Ye Xieren is the challenger, let’s taste his dish first,” He Haotian suggested, which the other two judges easily agreed to.

Chef Qin only took a bite and smiled at his apprentice.

“Xieren, you know I was against your decision attending Silver Leaf. I thought that by having you gain hands-on experience, you’ll be able to become a chef just fine. I know now that I was wrong. My eyes are clear now. I can see that you’ve perfected the basics you vehemently dislike. You’ve done well.”

Meanwhile, He Haotian eyed Ye Xieren’s squid ink pasta. There wasn’t anything special in it but wondered how it would taste. “Why is there a small crack on the egg?”

“I wasn’t careful when peeling the shells. It’s my fault,” Ye Xieren admitted.

The older chef nodded and didn’t say anything. He cut the soft-boiled egg and watched how the golden egg yolk spill down at the silky black strands of the pasta. Giving it a quick taste, He Haotian brought his fork down and stared at Ye Xieren’s eyes seriously.

‘So this was Chef Qin’s apprentice, eh? He wasn’t bad at all,’ He Haotian thought. Ye Xieren—in spite of having a crack on his soft-boiled egg—had a stunning, rich yellow runny yolk that came from the inside and was perfectly seasoned with salt to enhance its flavor.

The noodles weren’t overcooked, the mushrooms had a nice caramelized color, and the overall taste had the basic flavors he’d expected from squid ink pasta.

“Chef?” Ye Xieren wasn’t used to being stared at for too long by his senior. Most of the time, it meant that he made a mistake or that he was being criticized for his techniques.

“The flavor is awesome. I expected nothing less from Chef Qin’s apprentice,” He Haotian said after his long silence.

Ye Xieren sighed in relief. It wasn’t every day to meet a Michelin chef like He Haotian, and what’s more, he was able to present a dish to him.

“Aside from the cracked egg, I didn’t see anything wrong with your dish. If I may be bold to say, I can see great potential in you,” He Haotian added. He took a glimpse at Lu Xinyi’s way to see her reaction, but his damn apprentice only yawned and rubbed her eyes as if she was bored and wanted to take a nap like a kitten.

“Thank you very much, chef.” Lu Xinyi thought Ye Xieren’s voice sound too cheery than usual.

Headmistress Han finished her plate and regarded Ye Xieren.

“The noodles are perfect. One can easily tell it’s handmade. The strands are tender to bite, and it had an excellent flavor. Good job, Mr. Ye.”

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