The day I agreed with Zheng Yun to come for the challenge happened to be a weekend.
In the morning, Ye Chui was in the office looking at the hotel's bill report when Wang Shiyu suddenly pushed the door open and said, "Brother, brother, that shameless old man who robbed the little kids is here, and he's waiting downstairs."
—This is Mr. Han.
"How shameless of you to snatch a child's things. Xiaoyu, don't be so rude." Ye Chui scolded speechlessly, stood up and rubbed the little thing's head, "Be careful that Mr. Han will get angry and not give you a piece of braised pork... He really does such a thing."
Wang Shiyu stuck out her tongue, looked up at Ye Chui and said, "Brother, there are so many people waiting for you outside. That Master Zheng seems to be very powerful. Can you do it?"
"Don't worry, it's just a small matter." Ye Chui said with a doting smile, pulling her little hand and leaving the office.
Quite a lot of people had gathered in the lobby of Manhan Building, and flash lights were flashing everywhere. Such heavyweight news would naturally attract the attention of countless media. It was because the lobby of Manhan Building was large enough, otherwise so many people might not be able to squeeze in. In order to get a good position, reporters had actually arrived two hours ago.
Of course, there were also some people in the crowd who came specifically to watch the fun, and I even heard that some people came from other cities. In short, people's enthusiasm for this event was indescribable.
Mr. Han was sitting at a dining table in the hall, drinking tea calmly. When a reporter tried to interview him, he ignored them... This was how Mr. Han acted in front of outsiders.
Han Yuyan, Pan Qingguo, Tian Xiaodu, Qin Yiyue, Dong Qian and even Lin Wei, An Jing and An Xiaoxiao were all working hard to maintain order at the scene, but Ye Chui's appearance still caused a commotion, and various problems followed.
"Mr. Ye Chui, what do you think of today's challenge with Master Zheng? What are your chances of winning?"
"Will your Manchu-Han Banquet recipe fall into the hands of others today?"
"I heard that the dish we're competing for today is braised pork in red sauce. Can Master Ye tell us about this dish?"
Ye Chui had a lot of experience in dealing with media reporters in his previous life. However, the previous life was not the era of gourmet food after all, and reporters were not very enthusiastic about news about chefs, but not as exaggerated as it is now. At this moment, Ye Chui was just like a movie star who had just won a big award. He knew that the best way at this time was to say nothing. He held Wang Shiyu's hand and came to Old Han with great difficulty. Thanks to Old Han's aura, the reporters did not rush up in such a disorderly manner.
Ye Chui sat down next to Old Han, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said helplessly: "It's really messy."
"You challenge all the chefs in China by yourself. This is something that only happens once in a century. Of course it's going to be chaotic. Hey, it's better to be a little chaotic." Old Han said with a smile, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. "I'll block this place. You go to the kitchen first. When Zheng Yun arrives, I'll let him go directly to the kitchen."
"Okay then. I'll have to trouble you for your help, Mr. Han." Ye Cui said gratefully, stood up, walked around the mess of reporters and walked into the kitchen.
Some reporters wanted to follow in, but they only heard Mr. Han shouting with an unhappy face: "The kitchen is for cooking, why are you joining us? If you have any questions, come and interview me!"
The reporters immediately turned their cameras on Mr. Han, and started asking all kinds of questions.
"Mr. Han, what do you think of today's cooking competition?"
"I heard that Mr. Ye Chui has a close relationship with you, Mr. Han. Is this true?"
"Ye Chui is close to you and asked you to be a judge. What are you going to do about this?"
Old Han had seen this kind of situation before, and after all, he had a strong aura. He just raised his arm and looked like he had something to say. Many reporters immediately fell silent, waiting for what Old Han had to say.
"There is a question I need to clarify first. We can talk about other things later!" said Mr. Han seriously.
The reporters all listened attentively.
Then they saw that Old Han suddenly pulled over Wang Shiyu, who had just come down with Ye Chui and was about to look for An Xiaoxiao, and asked the little thing to sit down next to him. He asked Wang Shiyu with a very serious expression: "Little kid, I heard from Yu Yan that you are very dissatisfied with me grabbing your dishes every time I come. This matter must be made clear. Grandpa is also doing this for your own good. It is not good for your health if you, a child, eat dishes like braised pork elbow and sweet and sour pork!"
All reporters: “…”
Mr. Han asked such a question to a child seriously? He must be deliberately causing trouble.
"Mr. Han... can you tell us what you think of this game?" a reporter asked cautiously.
"What are you doing? Can't you see I'm asking someone a question? It's very rude to interrupt an elderly person. Didn't your father teach you that? When I was in the food industry, you were still in your mother's belly!" Old Han shouted at the reporter with an unhappy look on his face.
The reporter quickly smiled and said, "... Ask, keep asking."
So the following conversation took place between Mr. Han and Wang Shiyu:
"Little kid, can you forgive grandpa?"
"No forgiveness, I love eating braised pork the most, and you always snatch it all away."
"Grandpa promises he won't rob me next time."
"Do not believe!"
"I promise."
"I won't believe it even if I guarantee it!"
…
Reporters: “…”
At this moment, many people on the Internet were also discussing the challenge, and some even placed handicaps on who would win or lose in the first match between Ye Chui and Zheng Yun. Naturally, the majority bet on Ye Chui's victory, but there were also some people who were pessimistic and believed from the beginning that Ye Chui was just in name only and this time he was just bringing shame upon himself.
A Bite of China is the most famous food forum in China, and today the food discussion section of this forum is particularly lively. A pinned post has received nearly a thousand comments in just two hours.
This post was a live broadcast posted by a forum moderator who happened to live in Yanjing. The person who posted it had already rushed to Manhanlou two hours ago, intending to watch the entire process of the cooking competition and broadcast it live on the forum. The lively and grand occasion of Manhanlou was also completely recorded by him—
"It seems that all the major TV stations in Yanjing have come, as well as reporters from surrounding provincial TV stations, major food magazines and newspapers, and food websites. There are so many people, but Ye Chui hasn't appeared yet."
"Mr. Han has arrived."
"Ye Chui also came out, but he didn't seem to introduce the interview. He just said a few words to Mr. Han and left to the kitchen. The reporters were stopped by Mr. Han. I heard that Mr. Han was a judge for today's competition."
…
The moderator broadcast the actual situation live to the forum, and each of his live broadcasts would trigger a discussion among a group of people.
"This Ye Chui is too noble. Who does he think he is? He hides himself and refuses to come out to see people."
"You still don't accept the interview. Are you feeling guilty?"
"Mr. Han is a judge? Are you kidding me? Everyone knows that Mr. Han has a close relationship with Ye Chui. If Mr. Han is a judge, how can this competition be fair?"
"The above person is too ignorant. Mr. Han is such a man. He will treat his own son's competition fairly and impartially even if it is for him."
"I don't know when Zheng Yun will arrive."
…
Ye Chui's attitude of refusing to be interviewed obviously made many people feel dissatisfied, and they expressed their opinions one after another.
Just after Ye Chui came out and entered the kitchen, more than ten minutes later, the moderator's live broadcast post was finally updated again: "Master Zheng Yun from Hanxiang Garden has finally arrived. He was interviewed by reporters as soon as he arrived."
"Master Zheng seems to have something to say. Now the entire hall of Manhan Building has become quiet."
"Damn it, this is a bummer. Chef Zheng was just halfway through his sentence when his microphone suddenly broke down. The restaurant is in such a mess that we can't even hear the rest of his sentence. He's switching to another microphone. The first half of his sentence was: There's no need to have this cooking competition..."
After this comment, the moderator’s live broadcast went crazy.
"There's no need to compete in this cooking competition... What is Chef Zheng going to say next? He's definitely going to win."
"It seems that Master Zheng is very confident!"
"I've been to Hanxiang Garden. The food there is very good. Chef Zheng is also a well-respected chef. It is said that he represented Chinese chefs in a catering exchange in the United States some time ago. He never likes to brag. Since he said this, he must be sure to win this competition."
"Master Zheng is really awesome!"
"I still support Ye Chui!"
…
In just a few seconds, more than a dozen messages appeared. Many people were curious about Zheng Yun's half sentence and thought it was a declaration that he was sure to win the competition.
However, the moderator's live broadcast post was finally updated again: "After Master Zheng changed the microphone, he finally spoke his words in full. He said: There is no need to compete in this cooking competition. I admit defeat!"
“Oh my god!”
“What a bummer!”
"He just admitted defeat?"
"Is there any inside information?"
The messages were filled with wails.
In Man Han Luo's kitchen, facing many stunned reporters, Zheng Yun, who had just arrived and announced that he would admit defeat, continued to say to many reporters with a serious face: "Yes, I admit defeat directly. There is no inside story. This is my real idea. Half a month ago, I came to challenge Ye Chui and wanted to win the recipe of Mr. Ye Chui's Man Han Banquet, the braised pork in red sauce. At that time, Mr. Ye Chui made this dish himself and explained the recipe to me carefully and in detail. However, I have made this dish many times in the past half month, but I can't make the taste of Mr. Ye Chui's. There is always something missing. I think this is because of the gap between my cooking skills and Master Ye Chui's. There is no need to continue this competition. I lost, and I am convinced!" (~^~)