Chapter 411 - 161: Reluctantly Stepping In to Help

The runner-up was a contestant from Norway.

The Norwegian contestant made a dessert called "Sunflower" using eggs and pumpkin.

They used pea juice to create a green "earth," and their pumpkin-shaped cold dish was also full of creativity, ultimately winning them second place.

As for the contestants from China at the time...

They carved a yellow duck out of a pumpkin and paired it with a broth made from brewed Red Tea. The dish did attract some attention, but the flavor of the Red Tea wasn't to the liking of all the judges.

In the end, they were narrowly defeated.

'We're screwed!'

Watching these videos, Ah Bao's confidence dwindled.

Liu Ahbao was Lu Yongliang's youngest disciple, so three of his senior brothers had accompanied him this time, specifically to tackle this final competition.

'I wonder what ideas my senior brothers have... I'll go see!'

While the four from E Province were locked in an anxious discussion, the Delicious crew, high up in the sky, were all sound asleep.

「Capital City Time, 4:00 PM.」

Su Chen and his group finally arrived at the competition's location: Malaysia!

"Boss Su, the hotel is right near the competition venue. I booked a five-star, you know!"

Luckily, since they had come to Southeast Asia, there was no issue with jet lag.

Su Chen and Fang Chang hailed some taxis. They also had seven-seater vans here, so they hailed two vehicles in total.

After getting in the cars, they looked at each other, none of them knowing what language to use to communicate with the driver.

Zhang Jiayi, sitting in the back, told the driver their destination in perfectly fluent English.

"You speak English?" Fang Chang asked, turning his head in surprise.

"I can speak seven languages..." Zhang Jiayi didn't think it was a big deal. She could already speak two languages when she was six; she'd been like this since she was a child.

He Shuting, the junior college student in the same car, looked at her with immense admiration. "That's so amazing, Sister Jiayi. Unlike me... I can't even speak two dialects. If I get the chance in the future, I'm definitely going to study abroad! And learn a new language!"

Su Chen glanced at her. "Studying abroad might be tough for you."

"Why?"

Su Chen said, "I used to have a friend whose dad thought he wasn't a good student, so he just threw him over to the United States to study abroad. The idea was that even if he didn't learn anything else, he could at least learn a new language."

"And then what happened?"

Su Chen's story piqued the curiosity of the others in the car.

"And then..." Su Chen didn't finish his sentence before he burst out laughing. "And then, that guy went to the United States for three years and came back without being able to speak a single word of English."

"Huh?" He Shuting's eyes widened. "How is that possible! Just by being immersed in it, even if he couldn't write, he should at least be able to speak, right?"

Su Chen shook his head. "He's from the Capital City. In those three years, he didn't learn a lick of English, but he did pick up fluent Cantonese."

This...

Ling Shuyu, sitting in the very back, suddenly chimed in, "Study-abroad students have their own circles. Those types basically just go to fool around. Even when they go abroad, they stick to Chinese circles, and there are a lot of people from Xiangjiang and Yue Province in the United States."

Everyone was a bit bewildered by this.

So you're telling me he went abroad to fool around for three years, didn't learn a word of English, and ended up learning fluent Cantonese?

"So he can sing Cantonese songs when he gets back, then?"

Everyone in the car turned to look at the person who said this.

Su Chen sighed.

'Zhang Li... you should eat more walnuts when you get back.'

Amidst the joking and bantering, the group arrived at the hotel. As soon as they got out of the car, an old acquaintance rushed up to greet them.

"Boss! WAAAH, I missed you so much!"

Su Chen pushed Liu Ahbao off his chest and unceremoniously dusted off his suit. "I didn't miss you."

"Huh?" Liu Ahbao's eyes fell on Zhang Heping and Shi Qi. "You found new chefs?"

"Mhm."

"Have I fallen out of favor? WAAAH..."

Both speechless and impatient, Su Chen said, "Fang Chang, let's go inside and drop off our luggage first."

Seeing that his boss's attitude really seemed to suggest he hadn't missed him, Liu Ahbao put away his dramatic act with a pitiful look.

"Xiaobo, Xiaobai, you two definitely missed me, right?"

Bai Xiaobo: "Nope."

"Shuting? We're short-video partners, you missed me, right?"

He Shuting: "I'm working solo now. I've already got 180,000 fans, hah!"

"Ling... I mean, Zhang Li, you missed me, didn't you? We haven't seen each other in over a month!"

Zhang Li: "If you make me pomegranate eggs when you get back, then I'll have missed you!"

Trailing behind everyone, Liu Ahbao felt like his poor heart had just taken ten thousand points of damage.

After Su Chen and his group were all settled in.

He called Liu Ahbao into his suite. "Teacher Lu insisted I come, and I know what he meant. Tell me, what's the theme of the competition this time?"

Ah Bao indignantly explained the theme given by the judging committee, taking the opportunity to bad-mouth the contestants from other countries.

Su Chen stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, then turned to Zhang the Second and said, "Don't you think this theme has a similar principle to the pastries we made before?"

Zhang Heping waved his hands frantically. "Boss Su, you can't ask me that! I don't dare speak carelessly. This competition... it's not that simple!"

Su Chen had also watched the competitions from previous years. 'It didn't seem like there was anything special about them.'

"The problem is, Ah Bao isn't skilled with pastries! It's definitely too late to learn now."

"Boss! You have to help me!" Ah Bao pleaded with a long face. "This time, you won't just be helping me, but our entire country! We haven't won the championship in years! You have to restore the pride of Chinese cuisine!"

"Get outta here." Su Chen rolled his eyes at him. "You said it yourself, the judging committee always favors Western techniques. How am I supposed to help you?"