Chapter 328 - 310: No Room to Eat? Then We’ll Sit on the Ground Outside

Chapter 328: Chapter 310: No Room to Eat? Then We’ll Sit on the Ground Outside

Amidst the fiery atmosphere, the match between the next pair of opponents continued.

Xia Xiaoyue leaned in close to Li You. "So, Boss, what do you think? Senior Sister Mu is a real master, isn’t she?"

Li You nodded. "She’s definitely a master. Incredibly skilled."

Xia Xiaoyue then asked, "So, Boss, do you think you could beat her?"

Li You shook his head. "Honestly, I couldn’t."

Xia Xiaoyue giggled, looking quite proud of herself.

Afterward, Li You went into the restaurant and then into the kitchen. It was time to get busy.

He started by preparing a bit of every dish, keeping them warm in steamers. That way, when customers ordered at noon, their food could be served immediately.

The first round of the competition was expected to end around 12:30 PM.

That would mark the beginning of the lunch break.

A large number of customers would be ordering food. Without preparing in advance, he would never be able to keep up.

...

The competition continued until, eventually, it was time for the final pair of contestants to take the stage.

Soon, their match was also decided.

And with that, the first round was officially over. All 228 contestants who would advance had been determined.

Among them were many masters, including Lu Xiangyun and Wang Peng.

Liu Xu was also in the group.

His skills were also quite impressive, and he had defeated his opponent with ease.

As for the female contestants, three others had advanced in addition to Mu Qingye.

In fact, another skilled girl had been eliminated by Mu Qingye. If she hadn’t been matched against her and had faced a male contestant instead, she might very well have advanced too.

This genuinely surprised the crowd.

’Who knew the female contestants were all this good?’

It was a huge, pleasant surprise!

At that point, the competition paused for the lunch break.

The second round would officially begin at 2:00 PM.

All the contestants who had advanced were thrilled.

However, the competition wasn’t over. More difficult challenges awaited them in the afternoon.

’Time to eat, then get a good rest. I need to do my best to go further in this afternoon’s matches.’

Meanwhile, the eliminated contestants all sighed in regret. For them, the afternoon matches would only be a spectator sport.

But there was nothing to be done about it.

’If there’s another competition like this, I’ll aim to at least make it to the second round.’

’Food, food. Even though I’m out, I still have to eat.’

The rest of the spectators, of course, also needed to eat.

The only problem was, with so many people, they couldn’t all eat inside the restaurant at once. Despite its large size, it couldn’t possibly accommodate everyone.

They would just have to eat in shifts.

However, some people didn’t want to wait. If there were no seats inside, they’d just eat outside.

They bought half a braised chicken, a few chicken feet, and a bowl of wine, then found a spot outside to sit on the ground.

Eating braised chicken, sipping fine wine, and admiring the beautiful scenery in the distance. A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying the sweet fragrance of wildflowers and the scent of fresh grass. It had a charm and flavor all its own.

This was a kind of charm you couldn’t find while eating inside the restaurant.

When others saw this, they thought, ’Holy crap! That looks pretty good! So relaxed and carefree.’

And so, many people began to follow their example.

Alone or in small groups, they also bought half a braised chicken, or even more, got some wine, and found a place to sit on the ground.

The moment they sat down, the feeling was even better. They felt utterly relaxed, as if they had become one with the beautiful nature surrounding them.

It was a feeling of ease you couldn’t get from eating inside the restaurant.

Pure bliss!

Some even lay right down, hands crossed behind their heads, and gazed at the blue sky and white clouds.

A few birds flew across the horizon.

’How beautiful!’

’It feels like it’s been a very, very long time since I’ve properly looked at the sky.’

’The last time I looked at the sky like this was probably when I was just a kid.’

’It’s been too long!’

As they watched, many people found themselves suddenly lost in a daze.

While they were lost in their reverie, more and more customers chose to sit on the ground outside.

Even Jiang Caidong said to Liang Heng, "Master Liang, why don’t we also go get a whole braised chicken, grab a few chicken feet, and get two bowls of wine? Then we can find a spot out here and sit on the ground. What do you say?"

Liang Heng smiled. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Jiang Caidong laughed heartily and added, "Let’s go, then."

Besides them, Wei Ping and his family, as well as Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and others also chose to sit on the ground.

The restaurant was full of people, both inside and out. It was a marvelous sight.

Ling Xiaoru, Chu Yiwei, Xia Xiaoyue, and Mu Qingye were also having lunch.

Li You was treating them, since all four had been helping out that morning.

Originally, Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye were supposed to eat with their classmates.

But when Li You offered to treat them, they didn’t want to miss out, so they had to eat separately from their classmates.

...

Time passed, and soon it was 1:50 PM.

The second round of the competition was about to begin.

By now, all the contestants who had advanced to the second round had finished their meals.

Some of the others were still eating.

It wasn’t that they were slow eaters, but that they had been waiting for seats and had only just sat down.

Even though many had chosen to sit on the ground outside, some people still preferred to eat inside the restaurant.

They were willing to wait a little longer.

Although they were still eating, it wouldn’t affect the competition from starting on time.

First, it was time for the second-round draw.

The rules were the same as in the first round.

Except this time, there were only 114 pairs in total.

Once again, it was a moment of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness for the contestants.

As for the spectators, they were just as excited and eager.

The numbers drawn by Mu Qingye and the other three female contestants who had advanced were, once again, a focus of everyone’s attention.

After drawing their number cards, the contestants once again began searching for their opponents.

This time, everyone had a much better idea of each contestant’s skill level; they were no longer complete strangers.

After all, every one of them had to eliminate an opponent in the first round to make it this far.

Everyone had seen how they performed in the first round.

Therefore, once a pair was matched this time, both contestants would have a rough idea of their opponent’s skill level.

And so, after finding their opponents, some sighed to themselves, ’SIGH! How did I get stuck with him? Judging by his performance in the first round, he’s definitely a master. I’m no match for him. Looks like my journey ends in the second round.’

Others were delighted. ’Haha! My luck is great. Based on this kid’s performance in the first round, he’s no match for me at all. Advancing to the third round is in the bag.’

Of course, there were also those who felt their opponent was their equal. ’If I want to win,’ they thought, ’I’ll probably need some luck.’

While they each had their own thoughts, the spectators were murmuring amongst themselves.

"This young man’s luck is terrible. I remember his opponent from the first round very clearly. That guy was impressive. This kid is definitely no match for him. He’s stopping at the second round for sure."

"Lu Xiangyun’s opponent is up. He’s really strong, a master too. Still, Lu Xiangyun should be stronger. Lu Xiangyun advancing to the next round shouldn’t be a problem. It’s just a shame to see two masters meet so early."

"..."

Soon, an opponent for one of the female contestants was determined, sparking a long and lively discussion among the crowd.

"I think her opponent is on the same level as her. The pretty lady has a chance to make it to the next round."

"It’ll come down to whoever performs better. But I hope the pretty lady wins."

"Haha! Me too."

"..."

A little later, it was Mu Qingye’s turn to draw her number.

Once again, Mu Qingye became the center of everyone’s attention.

She drew her number card: 96.

It was a rather high number. The other number 96 had already been drawn earlier by a male contestant.

In other words, Mu Qingye’s opponent this time would be a man.

Of course, this was always the most likely outcome.

All eyes turned to the young man who had drawn number 96 earlier.

He was quite tall and rather handsome.

’This kid’s pretty lucky! He actually gets to be Mu Qingye’s opponent this round.’

However, he was most likely no match for Mu Qingye.

Watching his performance in the previous round, he was clearly a master, but his execution didn’t seem as silky-smooth as Mu Qingye’s.

He would probably be eliminated by her.

’Still, getting to play a match against Mu Qingye would be worth it, even if he got eliminated.’

For that reason, he was still the object of considerable envy.

The spectators were envious, as were many of the other male contestants.

The young man himself was thrilled and excited, especially after feeling the many envious gazes from those around him.

’Among all the male contestants, my luck is the best after all.’

’I might not be a match for Mu Qingye, but that doesn’t matter. Even if I lose, getting to play against such a beauty is totally worth it.’

’Besides, it’s not like I don’t have a fighting chance. I won’t necessarily lose.’

The young man was very excited. He decided he should seize this golden opportunity to get to know Mu Qingye.

So, looking slightly nervous, the young man walked up to Mu Qingye. "Mu," he said, "I’m very happy to be paired with you. I hope you’ll go easy on me."

Mu Qingye smiled politely. "You’re joking, sir. I’m hardly in a position to be going easy on anyone."

The young man replied, "Mu, you don’t have to be so modest. I saw your execution in the first round; you’re much more skilled than I am."

Mu Qingye said, "You’re the one who’s being modest. I’m sorry, sir, but I need to head over there now."

As she spoke, she gestured toward where Xia Xiaoyue was standing.

Seeing that Mu Qingye wasn’t inclined to talk more, the young man felt a pang of disappointment and regret, but he could only say, "Please, go ahead, Mu."

Mu Qingye nodded and walked over to Xia Xiaoyue’s side.

Just then, Li You happened to walk out of the restaurant.

When Mu Qingye saw him, she walked over, dangled the number card in her hand before his eyes, and said with a sweet smile, "I got my number."

Li You smiled back. "Number 96. That’s pretty far down the list! Who’s your opponent? Have you found them?"

Mu Qingye nodded. "I have."

Li You asked, "Who is it? Are they any good?"

Mu Qingye replied, "A guy. He’s supposed to be pretty good, I think?"

"Is that so?" Li You chuckled. "Well, you’d better not get eliminated this round, then."

Mu Qingye let out a soft huff. "Not a chance."

Li You added, "In that case, I’ll have to make sure I watch carefully."

Mu Qingye said, "You’d better be watching, then."

"Okay!"

...