After the initial inspection of the allowed ingredients she could bring to the competition, Lu Xinyi changed her attire to the provided white chef uniform that Silver Leaf had for their examinees. She tied her long hair in a tight bun and removed the bandage in her left hand and left it in her bag.
Her hands adjusted the collar of her coat and felt the silver chain around her neck. A smile passed through her lips. Her wedding ring was safely concealed inside her clothes, and now, it was closer to her heart.
She could hear the cheering of the audience from the examinee's lounge she was in. After five minutes, she and the rest of the examinees would face the public. She still didn't know if allowing the public to watch the final exams was a good idea. After all, one could make a grave mistake and might be humiliated in front of everyone.
The number of spectators outside was overwhelming. When she stepped inside the main stadium, it had made her think that they were in a cooking competition instead of the final exams of Silver Leaf Academy.
Lu Xinyi went and stood at the counter assigned to her. Just like what she had predicted, the small counter had everything a chef would need. From the complete set of sharp knives to a portable oven, to the spacious stainless steel counter … to four stove burners. She assumed that the ingredients and utensils would be provided later. What were they going to cook—she had no idea.
A woman in her late twenties stood at the podium meters away from the small kitchen counters of the examinees. She was wearing a white satin blouse, a tight red pencil skirt, and a pair of black high-heels. Her light makeup and loosely-braided hair made her more appealing to the eyes. Her bright smile had made the audience cheer for her name.
Huo Meili was known to be an alumnus of Silver Leaf Academy and a well-known celebrity chef in the country.
"Meili! Meili! Meili!"
"Welcome to the Annual Examinations of Silver Leaf Academy! Today, we will see how many examinees will make it and join our family! Out of 356 who took the preliminary exams last week, only 73 had passed to take the final leg of the exams.
"Now, let's welcome the representatives of our major sponsors for this season! Of course, let's start with the beautiful Madam Li of the Li Corporation. She'd grace us with her time to support us today."
On the right side of the stage, there was a long, white counter where the sponsors were seated.
Madam Li stood up from her seat, beamed a smile, and waved at the crowd. She didn't bother to give a statement—which was already expected from her. After all, Madam Li was known to hate attending social functions.
Lu Xinyi's jaws almost dropped when she saw her. She'd never seen any woman who grew more beautiful as she aged. Damn, Madam Li didn't look like she was past fifty based on how she looked. Had she found the fountain of youth and kept it for herself?
"Next, the pride of the Sun Corporation,"—at those words, Lu Xinyi froze and shivered as she felt a pair of eyes set on her—"the young miss of the Sun family, and the Chief Operating Officer of the Sun Corporation—Sun Feiyan."
Lu Xinyi lifted her chin, her brown eyes crashing with Sun Feiyan's as they stared at each other. The smile on Sun Feiyan's face made Lu Xinyi's lips twitch in disgust. She hadn't seen this half-cousin of hers in ages, and yet Sun Feiyan's queen-like domineering aura hadn't diminished at all.
Unlike Sun Qiyan's aggressive demeanor, Sun Feiyan was more sociable and tolerable to deal with.
Sun Feiyan took the microphone and greeted the audience.
"Thank you for inviting me today. This is my first time joining this tradition at Silver Leaf Academy, and I hope this year's examinees wouldn't disappoint us." She then turned her eyes back to Lu Xinyi whose mouth was set in a hard line. "I wish all the best for you. Show us what you got and prove to everyone that you have what it takes to become the next top chef of Silver Leaf Academy."
For everyone, her words might sound like she was giving the examinees advice on how to face the competition; but to Lu Xinyi, Sun Feiyan's statement was more like a challenge served in front of her. Did this woman really try to taunt her? She, the real young miss of the Sun family, was being looked down by a con-woman?
Lu Xinyi snorted inwardly. Sun Feiyan was in for a treat.
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