Only a few assistants were left in the kitchen. They smiled awkwardly and said, “Who are you looking for…”

Xu Le’s eyes darkened when he did not see the Master Chef’s figure.

The host immediately interrupted to gain control over the situation and said, “Little Master Chef, don’t be in a hurry yet. When the three rounds are over, the Master Chef will naturally appear.”

In other words, Xu Le was probably the last opponent of the Master Chef.

At halftime, the number of comments on the screen doubled. There were almost 200,000 online viewers watching.

“It’s a draw?”

“After watching the show for so long, this is the first time I’ve seen a draw.”

“Maybe the Little Master Chef can really beat him. He’s amazing.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I went to his stall to try his food before. The food sold at the eight-year-old canteen is super delicious.”

“Please give me the address!”

“Fans above, stop bragging. How can the Master Chef lose? How many of his peers have he won?”

“Anyway, I’m still betting on the Master Chef.”

As the two sides of the audience argued, another wave of passersby joined in the fun.

“The Eight Treasure Duck looks so delicious. I want to eat it too…”

“It looks so appetizing. Help!”

During the break, Zhang Tong looked relieved and happy in the backstage. He said, “Impressive. You really tied with him.”

“I was just lucky.”

Xu Le said humbly. He sat in a chair and dialed a number.

Shen Hui had been eliminated too soon back then, so she had always been disdainful and hostile to the Master Chef and the production team. Now that her eight-year-old son had earned some face for her, of course she was extremely happy.

She immediately took the opportunity to send a message to other French chefs to show off.

She turned around and reminded Xu Le, “Baby, don’t worry. With Mommy around, I’ll definitely do my best to help you cook for the audience in the next two rounds.”

“Alright, but I think the ingredients prepared should be for Chinese food.”

“Yes, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. Your father is even better at Chinese food.”

Xu Le stared at the screen of his phone that showed that the number could not be dialed. Just as he hung up, Lu Yuxi called back and said quickly, “A classmate of mine from university had an accident and needs a blood transfusion. Her blood type is rare and can’t find a match in a short time. I have the same blood type as her, so I’m here to donate blood. If there’s nothing…”

There was a commotion in the background. Xu Le said, “Okay, settle your matters first. I’ll call you after the competition.”

“… Xu Le.”

Lu Yuxi suddenly called his name seriously.

“What?”

Standing in the crowded white corridor, Lu Yuxi was stunned. The television in the ward in front of her was displaying the television program that the patient had casually switched to.

“I saw the variety show with you on television. Hey, you’re on television!” Lu Yuxi said excitedly, “Look, it’s really you!”

“Okay, got it. Be careful.”

After she hung up, Xu Le couldn’t help but mutter softly, “I thought something big had happened. What a big fuss.”

“Is it Lu Yuxi?”

“Yes.” He looked up and asked, “Do you know her?”

“Lu Yuxi is our former neighbor. She moved away about three to four years before you were born, so I had even carried her in my arms when she was young.”

Shen Hui said in high spirits, “Fate is really so amazing. The two of you have never met before, but you actually know each other now. By the way, is she staying at our house?”

“Mmm.”

“Come, Lele, take a photo with Mommy. I want to post it to show off. My son is a little Master Chef!”

After Shen Hui raised her phone, Li Qing leaned over and took a photo with a grin.

He was especially excited about coming to the competition venue, not to mention going on stage as Xu Le’s assistant. This was an extremely important part of his cooking career!

“The next round of cooking for the audience should be after selecting the ingredients. The amount of ingrdients provided should be randomly picked. How troublesome, they probably won’t be finished until after seven to eight hours.”

The competition would definitely end late at night. Xu Le had already read the rules of the show and was not surprised. He said calmly, “I’m looking forward to the end of the competition, when that Master Chef shows his face.”

Shen Hui put her arm around her son’s shoulder and said, “Good luck. I believe you can definitely win.”

Xu Le did not value winning or losing that much. Hearing this, he looked at his mother strangely and said, “I’ll try my best.”

Soon, the break was over. After returning to the stage, a large table was placed in the middle of the kitchen on both sides. On it were various vegetables and meat, as well as condiments.

The host said passionately, “Everyone, please take a look at the ingredients on the table. Both sides have to choose the ingredients they need based on the cuisine and quantity voted by the live audience.”

In this round, there were four people in each group. Similarly, only three chefs appeared on the other side. There was no sign of the Master Chef.

Li Qing whispered gossipingly, “Why doesn’t the person opposite look like someone who can cook? He doesn’t look like a chef. He looks just like my father who hasn’t even stepped into the kitchen before.”

Zhang Tong frowned as if he found him to be too full of himself at such an important competition. “Don’t randomly call others your father.”

“Hey, what are you saying? Don’t think that you can lecture me just because you’re more experienced than me.”

Li Qing did not back down.

Shen Hui glanced at the two of them and said, “Stop arguing.”

“Alright, now let’s invite both temas into the kitchen.”

The host suddenly made an inviting gesture. Even though the contestants and audience were confused by this request, the contestants did as they were told.

After entering, the host said, “Now, we will take turns choosing the ingredients. Please don’t discuss it with your team and go out to get them.”

Li Qing raised his eyebrows and said, “Then I’ll go first.”

Li Qing went up first to get the white promphret, followed by Zhang Tong, who took the chicken, while Shen Hui picked the water chestnuts. Xu Le took a piece of pork belly…

Ten minutes later, both sides finished choosing their ingredients. Because they took the ingredients immediately, they did not have much time to think. Therefore, whether they could match the dishes chosen by the audience in the end depended on luck.

The eight main cuisines scrolled across the live screen. Below, the audience voted. Soon, it settled on Fujian cuisine.

Fuijian cuisine originated from Fuzhou. It focused on a light and refreshing flavour. The representative dishes included Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Tea Noodles…

After obtaining the results regarding the cuisine, the few of them hurriedly checked the ingredients they had brought back. Xu Le suddenly felt a vacuum bag and felt that the things inside were very unfamiliar. He picked it up and took a look.

“Which one of you took the bamboo leaves? Why do you need bamboo leaves?”

Li Qing’s eyes widened. “I was too anxious just now. I thought they were onion leaves.”

After checking them one by one, Xu Le pointed at a pile of fresh fish and said, “There is yellow fish, smooth fish, leaf fish, so we can make soy sauce fish. And out pork belly and red yeast rice can be used to make lychee meat.”

“Alright.” Shen Hui looked at the ingredients that did not complement each other and said awkwardly, “But this tofu, bamboo leaves, and cashews… No, how should we deal with the Jade Mountain Fruit?”