Chapter 127: Challenging the Dojo

"I would never bet on such a bizarre thing with you!" Han Jiayi said indignantly. "It is Lao Bai's freedom to do as he pleases. He is my boyfriend and a very important person to me, not some object, so I will never use him as a wager!"

"Ha... scared, are you?" Yang Hua pointed at Han Jiayi, mocking her.

What a low-class provocation; only a child would fall for that, right? Bai Renzong rolled his eyes from the side.

"Who's scared!? You're on!" Han Jiayi retorted angrily.

There is a child right here... Bai Renzong sighed, helplessly covering his forehead.

"Then I have a condition!" Yang Hua snorted coldly. "The judge for today cannot be Xiao Bai! Since he is your partner, he will definitely be biased toward you!"

"I wouldn't be, you know..." Bai Renzong sighed helplessly, then added to himself, *As if...*

"Fine, I think that's fair," Han Jiayi said, crossing her arms and pouting.

*Silly girl, don't talk about fairness at a time like this!* Bai Renzong thought painfully. *There is no such thing as fairness in love and war!*

"So, today's judging will be done by the customers of your Jiayixuan!" Yang Hua said, looking down at Han Jiayi arrogantly. "We will both make the same set menu, and then your customers will decide whose tastes better."

"But you don't even know the menu of my restaurant..." Han Jiayi frowned.

"It doesn't matter. I only need to watch you make it once to know how it's done, and I can do it even better than you!" Yang Hua chuckled triumphantly, arms crossed. "Well? If you're scared, admit defeat now and don't waste the food."

"No problem, it's a deal," Bai Renzong agreed before Han Jiayi could speak.

"Lao Bai..." Han Jiayi frowned and grabbed his arm. "Why did you agree so quickly!"

Bai Renzong whispered comfortingly, "It's okay, you can win. Trust me..."

"Don't worry, I'll pay for the extra ingredients!" Yang Hua said, glancing sideways at Han Jiayi with arrogance.

"Who needs you to pay for it? I have plenty of money for that..." Han Jiayi glared back, puffed up with anger.

The bet was struck, and both sides immediately went to the restaurant area to begin preparations.

"Xiao Bai!" Yang Hua quickly changed into his chef's uniform, then pointed at Bai Renzong and said confidently, "I will be the one to guard the purity of your tongue!"

*Are you insane? Get lost! Don't interfere with my sex life!* Bai Renzong thought to himself. Then, having a sudden flash of inspiration, he pulled out his phone and contacted Wang Bei: "Bring the camera over quickly, there's a good show!"

And so, the two began to busy themselves in the kitchen. All the other chefs in the kitchen stood aside to rest, leaving the two of them to handle all the work. As they continued, the previously noisy kitchen gradually quieted down. Everyone was stunned: what incredible proficiency...

"Oh my goodness..." Su Hui murmured, covering her mouth. "These two... their efficiency is terrifying."

The menu for a typical lunch rush required a dozen people in the kitchen to keep things running, but these two not only handled every table's order with ease, but even had the spare time to trade barbs with each other.

"Hmph, what is that ugly thing on your plate? You call that beef stew? It looks like it’s been rolling in the dirt!" Yang Hua mocked from the side.

"Oh my, actually, I was just following your style," Han Jiayi replied with a faint smile.

*This girl, she's actually learned to talk back...* Bai Renzong couldn't help but think. He was actually a bit worried about Han Jiayi's state; with Yang Hua interfering on the side, she shouldn't have been able to focus as well as usual. But his worry was clearly unnecessary; Han Jiayi's concentration was higher than he had imagined.

She handled every detail methodically, arranging the pan-seared cod on the plate, adding garnishes, drizzling the sauce, and carefully wiping the edges of the plate into a perfect circle with a napkin before nodding to the waiter: "Order up."

"Oh, my Mu-Mu, you are always so radiant in the kitchen," Bai Renzong sighed with relief.

However, it had to be said that Yang Hua was also quite formidable. It was as if he wanted to devour the ingredients in front of him, making those around him afraid to get close. He didn't even need to watch Han Jiayi finish a whole dish; he only needed to see which ingredients she took out to determine how to make the dish, and then he added his own style to it.

Gradually, the two stopped bickering and focused their full attention on the cooking, sending dish after dish out to the tables.

"Such terrifying focus..." Bai Renzong couldn't help but exclaim.

Soon, Wang Bei arrived, panting and carrying her camera.

"Where's the show? I didn't miss it, did I?!" Wang Bei looked around, then looked at the two dueling in the kitchen in surprise. "What is going on here?! The head chef of the renowned Lanwafang isn't in his own kitchen during the lunch rush, why is he here crashing the place?!"

"It's... a long story..." Bai Renzong didn't really want to explain in detail, so he brushed it off. "Anyway, just film it, this is great material. Film the finished dishes here first, then go to the dining area to film the customers' feedback. Remember, ask the customers if they are willing to be on camera; if not, blur their faces later..."

"Alright, alright!" Wang Bei said, lifting the camera and aiming it at the busy pair.

Various sets were sent out continuously. Bai Renzong grew impatient; he really wanted to go to the dining room to find a seat and order a serving himself, but... there were too many people, and there was simply no space! So, he could only judge the difference between the two by observing the appearance of the food. Basically, every dish Yang Hua made was much more refined than Han Jiayi's, though the portion sizes were smaller.

"Hang in there, Mu-Mu, for the sake of our happiness..." Bai Renzong clenched his fists.

Finally, as the last order was completed, Han Jiayi let out a breath. "Order up."

At that moment, Bai Renzong knew Han Jiayi had won the duel.

"Lao Bai..." Han Jiayi came to Bai Renzong, saying with concern, "You must be hungry, right? It's almost two o'clock and you haven't eaten yet. Have this sandwich to tide you over, I'll make you a fresh meal in a moment."

"I am quite hungry..." Bai Renzong said, taking the sandwich and swallowing it in one go.

Yang Hua, who had witnessed this scene from the side, fell into silence. Then, he turned his face away and said quietly, "Forget it, I truly lost the competition today. I said I was doing this for Xiao Bai, but I ignored his feelings, leaving him here to starve! This sin is simply... unforgivable!"

With that, Yang Hua threw his chef's uniform on the ground and stomped on it. "Forcing my guest to go hungry for so long, today I am unworthy of the title 'chef'!"

"That's my restaurant's uniform!" Han Jiayi said indignantly.

"Don't be so hasty." Bai Renzong raised his hand to interrupt Yang Hua. "My Mu-Mu doesn't need this kind of victory. She could have won based on skill alone. Today, she made you concede wholeheartedly."

"Her?" Yang Hua seemed skeptical.

However, the head waiter soon brought over the customer feedback. After tallying the results for the two-hour lunch rush, there were sixty-three orders in total. Forty-seven found Han Jiayi's cooking more to their taste, while only sixteen preferred Yang Hua's set.

"How is that possible!?" Veins popped out on Yang Hua's forehead as he swept the kitchen tools off the counter in a rage.

"Those are my kitchen tools!" Han Jiayi said with a pained expression.

"There are three reasons," Bai Renzong said, holding up three fingers. "First, this is Jiayi's shop; everyone is long accustomed to her flavor. To the customers, it tastes like home. Any change would feel unnatural. Especially when compared to the original, this feeling is amplified."

"Hmm..." Yang Hua frowned and pondered.

"Second," Bai Renzong continued, "the customers who come here, besides tasting delicious food, also want to fill their stomachs, so they value portion size. You deliberately reduced the portions to make the dishes more refined. For the customers of this shop, that felt like a lower value for their money. Since there was no obvious improvement in flavor, that flaw was further amplified."

"Tch, a bunch of pigs who don't know how to appreciate taste..." Yang Hua spat. "So much for being a one-star Michelin level."

"Isn't that going too far, insulting my customers!?" Han Jiayi retorted, pouting. "Also, it's two stars now! It's just that the review finished a few days ago, and the decoration for the second star hasn't arrived yet!"

"What? A shop like this can reach two stars!?" Yang Hua looked as if he had swallowed a fly. "Did the people at Michelin lose their sense of taste?!"

"Hmph, now it's the same as yours, two stars," Han Jiayi said triumphantly.

"Third, you weren't in your right state of mind today," Bai Renzong added the final blow.

"Impossible! I, I..." Yang Hua turned red, a rare sight. "How could I..."

"Be honest, what was on your mind while you were cooking today?" Bai Renzong pressed. "Were you thinking, 'I want to pour my soul into this dish and show my true self'?"

"I!" Yang Hua stammered for a moment, then lowered his head in frustration. "No... all I could think about was beating this woman."

"So, you didn't lose unjustly," Bai Renzong nodded with satisfaction.

"Ugh!" Yang Hua sighed heavily and sat down on the floor, speechless, silently accepting his defeat.

"Yay!" Han Jiayi jumped up excitedly and gave Bai Renzong a "V" sign. "Lao Bai, our kiss is saved!"

*Yes, and a few other things are saved too...* Bai Renzong sighed with relief inwardly, then smiled. "If you don't mind, I really need to eat something now."

"I'll do it!" Yang Hua, who had been dejected a second ago, sprang up from the floor like lightning. "I need to find myself again!"