Chapter 1886: Just a bite, what's the harm?

Listening to their conversation, Bai Yuan stood quietly to the side, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile, yet he remained silent throughout.

His originally amiable and approachable face now seemed even more affable because of this smile, as if all his thoughts and emotions were conveyed through it.

As Ye Zhangqing's recommender, Bai Yuan deeply knew the potential and talent Ye Zhangqing possessed.

Now seeing Ye Zhangqing present himself so excellently before everyone, he could not help but feel an indescribable joy welling up in his heart.

You see, the more brilliantly Ye Zhangqing performed, the prouder and prouder Bai Yuan felt.

This is not only because his recommended person gained recognition, but more importantly, it proved he had a unique eye for talent and keen judgment of people.

However, for Bai Yuan, while a person's character is certainly important, in this first round of assessment the truly decisive factor is still culinary skill.

Even with the finest disposition, if one cannot cook mouth‑watering delicacies, everything will amount to empty talk.

At this very moment, the conversation among the three continued, yet the youth lying on the bed seemed utterly unaware of what was happening around him.

His eyes were vacant and lifeless, staring straight at the ceiling; his whole being seemed to have lost its soul, his thoughts as if drifted to the heavens, completely fallen into a state of blank ignorance.

Suddenly, a rich aroma of food drifted leisurely from the kitchen nearby.

This enticing scent instantly permeated the air, and one of the Deputy City Lords was the first to notice this unique fragrance.

He was seen lightly wrinkling his nose, taking a deep breath, then lowering his voice to mutter to himself.

"Hmm… this flavor is truly excellent; judging solely by the aroma, it is already perfect— the "fragrance" aspect of color, aroma, and taste has reached its utmost, really making one eager to give it a try."

To judge whether a dish is delicious, its aroma usually gives the first clue; next comes its appearance; ultimately, the decisive factor is the mouthfeel experienced when tasting it.

At this moment, although they had not yet seen Ye Zhangqing's finished dish, merely catching the pungent aroma already made Bai Yuan and the three others unable to contain their excitement; they all nodded in praise, finding no flaw whatsoever.

Moreover, as time passed slowly, the fragrance drifting from the kitchen grew ever richer and more intense.

That captivating, soul‑stirring aroma was like a ferocious beast, lunging straight into the nostrils of the four.

Why speak of four people? Because the young man lying on the bed at this moment was also continually twitching his nose.

In his formerly dull, lifeless eyes, a glimmer of spirit seemed to be gradually returning, and his Adam's apple rose and fell unevenly, making it look as if he were secretly swallowing saliva.

Yet it is regrettable that Bai Yuan and the three others, fully immersed in this mouth‑watering food aroma, failed to notice his actions; their attention was wholly fixed on the surging, intoxicating scent, without exception.

"Hey, look at the food this little Ye made—this aroma is simply overwhelming, making my mouth water so much it's about to spill; why don't we go take a look?"

One of them, face full of excitement, made the suggestion.

"Yes, yes, yes, let's go and have a look together."

The other two responded in unison, their eyes flashing with curiosity and anticipation.

Thus, the three chatted back and forth, unable to wait as they strode out of the room, feet moving like wind, straight toward the kitchen.

They happily discussed the delicious dishes they were about to taste, completely unaware that on the bed a youth with darting eyes was gazing longingly at their retreating backs.

The youth seemed to want to open his mouth to call out to them, but his body was so weak that each attempt to speak was extraordinarily strained.

In the end, despite his extreme anxiety, he still failed to utter a single word.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuan and the three had long since forgotten that youth entirely.

At this moment, their sole thought was to hurry to the kitchen to properly taste Ye Zhangqing's cooking; along the way they quickened their pace and soon arrived before the kitchen.

At this time Ye Zhangqing was busy at the stove, and since he only needed to prepare a single‑person meal, he did not make anything overly complex.

Just a simple three dishes and one soup, yet even so Ye Zhangqing poured his whole heart into it.

From selecting ingredients, to preparation and processing, then to cooking and seasoning, he focused completely on each step, sparing no detail, striving to bring his culinary skill to its utmost.

Ye Zhangqing, occupied to the point of being unable to cope, had not even noticed that Bai Yuan and the three had quietly entered the kitchen.

He fixed his full attention on the spatula in the pan, skillfully stir‑frying the dishes; the fine sweat beading on his forehead he didn't even bother to wipe away.

Meanwhile, the two plates of food just taken from the pot, still steaming, lay quietly on a nearby cutting board.

Being in the kitchen filled with various aromas, the scent given off by those two plates became ever richer and more tempting.

One of the Deputy City Lords standing nearby could not help but swallow, then spoke as if muttering to himself.

"Since this is an assessment, tasting the flavor should be fine, right?"

Another Deputy City Lord quickly echoed.

"Exactly, no problem. And we just need to take a tiny bite."

The last person also nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, yes, anyway it's just a little bit; it won't affect anything."

This time, even Bai Yuan, as the recommender, did not raise any objection.

You see, although the three had previously watched Ye Zhangqing's formation imagery in the Cooking King Hall, that was merely a picture presented by the formation; while they could clearly see each of his cooking steps, they could not truly perceive the wonderful aroma the dishes emitted.

Today, however, marks the first time they have personally witnessed Ye Zhangqing display his culinary skill, and with these two dishes before them possessing perfect color, aroma, and taste, it is truly hard to resist their charm and allure.

Thus, Bai Yuan and the three quickly found what seemed a perfectly reasonable excuse—right now Little Ye is undergoing the Young City Lord's assessment; as judges, what harm would there be in them taking a slight taste?

"This is all official business; even if the City Lord came, he couldn't find fault—after all, they're doing this for the Young City Lord's assessment."

Speaking, the three had already arrived before the two plates, and quite naturally picked up the chopsticks beside them and reached into the dishes.