When Mr. Zhou saw He Jing, he waved to her and gestured for her to come over. He Jing obediently stepped forward, and Mr. Zhou said, "Miss He Jing, please get acquainted with these judges for this competition. They are all big names in the culinary world. Gentlemen, this is the head chef that my Zhou's Restaurant will be sending. Her name is He Jing. Please take good care of her."
He Jing greeted them politely: "Hello, judges."
Then, I couldn't help but think to myself, "So this is an open-book exam?"
The judges, all seasoned veterans, smiled and praised He Jing, saying, "What a talented young man! He's so young yet already capable of taking on such a great responsibility. The future of Zhou's Restaurant is promising."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a discordant voice interrupted: "Oh, so this is the head chef of Zhou's Restaurant. What a tiny little girl."
Everyone paused, and looked in the direction of the sound, where a long luxury car came to a stop.
The car door opened, and a leather shoe emerged from it, followed by a middle-aged, slightly overweight man with a wide smile, like a smiling tiger.
He was dressed in a suit and tie, without any fuss, as if even the buttons on his chest had been carefully wiped clean.
Then, another man in a white chef's uniform came down, carrying a chef's hat; he was clearly the head chef of Xingwang Hotel.
The smiling tiger strode up to the group, first glancing at Zhou's father, then looking at He Jing, reaching out as if to pat her head: "This must be Miss He Jing?"
He Jing was able to call out her name accurately without exception, believing that Xingwang Hotel had collected her information well in advance in order to win.
Just as Zhou's father was about to stop her, Zhou Xue'er suddenly rushed over, pulled He Jing behind her, looked up, and said with undisguised disgust, "Just talk, stop touching me."
The smiling tiger, neither annoyed nor angry, looked at Zhou Xue'er with a smile and said, "Oh, Xue'er has grown so much."
"Pooh."
Zhou Xue'er didn't want to hear her name called out by him at all. She grabbed He Jing's arm and pulled her aside, then said:
"This fatso is called Liu Fu. My dad took him in when he was down on his luck. But he stole the menu from Zhou's Restaurant, poached the chefs, and built Xingwang Hotel right across from Zhou's Restaurant. He's a complete ingrate."
"He also initiated this competition, wanting to drive our Zhou family out of City A. My dad has put up with him for so many years, he's had enough. If we lose this competition, the Zhou family will get out of City A; if he loses, the Xingwang Hotel will close down completely."
"In short, it's either you or me; He Jing, you absolutely have to win!"
After listening quietly, He Jingjing gently pulled her hand away and said, "I will do my best."
Seeing He Jing's reaction, Zhou Xue'er felt a lump in her throat and a tightness in her chest, but she couldn't do anything about it and could only watch her walk into the building.
...
The competition was held on the third floor of the building, and the venue was extremely large. It seemed that the organizers of the competition were intentionally creating hype, as not only were there many media reporters present, but tickets were also available for those who wanted to watch the competition.
As soon as He Jing entered, staff members came forward to greet and register her, asked for her name, and led her to the backstage area of the competition.
He Jing changed into her competition outfit. The white chef's uniform looked even looser on her, and the chef's hat was so big that it would have covered her eyes if it had been lowered just a little.
At first glance, she looks like a child who has stolen an adult's clothes, which is quite comical. However, her cool and indifferent expression makes it impossible for anyone to look down on her.
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