Chapter 723
Chapter 723:
Ashton looked at Marc with narrowed eyes. He smiled and said, “That’s not necessarily the case. Why don’t you wait until the judges reveal the scores before you speak so confidently? Otherwise, you’ll just make a fool of yourself.”
Marc sneered contemptuously, his expression dripping with disdain. Yet, he chose to remain silent because he saw the judges start to taste the dish. He was feeling smug, thinking someone would help him humiliate Ashton soon. The judges quickly finished tasting Ashton’s dish, their expressions subtly shifting as they exchanged glances. A peculiar mix of surprise and regret seemed to flicker across their faces.
Jeremiah glanced at the two judges beside him and asked, “What do you think?”
One judge, who looked troubled, said, “It’s a pity that the dish is cooked like this.”
The other judge nodded in agreement. “I feel the same. It’s a shame about the porridge.”
Jeremiah sighed. “In that case, let’s announce the scores you have in mind.”
In the audience, Stephen and Marc pricked up their ears, listening intently to the judges’ discussion. They exchanged knowing smiles. Judging from the judges’ expressions, they felt the Green Hotel team was destined to win.
However, as they prepared to mock Ashton’s defeat, surprisingly, the three judges gave a unanimous score.
“I give this dish ninety-eight points.”
“I also think ninety-eight points is appropriate.”
“That’s perfect! No need to calculate the overall score. I also give it ninety-eight points.”
The announcement of a score of 98 reverberated through the venue. It was the second-highest since the competition began, and everyone was stunned.
𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 g𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⫺𝖼𝗈𝗺
Marc, however, practically exploded. His face flushed with rage as he sprang to his feet, his voice cutting through the murmurs of the audience.
“Are you all on someone’s payroll? Do the opinions of the audience mean nothing to you? You keep saying it’s a pity about this dish, yet you reward something so average with an almost-perfect score? What kind of judgment is this?” His words hung in the air, drawing all eyes to him.
Stephen stiffened in his seat, his jaw tightening as though Marc’s outburst had struck him physically. Although he had suggested holding this competition and influenced the grouping of the contestants with his connections, he failed to bribe any of the officials.
But now it dawned on him that the officials must have already been bought by Ashton. That explained their lukewarm support of his earlier request for a rigged result. The audience was just as confused and didn’t take long to join Marc’s outcry.
“He’s absolutely right! This feels like a scam!” someone yelled from the back.
“You gave 90 points for a homemade dish in the preliminaries, yet now you’re handing out nearly 100 for a basic bowl of seafood porridge? You clearly have double standards!” another added, disbelief thick in their tone.
“Seriously? You set up a theme about ‘battle,’ and this is what qualifies? How does a bowl of porridge even fit the theme?”
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