With the producer's cue, the host on stage quickly found an opportunity to interrupt the pity play of the Decui Lou team. Smiling, the host said, "We are running out of time, so let's take a look at the final score for Chef Zhao's team in this round."
Everyone, both on and off the stage, turned their attention to the judges' panel.
Except for Dr. Hui, who gave them four points, the other three judges only gave them three points.
Combined with the 72 votes from the public jury, Decui Lou received a final score of only 85 points.
It was truly astonishing.
After all, these were professional chefs from a grand restaurant, yet they actually lost to an amateur team in such an important competition???
It was indeed quite a surprise.
Of course, the grand finale was based on average scores. Since they had scored 95 points in the previous round, and Best Actor Yao had made a severe mistake during the Xijing stop, they ultimately managed to overtake him and advance to the finals.
Despite this, the expressions on the faces of the Decui Lou team could no longer be described as merely ugly.
Offstage, Ye Shu clicked her tongue and whispered to Xiaozhen, "I'm afraid they're going to have their bonuses deducted when they get back."
As soon as she finished speaking, seeing the host finish the closing remarks on stage, those people quickly left the studio.
However, the atmosphere among the other two groups was extremely lively.
Best Actor Yao high-fived his team in celebration, then walked over to Xu Yanxia and Lu Jingming.
"Director Xu, congratulations!"
"President Lu, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Best Actor Yao enthusiastically shook hands with the couple.
Xu Yanxia also said to him, "Congratulations to you too, Mr. Yao. You competed very well today."
"Not at all," Best Actor Yao immediately smiled and replied. "It's all thanks to your guidance. Our little amateur skills can't even compare to a master like you."
He then asked them, "I wonder if you two are free tonight? If possible, I'd like to treat you to dinner."
"We have a family dinner to attend tonight, I'm really sorry."
Xu Yanxia smiled and added, "I've already forwarded your project proposal to the company. They should contact you when work resumes next week."
In truth, she wasn't very interested in film investment, but if it hadn't been for his timely warning this time, she would have been put in a very passive position. Therefore, doing him a favor in return was perfectly fine.
After all, navigating society is impossible without various connections.
Hearing this, Best Actor Yao quickly smiled and said, "Alright, thank you very much. Let's meet in Rong City when we get the chance."
"Okay."
Xu Yanxia shook hands with him again.
After Best Actor Yao left, the judges also walked over to them.
"Congratulations, Director Xu, you've finally reached the finals!"
Judge Qiao was the first to speak to her. "Even though I won't be a judge then, I will definitely come to cheer for you! I hope your Jingbei branch opens soon; we're all waiting to go try it out!"
Due to the show's competition format, the finals would be open to a live audience and have designated judges. Therefore, after finishing today's recording, the four judges had successfully completed their mission.
Hearing this, Xu Yanxia quickly thanked them, saying, "Thank you very much, teachers, for your companionship and guidance along the way. I hope we can communicate more in the future."
After she spoke, Lu Jingming also told everyone, "When our Jingbei branch opens, we will definitely invite all of you to visit. We hope you can give us more guidance then."
"No problem."
"It's a deal."
After saying goodbye to the judges, Xu Yanxia took off her microphone and earpiece. Just as she was about to leave, the producer and director hurried over to them. Smiling, the producer said, "President Lu, Director Xu, you've worked hard today. The thing is, our President Sun would like to invite you two to dinner tonight. I wonder if it would be convenient for you?"
President Sun?
Nearby, Ye Shu, who was packing her things, exchanged a glance with Xiaozhen, both of them unable to help but scoff inwardly.
Were the higher-ups at Qiwei worried about next year's sponsorship fees and trying to mend the fold after the sheep had been lost?
Unfortunately, Xu Yanxia didn't give them any face. She immediately smiled and politely declined, "I'm sorry, but we have a very important dinner to attend tonight."
Just as she finished speaking, her phone rang.
She answered and called out "Auntie." From the receiver, Aunt Xiaohua's kind voice immediately came through, "Xiaoxia, have you and Jingming finished recording the show? I've already sent a driver to pick you up. Zhanpeng and Jiajia have arrived too."
"We're done recording, Auntie. We'll head over right now."
On the other end of the phone, Aunt Xiaohua said, "Great. It's at Songyunxie, not far from you. See you soon."
"Okay."
Xu Yanxia hung up the phone, told Xiaozhen and Ye Shu, and then pulled Lu Jingming outside.
Xiaozhen and Ye Shu also grabbed their things and left the studio, discussing where to go for a good meal along the way.
Only the producer and the director were left standing there in a daze.
"Did you hear that just now? The place Director Xu and the others are going to is Songyunxie?"
The producer looked at the director with a hesitant expression.
The director quickly nodded, "I heard it very clearly, it is Songyunxie."
Immediately after, both of them were left in a state of prolonged shock.
One must know, Songyunxie was no ordinary restaurant.
It was the private club of the He family, a top-tier wealthy family in Jingbei! It wasn't even a place you could enter just by being rich, or even extremely rich!
And the most important thing was that this call wasn't even for President Lu; it was for Director Xu.
Director Xu had called her "Auntie" repeatedly, and with such affection...
No wonder they had originally only invited a director from the Tourism Association, but unexpectedly, Chairman Wang himself had come directly to be a judge!
The director silently swallowed hard, only to see the producer say with a look of deep regret, "I said at the time we couldn't do it like this!
Originally, more than half of the audience came for their culinary skills... but those higher-ups just had to do this kind of thing for a few measly bucks..."
Saying this, he sighed deeply, took out his phone, and said to the director, "I'll let President Sun know. You must hold the line on your end. For the next two days, no matter who tries to pull strings or open a back door for Decui Lou, you absolutely must not agree."
The director quickly nodded, "Understood, understood."
...
Half an hour later, Xu Yanxia led her husband, Lu Jingming, to Aunt Xiaohua's private club, Songyunxie, located in the heart of Jingbei.
Everyone else had already arrived and was waiting for them. They quickly greeted the elders, and the family dinner officially began.
Both sides came from courteous families, and the elders of the Li family did not put on any airs.
Everyone chatted as they ate, talking about things from fifty years ago to fifty years in the future. The atmosphere was relaxed and warm.
However, due to Uncle Xiaoliang's political status, everyone deliberately avoided talking about work and only discussed family matters.
Seeing that two hours had passed, the family dinner came to an end.
Everyone politely said their goodbyes.
Xu Zhanpeng and Luo Jiajia accompanied their grandparents back to the courtyard club in the city.
Xu Yanxia and Lu Jingming also returned to their hotel.
As soon as they returned to their room, Xu Yanxia looked at Lu Jingming with a serious expression and said, "I have a request. I barely slept last night, so you have to let me get a good night's sleep tonight. No messing around."
"...What do you take your husband for?"
Lu Jingming raised an eyebrow. "I'm not an animal. No matter what, I'll definitely consider your health first. Don't worry."
"Really?"
Xu Yanxia still didn't quite trust him. "If you break your promise, you're a dog!"
"Of course."
Lu Jingming nodded solemnly, resting his hands on her shoulders and gently pushing her toward the bathroom. "Go take a shower. You've been exhausted all day. Go straight to sleep after you wash up."
It was true.
Xu Yanxia had indeed been tired all day. After taking a comfortable hot shower, she slipped under the covers.
Lu Jingming also went into the bathroom. He came out a while later, handled some work on his phone, turned off the nightlight, and lay down beside her.
Unable to fall asleep just yet, Xu Yanxia subconsciously scooted closer to him.
Lu Jingming let out a soft sound, asking in mild surprise, "You're not asleep yet?"
Xu Yanxia gave an honest hum of agreement. "The shower woke me up, so I was just thinking about the menu for the day after tomorrow."
In the dimness of the night, she heard Lu Jingming chuckle before he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Then he asked in a low voice, "Do you need some help?"
Thinking he meant helping her come up with the menu, Xu Yanxia murmured in agreement.
At the same time, she shifted into a more comfortable position in his embrace.
She loved his embrace. It was like a thick, solid wall, radiating a cozy warmth that filled her with a profound sense of security.
Little did she know that in the very next second, he would lower his head to kiss her lips, his hands beginning to wander.
Half of Xu Yanxia's body instantly tingled with a soft numbness. She hurriedly reached out to push him away, mumbling against his lips, "Didn't you say you wouldn't mess with me?"
But he clung to her relentlessly, spouting playful nonsense. "Didn't you just say you needed help? Trust me, you'll sleep perfectly after this."
What in the world.
Xu Yanxia finally realized with hindsight that she had fallen right into his trap. She quickly tried to shove him away.
However, he was already fully aroused. Giving her no chance to say another word, he pressed her directly beneath him...
