Although the siblings Cui Qingyuan and Cui Qingli are close in age, their personalities are completely different. The brother, Cui Qingyuan, has been learning to cook from Cui Mingyu since childhood and is a shy person who never leaves the kitchen. The sister, on the other hand, is focused on making money and only wants to be a happy rich woman.

In addition, Cui Mingyu doted on her daughter and couldn't bear to see Cui Qingli work so hard, so she let her do as she pleased.

“Little aunt, I only have two goals in life now: to make money and to enjoy life. They say anything can happen, and the world might end any day. If someone dies and leaves behind a lot of money, wouldn’t that be a huge loss?”

Cui Qingli was applying a face mask with her eyes closed when a flight attendant came over and patiently asked if she needed to change into slippers. She waved her hand and joked:

"I don't need slippers, but could you please get me and the beautiful lady next to me a glass of red wine?"

Xu Milu is naturally cat-like and curious about everything. She bumps into Cui Qingli, who is impulsive and unpredictable. The next morning, she boards a plane to Hengdian, ready for a spontaneous trip.

The flight attendants quickly brought over the red wine and food, and smiled warmly at Xu Milu:

"Are you all going on vacation? The ground temperature at Jinhua Airport is currently between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius, with light rain, which is perfect for traveling. Besides Hengdian World Studios, Guangzhou Street and Hong Kong Street are also good options for visiting."

Are there many tourists visiting Hengdian World Studios this season?

Xu Milu asked with some curiosity.

"Yes, because the temperature is pleasant this season, and with the National Day Golden Week just around the corner, the passenger flow will be huge."

The flight attendant explained softly:

"Moreover, it's worth mentioning that Jinhua City invested tens of millions this year to build a water park. The most worthwhile attraction to visit is the nearly 1,000-acre Wheat Ear and Egg Ecological Lake, which is an absolute wonder. I was fortunate enough to visit it once, and those amazing plants were truly breathtaking. If you are interested, madam, you can also go and take a look."

The Chinese government acted swiftly.

Xu Milu nodded and began to enjoy her lunch.

With an hour to go before the plane landed, she ordered a black pepper beef tenderloin pasta with rosemary steak, a roasted potato salad, and a shrimp and cheese sandwich for lunch. Li Ning was originally going to come too, but he and Cui Qingyuan were kept in Ningcheng by Ning Haiqiao for intensive training for the "Harvest Cup".

Due to limitations, airplane meals cannot be made fresh; they are usually prepared and stored in insulated containers, so both the taste and freshness are somewhat lacking.

Ordinary people might find it tastes good, but Xu Milu, whose physical condition has been enhanced, took a bite and immediately noticed many drawbacks.

The pasta was overcooked; it became a mushy, soggy mess when you bit into it. The beef tenderloin sauce was well-made, but the heat must have been too high when frying the beef, because the black pepper on top had a slightly burnt taste.

The shrimp in the shrimp sandwich was fresh enough, but the only downside was that the cheese slices were too greasy and the bread slices were over-baked and lost their proper softness.

The potato salad was pretty good. The potatoes were roasted until very soft and had a hint of garlic flavor. It seemed like the potatoes and garlic were wrapped in foil and roasted together. After roasting, minced garlic was squeezed into the mashed potatoes, olive oil was added and mixed in, and then fresh vegetables and salad dressing were added.

The soft, tender potatoes paired with salad dressing, and a bite of crisp lettuce—the combination of hot and cold dishes is surprisingly harmonious.

...

...

Cui Qingli complained that she had eaten too much yesterday and refused to eat lunch, only occasionally taking a sip of red wine.

“Little aunt, this year’s ‘Harvest Cup’ is going to be so exciting. There are Li Ning and Qingyuan from the younger generation of our Cui family alone, as well as Lan Shuyu from Fifth Aunt’s family, Bai Bao’er from the Bai family, Guan Wenmo from the Guan family, and you too. I’ll have to skip work to go watch the competition.”

"Didn't Master tell you?"

Xu Milu slowly finished the last bite of bread, wiped her mouth, and then said:

“I discussed it with my master and felt that the ‘Harvest Cup’ was not suitable for me. I plan to sign up for the ‘Chef King Competition’ and I’m just in time to sign up before the deadline. I will participate in the preliminary rounds in Sichuan and Chongqing next month.”

"A 'Chef King Competition'?"

Cui Qingli ripped off her face mask and sat up, thinking that something was wrong with her ears:

"Grandpa really wants you to participate in this competition? Don't you know? This competition has always cooperated with the official organizers, and the entire process is filmed. The participants are all head chefs from various restaurants. Are you asking a newbie like you with nothing to your name to fight a monster much higher than you?!"

The "Chef King Competition" also has a long-running variety show of the same name, which films the competition process. The judges are food critics, food journalists, and Michelin chefs from all over the world, making for an incredibly impressive lineup.

The competition is divided into two regions: the China region and the international region. There are seven rounds of selection to select fourteen outstanding chefs to compete against each other. It is a battle of true skills and abilities, and you can't survive without strong mental fortitude.

— Cui Qingli had heard Cui Shengguo mention that there was once a young chef with some talent who ignored all advice and insisted on signing up. As a result, during the food critic review stage, he encountered a harsh critic who pointed out a long list of flaws, causing him to break down in tears on the spot.

This show is practically a meat grinder for novice chefs.

Putting aside the fact that Xu Milu hasn't even graduated yet, just looking at the contestants, the preliminary selection alone could eliminate a large number of excellent chefs. Firstly, the entry requirements are stringent; contestants must be at the level of a restaurant head chef, and secondly, they need to have more than three years of professional experience. Xu Milu simply cannot meet these requirements.

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