“I’m assuming you already know by now how to make stocks and broth,” Tian Lingyu said, breaking Ye Xieren’s trance.

“Of course,” he said confidently. Making Bread and Tomato soup was a simple soup he could make. He can’t probably mess up with it, Ye Xieren thought.

“Great. Then I’ll leave the appetizer in your hands. For amuse-bouche, we can serve herb-infused cream cheese spread onto a slice of toasted crostini. Can you also do that?”

Tian Lingyu had already planned their menu plan, and based on Ye Xieren’s previous performance from his cooking battles, Tian Lingyu could tell that his junior could also work under pressure. The course he’d plan to cook would not only compete with Huang Shenghao but would also present his skills as a chef.

For the first course, he planned on making handmade tortellini blanketed in a rich, creamy cheesy sauce. To be able to make perfect handmade tortellini, he should pay attention to its three elements.

First, the fresh pasta must be rolled in perfect thickness with absolute precision. Second, his chosen filling. It must complement the third element which was the rich and perfectly seasoned sauce.-.

The second dish would be Beef Braised in Red Wine, and a quick Tiramisu for dessert so he and Ye Xieren could focus on their two main courses. With Ye Xieren’s help, he should be able to cook the Beef Braised in Red wine that could take at least three hours to cook.

“No problem.” Ye Xieren gave him a thumbs-up, his nervousness forgotten as excitement rushed through his veins. It had been too long since he felt this kind of excitement.

A beeping sound stopped the students from their discussion, their attention went back to Huo Meili who was wearing a white blouse paired with a cream-colored skirt and heels, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked around with a wide smile on her lips.

“Your ten minutes grace period has ended. In our pantry, you’ll find a variety of ingredients you may use to your dishes. You’ll only have three hours to prepare a full-course meal for our judges, and that three-hour cooking time starts now!”

At Huo Meili’s words, the ten students made their way to the special pantry, picking up the ingredients and turning the pantry into a mess as if a storm had passed by.

Taking the initiative, Ye Xieren started the mise-en-place, passing the cleaned and cut ingredients for Tian Lingyu to cook. Since the Beef Braised was the longest one to cook, Tian Lingyu preheated the oven then cooked onions and garlic on a large skillet before transferring in a casserole dish.

At the judges’ area—while He Haotian and Han Zhiling were busy conversing to each other, Lu Xinyi watched in awe as Tang Liang sauteed their scallops as their appetizer while his partner started with their main course which was the Pork Chops with Raspberry Sauce and had a Caramel Pear Tart for dessert.

Her eyes then shifted to the kitchen counter where her brother and Ye Xieren were. Looking at Ye Xieren’s calm expression as he listened to her brother’s directive, she understood that this was another opportunity for Ye Xieren to improve.

She and Ye Xieren were going to take two different paths now. If Ye Xieren and her brother manage to win this selection, she’d eventually lose her top seat for juniors to Ye Xieren which didn’t mean that much for her. It was only a seat; one could not stay on the top for too long. After this selection, she’d have to focus on her intensive training with Han Yixin.

Back at Ye Xieren, his partner had consecutively given him orders around their counter, without breaking his focus on their main course. Ye Xieren realized that he was quickly learning and mastering the cooking techniques he was struggling to perfect these past days under Tian Lingyu.

Every time Tian Lingyu lowered his head to taste the soup and dessert he was making, he would feel very nervous.

This kind of challenge had surely tested Ye Xieren to the limit. The arrogant junior student who excelled during the entrance examination had been long forgotten. The first semester was about to end, and he thought to himself that he suddenly became a different person compared to the first time he arrived at Silver Leaf Academy.

There were five kitchen counters set up within the kitchen arena surrounded by an auditorium, reminding Ye Xieren of boring lecture halls he’d been. The bright lights, the noisy audience, the sparkling kitchen counters; these weren’t new to him. However, being beaten by Lu Xinyi and Yan Chen repeatedly, this wasn’t like him at all.

Ye Xieren took a look at their surroundings and suddenly had felt peace in his heart. He took a deep breath and realized someone in the audience was holding a banner with his name.

He was stunned. It was actually his colleagues back at his uncle’s restaurant. Their expressions were filled with excitement as they cheered his name.

The selection wasn’t opened for public viewing and only the students from the academy may watch but seeing his friends watching to support him, Ye Xieren’s heart was moved. At this moment, he was really touched.

Because of this, he had the desire to win and do his best.

Compared to the previous competition he participated in, his mood seemed to be calmer when facing their opponents. Although he was curious as to what Lu Xinyi would do if she was in his position, he forced his mind to focus on the competition.

“The rules of this selection have more room to experiment. Although we have a time limit, I expect that you’ll be able to make a perfect appetizer and dessert for the judges. I know that you’re also lacking in experience in making desserts so a quick tiramisu should be easy for you to follow.” Tian Lingyu told him while pushing the mascarpone cheese, egg yolk, and yogurt to his counter. “Start beating these in a large bowl.”

This time, Ye Xieren wasn’t as naive as he was last time. Towards the Bread and Tomato Soup and Quick Tiramisu, he had practiced the basics countless times. He was confident that he would be able to make it.

Everyone’s counters had a variety of ingredients placed upon it. For example, Yan Chen’s counter had lamb chops being seasoned by his partner so Lu Xinyi thought that they’d present it as one of their courses later.

On the other hand, his eyes widened when she saw her brother kneading dough on his work station. Was he planning to make pasta from scratch in such a limited time?

By looking at him, she could tell Tian Lingyu knew what he was doing. He was kneading the dough right on time so he could give it enough time to rest. When he kneaded the pasta dough, what he was doing was getting that gluten to come out in the flour to make it very elastic so he could roll it out when the time was right.

Lu Xinyi just didn’t have an idea what kind of pasta he was making right now. Sure enough, she didn’t know her own brother when it came to cooking.a small complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants.