News about Grace Palace participating in this festival's competition quickly spread throughout town like wildfire.
Some guessed that Grace Palace's new owners had sent a new chef to manage the restaurant while the others believed that the prodigal son of the Chu family (the previous owners) came back to take the rein once more.
Of all these people, Mo Lihui was the most irritated. She was the heiress and the executive chef of Blue Haven Restaurant.
When Shen Yi and Lu Xinyi came at the entrance of Grace Palace, Mo Lihui was talking to their sous-chef and spotted the couple outside. Her vibrant cheeriness turned into gloom as she watched Shen Yi talked to the woman standing beside him.
'Who the hell is that woman?' Mo Lihui thought.
She'd been long infatuated with Shen Yi but never got the chance to know his name. She couldn't forget the first time she laid her eyes on him and couldn't forget him since then. Oh, if only she knew that the man of her dreams was already married.
Now, Mo Lihui stared outside the balcony of their restaurant, waiting for a chance to see just a glimpse of Shen Yi inside the Grace Palace. It was early afternoon. Blue Haven had just finished serving lunch, and there were fewer customers remaining.
"Under the weather?" Mo Liwei, her older brother, stepped inside the room and left some paperwork on her desk. "Are you worried about this year's competition?"
Mo Lihui snorted and rolled her eyes. "What's there to worry about? They can try, but they'll never defeat me."
She'd been the reigning champion for the past three years and was expecting to win again this year. Grace Palace had long ceased their reign, and she wouldn't think twice in crushing their dreams of coming back.
Mo Liwei laughed and shook his head. His sister indeed needed some competition. Someone needed to remind his sister not to underestimate her opponents.
---
The eve of the autumn festival came.
Lu Xinyi, together with Shen Yi who kept his disguise, went to the pavilion where participants for the cooking battle would register. The place looked majestic and traditional, although it still couldn't compare to Shen family's exquisite and stunningly-beautiful Peach Blossom Resort. The locals usually gathered here to discuss matters related to the public's opinion about the traditions and celebrations the town oversees.
"Grace Palace Restaurant, please come forward!" One of the staff for the festival called out into the crowd. His loud and high-pitched voice echoed within the pavilion.
After hearing it, the people inside turned their heads to look for those who dare to represent Grace Palace. They were curious to see what kind of people was brave enough to challenge Blue Haven Restaurant.
Although Lu Xinyi had already been in town for a week now, Shen Yi kept their identities in secret. Aside from Yang Jian who knew Lu Xinyi as the new owner of Grace Palace and Shen Yi's favored wife, no one knew who she was and where she came from.
Seeing Lu Xinyi dazed, Shen Yi went beside her and held her hand discreetly. He had never seen his wife this excited before—acting like a kid who couldn't wait to open her gifts during Christmas day. She was like a flower waiting patiently to bloom and greet the world. So beautiful but delicate.
"It's our turn now, dear."
"Then let's go!"
Lu Xinyi looked up and smiled. It was that kind of smile that made his heart skip a beat. He wanted to keep her happy, to give her everything just to keep her smiling at him like this.
He desperately wanted to keep and protect her. His wife had suffered since the death of her parents. Now that she was his wife, it was his job now to protect her from any harm. He couldn't change what happened in the past, but he would make sure that he'd be beside her on every step of her journey from now on.
He would stay by her side forever, no matter how hard it may take.
Lu Xinyi stepped forward with Shen Yi standing behind her. People made way for them to greet the facilitator of the contest. Even in his disguise, Shen Yi still attracted people with his devilishly-handsome face while Lu Xinyi looked well-mannered and pleasant to the eyes with her sure movements.
Together, they seemed well-matched. It was like they were meant to be on each other's side, or else one wouldn't function well.
Numerous eyes followed them. They stared at them with different thoughts running on their minds. Some even blatantly ogled Shen Yi while others looked at Lu Xinyi with some kind of resentment. They felt like she was kind of an eyesore that shouldn't stand beside Shen Yi.
Lu Xinyi tried not to roll her eyes in disgust. So many flies to chase away to protect what was hers.
"Your name?" the facilitator asked her.
"Lu Xinyi," she promptly replied.
The man gave her a blank look before listing her name down. "Event starts at exactly four in the afternoon tomorrow. There are some changes to our usual rules. You must find a sous-chef to help you prepare tomorrow's dish. That's all. If you have questions you better ask it now, or else withdraw your application."
Yang Jian informed Lu Xinyi and Shen Yi ahead of time that dumplings would be the theme for this year's cooking battle. What Lu Xinyi couldn't understand was why she needed to find a sous-chef at short notice.
"Are we allowed to take any sous-chef, or do they need to be part of the restaurant, too?" she inquired.
"Of course, Miss. Your sous-chef must be a member of your restaurant. This cooking battle is between local restaurants, and participants should belong to one of them."
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