Coming to find me at night? Is it that exciting?
Mo Bai flared his nostrils, his round, chubby face looking incredibly cute. The upward curve of his lips was proud but not arrogant, and his slightly flushed cheeks radiated infinite warmth. His eyes, looking to the right, were filled with joy, inviting flights of fancy, while his lightly raised brows concealed his merit and fame.
Eh? Why are there so many people around?
Not good, I need to manage my expression pack.
Mo Bai hurriedly put away the smile that was named "Ridiculous" but was actually quite suggestive, returning to the appearance of a serious young man.
"Can I apply for a second assessment?" Mo Bai, holding the Jewel Garden cake, struck a posture that suggested if they didn't assess him, he would eat it right in front of their faces.
Before Chapelle could answer, an affirmative reply came from the doorway.
"Permitted." The true "Dragon Aotian" of the Far East culinary world—Dōjima Gin, possessing a tiger's back and a bear's waist yet with delicate facial features—entered the venue. "Judges, return to your seats and begin the evaluation."
The judges blushed with embarrassment and hurriedly returned to the judges' table.
Mo Bai didn't quite understand how he had fished out such a big fish, but he knew clearly that relying on this Jewel Garden cake—made while he was in an inexplicably explosive state of good form—his plan to learn desserts was practically secure.
"Jewel Garden cake, please taste." Becoming the focus of the entire venue, Mo Bai walked with a cocky, swaggering gait to place the small cakes on the porcelain white plates onto the judges' table.
"Sure enough, maltose was used to lock in the moisture." Relying on his height and long arms, Dōjima Gin took the lead in fishing a piece out from among the various grasping claws. A crystalline, pale rose-colored sugar shell sealed the flower-shaped cake, which had been baked to a beautiful pale yellow.
Under the lights, the cake wrapped in a sugar shell shone brilliantly like a gem.
"Did I get the rose-flavored cake?"
He scanned the cakes in the hands of the other judges.
There were rose-colored ones like his, as well as magnolia cakes with slightly white sugar shells and chrysanthemum cakes with apricot-yellow sugar shells.
"So, how will the taste be?" The flawless appearance, devoid of imperfections, had already given Dōjima Gin the urge to taste it.
"Wait." Before Mo Bai could even turn around, he saw the group of judges holding the cakes, unable to wait to stuff them into their mouths. "There's still the dipping sauce!"
The inexplicably embarrassed judges hurriedly looked left and right, changing the subject.
"Dipping sauce? Is it honey?" Zhang Yu thought of the honey he had brought from the warehouse.
"Correct. Rose cake pairs with jujube flower honey, magnolia cake pairs with osmanthus honey, and chrysanthemum cake pairs with acacia honey." Mo Bai brought over the three-colored honey, which was releasing a rich fragrance after being catalyzed at room temperature. "Please."
"I'll go first." Dōjima Gin raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the judges, whose gluttonous nature had been exposed, leading to extreme awkwardness.
The rose cake was dipped into the small bowl containing the jujube flower honey, and instantly, golden light rose again!
"A second glowing!?" After the flashbang to the face, Dōjima Gin hurriedly pulled back the rose cake to observe it carefully.
The rose cake stained with jujube flower honey had completely changed its appearance; within the translucent rose-colored sugar shell, scattered specks of golden light were visible.
If the Jewel Garden cake glowing fresh out of the oven was magnificent, then the Jewel Garden cake glowing a second time after being dipped in honey could only be described as dreamlike.
Even Dōjima Gin, who possessed 'manly man' attributes on the outside, felt that this tiny cake in his hand had poked his fragile maiden heart.
"Good! Relying on this appearance alone is enough for it to serve as a restaurant's signature dessert." Dōjima Gin held up the cake and spoke heroically.
"Emmm... Why does that sound so familiar?" Mo Bai scratched his chin, wondering where he had heard that before, and his gaze shifted to Zhang Yu—"Amazing, this Rampant Tyranny can absolutely serve as a restaurant's premier dish and be served directly to diners."
"...Can't you guys change the way you praise people?" Mo Bai made a face of disgust.
At the judges' table, flashbangs exploded one after another, followed immediately by moans that caused goosebumps to scatter all over the floor, beginning to play out like a symphony.
"Ah~♂"
As the cakes entered their mouths, a shy blush floated onto the cheeks of every single judge.
Mo Bai felt a chill.
But the judges, already immersed in the gourmet illusion, couldn't care less about that.
One bite down, and the rich floral fragrance and honey aroma exploded instantly. The sweet sensation transformed from the tip of the tongue into an emotion of joy; a warm shockwave conveyed itself through the limbs and bones, penetrating straight to the heart.
A colorful early autumn, with gentle afternoon sunlight.
In that garden tea party where flowers bloomed everywhere, a woman in a magnificent red dress, beautiful as an elf, smiled faintly.
"You've come~"
Accompanying the intoxicating voice was the hand extended by the woman.
The aesthetic scene of sunlight passing through the woman's long hair made Dōjima Gin's heart skip a beat.
As if possessed, he reached out and held the woman's hand. His reserved and nervous demeanor provoked a burst of charming laughter from her.
Holding Dōjima Gin's hand, the woman hummed a brisk song as the two roamed the garden together.
Butterflies offered dances for the pair, small birds offered blessings, and flowers bloomed in prosperity as they approached.
The eyes were filled with incomparably gorgeous scenery.
Immersed in the illusion, the corners of Dōjima Gin's mouth curled up.
Mo Bai rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, feeling the urge to poke his own eyes out.
When one man displays a mysterious smile while completely intoxicated with a blushing face, it might just be an eyesore. But when a row of male judges—old, young, fat, thin, tall, short—all display mysterious smiles while completely intoxicated with blushing faces, Mo Bai's only feeling was—"It blinded my 24K titanium alloy dog eyes!!"
"This dessert... is truly terrifying." Dōjima Gin, having ended the illusion, sighed leisurely. This iron man, who had decided to devote his entire life to the path of cooking, actually birthed the thought that perhaps finding a wife who could taste his fine food wouldn't be bad after tasting Mo Bai's cake.
The group of deeply experienced judges nodded in empathy, looking at the remaining cake on their plates, momentarily caught in a dilemma.
Except for one.
"Are you guys not eating? Then I won't be polite." Sena Hiromi snatched the plate. "Ohoho This magnolia flower girl is so pretty. Eheheh This chrysanthemum girl isn't bad either!"
"Delicious, delicious!"
"..." Veins popped on Dōjima Gin's unicorn arm/bicep, and his brow twitched. "Tutor Chapelle, how do you evaluate this?"
Considering there was still a bunch of examinees on site, Dōjima Gin refrained from using a sanctioning iron fist to hammer Sena Hiromi into a little brother.
"I've made a fool of myself. This dessert reminded me of the scene when I first met my wife in my youth." There seemed to be faint tears in the corners of Chapelle's eyes; he had not yet emerged from the lingering charm of the illusion.
He cleared his throat to adjust his emotions and spoke seriously.
"The poet goes out in the fields,
He admires, he adores, he listens to the lyre within him.
Seeing him come, the flowers, all sorts of flowers,
Those that make rubies pale,
Those that eclipse even the peacock's tail,
Golden little flowers, blue little flowers,
To welcome him, all wave their bouquets.
Some bow slightly, others make curtsies,
Because such is appropriate for beauties,
They say familiarly: 'Look, our lover is passing by.'"
"There is nothing more suitable than this poem, Victor Hugo's 'The Poet Goes Walking in the Fields', to describe this dessert."
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