I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 330: Chapter 312: I’ll Sleep Here Next Time I Get a Chance

Li You felt it was a shame. Wei Ping, Jiang Caidong, Liang Heng, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’er, and the others all felt the same way.

But since he’d been unlucky enough to run into Lu Xiangyun, there was nothing to be done.

As for Liu Xu himself, he just shook his head with a wry smile. ’No way around it. I really couldn’t beat him. The difference in our strength is just too great.’

Still, getting to have a real match against an expert of his caliber made entering this competition worthwhile.

Now, he could just relax and enjoy the show as a spectator.

In Liu Xu’s foodie group chat, everyone was commiserating with him over his loss.

But Liu Xu himself was quite a good sport about it. ”Hahaha! It’s a competition; winning and losing is all part of the game. I’m already pretty happy just to have made it to the third round. Now, let’s all cheer on our other friends!”

”Okay. Let’s cheer them on together. We’ll try to get more people into the top ten.”

”First, we get into the top ten, and then we fight for the championship!”

”That’s right. I’m sure the champion will come from our group.”

”...”

The group chat remained lively, while back at the venue, the competition continued.

Soon, it was Mu Qingye’s turn to compete.

Her match naturally became the center of attention once again.

But her opponent this time was very strong. Could Mu Qingye still advance smoothly?

Everyone waited in anticipation.

The result was thrilling. After losing the first game, Mu Qingye withstood the pressure, mounted a successful comeback, won the match, and advanced to the fourth round.

It seemed Mu Qingye had great mental fortitude, able to remain calm and composed even when at a disadvantage.

This was a crucial trait in a competition, especially when opponents were evenly matched.

Li You was even more impressed with Mu Qingye.

Mu Qingye’s advancement sent a wave of excitement through the crowd.

They just loved seeing Mu Qingye advance.

Shortly after, the third round came to a close. The 57 contestants advancing to the fourth round had all been decided.

Mu Qingye was the only female contestant left.

Out of a total of 456 participants, most had already been eliminated.

The eliminations happened at a blistering pace.

Therefore, the 57 remaining contestants felt both fortunate and thrilled.

However, it wasn’t time to celebrate. Another half of them would soon be eliminated in the next round.

The time was now 3:55 PM, and the draw for the fourth round was about to begin.

In this round, one contestant would receive a bye, advancing directly to the fifth round.

Everyone present was curious: who would be the lucky one?

The draw soon concluded, and the lucky winner was announced.

Mu Qingye!

Mu Qingye had drawn the bye, meaning she would advance directly to the fifth round.

Everyone present was a little stunned.

But it was a pleasant and exciting surprise.

Mu Qingye getting a bye was great news. Not only did it mean seeing her in the next round, but it also added a new, juicy topic of conversation to the event.

The buzz around Mu Qingye getting a bye was far greater than it would have been for anyone else.

Mu Qingye herself found it hard to believe. ’Is my luck really this good?’

Li You burst out laughing. ”What did I tell you, Mu? Didn’t I say you’d have good luck?”

Mu Qingye smiled and replied, ”It’s all thanks to your auspicious words, Boss.”

Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and the other girls were also thrilled, and they all crowded around to congratulate Mu Qingye.

Just then, the fourth round of the competition officially began.

This round was expected to take about fifteen minutes.

The 56 remaining contestants were pretty much all experts.

As a result, every single match was spectacular, leaving the audience thrilled and cheering nonstop.

After a series of spectacular matches, another 28 contestants were eliminated.

Including Mu Qingye, who had advanced automatically, the 29 contestants moving on to the fifth round were now all decided.

Lu Xiangyun and Wang Ge Fei were among them.

They were strong, and their luck was holding out.

Next up was the fifth round, and the rules were about to change.

The 29 contestants would be randomly sorted into 10 groups. One group would have two people, while the other nine would have three.

Each group would compete in a round-robin format, with players ranked by their results.

The top player from each group would advance. This would produce 10 qualifiers, who would form the top ten of the competition.

The draw began.

Which of the 29 contestants would end up in the same group? The anticipation was palpable.

The draw quickly finished. Each contestant received their group number, from Group One to Group Ten.

The contestants, filled with a mix of anticipation and nerves, checked to see who their opponents would be.

Once the groups were confirmed, some were overjoyed, while others sighed in dismay.

”I’m in the same group as Wang Ge Fei. I guess there’s no way I’m making it to the top ten. Ugh!”

”I got grouped with Lu Xiangyun, so I guess there’s not much hope for me either. But with my level of skill, I never expected to make the top ten anyway. I’m already more than happy just to have made it to the fifth round.”

”At this stage of the competition, not even Wang Ge Fei or Lu Xiangyun could say for sure they’d win against any given opponent. So, really, everyone still has a chance.”

”Haha! That’s true. In any case, as long as we give it our all and leave no regrets, that’s what matters.”

”...”

The contestants encouraged one another, while the audience buzzed with discussion about the group draws.

”Look at Group Three, it’s the absolute group of death. Chen Dong, Xie Wenyuan, and Lai Wen... all three of them feel like they have what it takes to win the championship, and now they’re in the same group. Talk about bad luck.”

”When titans clash, the brave one emerges victorious. The matches in Group Three are going to be absolutely spectacular. I can’t wait!”

”Mu is in Group Six. Her two opponents are both very strong. But Mu is no weaker than they are. It wouldn’t be a surprise for any of them to advance. I’m rooting for Mu to make it through!”

”We have to root for Mu to advance!”

”...”

Amidst the audience’s buzzing speculation, the fifth round officially began.

And amidst wave after wave of cheers from the crowd, the top ten contestants were decided one by one.

Wang Ge Fei and Lu Xiangyun were both among them.

As for Mu Qingye, the one everyone was watching, she also delivered an outstanding performance, overpowering her two opponents to qualify and successfully advance into the top ten.

Aside from the favorites and those considered to have a good chance, there were also some dark horse victories.

Take Liu Bowen from Group Seven, for example.

On paper, Liu Bowen was the weakest of the three contestants in Group Seven.

No one expected Liu Bowen to advance. His two group mates both considered each other to be their main threat.

They were sure Liu Bowen was no match for them.

But in the end, it was Liu Bowen who finished first in the group and successfully advanced.

Everyone was completely stunned.

But it was also exciting. Unexpected results like this generated more buzz, and people loved talking about them.

It also went to show that in a competition, anything is possible.

Of course, upsets are a normal part of any tournament. Performance on the day is crucial. Even the greatest experts have moments where they slip up.

And that is one of the things that makes competitions so captivating.

Among the top ten contestants, three were from Liu Xu’s foodie group chat.

Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’er, Jiang Caidong, Liang Heng, Wei Ping, and the others all congratulated the three of them.

Li You, of course, offered his congratulations as well.

And in the foodie group chat, everyone was also showering the three with congratulations.

Although only three of them had made it to the top ten, which felt like a small number, it was actually an impressive achievement.

Not only had these three already secured prize money, but they could also compete for the championship in tomorrow’s finals.

That’s right, tomorrow.

It was already 5:30 PM, so Li You decided to hold the final stage of the tournament tomorrow.

It would start sharp at 10:00 AM tomorrow.

That concluded the competition for the day.

The competition might be over for the day, but the venue was still buzzing with energy. People gathered in groups, animatedly discussing all the highlights from the day’s matches.

Others were congratulating the top ten contestants.

Making it into the top ten meant they had already secured a ranking and prize money.

In that sense, they had already succeeded.

The top ten contestants themselves were, of course, ecstatic, and they continuously thanked everyone who came to offer their congratulations.

When asked about their goals for the finals tomorrow, all ten contestants gave the same answer: their only goal was to become the champion.

This was true even for those who had never dreamed of winning the championship, and who didn’t believe they had the skill to do so.

But now that they were in the finals, the championship was no longer a distant dream. Why not aim for the top?

And so, all ten contestants declared that they were aiming for the championship.

This declaration once again earned a thunderous round of applause from the crowd.

Li You, however, didn’t join the applause. He was already busy in the kitchen.

Many of the guests were now ordering dinner.

For instance, Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng, Wei Ping’s family, and the group with Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, and Zhang Rui’er.

They all had to return to the county seat after dinner, but they planned to come back tomorrow.

Of course they would come back tomorrow. They had to see who would be crowned champion.

Even though they could find out who won right away through group chats and other means... but what was the point of just knowing the result?

They wanted to be there in person, to watch the thrilling matches unfold and experience the tension and excitement firsthand.

Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, and their classmates were also having dinner.

They had to head back to school after their meal.

And, of course, they would be back again tomorrow.

Originally, Li You had planned to have Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye stay the night.

After all, since they were coming back tomorrow anyway, why bother with the trip back tonight?

It was such a hassle to travel back and forth.

The two of them were very tempted by the offer.

But they felt it wouldn’t be right to stay behind while their classmates went back. So, in the end, they decided to return with them.

They’d stay over some other time, when the opportunity arose.

As for the other spectators, some chose to head home for dinner.

They had already eaten here for lunch and wanted to save some money.

But it was still early, so there was no rush to leave. They decided to stay and chat for a while longer.

Clearly, many people were still savoring the day’s atmosphere. They didn’t want to leave just yet and wished to linger a while longer.

It wasn’t until six o’clock that people finally began to take their leave.

And it wasn’t until nine o’clock at night, long after darkness had fallen, that the venue, which had been bustling with activity all day, finally grew quiet.

All the guests had left, leaving only Ling Xiaoru and Chu Yiwei.

”Alright, let’s go upstairs and eat,” Li You said, in a very cheerful mood. It wasn’t just because the competition had been a resounding success, but also because he had made a hefty profit.

...