Shen Lingqing remained seated in her place and watched in silence as the competition continued. Not only did she keep an eye on Liu Jinfei and Lin Xiao, but she also scanned the crowd and the other participants to see if something would be able to catch her eye. Having Liu Jinfei and Lin Xiao in her team wasn’t enough in her opinion, and she needed to scout more talented chefs if she wanted to make the foundation of Savory Alley stronger than ever.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. Was it really possible for her to recruit someone from this place? Would it be possible for her to find a rough diamond from a pile of dirt?

Yes. Her inner self answered. After all, if her mother was able to come here and surprise the judges of the competition during her short stay with her father, Shen Lingqing might be lucky enough to find a decent one in the same place.

Her mind was clearly not on the competition anymore. She could already predict who could win this round after seeing all the faults in the entries of the participants. Shen Lingqing had to admit, though: she was surprised to see a massive improvement in Lin Xiao’s cooking methods and techniques.

The man had only spent a whole day with her, correcting his taste buds; while the next two days were spent alongside her Grandpa He as they catered to the customers’ orders on a tight schedule.

The Shen princess was satisfied with the results of Lin Xiao’s training. However, she was still a little uncertain when it came to Liu Jinfei who didn’t improve that much during their training. Perhaps it was because he already experienced all of these in the past, and he didn’t find it challenging enough, which Shen Lingqing could surmise.

Liu Jinfei had allowed Lin Xiao to take over the preparation of the fillings for the dumplings they were going to make. In turn, he did most of the chopping of the vegetables and cooked the dumplings according to their plans.

Shen Lingqing narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. If Liu Jinfei planned to ignore the issue with his palate, she would have no other choice but to intervene sooner or later.

“You are upset. Why?” He Haotian asked when he noticed her foul mood.

Shen Lingqing looked away from Liu Jinfei and allowed her expression to soften.

“It’s nothing to be worried about, Grandpa.” However, He Haotian didn’t believe her.

He had noticed that Shen Lingqing was paying more attention to Liu Jinfei ever since the competition started. Of course, he was aware of who Liu Jinfei was and what happened to his family in the past, but they had nothing to do with it.

However, with Shen Lingqing being attentive to him, it only meant that he had somehow piqued the demon princess’s curiosity. If it was his way of cooking, He Haotian was certain Liu Jinfei wouldn’t fall behind his peers. He was an exceptional chef in the kitchen according to Huang Shenghao’s words, and there’s no reason for the latter to lie to He Haotian.

Then, what could it be? The old man wondered. He didn’t find anything suspicious about Liu Jinfei so far. Did their Qingqing find out something that he and Huang Shenghao had missed?

“Then, what’s the problem?” He persisted. It couldn’t be nothing if Shen Lingqing was bothered by it.

Shen Lingqing fell silent and considered her words. Perhaps, her grandfather would have an idea how to fix the problem before it went out of hand in the future.

“Grandpa, are you familiar with dysgeusia?” She asked after a long silence between them.

“Of course. Why are you asking? Don’t tell me your absolute tongue has been impaired?!” He asked in shock.

“No. Not me, Grandpa,” Shen Lingqing said, “I suspect Liu Jinfei has it, but he hasn’t confirmed it to me yet.”

“Is that why you allowed me to have them drink those concoctions to see if his taste buds would react to it?” The old man asked. That made a lot of sense to him then.

If Liu Jinfei’s palate was impaired, it could only mean trouble for Shen Lingqing. She would need to terminate Liu Jinfei from her team if that happened. However, knowing Shen Lingqing, like her mother; she wouldn’t turn a blind eye and would try to help the man to the best of her capabilities.

Shen Lingqing hummed. “En. I see a slight difference in his cooking, but I need to know how bad it is or if it’s still progressing.”

“You should have discussed it with him before going here, Qingqing. The sense of taste for a chef is important, and if Liu Jinfei lost his ability to taste anything, he would need to give up being a chef in the future.”

Shen Lingqing flinched at that. She didn’t need to be told what could happen to Liu Jinfei if his problem persisted until he couldn’t perform his duties as a chef anymore. It would be devastating for him if that really happened.

She might not know Liu Jinfei well, but Shen Lingqing knew how important it was for chefs to confidently rely on their taste buds. A chef without the ability to taste would be like a blind man driving a car.

“I understand. I’ll make sure to talk to him about it soon, then.” She had decided. It was pointless to ignore a problem that could blow out of proportion if left unresolved for too long.

“Take it easy, Qingqing. You have to be careful with this. We don’t know if Liu Jinfei is already aware of the problem or not.”

“His pride wouldn’t be able to fix it.” The demon princess huffed in annoyance. Men and their pride. That wasn’t new to her.

“Sometimes, it’s better to swallow one’s pride to be able to resolve some difficulties and problems.”