Chapter 8 You Better Win!

• At this point, the crowd fell into a stunned silence. As he used his dazzling Dual Wielding skill which seemed almost like a choreographed performance, everyone thought that Christopher’s work should at least be of the same level as Hayden’s ice toad. However, that didn’t seem to be the case.
• A feeling—one that was indescribable—began to rise in their chests.
• Tina, on the other hand, had a look that said ‘I knew it’ as she watched the current situation unfold. Although she was not a chef nor did she know how to cook, she still at least had some idea of what looked good and what didn’t. Dual Wielding my a*s; what a joke! She thought.
• Between the two ice sculptures, one was a perfectly sculpted ice toad with extreme resemblance, while the other was merely a pitted egg without any discernible features—there seemed to be no need for comparisons.
• The results were obvious.
• Everyone present, too, felt that there was no longer any need to judge. However, Luna was the exception.
• It was not that she thought Christopher’s ‘pitted egg’ was better than Hayden’s ice toad; she was only curious why Christopher—who should be disappointed by now—appeared to be so confident?
• Until now, she had not seen a glimpse of disappointment or frustration on his face.
• Could it be that he thinks he still stands a chance to win? At this point, Luna became even more puzzled. She—who had always been able to see things the way other people couldn’t—was now unable to figure Christopher out.
• “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Christopher Yard.” Hayden began, “Here I was, wondering where it was you found the confidence to compete with me.”
• “And this is your work? An egg? A piece of advice to you: stop using Dual Wielding, man. You give this technique a bad name. Alright, enough with the nonsense—come here and fulfill your promise!”
• As he was speaking, he spread his legs and pointed below his crotch. “Well, you promised to crawl under my crotch if you lost.”
• Hearing that, Christopher merely laughed. ‘Dual Wielding’ was a Legend Level technique—how could its work be as simple as an egg?
• Since he wanted to embarrass Hayden, he figured he shouldn’t hold back, or else the 100 thumbs-ups he used would be wasted.
• Right now, Christopher didn’t even bother explaining to the crowd anymore.
• He merely smiled and said, “Hayden Woods, open your stupid eyes and tell me what this is!”
• As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately poured a bucket of warm water onto the so-called ‘egg’ that everyone underestimated.
• Instantly, with a ‘crack’, the egg broke.
• Then, as moments passed by, pieces of ice started to fall off of the ice sculpture.
• Once the ice on the surface had completely shed, what was hidden in the egg was revealed in front of everyone’s eyes.
• As they saw clearly what was concealed under the egg, everyone, including Hayden and Tina, gasped in disbelief—it was another toad!
• However, with this one, words could not describe how lifelike it looked—the lines and flow were seamless—it was as if it were created naturally. Except for the fact that the toad was completely transparent since it was an ice sculpture, it was completely indistinguishable from a real toad.
• Not only that, but compared to Hayden’s single ice toad, Christopher’s was lying elegantly on a sculpture of lotus leaves.The marvel did not end there as the water he had poured on the egg earlier had now pooled under the lotus leaves and rippled like the surface of a lake. The way it was presented looked exactly like lotus leaves floating on the surface of a serene lake in midsummer—where there laid a toad patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike at its prey.
• How lifelike!
• Christopher’s sculpture not only showed a toad, but at the same time, it also presented the environment and scene the toad was in—it was just like a painting!
• Unbelievable!
• Extremely unbelievable!
• Christopher’s incredible skill baffled the crowd. If Hayden’s ice toad was considered a rare treasure, Christopher’s work of art should be kept forever and placed in a museum for people to admire for generations!
• The creativity and the technique—how magnificent!
• Was this really the Christopher that they knew—the one who was merely a helper and who only knew how to cut potatoes and wash dishes?
• How could this be? Hayden thought, as soon as he saw Christopher’s work.
• His expression right now was ten times worse than when he saw Christopher using the Dual Wielding technique—it was extremely pathetic and grim.
• Tina, too, was completely taken aback and stunned. She didn’t know much about cooking skills, but she was certainly not witless. Obviously, she knew how to distinguish between good and bad.
• The groveling, pathetic, useless Christopher is actually a master in cooking?
• With this thought in mind, she instantly realized that breaking up with Christopher seemed to be the worst decision she had ever made in her life.
• As expected, Luna thought to herself and smiled meaningfully. At once, she raised her head and looked at Christopher with her clear and beautiful eyes; no one could tell what was going on in her mind.
• “Did you see it clearly?” At this moment, Christopher said proudly to Hayden, “Didn’t you just ask me where did I find my confidence? Now, I’ll direct this question back to you.”
• “Where did you find your confidence? Huh?” Christopher returned Hayden’s condescending question back to him. “Chef Woods, tell me. Who won this competition?”
• Who won?
• Obviously you!
• Is there still a need to answer?
• Disappointment, shock, frustration, and a strong sense of regret—these many different feelings filled Hayden’s chest.
• What goes around comes back around, huh. This came into Hayden’s mind, completely summarising the situation he was in.
• Hearing what Christopher asked, he felt as if someone had slapped him across his face hard. Even if he was shameless, he couldn’t bring himself to tell Christopher that he himself was the one that won.
• As such, he could only stay silent.
• Nevertheless, even if Hayden wanted to stay silent, Christopher wouldn’t give him the chance to.
• “Enough with the nonsense and fulfill your promise!” Christopher repeated Hayden’s words.
• The so-called promise, of course, was about Hayden leaving The Serenade.
• What Christopher said sent chills down Hayden’s spine in an instant.
• Leave the restaurant?
• Even the thought of it scared him. Despite him being the head chef of this restaurant, the ‘side profit that he was able to reap through the dodgy dealings from the kitchen every year was nearly seven figures.
• Without a doubt, with his cooking skills, it was no problem for him to find a new position as a chef in other restaurants. However, this meant that he would need to rebuild his network from scratch again, and he certainly did not have the time to do that now.
• He still had to pay for his house and car—leaving The Serenade basically meant that he would lose everything he had now.
• Hayden was appalled. How did things turn out this way?
• Leave The Serenade?
• No! Over my dead body!
• As if he was going to cry any second, he turned to Luna for help. “Ms. Sears?”
• It went without saying how important a head chef was to the restaurant itself. In fact, it only made sense for Luna to let him stay. However, to everyone’s surprise, Luna remained her icy tone and said, “I told you. You better win! Remember?”