Chapter 496: Chapter 496: Superficial Gentleness (2 chapters combined into one)

“The fishcake is tender and has the texture of jelly, melting in the mouth.” Charles Dean said, “Not bad.”

Compared to the many compliments he gave to Cindy Clarke’s cuisine earlier, this comment seemed quite average.

But in reality, only Cindy Clarke’s cuisine had received such high praise.

The other winners received comments similar to those Yellen Brooks received.

“It’s more like a fish jelly than a fishcake. It doesn’t have the powdery and bean-like texture of traditional fishcakes. Like Charles said, it’s more like a pudding.” Wesley Gordon said, “The texture is quite a pleasant surprise. Not bad.”

“Your last Competition performance wasn’t great, but you did well this time,” Hunter Clarke said with a smile.

“There’s no fishiness, just a sweet taste with a slight hint of spiciness,” Rosaline Parker said. “There’s very little spice, and you can hardly taste it if you’re not paying attention. But this little bit of spice adds a delightful surprise. Once you taste it, it’s like your taste buds have been awakened.”

“It’s rare for fish jelly to have no fishiness at all,” Michael Greene admitted.

Yellen Brooks didn’t hide any information as she said, “I actually forgot to bring scallions and ginger to remove the fishiness. I was too flustered and focused on getting all the ingredients quickly so that I would have more time for cooking. As a result, I forgot to bring the important scallions and ginger.”

“I know it’s my fault for forgetting the ingredients, and the rules of the Competition also state that if you don’t bring something, you don’t have it. If I lose the Competition because of this, I can only blame myself. But at that time, I still tried to ask other contestants for the ingredients,” Yellen Brooks said.

Yellen Brooks did not say she wanted to borrow.

Because these ingredients were to be given to her for use in the first place. How could she give them back?

There’s borrowing only when there’s returning.

“Thanks to Cindy Clarke, I didn’t even have to ask her. She simply gave me the scallions and ginger without hesitation. It may not look like an important ingredient, but who knows if it will still be needed later. Regardless, she generously gave me some.”

“Without her help, I wouldn’t have been able to complete my dish today,” Yellen Brooks said. “So, I especially want to thank her. My dish couldn’t have received the judges’ recognition without Cindy Clarke’s help.”

Yellen Brooks didn’t mention Iris Doone’s refusal to help her.

It would make her seem petty and holding a grudge.

Now she only mentioned this to express her gratitude to Cindy Clarke.

Cindy Clarke usually didn’t interact much with the contestants.

Many people behind the scenes misunderstood her as aloof and difficult to get along with.

But this incident changed her perception.

Those who seemed easygoing on the surface might not necessarily be good people, while those who appeared aloof could actually be warm-hearted.

Yellen Brooks didn’t want to cause any trouble for Cindy Clarke by mentioning Iris Doone, worrying this might make her an enemy.

Although Iris Doone has been on bad terms with Cindy Clarke, she can’t make things worse.

She wouldn’t want Cindy Clarke, who had done a good deed, to be misunderstood as a result.

Her intentions were to show gratitude to Cindy Clarke, not to cause problems for her.

“We contestants, in fact, don’t know much about each other. Many things are just based on appearances. If someone seems easygoing on the surface, gentle, harmless, or a good person, it might not always be true.”

Iris Doone was sitting in the elimination area at this time, listening to Yellen Brooks’s words, her face darkened, and she looked gloomy.

Wasn’t Yellen Brooks talking about her?

Was it just because she didn’t give her the scallions and ginger?

Had she been remembered for something so trivial?

This was a Competition – who would pity her!

Iris Doone gritted her teeth in anger and seething resentment.

Not only did she hate Yellen Brooks, but also Cindy Clarke even more.

Why was Cindy Clarke so helpful in her time of need?

It made Iris look very bad.

This was a Competition, not a game of friendship first.

She didn’t know if the whole situation had been captured by the camera.

Please don’t let it have been captured.

Not only would she be criticized, but she would also play into Cindy Clarke’s hands, establishing her image as a cold person with a warm heart.

Iris Doone stared at Yellen Brooks fiercely.

“Cindy Clarke doesn’t interact with us much. We don’t talk or spend time together, and our contact is minimal. However, when it mattered, she was the one who helped me,” Yellen Brooks said. “Whether I advance today or not, I am grateful for her help. I don’t know if the moment when Cindy helped me earlier was captured by the cameras.”

“If not, I’d like to take this opportunity now, in front of the cameras and the audience, to let everyone know that it was Cindy who helped me. She’s a kind person,” Yellen Brooks said.

“You’re a good person too!” someone suddenly yelled from the audience.

Immediately after, the audience burst into applause.

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden outburst.

Even the judges couldn’t help but smile.

The camera quickly focused on Cindy Clarke for a close-up.

Iris Doone was calculating that perhaps the scene showing Cindy Clarke giving Yellen Brooks the scallions and ginger earlier wasn’t captured by the cameras.

Unexpectedly, the live broadcast showed a playback of the scene on the big screen.

The first thing that appeared was Iris Doone’s name, right when Yellen Brooks asked to borrow the scallions and ginger.

Now looking at the exchange between Yellen Brooks and herself from the third person perspective, it felt especially strange.

Then, Iris Doone’s refusal to help Yellen Brooks was shown.

Just as the playback showed Iris Doone refusing Yellen Brooks, someone noticed and said, “Look, Cindy Clarke was quietly cutting scallions without making a fuss. These must be for Yellen Brooks, right?”

“Actually, if Yellen Brooks hadn’t asked her, Cindy could’ve just played dumb.”

“Cindy really is a good person.”

“From what Yellen Brooks implied, it seems like Cindy doesn’t have a good relationship with the other contestants.”

“It’s not hard to see why; there have only been two Competitions so far, and she has already had disagreements in both. In the previous one, Zoe Silverstone intentionally targeted her. At first, I thought that since Cindy was being targeted by one or two people, perhaps she had some issues herself. But now it seems that Iris Doone is the one with issues.”

“Yeah, who would’ve thought that Iris Doone, with her gentle and weak appearance, could have such a wicked heart.”

“She and Yellen Brooks weren’t in competition with each other in this round. Iris had taken so much; she could’ve shared some with Yellen Brooks.”

“Although helping would be out of kindness and not helping would be justified, it’s Yellen’s fault, and she can’t blame others. Even if Iris didn’t lend the ingredients, I don’t think she should receive much blame. But the bad part is how she portrayed herself as innocent and harmless. From what Yellen Brooks implied, Iris gets along well with the contestants, but she turned her back on them when it mattered most. It’s not about whether she lent the ingredients or not, but rather that people like this can be terrifying.”