CHAPTER 690: CHAPTER 689: SMASHING THE PLACE

Xia Yu had arrived at the Tiqie Mansion early in the morning to chat with the old man Xenzaimon when the morning was stirred by a tweet from Lin Giant Lei Zhe.

In the past, it wasn’t that no eminent figures had visited the Far Moon Academy Festival, but those were mainly collaborators showing support, such as the Curry Princesses, the Chiben sisters, and various titans of the supply chain.

Simply put, the magnates attending the festival to show support were rarely professional chefs, like Takai Masashi, who was a guest chef, were exceedingly rare.

It made sense.

Such an open food festival was a grand event for the public, but for high-ranking chefs who had tasted top-notch delicacies, it held no allure.

Therefore, the tweet by Lei Zhe was so abnormal, it garnered attention.

Many even smelled a hint of trouble.

...

The second day of the Academy Festival.

The gates of Far Moon School were as busy as ever, but journalists armed with long and short cameras squatting around had become another kind of spectacle.

"Here they come!"

"It’s that car!"

When a black car slowly stopped in the school gate plaza, the crowd erupted.

Click!

The car door opened, and a tall man in a suit gracefully alighted, casting a glance at the onlookers and slightly curving the corners of his mouth into a sly smile.

This was Lei Zhe, nicknamed ’Research Maniac’, a leading figure in the research school and one of the eight Lin Giants of the gourmet world.

His rugged, brawny appearance clashed severely with his formal attire.

His demeanor resembled a dressed-up, muscular bear.

As he emerged from the car and stood firm, his nearly two-meter stature dwarfed everything around him, the press crowding forward felt his imposing aura, and a fear akin to facing a wild beast appeared in their eyes.

"Mr. Lei Zhe!"

A female journalist trembled as she extended the microphone, "We saw your high praise for the Far Moon Academy Festival on Twitter, have you made contact with the school authorities for your visit?"

"No!" Looking into the camera, Lei Zhe spoke indifferently, "This is a personal visit; I received no invitation from Far Moon beforehand."

"Then could you share more of your thoughts about the Far Moon Academy Festival?"

Upon hearing this, Lei Zhe slightly parted his lips, revealing a dangerous beast-like smile:

"I’ve seen advertisements for the Far Moon Academy Festival all the way in the United States, and I’ve always wanted to see it in person. As a professional chef, I’m eager to meet talented apprentices who are passionate about this field..."

"I will use my Lin Chef taste buds to sample the festival’s delicacies!"

That statement had an odd tone.

The crowd went silent—a mixture of astonishment and confusion on their faces.

"Damn, this guy is here to stir up trouble, isn’t he?"

In the Academy Festival Organizing Committee’s office, Xia Yu was watching the festival’s live broadcast on TV. At this moment, no matter how many food shows he switched to, the footage remained fixed on the entrance of Far Moon School.

Beside him, the three members of the Organizing Committee he had appointed exchanged glances.

"Mr. Lei Zhe is a Lin Chef, a titan of the American culinary world... He came to cause trouble?" Nikunokuni Ningning’s expression was subtle, clearly not quite agreeing with Xia Yu’s remark.

"Ningning, this guy is a titan of the gourmet world!" Kobayakawa Ryodan maintained his usual relaxed demeanor.

Tiqie Helinai had a tense expression.

Due to the Sapporo event, Lei Zhe had also gained substantial fame in Japan.

Helinai, who had participated in the Sapporo event almost entirely, naturally knew about her father’s relationship with this Lin Giant.

Evil and darkness were hereditary!

Snap!

Switching off the TV with the remote control, Xia Yu stood with his arms crossed, contemplating how to counter this move.

He needed to decipher Lei Zhe’s intentions first.

The focus was the "Jade Dragon Pot."

Previously in Sapporo, he had repeatedly been warned by Karl the Wise from IGO that the gourmet world leader had a keen interest in the "Jade Dragon Pot."

Thus, returning to this starting point and thinking from there, it wasn’t hard to guess Lei Zhe’s tactic.

Such a blatant visit to show support? Xia Yu scoffed internally.

From the overtly hostile tone of the interview, which was tantamount to a declaration of war, Xia Yu was certain—this guy came to smash the place and stir up trouble!

As for deeper matters, he didn’t have time to think about them now.

"What should we do?"

Eriina whispered anxiously, "Do we have any response plan from the General?"

"Eriina, you go and receive this distinguished guest for me."

Xia Yu’s eyes flashed.

"Ah, ah?" Startled, the girl’s face paled a bit. It was bad enough dealing with other Lin Chefs, but it had to be her father Tiqie Ji’s immediate superior, an even more terrifying Dark Chef.

"Don’t be afraid!" Xia Yu patted her shoulder and said with a smile, raising his chin toward her, "Far Moon is your domain, the home turf of you, the Far Moon Queen."

After several rounds of persuasion and encouragement, Eriina finally took on the job.

Kobayakawa Ryodan assisted.

Nikunokuni Ningning continued to hold down the fort in the office.

Xia Yu didn’t stay in the academy area but went to the farm to find Jintan Shun, this uncle was also a hidden ace in dealing with Lei Zhe.

...

In the central district, shops in A1 and A2.

That day, Koga Shoji’s Chinese Restaurant had even more customers waiting to dine than the day before, bustling at the entrance.

Across from the big restaurant, Xingping Chuangzhen’s mobile pushcart stall looked very desolate.

"Oh dear!"

Taking advantage of the downtime, Koga Shoji grabbed a copy of the Far Moon School’s newspaper and approached Xingping Chuangzhen, mocking loudly, "You really are pitiful, Little Xingping. I’m starting to feel sorry for you. After all, your sales ranking was 40th yesterday, at the very bottom with a deficit, ah, hahaha..."

As Xingping Chuangzhen raised his head to say something, a commotion broke out on the main road of the central district.

He gaped, "What happened now?"

Boom boom boom.

The ground even felt like it was shaking, indicating how massive the moving crowd must be. Calling the scene a flood would not be an exaggeration.

Koga Shoji couldn’t bother with mocking anymore.

Bang!

His fist hammered down on the cart, crumpling the newspaper as Koga Shoji cursed lowly, "This Lei Zhe, is he really a Lin Chef? Our Far Moon-hosted Culinary Festival didn’t provoke him, did it? He’s coming on so aggressively!"

Seeing Koga Shoji’s deep hostility, Xingping Chuangzhen was confused, "Ah, Lei Zhe? Who’s Lei Zhe?"

He had not yet grasped the situation.

"Aren’t you interested in the news outside?"

Koga Shoji held his forehead with a ’you’re hopeless’ expression.

Meanwhile, Lei Zhe, after taking interviews at the school entrance, went directly to the High Platform Area.

Standing at the entrance of the High Platform Area and looking around at the upscale restaurants, Lei Zhe turned and asked, "Where is the shop of the Ten Outstanding Chief?"

The receptionist, Eriina, pointed to a white building in the style of ancient Rome, "It’s there!"

"Let me see the prowess of Far Moon’s strongest student this year!"

Lei Zhe stepped up the staircase.

Inside the deep white castle, there were only three tables.

The Ten Outstanding’s simulation restaurant operated on a reservation system. Lei Zhe didn’t have a reservation, but it didn’t stop him from sitting down in the restaurant.

Si Yingshi, hearing the disturbance, came out from the kitchen and immediately broke into a cold sweat.

Kobayakawa Ryodan tapped his shoulder and handed him an encouraging look, whispering, "Give it your all, let this guy see what Far Moon students can do with their culinary skills!"

At that moment, the seated Lei Zhe glanced at Si Yingshi.

"The White Knight of the Table?"

Lei Zhe opened his mouth, pointing at his own, "Today, I want to feast at Far Moon’s Culinary Festival. I wonder if you can fulfill this small wish of mine?"

Si Yingshi’s Adam’s apple moved forcefully.

"This is, today’s theme menu—" Handing out the menu with a trembling voice, Si Yingshi was anything but calm, in fact, he was quite frantic, his face deathly pale.

This Lin Giant guest clearly put tremendous pressure on him.

"Si, calm down! Calm down!" Kobayakawa Ryodan was speechless at the Chief’s timidity.

"Autumn Ingredients Symphony? Autumn has just passed, how are you going to create an autumn atmosphere? Interesting, bring on the dishes—"

Lei Zhe gestured leisurely with a wave of his hand.

Outside the restaurant, a crowd gathered, eagerly awaiting Si Yingshi’s culinary performance.