The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 111

The grand finals of the chef competition concluded in spectacular fashion!

Tonight’s results were announced in reverse order, starting from the contestant in last place.

All contestants who made it to the finals received a Certificate of Excellence, and even the lowest-ranked finalist had already amassed tens of thousands of followers online before the show aired. Far from being disappointed, he grinned at the camera and waved cheerfully.

As the rankings were revealed—ninth, eighth, and seventh places—each contestant stood waiting, hearts pounding.

Starting from sixth place, the bronze medalists were unveiled.

The bronze trophy was custom-made, consistent with previous years. It featured a unique design: bowls and chopsticks arranged elegantly, with a copper base and golden trim. This year, marking the show’s second anniversary, a miniature “20” was embedded at the base—making it feel particularly commemorative.

All the finalists had demonstrated excellent skills. The closer to the top, the smaller the gap in scores.

The chef who had chosen “cured meats” as his theme exceeded all expectations. He never imagined he could win a bronze prize by such a narrow margin. Overjoyed, he literally hopped onto the stage in excitement.

Fourth and fifth place went to Master Qiu and Cai Yuan. Their scores were tied, so both received bronze awards. The three of them stood at the front together, smiling and nodding at each other before turning toward the big screen, awaiting the outcome for the top three.

Only Ye Shunxin, Tao Jintian, and Yu Li remained. Their rankings had yet to be revealed—but it was clear they were the final contenders for gold, silver, and bronze.

Ye Shunxin’s home-style braised pomfret with rice cakes had been exceptionally well executed—a standout for her. Even more impressive was her almond tofu, which the judges praised highly. Unlike the common jelly-like texture, hers was silky-smooth, almost cheese-like.

She also stood out for another reason: while the other nine contestants focused mainly on meat dishes, her menu featured fish, rice cakes, and tofu—simple, comforting, and affordable. Though her dishes weren’t explosive in flavor, they were deeply satisfying to eat.

Tao Jintian, by contrast, had played to familiarity and nostalgia. His braised pork elbow, paired with stir-fried seasonal vegetables and hot and sour soup, was a dish beloved across China—so popular that a few judges had eaten a similar version at home just days earlier. But that was the risk: the familiarity made the dish easy to compare, and also easy to fall short. Yet he’d nailed it. The execution was spot-on, and the judges recognized just how refined his version was.

BothYe Shunxin and Tao Jintian looked visibly nervous and excited.

By contrast, Yu Li, standing next to them, looked completely blank.

After he had successfully delivered his First-Class Lamb Stew to the judges, he’d already felt relieved—his job was done. When he realized he’d made it into the top six, he began smiling foolishly, pleasantly surprised. By the time he found out he was in the top three, he stared at the screen in stunned disbelief.

He had never expected to make it this far.

Zeng Rong stood frozen in place, unable to move even though he could’ve gone backstage to confirm the final results.

But he didn’t dare.

He, like the other contestants on stage and the viewers in front of the TV, was waiting in anxious silence.

And in the back of his mind, one thought lingered: “Jiang Tingzhou couldn’t have actually guessed it, could he?!”

According to Lu Baiyu, before leaving the venue, Jiang Tingzhou had casually said: “If Yu Li wins, it’ll be for one reason only—his dish is delicious enough.”

Compared to pork or beef, lamb is not as common. But good food transcends known boundaries.

Earlier that day, when Yu Li’s lamb hotpot was still simmering on the stove, Jiang Tingzhou had been watching from the sidelines. He had seen Yu Li’s cooking process and noticed spices he himself had never used. Uncertain of the final taste, he couldn’t judge right away. But when the aroma reached his nose, he knew.

This stew really is first-class.

The big screen began to display the final judges’ scores one by one. With each update, the rankings shifted slightly, keeping everyone—on-site and at home—on the edge of their seats.

At one point, Tao Jintian was first, Yu Li second, and Ye Shunxin third.

But the gap was razor-thin.

The combined scores from the first nine judges showed a mere two-point difference between them. Everything hinged on the final score from the last judge: Master Chef Wang.

Earlier, Master Chef Wang had been openly complimentary of Tao Jintian’s pork elbow dish, praising it several times. When it came to Yu Li’s lamb stew, however, he hadn’t said much due to the live broadcast timing—he’d only nodded and smiled to the camera.

Now, just before the final score was shown, Master Chef Wang looked up at the big screen. His expression softened into a broad smile—he had made his decision.

The host’s voice boomed:

“Dear viewers at home and in the audience— I am honored to announce the champion of this competition…Yu Li!”

The moment the name was called, fireworks erupted, and the crowd burst into thunderous applause.

The final scoreboard flashed:

The screen showed the final scores: Master Wang had awarded the lamb hotpot 96 points—the highest single score of the entire competition. In comparison, he gave Tao Jintian 93 and Ye Shunxin 92.

That slim 1-point lead earned Yu Li, the quiet underdog nearly replaced by Zhan Rui, the championship title.

All the rankings were now official.

During the award presentation, Master Chef Wang personally explained his scoring on camera:

“Delicious. Truly delicious.  His method is unique—I’ve never tasted anything quite like it. I think he used some uncommon herbs in the stew that perfectly complemented the flavor of the beach sheep. This dish is worthy of a state banquet.”

Other judges echoed his sentiments. Even those who weren’t fond of mutton gave Yu Li above-average marks. But it was the high scores from most judges that propelled him to victory.

Tao Jintian and Ye Shunxin, as silver medalists, went on stage together with Yu Li to receive their trophies and certificates.

As rousing music filled the air, the chef competition—which had run for a full month and sparked countless food discussions—finally came to a triumphant close.

It was the perfect twentieth anniversary for the contest.

When the TV broadcast ended, the on-site staff couldn’t contain their excitement and began cheering. The success of the finals was unmistakable. Several topics were trending on social media, and the live ratings had exceeded 4.0, making it the highest-rated program on Dongjiang TV in recent years.

It was a shining moment for everyone involved.

But the newly crowned champion, Yu Li, was still stunned—he hadn’t fully processed it yet.

Congratulated from all sides, he stared at the golden trophy in his hands, sweating nervously, and stammered: “Did… did they make a mistake?”

He’d grown up eating this very stew—his mother’s recipe. It was so familiar to him that he hadn’t realized it could be award-worthy.

“No mistake,” came a warm voice. It was Master Qiu, standing next to the pot. He had taken a small bowl and helped himself to another piece of the stew. Beaming, he said, “Come on, taste it—it’s absolutely delicious.”

The pot was still hot, and plenty of lamb remained after the judges’ portions had been served. 

Hearing Master Qiu’s praise, everyone grabbed chopsticks to sample it.

Tao Jintian was the second to try it. After a single bite, he nodded in admiration: “Yeah… I deserved to lose.”

Yu Li’s smile widened as he saw everyone enjoying it. “Actually, when we eat this at home, it’s much more casual. Nothing this refined. You can cook vegetables in the same pot too. I like adding carrot and potato chunks, dipping them in sauce—it’s really fragrant.”

The other contestants brought over their own competition dishes to share. The atmosphere turned festive—just like eating on the shuttle bus that morning.

The tension was gone. The hard work of the past few days had finally paid off.

Everyone was still hungry. The competition leftovers weren’t enough.

Ye Shunxin clapped her hands and said excitedly: “Let’s go find Jiang Tingzhou! He promised we could try his cooking after the finals. I’ve been waiting all day!”

“Yeah, where is Mr. Jiang?”

Others began asking too.

From the judges’ table, Liu Ping came down and spotted Zeng Rong. He motioned for him to come over.

Zeng Rong instinctively began to report on the night’s success—but Liu Ping waved it off.

“Where’s Jiang Tingzhou?” he asked. “He told me before the show that everything would go well. I’ve tried all the dishes—good, but none of them wowed me.”

Zeng Rong hesitated. Earlier, Liu Ping’s expression had seemed a bit disapproving, but it was unclear whether it was genuine or just directed at Jiang Tingzhou personally.

“…He’s outside,” Zeng Rong finally said.

Outside the venue, Lu Baiyu, who had seen the final results, found Jiang Tingzhou and delivered the news: “Tingzhou, you were right. Yu Li won—just barely.”

The culinary world is unpredictable. Talent, experience, and technique matter—but in the end, it all comes down to the final dish.

As long as the food is good, you can win. The rule is that simple.

“He deserved it,” Jiang Tingzhou nodded. “It’s time to invite the players out.”

This time, the finals also featured a night market street, more lavish than ever. Over two thousand spectators were present, and the most popular snacks from the previous three rounds had all returned, waiting for the contestants to come and taste them.

But what was special this time was at one of the stalls—preparing a roasted suckling pig—stood none other than: Jiang Tingzhou himself.

Though the idea had only been mentioned on the bus that morning, in truth he had already begun preparing days ago. At this very moment, he was lifting a roasted suckling pig out of the oven.