Daddy! Come Home for Dinner!

"However, Ye Fei has used underhanded tactics to eliminate one contestant after another. If everyone unites, we should be able to handle her, right?" Ding Ruyun said.

"Besides, don’t forget, there’s still Shi Jiumei," Ding Ruyun added.

"Shi Jiumei?" Chen Zhengping hadn’t really paid much attention to Shi Jiumei.

"Shi Jiumei was harmed by Ye Fei. It’s not just about being eliminated; she can’t even be a food blogger now, and many brands have withdrawn their collaborations with her. It’s like Ye Fei has cut off Shi Jiumei’s financial path directly."

"Do you think Shi Jiumei can just let go of something as ruthless as having her financial path cut off?" Ding Ruyun said.

Chen Zhengping squinted his eyes, "The three of us can join forces."

"Exactly." Ding Ruyun nodded, "After today’s competition ends, I’ll contact Shi Jiumei. It might not be possible to reach her immediately, so don’t worry. As soon as I get in touch with her, I’ll let you know. Then we can have a good discussion."

Chen Zhengping looked at the advancement seats opposite, "Anyway, I can’t just watch Ye Fei bask in success like this!"

"Of course." Ding Ruyun nodded.

The subsequent groups were quickly evaluated as well.

In the end, the ten participants from Changping Academy: Tian Pengpo, Huo Jiarong, Xu Aoliang, Shang Heyue, Ban Ziang, Yu Yingyan, Hua Ciyue, Ba Zhekai, Mi Ruoyun, and Zhou Junhao, all successfully advanced.

The remaining five slots went to Ye Fei, Li Zhexuan, Zeng Jieyun, Xue Jieyu, and Fu Jiaxu.

One could say Fu Jiaxu was quite lucky.

Although he ranked lower, he drew an opponent with a level similar to his own.

Ultimately, he narrowly achieved victory.

Once all the results were out, both advanced and eliminated contestants returned to the stage.

After all, it was the top thirty.

Even the eliminated contestants needed some screen time before leaving the stage.

"Ruyun." As they gathered, Fu Jiaxu came looking for Ding Ruyun.

Ding Ruyun was feeling very conflicted.

Due to being grouped in the same team during the preliminary round and advancing together.

She had a pretty good relationship with Fu Jiaxu.

Moreover, their strengths were about the same.

But unexpectedly, she was eliminated while Fu Jiaxu advanced.

Fu Jiaxu was indeed lucky to draw an opponent of a similar level to him.

Ding Ruyun jealously thought, why didn’t Fu Jiaxu draw someone from Changping?

Even if he drew Ye Fei, Fu Jiaxu wouldn’t have had a chance to advance!

Given Fu Jiaxu’s skills, his advancement was the biggest joke!

On the surface, Ding Ruyun gently said, "Congratulations."

"I just got lucky this time." Although Fu Jiaxu said this, he couldn’t hide his smugness.

He was lucky indeed, having drawn an opponent with comparable ranking.

But it also proved he was indeed stronger than his opponent, which is why he won.

He had advanced through his own abilities.

"I didn’t expect you..." Fu Jiaxu sighed, "I thought we could fight side by side."

Ding Ruyun sweetly smiled, "It’s okay, you can continue to cheer on with my share of the spirit."

"I can’t continue competing and don’t have a chance to defeat Ye Fei. It’s all up to you now; you must beat her!" Ding Ruyun said, "We can’t let her go on being so triumphant."

"Of course, definitely." Fu Jiaxu, somewhat inexplicably confident, dared to promise.

"Would the eliminated contestants please come to the front." Guo Wenbo said at this moment.

Ding Ruyun smiled at Fu Jiaxu and quickly went to the front.

"Though you were eliminated in this competition, remember, you are among this year’s top thirty. You stood out through intense selection to stand in this arena as part of the top thirty. You are among the top thirty young chefs in the country." Guo Wenbo encouraged them.

Many people felt inspired by Guo Wenbo’s words.

"This defeat is not the end. I hope you learn something from this competition and that it helps improve your culinary skills. This way, the purpose of the competition will have been achieved." Guo Wenbo said.

"I wish you a bright future, and next year, you’re welcome to compete again," Gu Changfeng said with a smile.

"Here, I congratulate the 15 contestants who successfully advanced." Ye Huasong said, "Congratulations on being among the top 15 young chefs nationwide. The upcoming competitions will be more intense, so be prepared."

At that moment, a staff member came up and whispered something to Guo Wenbo.

Guo Wenbo nodded and said, "Earlier, just as the competition began, there was some conflict in the ingredients room. Contestant Ye Fei’s ingredients were sabotaged, and the footage from the ingredient room’s live camera was requested for inspection."

"During the competition, the staff examined the footage taken earlier, and now results are in." Guo Wenbo said.

"In the interest of fairness and transparency, and to convince the public, we will now reveal the video on-site, showing it to all participating contestants, the live audience, and viewers streaming on various platforms." Guo Wenbo said.

After speaking, Guo Wenbo instructed the staff to play the video, broadcasting it on the big screen and through the streaming channel for all to see.

The big screen and online streaming platforms switched to the video.

The video’s upper right corner displayed the recording time.

So the audience could clearly know when it was shot, and the seconds timer in the background kept jumping, so viewers knew there was no editing involved.

The staff in charge of reviewing the video got a microphone and said, "Before showing the footage of the contestants checking their ingredients, I’d like to rewind to 75 minutes earlier. I won’t say anything, just watch. Although it’s rewound 75 minutes, the viewing time is short; we’ll only watch that specific moment and then rewind back."

The staff looked at Guo Wenbo.

Guo Wenbo nodded, so the staff displayed the footage from 75 minutes earlier.

The first scene showed an empty ingredient preparation room.

The time 75 minutes before the contestants went to check their ingredients led back to well before the competition began, around noon.

Shortly thereafter, Ding Ruyun appeared on the screen.

She walked around half of the ingredient room and found Ye Fei’s ingredient compartment.

She stopped in front of it, looked for a while, and then left.

"Ding Ruyun went there first?"

"What was she doing watching Ye Fei’s ingredients?"

"It really seems possible she did it; otherwise, why would she go there?"

Ding Ruyun didn’t expect the organizers to have turned on the camera so early!

"To ensure no mishaps during the live stream, we turned on the camera early for testing."