Xiao Ming wasn’t quite sure what to do. This kind of behavior from Nin Sha really wasn’t too strange considering how he had behaved before. But then, that still didn’t mean that others wouldn’t find it weird and might pay more attention to it. It really made him wonder if next week, there would be a new headline on those websites, talking about how one of the main judges of ‘Golden Spoon’ had some kind of inexplicable relationship with one of the contestants and was being biased in his rating.

It really was something that he didn’t want to experience but he also didn’t know what to do against it. Anyway, it wasn’t like he could tell Nin Sha to look somewhere else, could he? Actually, considering that he was sitting in the middle of the table since he had walked in second, people might not even notice. Yes, maybe he was thinking too much.

Trying to convince himself of this, Xiao Ming picked up his spoon just like Mister Yu and Miss Chu so that everyone could have a taste of the dish.

Mister Yu seemed a little surprised and put down the spoon. After a moment, he finally nodded. “Not bad! Last week in the casting, I didn’t have anything to critique about your dish. I was a little confused though as there were quite a few people who made the very same dish and I couldn’t help but wonder if your skills in cooking would still be up to par when it came to making another one.

“Now, I can see that I was worrying without reason. This congee, it really isn’t bad. Even though you only had two hours, for that time, the consistency is acceptable. For a seafood congee, I also think that you chose your ingredients well and the seasoning is also very fitting. It stays in the spirit of what congee was originally supposed to be, while also having a bit more taste as you might individually prefer it. Overall, this really is very good.”

Next to Mister Yu, Xiao Ming faintly raised his brows, waiting for Si Jin to say something.

Originally, Si Jin hadn’t intended to do so but seeing Xiao Ming’s expectant expression, he finally tilted his head slightly and nodded. In fact, his gaze was still on Xiao Ming but unless people looked very closely, they wouldn’t realize.

Xiao Ming almost heaved a sigh of relief and only held back at the last moment. He turned to the side to check whether Mister Yu had anything else to say and then turned back to the bowl in front of him to give his own evaluation when that didn’t seem to be the case.

He needed to think for a moment, wondering what else could be said. “First off, I agree with Mister Yu about the consistency and the taste. All of that is very well done.

“Other than that, there is one other thing that I would like to emphasize: I saw that when you originally heard the task, you only took a few moments to consider. Then you went about things in a very collected manner, doing everything step-by-step. When it comes to managing time, you have taken all the right steps. I was a bit worried at the end when you let the congee cook until just a minute before the countdown was over but as it seems, you were still able to make it work.

“Clearly, your time management is on spot. Especially for a task like this where time was essential, this is worthy of praise. There is just one thing I would like you to keep in mind for the future. That is that congee is relatively easy to plate. Doing so in a minute or even less will likely not be a problem.

“For future tasks though, that might be something more difficult, so don’t forget that you need to plan for that as well. You probably won’t but just make sure there won’t be bad surprises because you get used to something like this.”

Xiao Ming smiled before taking another glance at the bowl. Since this was the first time he had to judge on the actual show, he couldn’t help but feel that he should say a bit more.

He looked at the arrangement in front of him and then motioned at the top. “Last week in the casting, you brought us a bowl of soup. The plating was relatively simple which also fit the dish. I see that you have gone for a similar presentation this time around as well.

“I do like that you made sure to top the congee with some of the additional ingredients to make for a more pleasing picture. That’s very well-done and also gives an idea of what type of congee this is at first glance. I’d say this is a step up from last week.”

He smiled again, his eyes curving a little. To be honest, this wasn’t just based on what he had seen in the casting. Qian Huang would never grow tired of telling him about what Nin Sha was or wasn’t doing. So of course, he had talked about that event that Si Jin went to earlier this week. Qian Huang had even shown him the photos and read those articles out loud so he’d know all the details. Knowing that apparently, Nin Sha struggled with decorating dishes, he had to say that he was proud of him for giving this a try today.

Actually, congee might be a dish that was more difficult to plate. If you had something that was more varied or had different dishes that you could plate together, you would have more options as well. With just a bowl of congee, even somebody who was ordinarily good at plating might have trouble making that look appealing. So really, this was something that was praiseworthy.

Si Jin nodded when Xiao Ming had finished and this time, he even spoke up. “Thank you.” Needless to say, his words were sincere. He might not care about what Mister Yu or the temporary judge of the week thought, but he did care very much about Xiao Ming’s impression of him and his skills. To hear his praise, that was something that was important to him.

Chu Yu An glanced from Si Jin to Xiao Ming before also glancing at the bowl and giving a nod. “Well, when it comes to giving feedback for a very good dish, I guess being the third person to speak up is a bit of a disadvantage. What am I supposed to say now? Just that I agree with the two of them? I feel like that is also shortchanging you.

“In any case, if there was something that I had to add, then maybe giving a bit of advice would be a good idea. For this task, since Mister Xiao just mentioned that plating could be difficult for you, then there is one tip that I can give you: The ingredients that you’ve cooked alongside the rice might not look as nice even if you only put them in a little before the end of the time. It’s alright with seafood but with other ingredients, that could be a problem. If you want things to look a little fresher, then you can use a few new ingredients and put those on top. Usually, some kind of herb might work well for that.”

She didn’t have anything else to add, seeing as Mister Yu and Xiao Ming had already said most of what she also would have wanted to mention. As for anything else, that was just a question of personal taste. Like how she probably would have preferred it to be slightly heavier in taste.

She thought a bit more to make sure she didn’t forget anything and, after a moment, she couldn’t help but give a hum. “One matter that I would be interested in: When Mister Yu originally gave the task, he was speaking about the philosophy everyone has behind their cooking. Now, I know that Miss E has interviewed some of the contestants but I think I didn’t see her talk to you. Would you mind saying a few words regarding that now?”

So far, Si Jin hadn’t said anything other than ‘thank you’ to Xiao Ming so she wasn’t sure if he would actually bother to answer. But in that case, the crew could still cut that out so she wasn’t too worried. She was curious though.

In this case, Si Jin naturally wouldn’t hold back. Yes, he might not like to talk, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t. If he absolutely had to, he’d also go ahead. And other than that, there was also the fact that Xiao Ming was watching and might be interested in hearing his answer as well. Naturally, he wouldn’t let go of that opportunity to tell his crush about himself.

As such, Si Jin faintly glanced at Chu Yu An before his gaze returned to the middle of the table where Xiao Ming sat. “When cooking, the outcome is important. Good food should look appealing and be tasty for the person eating it.” Saying so, he fell quiet again, still looking at Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming hadn’t said whether he personally liked this dish or not which made Si Jin feel a little despondent. He had thought so much about what kind of taste Xiao Ming would prefer but now, he couldn’t even verify whether that was the case. It was a little vexing.

The three judges looked at him, clearly waiting for him to say more but that was already it.

E Cheng Jun who still stood at the side couldn’t help but smile. Well, this was precisely why she hadn’t interviewed this guy. In any case, she wasn’t sure why Mister Yu and Xiao Ming were even surprised. Clearly, he had been the same way when he went up on stage last week. But anyway, it seemed that the judges were finished now so it was time for her to get back into things.

She came over with a bright smile, motioning at Si Jin. “Well, Mister Si has received his feedback from the judges. I hope you’re satisfied with what they said. It seems like after being chosen as a contestant in the casting, you are also doing very well right now.” She didn’t phrase it as a question, knowing that it would just end in embarrassment for her.

As soon as she was finished with that, she started on the transition to the next person. “Now, please go back to your cooking station so the second contestant can come to the front. Miss Fan, please let the judges have a taste of your congee!”

E Cheng Jun stepped to the side again and Fan Mei came forward, putting her congee in the middle of the judges’ table. Si Jin’s dish had already been carried away by a member of the team in the meantime.

Just when E Cheng Jun had stepped back, Chu Yu An already spoke up. “If I’m always the third person to judge, I won’t have much to say. The two of you are speaking too much. So, let me begin this time around!” She picked up a spoon and took a bite, showing a thoughtful expression. “A congee with nuts, I really like this idea! It’s quite refreshing.

“Congee is this type of dish that can be very easily eaten even if you have a sore throat. On the other hand, nuts are the last things I’d want to eat in that kind of situation. I think it is a very nice contrast. Also, the flavor isn’t bad. The rice and nuts fit well together.” Considering that she didn’t want to take all of the feedback from the other two judges, she left it at that.

Fan Mei nodded. “Thank you, Miss Chu.” She had hoped for some advice instead of just an evaluation but this wasn’t bad either. At the very least, Chu Yu An had indicated what she had done well. That was something she could work with for the next few rounds.

Xiao Ming also had a taste and nodded slowly. “I would agree with that. The combination is really interesting, not the kind of thing that I’d have expected anyone to think of first when making congee. I think what is especially nice is that you chose not just one type of nuts but several. That makes for a richer taste.

“Is it alright to ask why you decided on this type of congee?” With the kind of relationship he had with Fan Mei, he really wasn’t sure if he should ask any questions. But he just tried to pretend that he had no idea that she was the one who had slandered him online before and looked at her curiously.

Fan Mei stared at him with the same intensity as Si Jin but her gaze wasn’t the blank type but the kind where she was almost glaring. This Xiao Ming, she still didn’t believe that he had any kind of skills!

How that Si Jin guy had only thanked him out of the three judges clearly showed that there was something more between them. If not for the fact that she had already been exposed as Misses Youya, she absolutely would have trashed him for that online as soon as she got back home today.

Of course, with that being her impression of him, her response wouldn’t be that good. “Well, what’s so difficult to think of? Just as Miss Chu said, it’s a matter of contrasting the consistency of the congee with the hardness of the nuts.”

Xiao Ming felt awkward but nodded and forced himself to smile. “So it was like that. That’s a really interesting thought!” Anyway, Si Jin hadn’t really said more to explain himself, so this hopefully wouldn’t seem too awkward when it was finally shown in the episode. Or maybe they would cut out quite a few of these conversations. He really hoped for it.

While Xiao Ming was praying silently, Mister Yu had also tasted the congee, his expression thoughtful. “Well, the flavor is indeed good, and the idea interesting, the consistency could be a little softer, to be honest, but with the time limit given, this is already a very good achievement.

“Now, nobody has talked about the plating yet.” He actually felt a bit awkward saying this. While this was something he would take note of at a restaurant, he wasn’t quite sure if these people who only cooked at home really needed to do this. But nowadays, this was indeed a requirement and he also understood why it was one.

Since neither Xiao Ming nor Chu Yu An had mentioned it, he could only grit his teeth and do it himself. Thankfully, there was something he could use to make his point. “In this case, the plating is a rather simple one, probably based on this just being congee. I think that you could have gone more out with this and used the imagery of contrast once again. For example, choosing a different plate that is in opposition to the bowl or an opposing color scheme. It might have made for a more interesting visual.”

On the other side of the judges’ table, Chu Yu An nodded, feeling that she had forgotten about that part. At her restaurant, this was absolutely something that she paid a lot of attention to. But just like Mister Yu, her standards for somebody cooking at home weren’t quite as high so she wasn’t necessarily thinking of that first. With the next few contestants, she’d have to keep that in mind.

Fan Mei nodded, feeling that this was good advice. Well, she had not expected anything else from a man like Mister Yu. Clearly, he knew what he was doing. “Thank you, Mister Yu.”

At the back of the room, Si Shi Qi was silently rubbing his forehead, muttering under his breath. With his sister taking part in the show, he was embarrassed enough to die. Anyway, what was she doing, thanking two out of three judges and ignoring young master Xiao?

Sometimes, he wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse that she had no idea about what the Si clan actually was. If she did, maybe she wouldn’t insist on embarrassing him like this. But then, who knew if she wouldn’t do so even more if she was aware? This sister of his, he really didn’t trust her.