2.
The reporters recorded it all, exactly as it happened, and streamed it out live.
"The once-great heir to the Imperial Feast legacy, and now she can't even train a single apprentice properly. Has she finally run dry?"
"Down a sous-chef, can the head chef still finish inside the time limit?"
Where the hot oil had scalded my skin, it felt like ten thousand needles driving through, over and over.
My hand shook as I picked up the knife and sliced a little green onion, only to find the strands came out uneven.
I hesitated, unsure how to go on, and then a voice came from below the stage.
"Head Chef, let me be your sous-chef."
Ryan had come out of nowhere. He'd already thrown on a chef's coat, and he crossed to my side.
He took over the knife work from me.
The comments started scrolling again.
【Are you stupid, girl? The male lead is watching this stream right now. He held off coming precisely because he wanted to see you show weakness.】
【Oh no, now the male lead's even angrier, he almost smashed his phone. Is one lousy contest really that important? He came to look after you and you brushed him off.】
【I can't do this, this heroine's brainlessness is going to make me lose my mind.】
I no longer had the strength to care what the comments said.
With Ryan working beside me, every dish finally reached the judges' table before time ran out.
The judges were all seasoned gourmets, palates far sharper than any ordinary tongue.
Three men, seven women.
I watched their faces, nerves tight.
I saw them go from flat to satisfied, then glance at one another and lift their pens to mark the scores. And from below the stage came Owen's voice.
"This isn't fair. The Imperial Feast head chef is cheating."
"How can she swap someone in on the spot? The person registered for this contest was Lauren Vance, not this man standing here."
I was almost too angry to speak.
"Owen, are you sick in the head?"
"Wasn't it you who dragged Lauren away? I had no one to help me. Swapping in a substitute is perfectly normal, isn't it?"
He wouldn't look at me. He just kept digging in.
"If you have no one, then you do it alone. You swapped someone in, so it's cheating, it's unfair."
"This is a contest that decides ratings. If you can't manage even this much fairness, what credibility does the whole thing have going forward?"
The reporter's lens never left me.
The murmuring from below rolled in like a tide about to drown me.
【See, see? I knew the male lead would snap. Watching his rival stand there next to the woman he likes, he's practically losing his mind.】
【Sweet girl, the male lead's just clumsy with words. He isn't trying to stir up trouble on purpose or box you into a corner.】
【The male lead really does love you. Just coax him a little and he'd give you his life.】
My heart hung high in my chest, dreading the words that would void my score.
The host raised a hand and made a mild motion to quiet the others.
"This gentleman is quite right. We can't just bring in an outside helper to cook. If everyone did that, our contest would lose all its credibility."
Owen wore the look of a man who'd known it all along.
My heart went to ash.
But the next second, the host added one more line.
"However, this replacement chef is not an outside helper. He is a substitute."
"That doesn't violate the contest rules. We thank this gentleman for upholding them. Judges, please go ahead and give your scores."
The smile on Owen's face went from stiff to shattered in a single instant.
The stone in my chest dropped. Whether it was the pain or something else, my eyes blurred for just a moment.
The contest ended. The Imperial Feast Grand Restaurant's rating went up.
The Imperial Feast Grand Restaurant rose from four diamonds to five.
Everything else held steady. I finally let myself release the breath I'd been holding. Ryan stepped up to support me and got ready to drive me to the hospital.
Before I could even get into the car, Owen slammed the door shut on me.
"Judith Sanchez, a score you got by cheating—doesn't it prick at you to hold it?"
"Come back with me and have your restaurant's rating canceled. You need to be an honest person. You can't take what isn't yours to take."
