Universe Infinite Canteen-Chapter 579: Lemon Water

The rich, golden oil from the Hele Crab coated each grain of rice in the risotto, turning them into shimmering golden nuggets, transforming each into a flavorful explosion.

Seasoned with saffron, sweet pepper, and rosemary, each bite delivered the utmost pleasure.

By this point in the competition, although the judges only took a small bite of each dish, they were already feeling full.

Still, when Chuan Ye Zhengming's Valencia Hele Crab Seafood Risotto was served, many judges couldn't help but take a few extra bites.

Unfortunately, one of the judges no longer had a qualification card, so in the end, Chuan Ye Zhengming only received 12 qualification cards.

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Following Chuan Ye Zhengming, six more chefs received the four or more qualification cards needed to advance, while three failed to complete the competition.

In the end, out of the one hundred and five chefs invited to compete, only forty-two made it to the next round.

This group included Qi Shanzhu, who was among the earlier contestants to finish, earning exactly four qualification cards with her Flaming Tofu Ice Cream dessert.

In recent years, fusion cuisine has become extremely popular worldwide, especially in South Korea.

Fusion cuisine is all about harmoniously combining contrasting elements for a stunning effect. It holds a natural advantage in creativity and has the capacity to draw attention.

Qi Shanzhu admitted that her Flaming Tofu Ice Cream still had ample room for flavor improvement, but advancing to the second round was already a victory in her eyes.

Compared to the main chefs from various restaurants participating in the God of Cooking competition, Qi Shanzhu, with her many side businesses, was somewhat an amateur.

Like a jackal among wolves, that's how she had mockingly referred to herself during her exchanges with Ma Lu.

But now, she could finally hold her head high, as she put it, giving her fans and audience something to cheer about.

Considering the physical and mental exertion from three continuous hours of focused cooking, the organizing committee did not arrange new competitions in the afternoon.

Instead, they allowed the chefs to rest on their own at the hotel.

Ma Lu had been eager to try the hotel's heated infinity pool, so he invited Sun Mei, Qi Shanzhu, and Chuan Ye Zhengming to go swimming.

However, Chuan Ye Zhengming expressed a preference for solitude over group activities, opting instead to stay in his room.

So, in the end, it was Ma Lu, Sun Mei, and Qi Shanzhu who went swimming.

Ma Lu only swam a couple of laps with a dog paddle before quickly returning to the poolside. He ordered a glass of lemon water, settled himself on a lounge chair, and watched, engrossed, as Qi Shanzhu's graceful curves emerged glistening from the water.

His gaze followed Qi Shanzhu, focusing on the pleasing rise and fall of her chest as she moved...

He also occasionally glanced at Sun Mei; normally covered up, she was surprisingly substantial.

Most importantly, both women were generous in spirit, not bothering to hide their bodies while swimming, which certainly deserved commendation.

David stood by the pool with his camera, turning to Yu Yitong beside him,

"Boss, if you want to swim, go ahead. Ma Lu seems quite captivated right now and probably won't want to go anywhere else."

"I'm not going."

"Come on, it's fine with me watching," David said, patting his chest. "I assure you, Boss Ma won't escape. I'll even follow him to the bathroom."

"I'm not worried about him," Yu Yitong said indifferently. "I'm worried about you. As soon as I get in the water, you'll go off to film Qi Shanzhu."

"Ah?" David was shocked at having his thoughts exposed so directly. "How did you know?"

"While I've been standing here, you've already sneakily taken plenty of shots of Qi Shanzhu swimming. If I left, wouldn't you produce a whole photoshoot for her?"

"Uh, about that... I just think filming Boss Ma all the time isn't that interesting. He just lies there drinking lemon water. The users of our website wouldn't like to watch that. I'm doing it for the views," David explained.

Then David thought of something else and quickly added, "Of course, I think you're just as good looking, not any less than Qi Shanzhu. Hers is all artificial, unlike yours, which is all natural. If you go swimming, I'll take more shots of you too."

"Do you know why you haven't been promoted after all this time?"

"I... am too honest?"

"No, it's because you talk too much," Yu Yitong said. "I'm going to buy something to drink. What do you want?"

"I want the same lemon water as Boss Ma. It looks really refreshing when he drinks it," David replied.

"We're over budget. His glass costs 58 yuan, and finance definitely won't reimburse us for that. Just drink Master Kong's lemon tea with me," Yu Yitong suggested.

"That's fine." David also felt that 58 yuan for a glass of lemon water was a rip-off, but it couldn't be helped. A five-star hotel is all about the style.

Just then, a waiter came over with a tray of lemon water.

Two of the glasses were for Sun Mei and Qi Shanzhu, while the remaining two were surprisingly brought to Yu Yitong and David.

"These are from the gentleman over there," the waiter indicated.

Yu Yitong looked in Ma Lu's direction to see him lifting his glass and giving them a little shake.

David glanced cautiously at Yu Yitong, who then said, "Drink up. We have to show respect to Boss Ma; we'll need to film him for the next two days."

"Well, then I won't be shy," David said, taking a glass of lemon water, and curiously asked, "Boss, what's really the relationship between you and Boss Ma?"

"The relationship between an interviewer and the interviewee," Yu Yitong replied, quite thirsty herself. She picked up a glass of lemon water and took a sip to moisten her throat.

"I mean before. Weren't you two graduated from the same school?"

Yu Yitong paused for a moment, "That's right, but we didn't know each other at school."

"Then you established your relationship during your overseas studies."

"Why don't you go and take some more shots of Qi Shanzhu? I've thought about what you said earlier, and you make a good point. Just think of it as keeping the footage for future use."

"Really?" David, hearing that he could film Qi Shanzhu, instantly forgot about Ma Lu and Yu Yitong's relationship and rushed over with his camera, excited.

With David distracted, Yu Yitong finally had a moment of peace. She sat down by the flower bed and noticed a few girls running over to Ma Lu, asking for his autograph.

Although Universe Infinite Canteen had not been open for long, its popularity exploded from the start. Plus, his guest appearance as the host that morning and the magical Roasted Steamed Bun he made boosted Ma Lu's popularity immensely.

Not only the lay judges from the audience but also many chefs proactively greeted him after the first round of the competition.

This was one of the hidden rewards of the contest. In addition to the prize money, it would bring contestants a considerable amount of fame, although Yu Yitong didn't think Ma Lu was in need of that fame.

But that guy clearly enjoyed moments like these.