To increase the interactivity of the competition, a new segment has been added this year: a coffee trivia quiz.
Each contestant invited a member of the audience to be their "coffee assistant." The organizing committee prepared questions in advance and provided each group with a buzzer. The host announced the questions, and the first group to press their buzzer answered. A correct answer earned five points, while an incorrect answer deducted five points. The group with the highest final score won, and their score was added to their total score.
Jian Yan suggested that Zhao Jiening go on stage, offering the bait of appearing in the same frame as Lan Shan.
Zhao Jiening looked around, her eyes darting about, her cheeks puffed out, making her look especially cute. "Well, I do like coffee, but I haven't specifically studied coffee knowledge. It wouldn't be good if I lost and dragged you guys down with me."
"You" are secondary; she would feel bad if she dragged Lanshan into this mess.
Jin Xiangyu, the boss, immediately said generously, "Ms. Zhao, the spirit of the competition is about participation. Even if you answer incorrectly, no one will blame you. If you're really embarrassed, you should quickly have your company sign a cooperation agreement with us."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jiening knew she couldn't possibly appear. She had planned to use the news of Lightyear Coffee's victory to build a good reputation for the coffee shop, hoping her own company could skip the evaluation process and directly join the partnership.
"I...I...I'll just watch, Dai Dai, you go!"
Xue Qiandai looked her face with great interest. "Miss Zhao, don't regret it. I bet Lanshan is really looking forward to seeing you."
That's just how people are; the more you try to persuade them, the more they back down. Zhao Jiening looked towards the coffee bar and met Lan Shan's gaze.
They collided from a distance, sparks flying everywhere.
Zhao Jiening suddenly lowered her head, her face burning hot, almost like a monkey's bottom. Damn it, just looking at her was enough to make her dizzy. How could she let Lan Shan see her like this?
"Miss Zhao?" Jian Yan tugged at her collar. "Are you shy?"
Zhao Jiening muttered, "Xue Qiandai, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and make your appearance."
Xue Qiandai didn't waste any time and walked straight to the bar, next to Lan Shan.
As soon as the staff handed out the buzzers, Xue Qiandai clearly saw a complex and unfathomable expression of relief flash across Lan Shan's eyes.
She stood side by side with Lan Shan, looking straight ahead, but quipped in a low voice, "Not the person you expected, you must be disappointed."
Lanshan raised his chin, looking incredibly proud. "No, it doesn't matter who comes. In the end, victory will belong to me."
Ha, overflowing with confidence, "Have you ever seen such a majestic Blue Mountain tea, Miss Zhao?"
Lanshan Yigeng, I think there probably isn't one.
"Keep a low profile," he replied, his neck stiff.
"Give me."
While Lan Shan was still in shock, Xue Qiandai snatched the buzzer.
The match begins.
"Round 2, oh, the first few questions were all about Italy, what's the Italians' favorite drink...?"
*Beep* Xue Qiandai pressed the buzzer, "Italian espresso."
There was no way around it; Lanshan liked making this kind of product, and she had been influenced by it from a young age.
The host was shocked; this young woman was incredibly fast. He kindly reminded her, "Miss, I haven't finished my question yet. If you answer incorrectly, points will be deducted."
Xue Qiandai gave an "Oh," seemingly unconcerned, and asked, "Did I answer incorrectly?"
The host chuckled, "You got it right, Lightyear Coffee gets five points."
In the audience, Zhao Jiening touched her nose and muttered, "I know the answer to that question too." It was her first time at Lightyear, and she ordered an espresso.
Like an elder, Jin Xiangyu put her arm around Zhao Jiening's shoulder and said, "There will be other opportunities in the future."
"How do Italians drink coffee? A. They drink it sitting down, B. They drink it standing up, C..."
"Beep," Xue Qiandai pressed the buzzer again, "Standing while drinking." She confidently looked around and smiled at the Lightyear Squad, "Italians usually don't want to spend too much time on a cup of coffee. Fortunately, the espresso they usually order is only 30 milliliters, which is finished in two sips, so it has become a habit for Italians to drink coffee standing up."
The host practically wanted to applaud Xue Qiandai; she not only knew what to do, but also why. The judging panel also showed great favor to Guangnian's group.
Lightyear answered two questions correctly in a row, which made the other teams very wary, especially those who used buzzers.
"Please tell me one thing about Italians drinking coffee..."
Beep, this time another team answered correctly. "Italians usually only drink lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos in the morning to increase satiety, and only drink espresso at other times."
The barista's voice trembled, but he spoke quickly and gave everyone a polite smile after answering.
The host's expression was priceless. "Excuse me, barista, my question is to quote a famous saying about Italians drinking coffee."
The answer was irrelevant.
Before the barista could even react, Xue Qiandai pressed the buzzer again. She didn't answer, but simply looked at Lan Shan beside her.
She didn't know the answer to that question.
Blue Mountain nodded before saying, "A man should be like good coffee, both strong and full of passion."
A burst of laughter erupted from the audience. The loudest laughter came from the Lightyear Coffee team. You Duoduo laughed until her stomach hurt.
"What are you laughing at?" Zhao Jiening questioned. They were on the same team, why was this silly kid sabotaging Lanshan?
You Duoduo wiped her eyes. "Miss Zhao, you will definitely be happy in the future. Strong and passionate."
The last five words were emphasized.
Jian Yan and Jin Xiangyu covered their mouths and smiled demurely.
Zhao Jiening: "..."
He's good for nothing but spouting jokes.
Although the answer sounds nonsensical, an Italian judge pointed out that the idiom does exist in Italy, so Blue Mountain still won.
The host then asked several questions about coffee culture from other countries, and Xue Qiandai, with her lightning-fast reflexes, answered quite a few. Eventually, the other contestants even found it amusing that the young girl was answering so quickly, and they all let her have her way.
Xue Qiandai Coffee is knowledgeable, and even when she couldn't answer some tricky questions, Lan Shan always filled in the gaps in her knowledge. So, without a doubt, Guangnian Coffee scored the highest in this round.
Stepping down from the bar, Xue Qiandai, beaming with pride, nudged Zhao Jiening and asked, "Not bad, right?"
"It's pretty good, quite excellent for a coffee lover." Zhao Jiening nodded reluctantly, "But it's still a long way from being a professional."
The "professional" one naturally refers to Blue Mountain.
The third competition segment was latte art.
Xue Qiandai couldn't bear to look any longer. "Jian, come with me to the restroom."
"Oh, okay."
The two girls followed the wayfinding system and found the restroom. On their way back, they saw a middle-aged foreign woman talking to a Chinese man in English.
Xue Qiandai stopped in her tracks. How should I put it? Just when you're about to doze off, someone brings you a pillow.
"Dai Dai, what's wrong?"
Xue Qiandai snapped her fingers. "The show's about to begin!" She stepped forward, pointed to the T-shirt on her chest, and greeted the woman warmly in English.
The gist of it is: "I'm the External Relations and Development Manager for Lightyear Coffee. The W Hotel is looking to attract a coffee shop, and Lightyear Coffee is definitely a great choice. Oh, and the one who made it through today's competition is our gold medal barista."
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