The judges stared at the noodle dish and then to Lu Xinyi. They could tell she was aware of the problem. While her noodles were almost perfect, the broth had been the disappointment. As Ye Xieren waited for their scores, he bore the facial expression of one expecting a great gift. There was a hint of the victory in the smile surrounded by his stiff cheeks— not the supple grin of a fellow examinee, but the joy of the enemy after the battle was won.
Qu Shaowei sighed. Such a wonderful noodles dish but an imperfect one. There was potential with her dish but wasn't executed properly. It was a shame that it couldn't compete well against Ye Xieren's soba noodles. If Lu Xinyi had presented the perfectly cooked version of her noodles, there would be no doubt that she'd beat Ye Xieren fair and square.
