"The broth from the meat juices and shrimp and crab roe is flavorful yet can be overwhelming if you eat too much," Ye Fei explained. "That’s why I added a splash of lemon vinegar to the shrimp and crab meat to balance the richness."

"However, the taste of the vinegar isn’t overpowering and doesn’t overshadow the original flavor of the filling and broth," Ye Huasong praised. "The subtle taste is rather stunning."

"Considering the pairing with vinegar and ginger slices, I didn’t add too much to the filling," Ye Fei explained with a smile.

When Lowell tasted it, he couldn’t help but close his eyes: "The meat filling is resilient to the bite, and as soon as you bite into it, the broth bursts forth. The flavor of the broth and meat filling is incredibly layered. I think calling it ’soup-filled dumplings’ doesn’t do it justice; it should be called ’juicy-explosion dumplings’ instead."

Gu Changfeng joked, "Lowell, your Chinese is impressive!"

"Oh my, Teacher Guo, why are you going for a second one?" Luo Jialin suddenly noticed Guo Wenbo reaching for the last three dumplings in the steamer.

"I want to savor it a bit more," Guo Wenbo replied.

Seeing just two left, Lowell quickly said, "I’m a guest, you all need to give me a break."

So, he hurriedly reached with his chopsticks as well.

Unfortunately, he was still too slow, his chopstick skills were no match for Gu Changfeng’s proficiency.

The second dumpling was intercepted by Gu Changfeng.

Ye Huasong was quick and deft, grabbing the only dumpling left while saying, "Jialin, I’m your teacher, you need to respect your elders."

Luo Jialin: "..."

Lowell: "..."

Ye Fei was dumbfounded.

The remaining three dumplings, she originally planned to take away for Ye Xiaomo and Li Xiaoyun to try while they’re still hot.

Of course, if Zhao Gushen wanted, he could try one too.

But now, they were all gone.

Gu Changfeng finally remembered them, coughed to maintain his last shred of dignity, "Alright, this round of the competition is over. You can leave now."

Everyone else looked at Ye Fei with a sense of loss.

They finally understood that the judges really liked her cooking.

Too bad there weren’t any leftover, otherwise, they’d have tried to see if it really was as delicious as the judges claimed.

It’s just a dumpling, after all.

How good could it possibly be!

Ye Fei is just a food blogger, an amateur at best, not really a chef.

What amazing dish could she possibly make?

The skeptical glances of Lou Kangtai and others landed on Ye Fei.

She could break the rules by wearing a mask and using a screen name to enter the competition; how could they be sure the judges weren’t giving her a back door?

Nonetheless, nobody dared to say anything now.

This was the last round of today’s preliminary.

Contestants tidied up and left the venue while the judges exited through another way.

As soon as Ye Fei came out, Xiaomo ran over to hug her. "Xiao Fei, how did you do? How did you do?"

Zhao Gushen also approached, Ye Fei looked down at Ye Xiaomo, then at Li Xiaoyun.

Finally, her gaze landed on Zhao Gushen, and she smiled, saying, "The theme of this round was noodle dishes. I chose to make soup-filled dumplings. The judges gave pretty good feedback, so I think passing the preliminary round shouldn’t be a problem."

Lou Kangtai and the others let out a small "hmph" at her words.

She had no problem, but for them, it was very risky.

Ye Fei heard it, but ignored them, saying, "Let’s go, I’ll fill you in on the way."

The four of them left the venue together, and Ye Fei said, "I made eight dumplings, just enough for the five judges to have one each, with three left over fresh out of the steamer, perfect for you to try. Who knew those three too would be snatched away by the judges."