264: The judges' inconsistent performance

The staff responsible for serving the dishes looked at the host of the event with a bewildered and helpless expression.

The host was also a bit stunned, but after glancing at the fried rice, which looked like a rainbow amidst a hazy mist, he immediately understood.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to turn away and not look at the fried rice, then quickly walked to the judges' table and whispered a reminder:

"Esteemed judges, according to the rules, we must wait until the deadline for dish preparation has passed before entering the scoring phase."

Dai Xuesong's old face flushed upon hearing this.

Damn it, he was so overwhelmed by that colorful fried rice that he actually forgot this rule.

He cleared his throat, no longer mentioning tasting, and nodded to the host to indicate he understood. Then he closed his eyes and began to rest.

But the host watched him constantly shifting in his chair, looking restless, and seeing that the other Association Chairmen were in similar states, his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Finally, he couldn't resist looking at the colorful fried rice again, his Adam's apple bobbed once more, then his gaze shifted upwards, looking at Lu Chuan with a complex mix of emotions.

"This National Chef Competition actually brought out such a god-tier contestant, and the key is that he's so young. Truly, the younger generation is formidable!"

The host shook his head, averted his gaze, and continued to move among the contestants' workstations, providing commentary.

Time slowly passed, and finally, with the sound of a bell, the host immediately announced the end of the dish preparation time.

Upon hearing this, the Association Chairmen and the audience all became restless.

There was no need to explain the reason for Dai Xuesong and the others' excitement.

In a corner of the audience, a unified cheer erupted.

"Go, Little Boss! Go, Little Boss!"

"Little Boss, we love you!"

"Little Boss, you are the number one Chef God in the world!"

These sudden shouts and slogans immediately silenced everyone in the venue; even the host, who was about to speak, stumbled over his words.

Lu Chuan looked in the direction of the sound, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

It turned out to be Qi Yuan and the Regular Customers.

As for why they hadn't spoken up before, waiting until this moment to shout in unison, it was clearly because they were afraid of affecting Lu Chuan's competition state.

A warm current flowed through Lu Chuan's heart, and he couldn't help but raise his hand and wave to Qi Yuan and the others.

"Little Boss, victory! Victory! Victory!"

Qi Yuan and the others immediately cheered, shouting their slogan loudly again.

Only after shouting "Victory" three times did Qi Yuan and the others sit down, but the cheering sticks in their hands continued to wave non-stop.

The host looked at Qi Yuan and the others, with their prepared, unified attire and props, and couldn't help but look at Lu Chuan in surprise again, secretly wondering when the culinary world also developed a fan-following culture.

Shaking his head, he took advantage of the lively atmosphere and quickly announced the start of the competition's scoring phase.

Upon hearing this, the staff immediately began to portion the dishes into small bowls according to the contestants' number plates, and then delivered them one by one to the Association Chairmen.

Subsequently, all the contestants witnessed a scene that made their hearts pound with anxiety.

All the Association Chairmen, upon seeing the exquisite dishes placed before them, merely restrained themselves to take a tiny bit to taste, then quickly offered a few comments, and without any delay, gave their scores.

The entire process was like an assembly line; each dish, from being served to being removed, took less than twenty seconds.

This left even the experienced host speechless for a moment.

He had prepared so many talking points, just waiting for the Association Chairmen to debate the merits of the contestants' dishes, so he could offer a few comments of his own.

But the Association Chairmen were so perfunctory, completely as if they were rushing through.

The host looked at the contestants, whose expressions were increasingly sour, and then at the Association Chairmen, who occasionally stole glances at the colorful fried rice, becoming even more speechless.

Meanwhile, the audience, watching this bizarre scene, also felt surprised and began discussing in low voices.

"What's going on? I think those dishes all look pretty good, so why do these judges all look so impatient?"

"Such perfunctory comments, is this fair to the contestants?"

"I heard these judges are all Association Chairmen of various city culinary associations. To show such disrespect for the contestants' dishes, I think these Association Chairmen are just people seeking fame."

"Hey, have you noticed that after these judges score a dish, they all look in a certain direction?"

"It seems so, that direction is..."

Just as some audience members began to notice something amiss, it was finally Lu Chuan's turn for his work to be presented.

The staff member, while struggling to swallow, portioned the fried rice into small bowls and then served them one by one to the judges' table.

Dai Xuesong had been waiting for this moment for a long time. After exchanging glances with the other Association Chairmen, he immediately picked up a spoon and quickly scooped a spoonful.

In the spoon, the rice was colorful and steaming, its aroma wafting directly into his nostrils.

He took a deep breath, then brought the fried rice to his mouth.

The next moment, his eyes widened abruptly, and he froze as if enchanted, his expression instantly solidifying into one of extreme shock and enjoyment.

Texture!

The ultimate texture!

Every grain of rice was plump and chewy, with a slightly charred exterior yet still soft inside, perfectly absorbing the essence of various ingredients.

The savory freshness of the diced ham, the springiness of the shrimp, the delicate sweetness of the crab meat, the crisp tenderness of the peas, the freshness of the asparagus, the chewiness of the dried scallop threads, the crispy aroma of the scrambled egg... each texture was clearly discernible, yet they harmoniously danced in the mouth, forming an incredibly rich and layered experience.

Flavor!

The ultimate flavor!

Salty, umami, sweet, fragrant, slightly numbing, and a hint of an indescribable fruity woodiness—various flavors, like a well-trained symphony orchestra, played a magnificent and harmonious movement on the tip of the tongue.

No single flavor was obtrusive; they complemented each other, elevating the concept of "umami" to an unattainable height.

After swallowing, a lingering aftertaste remained in the mouth, leaving one with endless reminiscence.

"Mmm...!"

"This... this is truly..."

"Incredible!"

The other judges also successively let out uncontrollable exclamations of amazement; some even closed their eyes, fully immersing themselves in this feast for the senses.

Their expressions were utterly intoxicated, even tinged with a hint of reverence.

Chairman Neng Xing had been scooping for a while, and seeing the rapidly diminishing fried rice in his bowl, he couldn't help but call out to Chairman Luo, who was still savoring his portion:

"Chairman Luo, can you spare me some!"

Chairman Luo was startled out of his intoxication. He quickly protected his small bowl, but his face was already radiant, and he was Too excited to control myself.

"Perfect! Impeccable! Knife skills, heat control, seasoning, creativity, presentation... all full marks! This is true creative cuisine! Turning the ordinary into the miraculous!"

The audience and contestants, seeing the judges' inconsistent behavior, also understood the competition results.

When all the judges revealed their scores, Lu Chuan overwhelmingly secured first place in the semi-finals with a perfect score, successfully advancing to the National Finals.