"Why are you looking at me with such pitiful eyes!"

His face turned red with rage as he violently overturned the table in front of him, roaring at Huai Shi, at the people on the stage, "I just wanted to be like you all! Is that so wrong!!"

"No one said you were wrong, Enrico," Huai Shi calmly flicked his cigarette ash, telling him, "It's just a little hardship, nothing insurmountable. One must always have dreams."

"But I've been dreaming it!"

Enrico roared in grief and indignation, "I want to be a genius like you! To be as strong as you! Is just wanting it enough?!"

"But I just can't do it, no matter how hard I try! I just... I just wanted to stand with you at the top, why look at me as if I'm trash? Is it because my heart isn't sincere enough? Or do I have to become a laughing stock before it's acceptable!"

"Do you all want to see me make a fool of myself that badly! Fine, do you want me to kneel!"

With indefinable hatred, bitterness, and despair, the man roared out of control, saliva nearly spraying from his mouth, crying out with all his might, yet he could no longer hold back the tears.

"I can do it, no matter how low you want me to stoop."

"Please, just look at me, please!"

Forgetting where he was, forgetting his true surroundings, even forgetting that his enemies were right in front of him. He collapsed to the ground pitifully, pleading desperately.

"Please, teach me. How can I be like you?"

He wept and choked, bowing his head, letting his tears and snot fall into the dust, begging like a lost stray dog for alms and pity.

He longed for the person before him to answer his questions.

"Please teach me, Miss Huaizhi."

"Please... save me."

Regrettably, during the long silence, only the woman's pitying voice was heard.

"I'm sorry, no one can teach you that, Mr. Enrico."

With such cold finality, Huaizhi Sushi softly said, "Apart from yourself, there is no one else who can save you."

She raised her hand, took the ladle, scooped the boiling macaroni from the pot, placed it in a bowl, drained it, and then expertly mixed in the sauce. Finally, she pulled a piece of cheese from her cooking station, melted it, stirred it into the sauce, and poured it evenly over the bowl.

Taking a deep breath, she smelled the rich, milky aroma and the fresh tang of tomato. It was incredibly appetizing.

"Don't be sad. Have a bowl of macaroni first."

After resetting the table, she placed a fresh bowl of cheese macaroni in front of Enrico. "This isn't Chef Demon cooking, but a technique I learned from an elder. It might not taste great, but when you're sad, eating something high in calories is never wrong."

She picked up a fork, passed it over with a beaming smile.

"After all, you have to eat your fill even when you're on a diet, right?"

Enrico was momentarily speechless. Eat my fill? Eat? Eat something so casually concocted?

In the ensuing silence, the dumbstruck Enrico picked up the fork. He looked down at the macaroni before him, sensing an unfamiliar warmth and sweetness.

Boring. Such meaningless cooking, could it possibly have any value?

Even while thinking this, his body involuntarily moved, forking up a piece.

He popped it into his mouth.

The thick cheese flowed over his tongue, bringing a rich creamy flavor. Meanwhile, the tangy sweetness of the tomato sauce diffused in delicate threads, blending with the macaroni and creating a gentle warmth that spread through him.

He couldn't help but take a deep breath, forgetting his own wretchedness and dejection.

He forked up another piece, chewed, forgot the pain and bitterness, and immersed himself in the delightful, intense aroma. The cold was dispelled, and even the pain in his heart seemed to find salvation and peace.

And so, he ate faster and faster, until finally, he lowered his head and held the large bowl in his hands.

He almost buried his face in it.

He indulged in gluttony.

With that rare warmth, he swallowed all his bitterness, pain, and coldness, completely unable to stop.

Until at last, the pot of macaroni was devoured by the two of them.

Enrico habitually reached for a spoon, but seeing the empty bottom of the pot, he froze. After a long moment, his shoulders shook slightly, as if he were laughing.

Laughing at himself.

He put down the spotless utensils.

He bowed his head, thanking the smiling woman before him.

"Feeling a little better?" asked Huai Shi.

Enrico nodded silently.

"So, any thoughts now?"

After a long silence, Enrico suddenly looked up. "...Nothing," he said. "I can't think of anything, because this is my limit. And I've decided I'm not going to continue being a Chef Demon anymore."

His declaration, as shocking as a bolt from the blue, broke the silence in the competition arena, leaving everyone in the audience dumbstruck and in disbelief.

Once these words were spoken, it was as if he had been liberated.

He was bidding farewell to the sea of suffering that had entangled him his whole life.

Enrico smiled, calm and gentle now, with no trace of pain or indecision to be seen.

"Really decided on that?" Huai Shi asked curiously.

Enrico nodded.

"Well, isn't that just right?"

Huai Shi nodded in agreement, unable to resist patting Enrico on the shoulder. "Life offers many choices. If it's painful, it's no big deal to stop being a Chef Demon. However, you need to put in the effort for your future... I suggest you start by finding a girlfriend."