Chapter 7: The Number One Gourmet Selection

"Miss, just wait a moment, okay? The kitchen is making fish right now, it'll be ready soon. You're here for the competition, aren't you? You'll definitely love this delicious fish dish," the restaurant owner said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Jin Luo's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly, politely saying, "Thank you, ma'am."

"Why so formal, young lady? From now on, this place is your home. Come and eat whenever you like."

"Okay," Jin Luo replied with a smile.

After the owner left, Chen Fei's face looked a bit unsightly. She tried hard to control it in front of the camera, not letting any hint of jealousy show.

Curious, Chang Yu's fellow guest Xiao Yuan came over and asked, "What did you just do? Why is the owner so enthusiastic about you guys?"

They were acquainted with the restaurant owner; they had visited just an hour before.

But the owner hadn't shown them much warmth.

In fact, he and Chang Yu felt that the owner was difficult to deal with.

So, they had left after just a few minutes.

Yet for this group, things were completely different, and Xiao Yuan's gaze moved to Jin Luo.

Chen Yousheng glanced at him and replied, "Nothing much, Sister Jin Luo just spent a little more time in that shop, and she drew in some customers, that's all."

Xiao Yuan was still puzzled after hearing this, "Food City's business is always booming, why would they need someone to draw in customers, and how would you know the business came from her when you were there?"

Exhaling in unison, Chen Yousheng and Li Xiaolei said, "That's why it's all so mystical."

"Maybe Sister Jin Luo really does have the Fortune Cat persona," Li Xiaolei said.

These two now acted all mysterious and smug; Chang Yu and Xiao Yuan decided they would watch the completed show after it ended.

After receiving the high-class chef's Splendid Multi-Flavored Fish from the restaurant owner, Jin Luo's group left.

Entering another grilled fish restaurant, Jin Luo's eyes immediately went to a plate of chopped chili fish head at the table next to them.

"This dish, let's go with this one. It's a real treasure."

Jin Luo was already full, but she hadn't forgotten they needed to bring back delicacies.

The moment she called the dish a treasure, Chen Yousheng and Li Xiaolei went straight for the purchase.

Although Jin Luo had been eating and drinking non-stop along the way, they hadn't actually spent a penny of their money.

It seemed like every time Jin Luo wanted to eat something, someone would automatically deliver the treat to her.

It was like that time in the mall when she stood in front of a piece of broken stone and declared it was a treasure.

"Treasures aren't just limited to money. This dish is delicious, so to me, it's a treasure," Jin Luo said.

"Sister Jin Luo is right, it is a treasure," the two agreed with a chuckle.

Now, the two felt fortunate to be in the same group as her. With Sister Jin Luo there, were they worried about not winning?

There wasn't much time left for the competition, but astonishingly, in the last few minutes, Jin Luo's group quickly picked out three delicacies.

The other participants saw that they had previously not chosen a single dish, but now had made their selections so quickly, probably because time was running out, leading them to a hasty decision.

Because of this, the others grew more confident that their delicacies would take first place.

The production team was already waiting inside a certain food establishment.

The guests gradually arrived, and Jin Luo's group was the last to hurry over.

The delicacies they brought were all fish dishes: steamed sea bass, chopped chili fish head, and Splendid Multi-Flavored Fish.

Seeing this, the other participants couldn't help but laugh, "Looks like your group really loves fish, huh?"

Chen Yousheng and Li Xiaolei both spread their hands helplessly, their faces expressing resignation.

Chang Yu's group's dishes were: Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), stinky tofu, and Bo Bo chicken.

The other group's dishes were: Chaoshan maltose cake, Kanto boil, and spicy hot pot.

After all the dishes were collected, the director team called in a hundred interns to taste the foods selected by the guests and to pick out the first, second, and third places.

After a series of tastings, the top three dishes were all from Jin Luo's group.

Chen Yousheng and Li Xiaolei were both surprised.

Jin Luo said on the side, "I told you they are all treasures, I can't be wrong about that."

The two of them gave her a thumbs up.

"Sister Jin Luo, from now on in this show, we'll be depending on you."

After following her for half a day and witnessing her natural talent for inviting wealth, they were thoroughly convinced.

She had a pair of eyes that could spot treasures.

The other group members were dumbfounded. What kind of dumb luck was this? All three dishes were fish, and they all won. If they had known, they would have all chosen fish too.

Everyone didn't think it was due to their abilities. With so many dishes in Food City, trying each one would take forever.

So their criteria for selecting dishes were based on what locals said and information collected from big data on the internet.

Yet they never expected to lose to Jin Luo's group because of their dumb luck.

Chen Yousheng's group received a barrage of praise, and all eyes were on Jin Luo.

The reason was clear—it was all because of her Inviting Wealth persona.

Only Chen Fei looked upset, having been overshadowed by the little internet celebrity once again. She still remembered the frustration of having to sing the same song as Jin Luo that day.

She couldn't lose in the next round, Chen Fei vowed to herself.

The director team announced happily, "The top three have been selected. The first challenge is over, and the second is for everyone to pick any dish from the top three to make. You have five hours to learn and cook it, and you can allocate the time freely."

The guests looked at each other. So the director team's key rule was about cooking; indeed, they couldn't escape from cooking.

Luckily, they had all practiced their cooking skills privately before recording the show. Otherwise, they would have made a joke of themselves on camera.

It was fair to say that none of the guests couldn't cook.

Jin Luo's group had a complete victory, so they earned the right to choose a fish dish first.

"Sister Jin Luo, which fish should we choose?" Li Xiaolei asked her.

All these fish seemed not simple, and it was somewhat difficult for them to choose one that was both easy to make and delicious. They were worried that if they chose a simple dish, the tasty ones would be picked by others, but if they chose the tastiest, they feared they wouldn't be able to cook it properly, really troubling.

"Choose this one," Jin Luo said, pointing to the Splendid Multi-Flavored Fish that the boss lady had sent them, a dish with complicated preparation.

Li Xiaolei and Chen Yousheng looked at it; this dish was the most difficult to cook among the three, but of course, it was also the tastiest.

They were initially surprised that after the Splendid Multi-Flavored Fish was rated the number one dish, the owner's business was not doing well, yet the fish was so delicious, it was quite strange.

Seeing Sister Jin Luo unhesitatingly choosing this fish, they immediately had no doubts in their minds.

If Sister Jin Luo chose it, then there must be no problem, they would surely win.

When everyone saw Jin Luo's group choosing the most difficult one, they were a bit surprised. To be safe, choosing a moderately difficult one was the most appropriate.

Chen Fei, seeing this, couldn't help but be delighted.

If they dare to choose this one, just wait to lose.

Afterward, Chang Yu's group chose the second-place chopped chili fish head.

The steamed bass ended up with Xiao Yuan's group.