Besides Zhao Bingbing, Director Chen also called in Gao Chao, a former graduate who was back for a school speech.

Gao Chao previously worked at Zhongxiang Restaurant in the provincial capital.

With three years of experience, he was already promoted to head chef at a branch.

This time he returned to Bei’an because his mentor, Che Yuhang, the head chef and owner of Zhongxiang Restaurant, planned to open a branch locally.

He was sent here to manage it, so he is now essentially the branch manager of Zhongxiang Restaurant.

Director Chen had high hopes for this outstanding graduate from their school.

A set of cooking utensils was already prepared on the performance stage, but now with the addition of more people, two more sets were quickly added.

Two people are on standby, just in case one messes up, the other can help save the day. The performance needs to proceed smoothly.

Upon hearing they would perform, Zhao Bingbing quickly said, "Director, I can only do baking; I can try the walnut buns, but the golden crispy meat is definitely beyond me."

Gao Chao also shook his head, "I really have no experience with pastry work at all!"

Director Chen naturally knew that pastry and culinary cooking were two entirely different things.

But where could he find someone who could do both pastry and culinary cooking at a time like this?

Among the school’s teachers, there were indeed some versatile ones, but having them stand on stage would make them obviously not look like students.

Director Chen was truly at a loss.

Li Linfeng saw that Zhao Bingbing was about to be pushed onto the stage, and he was anxious. If things went badly, it was still fine for Gao Chao since he’s already graduated and it wouldn’t affect him much.

But Zhao Bingbing still had to work at the school. If she embarrassed herself on stage, how would she get by in the future?

Li Linfeng offered a suggestion, "Director, Chef Gao is okay; at least he can handle the culinary cooking side. If Teacher Zhao can’t make the walnut buns and also can’t do the golden crispy meat, then this performance will definitely flop!"

"I actually think there is someone who can successfully complete this performance."

Everyone turned to look at him.

At this crucial moment, Li Linfeng didn’t hesitate to push Fu Yu forward, "Fu Yu can give it a try! He’s the head chef at Qianlima Restaurant, and he even won first place in the previous Gold Chef Competition. No matter what, he must be better than Teacher Zhao."

Upon hearing this, Director Chen looked at Fu Yu with delight, "Right! How could I have forgotten about that!"

Fu Yu has recently gained quite a bit of reputation within the culinary circles.

He first successfully became a permanent staff at Qianlima, and then won first place in the competition.

Originally, the plan for this year’s school anniversary was to invite him back to give a speech, but the school’s tradition has always been to invite graduates from four or five years ago to share their experiences.

Mainly because in the chef industry, unlike others, showcasing one’s skills in the field without four or five years of effort is nearly impossible.

The list of participants for this year’s anniversary was finalized early in the summer, which is why Fu Yu wasn’t invited.

In desperation, Director Chen consulted Fu Yu, "Fu Yu, how about you and Gao Chao go on stage? It doesn’t matter if you don’t know pastry; just do your best and consider it as helping out."

Having said this, Fu Yu had no choice but to nod, "All right, I’ll give it a try."

The arrangement for the performers on stage was settled, and Director Chen breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He instructed someone to take Fu Yu and Gao Chao backstage to change clothes, while he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, bro! Where are you? The event is about to start here."

Chen Xinwei asked, "I just got to the Department Store, what’s up?"

Director Chen explained the situation with Qiu Jingxiu, angrily saying, "She’s really arrogant now! If it weren’t for your prior commitments, she wouldn’t have this opportunity!"

Chen Xinwei is a renowned master of local cuisine in the country, known as well as Qiu Jingxiu in the circles.

During the previous Gold Chef Competition, the city’s publicity department specifically invited him to be a judge!

Director Chen was extremely proud of his brother.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xinwei’s face immediately changed!

Being asked to perform last minute like this was putting people in a tough spot.

Moreover, walnut buns and golden crispy meat aren’t local specialties of Bei’an. Not only the school’s students, but even restaurant chefs have rarely made these.

It’s impossible to just learn and complete a dish perfectly on stage.

Even if they could make it, how could they guarantee the taste, aroma, and appearance?

Plus, this is the school’s anniversary celebration; if it were done according to Qiu Jingxiu’s idea, wouldn’t it become her personal teaching showcase?

Would new students seek her mentorship, or pursue formal studies at the culinary school?

Chen Xinwei could foresee these issues, and Director Chen could too.

That’s why he and Principal Li agreed that, no matter how they discussed the breach with Qiu Jingxiu later, they must organize the performance well this time.

They absolutely couldn’t let Qiu Jingxiu have her way.

Getting paid by the school to promote herself, where would such a good thing exist?

After hearing this, Chen Xinwei’s first reaction was concern.

"So what’s your plan to respond? Who will perform on stage next to do the cooking?"

Director Chen frowned and said, "Walnut buns are pastry work, and golden crispy meat requires culinary skills. Though we have a few versatile teachers at school, their age would make it obvious they’re not students, and that’d be hard to explain on stage."

The teachers at the culinary school are skilled in both pastry and culinary arts, but reaching this level of expertise, they are not young.

Other younger teachers are focused on specialized personal skills.

For example, like Zhao Bingbing, who is good at baking, they haven’t really touched culinary skills.

Today is the school anniversary, a crucial opportunity to showcase the faculty’s strengths to freshmen and parents and promote the school. If the school’s prestige were overshadowed, the speed and impact of this rumor would be significant.

If the performance goes smoothly, it would be a great opportunity for the school to hype up using Qiu Jingxiu’s fame.

It’s crystal clear that inviting a famous chef to perform at the event shows the school’s extensive connections.

Such skill-based schools not only attract with quality individual skills training but also with the promise of job introductions after graduation.

If the activity is successful, the word-of-mouth promotion by students and parents will greatly help future enrollment activities and the enhancement of the school’s reputation.

But...

If things go wrong, the loss will be substantial.

The more Chen Xinwei thought, the more he realized they must do their best to make amends!

"If all else fails, I’ll step in to rescue. I do have a few signature dishes and can offer my help for free."

Upon hearing Chen Xinwei’s words, Director Chen immediately brightened up and said, "That would be great! Just in time, I arranged for two people to go on stage and learn cooking later. In case things go south, you can help save the day."

Chen Xinwei casually asked, "Who did you arrange? Didn’t you say there were no suitable candidates at school?"

Director Chen: "One is an outstanding graduate of our school, Gao Chao, now a head chef at Zhongxiang Restaurant. After only three years of work, he’s been sent to Bei’an to manage their branch. The other one is... a chef from Qianlima."