Chapter 4 — From Chef God's Wife to Master Chef Champion

6. He is thinner and more emaciated, with a green beard under his chin. The expensive shirt on his body was also wrinkled. He stood at the door, holding a thermos, looking at me with complicated eyes.

“Miao Miao, I... I'll make soup for you.”

His voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of pleading. Ky Ky immediately blocked in front of me.

"Mr. Luc, this place doesn't welcome you, please leave."

Luc Yen didn't pay attention to her, her eyes stubbornly locked on me.

“I saw your competition, it was excellent.”

“The sticky lotus root and cinnamon flower dish you made is even more delicious than the taste in my memory.”

There was no ripple in my heart, I even felt a little funny.

“So what? You came here as a ‘senior’ to give me tips?”

He was speechless and his face turned red.

“I didn't mean that… I just wanted…”

“Want to see me leave you, is life better?” I'll finish speaking for you.

“Miao Miao, can we talk?”

“There's nothing to say.” I pushed past him and went straight to the operation desk. “I'm very busy, I don't have time to meet unrelated people.”

“Irrelevant person?”

Those five words were like a sledgehammer, hitting straight into his heart. His eyes immediately turned red.

"We've been married for three years, how can we be unrelated people?"

"Since you left me home alone because of Co Ngu Bang, we've been like that."

I picked up the kitchen knife and started processing the ingredients on the cutting board. The knife blade collided with the cutting board, making a clear but cold "clack" sound.

"Miao Miao, that fire... wasn't what you thought. I stayed... for a reason."

“I don't want to know your reason.”

“Whatever shocking past you and Co Ngu Bang have has nothing to do with me.”

“All I know is, you lied to me for three years. During those three years, you never really looked at me once.”

“No!” He quickly objected. “I…”

“You what?” I stopped and turned to look at him. "Don't you dare say that you're with me because I look a little like the way I looked when Co Ngu Bang first debuted?"

It was a doubt I buried in my heart for a long time. Co Ngu Bang has the standard sweet face type: round face, almond eyes. But I—both good and bad. When we first met, Luc Yen's friend once joked that he had found an "alternative version of Co Ngu Bang". I didn't pay attention then. Now that I think about it, everything has an answer. Luc Yen's face instantly turned white as paper. He opened his mouth, as if all his strength had been drained, he couldn't say a word. He admitted it. I suddenly felt that even anger was redundant. It turns out I'm not just a "tool guy", I'm also a substitute.

“Luc Yen,” I calmly looked at him, “let's get a divorce.”

“I don't…”

"I'm not talking to you. I've already found a lawyer, the divorce agreement will be sent to you soon."

“Go ahead, don't bother me anymore.”

After saying that, I didn't look at him anymore and picked up the knife again. The knife's light was cold, reflecting the same coldness on my face. He stood in place for a long, long time, then like a puppet whose soul had been drained, he absent-mindedly turned around and left. The thermos in his hand fell to the ground, hot chicken soup spilled everywhere. Extremely pathetic. Just like our funny marriage. 7. On the semi-final stage, I met an unexpected judge. Co Ngu Bang. She's wearing a white Chanel suit, sitting right in the middle of the judges' chair, smiling sweetly and complacently. Seeing me on the field, a provocative light flashed in her eyes. After the MC introduced the exam rules, Co Ngu Bang held the microphone and said softly:

“Today's assignment was made by me.”

“The name is ‘The Hanging Garden’.”

The whole hall was buzzing. Everyone knows that "Hanging Garden in the Sky" is the legendary restaurant that Luc Yen built for Co Ngu Bang that year. Also a symbol of their love. It was the most painful slip in Luc Yen's career. She chose this moment to throw out that topic—using malicious intentions, revealing it without concealing it. She wanted to see me humiliated, wanted to tell everyone: I was just a clumsy imitator, never able to reach the heights of her and Luc Yen. Chu Ky Ky was so impatient downstage that he stomped his feet. And I was unusually calm. I looked at Co Ngu Bang and slowly opened my mouth:

"I would like to ask judge Co, what does the 'Hanging Garden' in your heart look like?"

She was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting me to ask back. But she quickly adjusted her expression and said in a tone like reading a poem:

“‘The Hanging Garden’ is a fantasy, it is romantic to the end.”

“The most precious ingredients in the world, using the highest technology, presented into a perfect party.”

“It is a unique Eden, built on cuisine.”

She spoke passionately, as if returning to the moment when Luc Yen held her in her palm that year. After listening, I laughed.

“So, that's 'The Hanging Garden' as I understand it.”

“Unfortunately, it's not the way I understand it.”

I didn't bother to pay attention to her stunned expression, turned around and walked back to the ingredients area. I don't choose expensive Wagyu beef, sturgeon caviar, or black truffle mushrooms. I just took a few of the most ordinary ingredients: tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, green peppers... Under everyone's puzzled looks, I started to get creative. I made potatoes into a "flower pot" base, used cucumbers to thin them into vines, and used tomatoes and carrots to create colorful, colorful flowers. Finally, I kneaded the dough with spinach juice, creating a green "grass carpet" dotted in the middle. A "Hanging Garden" full of vitality and innocence, created from the simplest vegetables, appears before everyone's eyes. Co Ngu Bang's face turned green.

"Kieu Mieu Mieu, what do you mean by that? Are you insulting the exam question?"

I looked at her and said word by word:

“Judge Co, I think you're wrong.”

“‘The Hanging Garden’ should not just be an accumulation of expensive ingredients, nor should it be a tool for two people to show off their love.”

“Its true meaning is to make everyone who tastes it feel the beauty and hope of life.”

“Just like these ordinary vegetables—even though ordinary, they can still bloom with their own beauty.”

“My ‘Hanging Garden in the Sky’ is built for everyone. It doesn't belong to just anyone, it belongs to everyone who loves life.”

My words resonate loudly and clearly.