Chapter 381 I Know What to Cook
Zhao Xiaojing was assigned to the third group, the 2 p.m. time period.
This time is not very good. After the previous two rounds of lunch, most of the judges have already eaten their fill. Two o'clock is the time when they feel sleepy and have no appetite.
But it wasn't the worst. The next one was at four o'clock, and the judges had eaten for three consecutive times. They didn't take a nap when they should have. I'm afraid they would be even more tired by then. Not to mention having no appetite, they would even want to vomit when they saw the food.
Zhao Xiaojing left relatively early in the preliminary round. At that time, the number of people who advanced was about half of the number who completed the competition. At that time, I thought the competition system was quite tolerant. So many people advanced from one province. I didn’t know how many people from all over the country would come to Tuancheng for the competition.
Unexpectedly, when the notice came, she found out that only 800 of the 3,000 people in the preliminary round were left, which was not as many as she thought. Moreover, the semi-final was more strict. Only the top 40 out of the 800 people were selected, which was equivalent to only one out of every 20 people advancing.
The relaxation after the last game tightened up again in an instant.
Within a few days, Zhao Xiaojing began to practice hard in the virtual space day and night. Although Su Yuchen no longer had to work in the restaurant, she seemed to be busier than before. She rarely went to the restaurant to eat. The two lived in the same room and didn't even have time to say a few words to each other.
During this period, the system continued to distribute the main tasks of advancing to the semi-finals of "Fresh Chef Competition". Xiaozhi's accumulated sales also exceeded the three million mark, and revenue rewards were issued, including a new disinfection cabinet and 50,000 yuan in cash.
However, Zhao Xiaojing couldn't take care of it for the time being. After accepting it, she quickly skipped it and put it in the system backpack.
In this way, time turned to the weekend, and Zhao Xiaojing hurriedly finished her lunch at 11:30 and left the store.
Jiangnan District is the area where Zhao Xiaojing's store is located. The entire area is located on the edge of Jiangcheng. It is an area with relatively backward population and economy among all the districts in Jiangcheng. The infrastructure is also slightly lacking, and there is only one subway line going there.
In addition, you have to transfer three subway lines, first to Jianghe District, and then transfer from Jianghe District. The whole journey takes at least three hours.
After further checking, it was found that the area was close to the outskirts of the city, and the traffic was only congested for a short distance ahead. After that, it was completely smooth sailing. The journey would only take an hour and a half, and parking was also allowed as is. Therefore, Zhao Xiaojing stepped on the accelerator and went straight onto the overpass.
Perhaps because there were fewer people in the rematch and the location was in an industrial park in the suburbs, Zhao Xiaojing even doubted her own eyes when she arrived.
The last time the competition took place in the city center, the stadium was packed with people. The honking of horns from the spectators, contestants, and staff was so deafening. However, this time in the industrial park, it was quiet and well-organized.
After easily finding a parking space at the gate, Zhao Xiaojing walked inside following the sign at the main entrance.
After walking for nearly ten minutes, Zhao Xiaojing finally understood why it seemed so quiet this time.
Because this industrial park is so huge!
It was so big that even though Zhao Xiaojing walked at a fast pace, after ten minutes she still saw the arrow sign for the semi-finals hall ahead!
After passing by countless mechanical dolls made from old factory parts, red brick walls covered with vines, and countless white walls painted with graffiti, Zhao Xiaojing finally heard the noisy sound of a crowd gathering, and the sign for the competition hall finally appeared.
On the right side of the hall, there are many rows of benches like a waiting room, but there are not many empty seats. I don’t know whether it is the contestants or the audience, but 80% of the seats are occupied; on the left side, there are several large tables, and the staff are sitting behind the tables. They are wearing red vests like last time, and each of them has a big loudspeaker.
"Contestants for the two o'clock competition, contestants for the two o'clock competition, hurry up and draw your competition area! After the draw, follow the signs to the corresponding competition area. The entrance to the competition area will close in ten minutes!"
When Zhao Xiaojing heard this, she hurried over to the staff.
It was already 1:40, with only 20 minutes left before the race. I had originally set out two hours early, thinking I'd still arrive early, but the park is so huge that I ended up stuck.
"Hello, please show me your ID card."
It was just as convenient as last time. Zhao Xiaojing handed over her ID card for scanning and the information was confirmed immediately.
Zhao Xiaojing initially thought the competition zone would be drawn from a lottery box, but after the staff finished registering, they pointed to a nearby laptop. "Please click on the red area in the middle to select your zone."
Zhao Xiaojing nodded in curiosity, and looked at the computer again. It had a simple lottery-style turntable with "Draw" written in red in the middle. There were five color blocks in a circle around it, with numbers 1-5 written above the blocks. However, blocks 3 and 5 had "Locked" written on them.
"The numbers 1-5 represent 5 competition areas. Each area has a maximum of 42 people. The representatives of the locked competition areas have been drawn into this area, and the number of people drawn is full." Before Zhao Xiaojing could ask any questions, the staff member took the initiative to explain.
Zhao Xiaojing clicked the mouse lightly, and the pointer of the turntable quickly fell on the color block 2.
"Division 2, go left after you exit the door. There's a sign on the door."
Only then did Zhao Xiaojing notice that there was a back door behind the staff member.
Fortunately, the competition area was not far from the hall. Two minutes after passing through the back door, I saw the main gate of the competition area. There was a red retractable isolation tape blocking the door, and many players were standing outside the tape.
Zhao Xiaojing looked around through the isolation tape and found that the competition area was actually a large warehouse. On the left were shelves and a refrigerator with various dishes on them. On the right was a simple stove and workbench. The small portions of various seasonings and tools on the workbench were the same as last time.
However, compared to last time, there were three more cameras this time. Three people who looked like photographers were discussing with cameras, and there were three empty racks behind them.
The rules of the competition don’t seem to have been announced yet, and no one knows what exactly is to be done, but the waiting contestants have already begun to fully use their imagination and inquiries.
"I see all sorts of vegetables on the shelf. I wonder if they're just letting us do whatever we want? Otherwise, how could we need so many ingredients for the same dish?"
"They can do anything, so they'll definitely grab the expensive and good dishes! Wouldn't so many people start fighting? Last time in the preliminary round, everyone made the same dish and there were still people making a fuss. If they rely on grabbing, I think it will be a disaster!"
"Hey, which preliminary round are you in? There's a fight going on there, tell me about it!" When talking about gossip, new people will immediately join in.
"I know what dish to make! I just went to ask the contestant from the previous round!" Zhao Xiaojing was just about to listen to the gossip about other people's experiences when a man in a green shirt ran over from the direction of the hall.
"Good brother! Tell me now!"
"What's the dish, handsome? Tell me!"
"Hey everyone, stop chattering and listen to the handsome guy!"
The scene suddenly became quiet, and dozens of pairs of eyes stared at the man in green shirt.
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