Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 89 Marrying a Rich Woman, Going on a Trip, Call Me If Need Help, Don't Worry Otherwise. (Seventh Update)
The colorful ribbons fluttering freely appeared simultaneously with the pre-prepared trending topics on the internet.

A cooking reality show that went through tens of thousands of auditions and rounds of selection, and ultimately achieved excellent viewership ratings, has now come to an end.

Xia Ming, starting as an "unranked" player, fought his way through the competition and eventually won the title of "King of Chefs".

The performances in each segment of the program are compiled into clips by the production team and uploaded to short video platforms to increase the program's popularity.

Even though the live stream has ended, the platform will still release edited versions of the program.

It's worth noting that selling exclusive broadcasting rights to a popular variety show can generate a substantial income.

"One meal brought fame, but behind the scenes..."

The champion's official photos have been taken, and Xia Ming has also added the contact information of all the judges.

He didn't forget Chef Lai Chi-On and Chef Wong Ching-Yui either, adding them just in case, regardless of whether they're useful or not.

Xie Tingfeng had originally said he would treat Xia Ming to dinner that night, but at this moment he just wanted to finish the procedures as soon as possible and go back to see his father.

When Xie Tingfeng heard that Xia Ming had something to do, he didn't say much. He patted Xia Ming on the shoulder and said that they could keep in touch. Then he left with his bodyguard.

After finishing up, Xia Ming was in his private lounge, having just changed into his everyday clothes, when he heard a knock on the door.

Upon opening the door, they found Luo Yumin.

Out of curiosity, they invited her in, and after chatting for a while, they discovered that she had come on behalf of the "Luo family" to apologize to Xia Ming and make amends.

"I'm sorry, due to our oversight, there were some issues with the transparency of the competition format."

"You should have noticed by now that under the original format, Lolo wouldn't actually have made it to the top four."

Xia Ming nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

Seeing that he didn't seem to care much about the apology, Luo Yumin took the initiative to talk about compensation.

“We have two options. The first option is 20 yuan in cash.”

"The second option is that Kangaroo will launch a new ready-to-eat meal brand. If you're willing, you can become the brand ambassador. Don't worry, the endorsement fee will definitely not disappoint you."

As she spoke, she took out a card and a contract.

Xia Ming took the contract and looked at it. There were a lot of clauses inside, some of which were written in a very convoluted way, so he simply put the contract aside.

"Sorry, I don't have the habit of signing indentures. Please choose the first one."

Luo Yumin raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly puzzled by the term "contract of servitude."
However, before coming here, Luo Shurong had told her that no matter what choice Xia Ming made, she would not make things difficult for him.

"Just consider it as making a good connection. The Luo family can afford a mere 20."

"Furthermore, Jinran seems to have matured a lot after all these things. Although she's still far from what I expected, it's a good start."

Seeing that Xia Ming had made his choice, Luo Yumin politely pushed the card over.

Reaching out to take the card, Xia Ming suddenly remembered something.

"Judge Luo, may I ask what exactly the 'New Chef Competition' is?"

Upon hearing Xia Ming's question, Luo Yumin was taken aback and looked him up and down a few times.
To be honest, she didn't believe that Xia Ming had no teacher. After all, Xia Ming's performance on the show was extremely excellent in terms of both skills and creativity, and it was hard to imagine that everything he did was self-taught.

But looking at Xia Ming's eyes at this moment, it didn't seem fake. Luo Yumin lowered her eyes slightly and could only conclude that he might have encountered some confused teacher who had forgotten about him.

So she began to tell Xia Ming the story earnestly.

"Simply put, this is a national-level formal competition that can only be participated in by chefs below the 'Hua Level 3' level. Its main purpose is to train fresh blood for the Chinese culinary world."

"Because of its exceptionally generous rewards, which often include master manuscripts, rare culinary insights, specially made kitchen utensils, and personal instruction from the master chef, it is highly valued by all parties."

Young chefs also consider it a "gathering place for geniuses."

"Therefore, this competition is very difficult. Every year, countless geniuses gather here to compete for the most creative or the most comprehensive talent." "So, you want to sign up for the competition?"

At this point, Luo Yumin took out her phone and checked the date.

"I remember the registration deadline was a week ago, but if you'd like, I can help you with that."

Hearing that the rewards were master manuscripts and rare culinary tips, Xia Ming couldn't muster any interest whatsoever.

"Forget it~"

What he lacks now is cultivation, not inheritance, since his masters have taught him enough skills over the past thirty years.

Seeing that he seemed somewhat uninterested, Luo Yumin pondered for a moment.

"I'll give you another insider tip: the prize for this year's 'New Chef Competition' is a live 'Eight Treasures Pig.' As a chef, you should know exactly what that means."

"Eight Treasures Pork?"

Xia Ming quickly searched his memory and discovered that this was a very rare breed of meat pig in the city, which had been specially protected many years ago and was not allowed to be sold.

Recalling the appearance of the Eight Treasures Pig, the more Xia Ming looked at it, the more he felt that this thing was the "Earth Snort Pig," a first-grade demonic beast from the back mountain of the Blood Blade Sect in the Nine Provinces Continent.

"It has a rich aroma, eyebrows shaped like the number eight, unique spices can be extracted from its internal organs, and its tail and feet match perfectly."

Thinking of this, he was stunned.

Although first-grade demonic beasts are common throughout the Nine Provinces Continent, this is a city, and it's already quite difficult to associate with demonic beasts.

Moreover, this is a live "earth pig".
At this moment, in Xia Ming's eyes, this Eight Treasures Pig was equivalent to a large blood pack that could be reused!
"With this 'Earth-Hum Boar,' my speed in opening the Blood Gate should be much faster. I have to go check it out now."

So, he smiled, raised his head, and looked at Luo Yumin.

"In that case, I really need to check out this 'New Chef Competition.' Judge Lauro has already registered me."

Seeing this, Luo Yumin agreed.

In her opinion, a chef like Xia Ming is bound to shine in the future.

Missing out on the "New Chef Competition" simply because of information asymmetry would be a huge loss.

Later, with Luo Yumin's help, Xia Ming successfully registered.

With more than two months until the competition, Xia Ming left the production team after gathering some basic information, and headed to the airport with his small bag.

The graduate student and the bald cook who were hosting the banquet left two days earlier than him, but both of them sent Xia Ming messages, inviting him to come and visit sometime.

The bald cook is from the Beijing area, while the graduate student in charge of the banquet is from the Guangzhou-Shenzhen area.

"By the way, the 'New Chef Competition' is actually being held in the Guangzhou-Shenzhen area in two months. We should see if we need to contact the banquet design graduate program then."

They walked in silence, and by the time Xia Ming returned to "Brother Hui's General Store," it was already past midnight.

He didn't have the key to the roller shutter door, so he had to go around to the back to get in. After opening the door, he quickly found the light by relying on his memory.

As the lights came on inside the general store, Xia Ming looked up and glanced around.

"Dad should be asleep by now."

Thinking it over, Xia Ming decided to first tidy up his dirty clothes, then find a place to meditate and try to break through the blood gate in his left eye.

But when he got to the table, he found a letter, several sets of keys, and a few pink sticky notes on the table.

The content of the first page is:
[Your old man has hooked up with a rich woman and is going on vacation. Call me if you need anything, don't worry about me otherwise.]

"???"

(End of this chapter)