Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

”Look at them!” Faris pointed at the judges. ”It looks like they are swimming in the clouds!”

”...Just what in the world is going on?” Layla muttered in confusion. ”Chef Soren... didn’t make some kind of drug... did he?”

”...My lady,” Faris said, staring at her with a deadpan expression this time. ”Even I think that’s going too far.”

”I know!” Layla exclaimed. ”But look at them!”

She pointed at the judges and contestants whose previous frowning and grimaces had now turned to one of pure bliss. One judge was leaning back in his chair, staring at the sky with a peaceful smile, as if he was happy with life, while another one was even crying.

One of them kept drinking spoon after spoon, first with a painful expression and then, after some time, smiling as if they had drunk the sweetest drink in existence.

To those who were watching, it looked really strange.

”...Alright, I take that back,” Faris muttered, but then his eyes lit up. ”Wait! I think I know what’s going on!”

”You do?” Layla stared at him in surprise. After all, she was a Master Chef and hadn’t figured it out yet, so how could a Junior Chef like Faris do it?

”Yes, yes! Do you remember what Chef Soren called his dish?” Faris grinned. ”’Broth of Life’!”

”...So?”

”Urgh... Isn’t it obvious?” Faris grimaced at Layla’s clueless look. ”There was a deeper meaning to it. He must have intentionally given that name and made the soup bitter or spicy.”

”!” Layla’s eyes lit up this time, realization crossing his features. ”I-I get it now! Everything makes sense now.”

”Hehe, I guess it finally clicked for you too.” Faris chuckled with a smug expression. ”There’s no need to thank me, though.”

”...Chef Soren really planned everything from the start. He understood the rules and prepared the best dish he could. No! He... He prepared a story!”

”...Hey, don’t ignore me!” Faris weakly added as Layla kept speaking. ”...”

”A story anyone could easily connect and relate to! Life! And for most people, life is always bitter!” Layla’s smile grew wider. ”Chef Soren... He... He’s a genius!”

”...Alright, I can agree with you on that too.” Faris let out a helpless sigh. ”But... Will that be enough for him to pass to the finals?”

”Hmm? What are you talking about?” Layla looked at him in confusion. ”I can say with certainty that he’s definitely gonna advance. He might even take first place in this round.”

”He’s that amazing?” Faris made a surprised expression, his expression turning solemn again. ”In that case, let’s wait and see how it will actually turn out in the end.”

”Mm, I can’t wait to hear their opinions, though.”

”We all can’t...”

Faris was right. Spectators, including Ethea, President Doran, and even Princess Roya and City Lord Asad, were waiting for the judging period to end and for the scores to be announced.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait for long, as the judges soon finished the whole meal.

”Chef Soren, that was an incredible experience. Thank you for giving us such an amazing dish.” The head judge said with a smile. ”I will give you the highest score.”

”Me too!” The judge who rated Damir low spoke. ”Although I don’t really like bitter meals, you really captured the essence. I really loved the philosophy you put behind it.”

”I will give a perfect score too.” The next judge, the one who cried, added enthusiastically. ”The dish itself was amazing, but the story you gave us was something else. You portrayed life with just a simple meal. I have no words to describe how much it moved me.”

”I have nothing to add except that I’ll be thinking about this dish for a long time.”

”...”

All the judges gave their opinions, which were mostly thanking and praising him. Soren thanked them all each time, and at the end, he managed to get a perfect score from all the judges.

Then it was time for the contestants to give their scores.

”I...” Damir spoke. ”I admit it. You definitely won this round, Chef Soren. Congratulations.”

He raised the ten scoreboard. The other contestants followed his lead and gave him 10 as well.

The queue finally came to the last judge contestant, Nuelia. She looked at Soren, a mysterious smile playing at her lips. ”I didn’t think I would meet a rare talent like you in here, Mr. Soren. You really surprised me.”

She glanced at the empty bowl in front of her. ”At first, I was like everyone else, caught off guard by that bitter taste. But as I forced myself to swallow it, everything slowly changed. It was then I realized it... what you really created.” She paused, letting the momentum build. ”You wanted to describe ’life’ in your own words. That life is bitter and always throws problems at you, but if you accept and endure them, the reward you get at the end is sweeter than anything else. Well, at least that is the message I received. And I was really moved by it. Thank you for letting me experience such a thing.”

She bowed in gratitude before raising another perfect 10 score.

”...Thank you, Lady Nuelia.” Soren bowed in return.

And in an instant, the arena exploded in cheers.

”YEAH!”

”A PERFECT SCORE?! THAT NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE, RIGHT?!”

”AMAZING!”

”HE SET A RECORD!”

”CHEF SOREN!”

”HE IS BAGDAD’S SAVIOR!”

”...”

”...”

Meanwhile, the main screen was updated, and in a matter of seconds, Soren’s name shot to the top of the list.

Soren watched the scene with a smile on his face, his heartbeat still racing as the crowd’s cheers and applause washed over him. Honestly, he couldn’t believe what was happening. After all, he had just entered the competition on a whim, but now he was standing at the top of the rankings, surrounded by fellow chefs who had trained perhaps their entire lives for this stage. It felt...

’...surreal.’

’...’ He couldn’t help but look in Ethea’s direction again, his smile deepening. ’...Thank you. ...Dear.’

A heartbeat passed, and a gentle reply echoed in his mind.

’...Silly. Why are you thanking me? I didn’t do anything.’

’You did.’ Soren replied as he slowly turned away from that direction. ’...More than you know.’