Chapter 5 — From Chef God's Wife to Master Chef Champion

Under the stands, applause erupted like thunder. The other judges continuously nodded, their eyes filled with appreciation. Co Ngu Bang's face was sometimes red and sometimes white like a color palette. She wanted to refute, but couldn't find any reason. Because, what I'm talking about is the true meaning of cuisine. As for her, she lost from the beginning. Lose in vision, also lose in heart. 8. I was not nervous when I entered the final. After the semi-finals, Co Ngu Bang became the laughingstock of the whole network. She intended to kick me down, but ended up becoming a stepping stone for me. It is said that the cooperation between her and Luc Yen also collapsed, and the "Phan Tinh" restaurant project was shelved indefinitely. As for me, I became the most brilliant star of this year's competition season. Invitations for representation and cooperation fly in like falling snow. I leave everything to Chu Ky Ky to handle. I have only one goal: to win the championship. On the final day, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense. My opponent is a veteran chef who has been famous for a long time and is extremely strong. Before the exam started, I was backstage doing final preparations. An employee suddenly gave me an envelope.

"Miss Kieu, a gentleman asked me to give this to you."

I opened the envelope, inside was an old piece of letter paper. The handwriting is Luc Yen's.

“Mieu Mieu, I know it's too late for what I say now.”

“I just want to tell you, the fire that year was not an accident.”

“It's Co Ngu Bang... in order to gain the exclusive business rights of the 'Hanging Garden in the Sky', she bribed people, intending to teach him a lesson, but he overdid it."

"You took the blame for her, giving up everything you had. I thought that would make her turn around."

【You are wrong.】

“I hid for three years, lied to you for three years, I thought I could forget the past as long as I didn't hold a kitchen knife anymore.”

"It wasn't until I saw you shine on the stage that I understood that what truly imprisoned me was not that fire, but my own cowardice."

“You're right, cuisine belongs to everyone.”

“The ‘Hanging Garden in the Sky’ you made is ten thousand times better than mine.”

“Sorry, I lost you—the best version of you.”

“Do your best in the competition, you will definitely be the champion.”

At the end of the letter, a signed divorce agreement is attached. I looked at that agreement, my heart was complicated beyond words. It turns out that's the truth. It's not that I don't love, it's just that my love is too low, too blind. He wasn't heartless, he just spent all his emotions on someone who didn't deserve it. But so what? Hurts have occurred, trust has collapsed. Between us, we can never go back. I put away the letter and divorce agreement, took a deep breath, and walked onto the field. The final topic is: "Nirvana". The phoenix bathed in fire has just been reborn. This topic is as if it was tailor-made for me. I closed my eyes, my mind running through every fragment of the past few months. From the collapse when discovering the truth, to the resilience of getting up alone. From the humiliation of being a body double, to the moment of blossoming on the stage. My life has truly gone through a trial in a sea of fire. I opened my eyes, my gaze was clear and determined. I know what I have to do. 9. I chose to make a Sichuan dish: "open water white thai" cabbage soup. This is the opening dish at a state banquet. It looks like a simple soup, but it's actually very effective complicated to the extreme. Braising the broth, filtering the broth—each step tests the chef's patience and inner strength. This dish is my graduation work from when I was studying at the academy. It was also my pride that day. In pursuit of ultimate clarity and freshness, I have failed countless times. By the time the dish was served on the table, even the most demanding lecturer was impressed. But after getting married, Luc Yen said he didn't like greasy food, and he didn't like complicated food. So this item—along with my dream—was locked to the bottom of the cupboard by myself. Today, I want it to see the light again. On the stage with thousands of people watching—for myself, also for my lost youth—I will make a true bowl of "open water white thai". I no longer have any problems, completely immersed in my world. Time passes minute by minute. When I brought a bowl of soup that was as clear as water, not a drop of fat was visible, and a slender white cabbage heart stood upright, placed in front of the judges. The whole hall was silent. Everyone was shocked by this extreme simplicity and purity. The main judge—a respected culinary master—carefully scooped a spoonful of soup and put it in his mouth. His eyes immediately lit up.

“This... this is the true white water creation!”

“The soup is clear to the bottom, fresh and sweet, the cabbage is soft and melts like powder, it melts in your mouth immediately…”

“This dish looks simple, but it contains the philosophy of 'the great path is simple'.”

“It ingests… the taste of rebirth.”

The taste of rebirth. I smiled, the corners of my eyes were slightly wet. Yes, this is the taste of rebirth. In the end, with absolute advantage, I won the champion of the "Tan Tinh Contest - Master Chef". The moment I lifted the trophy, the flash lit up an area. In the crowd, I seemed to see a familiar figure. He wore a cap and mask, standing far away looking at me. Then he bowed deeply towards me, turned around, and disappeared into the sea of people. Goodbye, Luc Yen. Goodbye, my love that day.