Chapter 495: Chapter 495: Cindy Clarke, Truly Terrifying (2 chapters in one)

They wanted everyone to know who the boss is!

But who would have thought that a Cindy Clarke would appear this year.

“This batch is very interesting,” Parker Honi said, “Actually, just the ten of us competing against each other isn’t that interesting. We compete in school, and now we’re competing outside, it’s still us. It’s kind of boring.”

“Having a new face like Cindy Clarke is pretty good, quite refreshing,” Parker Honi laughed.

“That’s true.” Cynthia Florine dried her nails and smiled.

As soon as she finished speaking, they saw Cindy Clarke heading their way.

The three of them no longer talked.

When Cindy Clarke came over, Cynthia Florine smiled and said, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Cindy Clarke smiled and sat down next to Cynthia Florine.

“Group 7, Joseph Tanner, Yellen Brooks,” Wesley Gordon said.

So, Joseph Tanner and Yellen Brooks brought their dishes to the judges.

Both of them uncovered their dishes.

When Joseph Tanner saw Yellen Brooks’s dish, he couldn’t help but pause.

Even the judges were attracted by Yellen Brooks’s dish.

“This is…” Wesley Gordon tapped the dish with the back of his spoon. “Fishcake?”

The fishcake was very elastic, and with one tap, it bounced up and down.

“Yes, it’s a fishcake. I used a mold to create the shape of a fish,” Yellen Brooks said, “The golden-red pattern is made from the crab roe of sea crabs. The eyes are tiny fishballs made of squid ink mixed with squid juice.”

“Very interesting,” Charles Dean found it amusing. “Even without considering the taste, at least visually, it’s entertaining.”

Cindy Clarke and the others could only observe Yellen Brooks and Joseph Tanner’s dishes through the big screen from their seats.

Cynthia Florine turned to her and asked, “Who do you think will win?”

“The judges haven’t tasted it yet, so it’s not easy to say,” Cindy Clarke answered cautiously.

“Oh, just guess!” Cynthia Florine said, “It’s because we’re not sure that guessing makes it more fun! Don’t be so boring. Tell me, who do you think will win?”

Cindy Clarke smiled, not feeling discouraged, and after looking at the screen and thinking for a moment, she said, “I think Yellen Brooks has a better chance.”

Upon hearing this, the other two non-Pingla Academy contestants also listened in.

Including Cindy Clarke, there were a total of six people on the contestant’s seats.

Three students from Pingla Academy, plus three non-Pingla Academy students, including Cindy Clarke.

Cynthia Florine and the others didn’t care; after all, they weren’t concerned with who would win or lose.

But the other two felt that what Cindy Clarke said wasn’t quite right.

Joseph Tanner was a highly-ranked, competitive contestant.

On the other hand, Yellen Brooks was ranked lower.

No matter how they see it, Yellen Brooks couldn’t possibly win against Joseph Tanner.

Could it be that just because Joseph Tanner had been rude to Cindy Clarke before, she didn’t want him to win?

Cindy Clarke didn’t care what they thought, and she wasn’t afraid of offending anyone.

Indeed, with Adrian Zhekova around, she was exceptionally confident.

But it was also due to her own self-confidence in her abilities.

Even if Joseph Tanner advanced, he would eventually be eliminated sooner or later.

Even if he knew and was unhappy about it, what could he do?

If he wanted to eliminate her, he could try on the racecourse.

Moreover, Cindy Clarke’s impression of Joseph Tanner wasn’t great.

“Why do you think Yellen Brooks will win?” Daniel Vahn also asked curiously, “Joseph Tanner’s ranking is higher than Yellen Brooks, right?”

“One’s performance in a competition and ranking don’t necessarily determine the outcome,” Cindy Clarke said, seeing the disbelief on the faces of the other two contestants; still, she spoke openly.

“In the last competition, Joseph Tanner’s dish was indeed better than Yellen Brooks’s. But in this round, Joseph Tanner’s mindset is off.”

“From the beginning, when he felt the competition rules were unfair, he lost his balance. He cares too much about winning. It’s not that he shouldn’t care or that not caring is bad. After all, everyone wants to win.”

“But, you can’t let the desire to win affect your mindset. Sometimes, the more you think about it, the more restrictions you impose on yourself, and the worse your performance becomes,” Cindy Clarke said.

“Just like before in the food storage room, when I blocked the door – everyone was anxious, but he was the first to speak up and the most impatient.”

“Just now when Yellen Brooks borrowed onions and ginger, I gave them to her. I noticed that Joseph Tanner’s demeanor changed immediately. It seemed like he was blaming me for giving Yellen Brooks the onions and ginger, as if he thought that by lending her those ingredients, I was preventing him from winning.”

“Already relying on the mistakes of his opponent to win, I don’t think he will perform well this round,” Cindy Clarke said.

“Besides, I also noticed that when the cooking time was almost up, he took the fish out, but there were some small mistakes due to panic. Judging by the time he put the fish in the steamer, I doubt whether it’s even fully cooked,” Cindy Clarke said.

Fortunately, Joseph Tanner couldn’t hear Cindy Clarke’s analysis at this moment.

Otherwise, Joseph Tanner would be terrified.

During the previous competition, he had watched Cindy Clarke closely.

Apparently, Cindy Clarke was focusing on making her own dish.

Who would have thought that she could observe every detail of his reaction without missing a thing?

The other two contestants were also very surprised.

The cooking time was so tight that they were busy making the most of their limited time to perfect their dishes.

They couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.

And they had to concentrate on controlling the heat, afraid of making mistakes in any step.

Especially under the pressure of this competition, they were more nervous than when cooking at home or in the restaurant’s kitchen.

They were too busy with their own dishes to have time to pay attention to others.

But they didn’t expect that while making her own complicated dish, Cindy Clarke could still notice all of Joseph Tanner’s reactions without missing a single detail.

Meanwhile, her dish did not have any mistakes and received high praise from the judges.

It seemed like Cindy Clarke hadn’t concentrated all her energy on cooking.

How did she manage to do it?

If she focused all her energy on cooking, would her dish be even better?

The other two contestants couldn’t help but mutter to themselves in their hearts.

Suddenly, they became much more wary of Cindy Clarke.

Cindy Clarke was truly terrifying!

Just how advanced were her cooking skills?

Even the three Pingla Academy students couldn’t help but reevaluate Cindy Clarke’s strength.

As if she didn’t see the wariness and evaluation in their eyes, Cindy Clarke kept her attention on the big screen.

She also reminded the others who were still looking at her, “The judges are going to taste the dishes.”

Everyone quickly shifted their gaze to the big screen.

They saw the judges taste Yellen Brooks’s fishcake.

The presentation alone was exquisite and appealing.

As long as the taste wasn’t bad, Yellen Brooks had a good chance of winning.