The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 98

Jiang Tingzhou had planned and arranged everything, but at this moment, he was not participating. Instead, he sat in a quiet tent, as though detached from the lively scene outside.

Lu Baiyu came over and sat down lightly behind him. 

Jiang Tingzhou still sensed it. Without turning around, he swallowed the soufflé in his mouth and asked, “What’s the matter, Young Master Lu?”

Though their conversation sounded slightly formal, Jiang Tingzhou’s relaxed tone made it clear he was in a good mood.

In truth, there was nothing in particular. Lu Baiyu just wanted to stay near him. 

After a moment’s thought, he found a topic. “Tingzhou, did you go out just now to invite the contestants outside to eat?”

The contestants who had just finished the competition had looked surprised—this must have been arranged in advance by Jiang Tingzhou. No wonder the food prepared outside was portioned for 900 people.

“Mm.” Jiang Tingzhou nodded. “I noticed some people were very nervous today. Their hands were trembling on camera. They probably didn’t expect it to be this complex. I didn’t want them to carry too much psychological pressure. Now that the round is over, it’s better for them to relax.”

As a chef himself, Jiang Tingzhou understood that the rules were unexpected, and the attention the show was receiving added extra weight. While he had to consider various aspects for the sake of the program, he didn’t want the atmosphere to remain tense throughout.

Lu Baiyu nodded. “That’s good.”

Sixty percent of contestants would be eliminated in this round. Though results weren’t out yet, the contestants were already starting to leave.

At least, when they recalled today, it wouldn’t be only about the rush and stress of competition. They would also recall the happy memory of everyone eating together. It would make the trip worthwhile.

As they spoke, Lu Baiyu followed Jiang Tingzhou’s line of sight—and saw something else.

Several chefs were working at the food stalls: the one making eggplant fritters, the most popular fried noodle vendor, and the one grilling oysters and scallops—all of them looked familiar.

Weren’t they contestants who had been eliminated during the knife skills round?

When Lu Baiyu asked aloud, Jiang Tingzhou confirmed it.

“Yes,” he said. “I hired three of the contestants who were previously eliminated. They’re very capable.”

These contestants had barely had time to feel regret at their elimination when, just minutes later, Wen Qi called them.

It wasn’t a good time to contact contestants still competing, but the eliminated ones were fair game.

Of course, most viewers didn’t remember those eliminated early on. They hadn’t stood out at the time. 

Lu Baiyu couldn’t help asking, “Why these three in particular?”

“Young Master Lu, there are many reasons for being eliminated in a competition. Maybe it’s nerves, or maybe the challenge wasn’t in their area of strength. Leaving early doesn’t mean they’re not good enough—just not the best in that short moment,” Jiang Tingzhou explained.
“It doesn’t mean they’re bad chefs.”

The stir-fried noodles chef had done well but had just barely missed the cut-off, losing narrowly.
The chef making the eggplant fritters had average knife skills, but when frying potato chips, Jiang Tingzhou noticed the finished product came out golden, crisp, and fragrant.

As for the one grilling scallops and oysters—she’d ranked near the bottom, almost 200th. Still, Jiang Tingzhou had noticed her.

“She was very nervous during the competition,” he said. “She messed up the waterfall-cut potato slices more than once. But even though she probably knew she would be eliminated, she didn’t give up.”

Most people, realizing they’ve lost, just go through the motions—but not her. She completed the dish carefully, plating it beautifully, and made a genuine last effort.

Now, she was managing the oyster and scallop stall on her own. Though it was a free booth, she remained meticulous. Every serving was cooked to perfection. Even if it was a common night-market item, customers praised the taste.

Their presence now meant they had already started preliminary cooperation with Jiang Tingzhou.

If they performed well and customers liked them, proving their skills, Jiang Tingzhou was willing to invest in them to open new restaurants on the Sugar Factory’s commercial street, just as he had done for the factory’s veteran chefs—offering them shares in the business.

Of course, these three chefs could make far more than what they were selling here. Once in the Sugar Factory, there would be other arrangements and a trial operation to show their full capabilities.

Jiang Tingzhou still had many vacancies for chefs, and he didn’t mind taking on more people.

Not only Lu Baiyu recognized them—some contestants who had come to relax after the competition did too. After chatting with them and hearing they had gotten such a good opportunity despite elimination, they looked surprised. When they asked why, they began to understand.

Culinary skill is the result of years of practice for a moment of brilliance. Yet, in the main broadcast, many contestants only appear for a few seconds. It’s easy for them to go unnoticed.

The judges’ and audience’s scores aren’t the only measure of value.

Competition rankings are one thing. What matters more is consistent dedication.

And Jiang Tingzhou saw all of that.

After the first round, he reviewed every match video—some more than once. He knew exactly what he was looking for. And judging from the crowds around their stalls now, his judgment had been confirmed.

Turning slightly, he looked at Lu Baiyu. “I should thank you, Young Master Lu, for the resumes you sent.”

Combining past record with on-site performance made things much clearer.

Throughout their conversation, Lu Baiyu had been quietly watching him.  “This is what I should do,” he replied.

But Jiang Tingzhou countered gently, “There’s no ‘should’ in business.”

He glanced toward the seafood stall in front of them. That was Lu Group Fresh App’s soft ad placement.

The potato dishes from last time had been a small business trial. This time, the seafood e-commerce market was the real money-maker.

Lu Group had the advantage of direct sourcing from the place of origin, plus a promise of delivering fresh seafood quickly, as well as industry-leading liquid nitrogen flash-freezing technology—ten-minute ultra-fast freezing to preserve the texture as much as possible—something most competitors couldn’t fully replicate.

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t say much, but he always saw clearly where the real value lay. His instincts for the core of a business were sharp.

The sizzling stir-fry stall needed no explanation—it was Bingcheng Chao’s new menu, cooked by their head chef.

As for Haoshi, being an instant food producer, they naturally sold packaged, semi-prepared fried products—ready to eat after heating in oil or the oven.

There were also crispy fried fish snacks clearly meant to follow the Sugar Factory’s potato chips with a new line of packaged puffed foods. The soufflé Jiang Tingzhou was eating was also from the Sugar Factory. And among these stalls were the chefs he planned to collaborate with.

However, when Lu Baiyu looked at the beef and fish stall, he couldn’t tell which brand it was promoting.

He asked, and Jiang Tingzhou smiled.

“There’s no advertisement there,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “No other motive—I just thought it tasted good and wanted everyone to try it.”

As he said this, his face was relaxed, and a smile reached his eyes. The event lights reflected in his gaze, making his eyes look radiant.

Lu Baiyu knew: Jiang Tingzhou had always loved simple, unpretentious food—dishes that relied not on elaborate techniques, but on the natural flavor of ingredients.

And as for Lu Baiyu—He liked Jiang Tingzhou. Very much.

Especially at this moment.

But this wasn’t the right time to confess. So Lu Baiyu suppressed the thudding in his chest, kept the words in his heart—though his gaze betrayed him.

His gaze was so intense that Jiang Tingzhou turned to look at him and asked, “Why are you staring at me?”

Lu Baiyu opened his mouth but couldn’t speak for a while. In the end, he only said, “Sorry.”

He didn’t know why he was apologizing. Jiang Tingzhou had just finished his soufflé. The cream was a little sweet, and the air was thick with oil and smoke from the stalls. 

Seeing Jiang Tingzhou’s lips were dry, Lu Baiyu quickly found a new topic to change the subject.

“Tingzhou, try this.” He offered, “Baked pear. It’s perfect for this kind of weather.”

The thermos he handed over was the same model Jiang Tingzhou liked—expensive ones, a few thousand each, replaced one after another as though bought in bulk.

Inside was baked pear soup, made by Lu Baiyu himself. He had brought it with him that morning. It was the perfect time to drink it. The soup also contained lily, white fungus, red dates, and lotus seeds.

He used to only know how to make steamed lilies—simple, easy snacks. Later, he learned to stew soups. Now, he could make baked pears too.

Though not complicated, baked pears required precise heat and careful timing for the ingredients. The traditional method made for a sweet, fragrant soup with soft, tender pear flesh.

Lu Baiyu asked tentatively, “Is it good?”

It was quite good. Jiang Tingzhou nodded. “Very good.”

But after eating a little more than half, he felt full and put the spoon down.

Just then, Zeng Rong rushed over.

“Finally found you!” he said, pulling Jiang Tingzhou away to discuss something.

Jiang Tingzhou followed him, while Lu Baiyu remained seated.

After Jiang left, Lu Baiyu quietly picked up the thermos, took the spoon Jiang had used, and had a taste himself.

Hmm. He had added a bit too much rock sugar. Now that the soup was cold, it tasted even sweeter.

I should reduce the sugar next time, he thought.

No one noticed his action.

Jiang Tingzhou, now slightly further away, was focused on what Zeng Rong was saying.

Zeng Rong looked visibly excited and delivered some good news.

“Xiushui Brand has seen how well the competition is doing and just contacted me—they want to increase their promotional budget,” he said. “Offline ads, street promotions, plus TV and online ad slots—they’re willing to pay for all of it to give the competition a boost.”

The Xiushui Group, led by Liu Ping, had always been the biggest sponsor of the competition. Previously, though, they only contributed money for naming rights and rarely interfered.

This time, things were different.