The Gourmet Customizer

Next...

Su Chen took out some pink food coloring and dyed half a bowl of white sugar with it, then cut open a tender watermelon.

"Everyone, please step back a bit."

Ah Bao pulled his master back. "Be careful, Boss Su is about to show off!"

Lu Yongliang: ???

'What does that mean?'

'He's not going to hurt me just by showing off, is he?'

But he still retreated a few steps as Ah Bao forcefully pulled him back. The Jiang Brothers also subconsciously took a couple of steps back.

Su Chen let out a breath.

Gripping a cleaver, Su Chen unleashed his Wild Blade Technique!

Under the badge's effect, the technique displayed unparalleled speed, ferocity, and precision!

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

With one arm behind his back, Su Chen sank into a horse stance, his right arm a blur as it moved wildly over the cutting board!

In just over ten seconds, the green rind on the halved watermelon had been shaved away, and the flesh was cut into perfect diamond-shaped chunks.

Not even a drop of juice remained on the cutting board—a testament to the incredible speed of his blade.

"Holy moly!" Lu Yongliang clutched his chest. "Who cuts vegetables like that? That's some serious showing off!"

Jiang Wusheng was also stunned speechless. "Wh-wh-wh... What was that?"

Everyone was completely dumbfounded.

They had seen good knife skills before, but never *this* good!

'I mean, if you're going to chop something, just chop it. Why make such a huge spectacle out of it?'

No wonder Ah Bao had told them all to step back. This move from Boss Su was some serious showing off!

Jiang Wensheng watched the scene with a chuckle. "Ah, to be young. It's normal to want to show off your skills. When I was young..."

"Don't bring up that one-handed egg-cracking story. That doesn't count as showing off," Jiang Wusheng bluntly cut off his younger brother's attempt to brag.

'Read the room, will you? How dare you try to show off your paltry skills in front of Boss Su?'

Su Chen was so embarrassed his toes were about to claw their way through the floor. 'It's not that I like showing off, guys! It's that I literally don't know how to chop things any other way!'

'I hate this! What kind of trash knife skill is this?!'

He dumped the chopped watermelon into a mixing bowl and gave it a couple of gentle shakes, evenly coating the pieces in a layer of flour.

Next, he put egg, water, and flour into a bowl, whipping them with chopsticks to form a batter.

Sensing that Boss Su's show-off aura was dissipating, Lu Yongliang edged two steps closer. "Boss Xiaosu, are you making... fried watermelon?"

"Yep. They arrived early, so I'm throwing this in as a complimentary extra. Can't have our guests just staring at an empty table, can we?"

Lu Yongliang covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.

'This Boss Xiaosu is a devious one!'

'Serving just one dish like this is worse than serving nothing at all. Who on earth serves guests fried watermelon?!'

'If it turns out well, fine. But if it's a disaster, isn't that just messing with Cui Yufen?!'

'If it isn't made properly, this dish can really burn your mouth!'

Su Chen had no idea what the old man was snickering about. He tossed the flour-coated watermelon chunks into the batter and mixed them until they were evenly coated. He then placed a large wok filled with vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil was just warm, at about forty percent of its frying temperature, he turned the flame down to low.

'I have to say, this dish tastes really weird... I just hope Master Cui likes it!'

Su Chen had tasted a bite in the Gourmet Practice Room.

Indeed, for a prestigious A Level dish, it produced an utterly bizarre sensation!

As the watermelon chunks were lowered into the wok, the warm oil instantly frothed up, but the bubbles quickly subsided. On low heat, only faint, tiny bubbles now rose from around the batter-coated pieces.

Su Chen prodded one with his chopsticks. The outer crust was already beginning to firm up. Only then did he turn the heat up slightly. As the oil temperature rose, the pale yellow shell gradually deepened in color.

He lifted the wok from the heat and waited for the oil to cool slightly before scooping out all the watermelon chunks. He arranged them on a plate, sprinkled on the pink sugar, and placed a small sprig of cilantro on top as a garnish.

The extra pieces he put into a separate bowl, sprinkling the rest of the sugar over them.

"Boss! Master Cui and her group are here! They're on their way upstairs now!"

Su Chen pointed at the two plates of fried watermelon. "Serve them! Serve them now!"

He Shuting was the first to move.

She carried the two plates out to the two large, round tables in the dining hall.

"You guys can eat the rest," Su Chen said.

Su Chen didn't want another bite of the stuff. Even if it was an A Level dish, it just wasn't to his liking!

"Let me try!" Zhang Li reached into the other bowl and grabbed a piece. "This is so weird!"

If she didn't know what it was, Zhang Li would have just assumed it was some kind of fried pastry.

But knowing that this fried morsel actually held a piece of watermelon on the inside felt truly bizarre.

"CRUNCH!"

She popped it in her mouth and took a bite. "Ow-ow-ow! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot~~"

She hopped up and down on the spot, frantically fanning her open mouth with her hands. "It's burning me alive!"

"How is it?" Liu Shengnan asked curiously. "What's it like?"

Zhang Li pressed her lips together, carefully considering the taste. "It's... hard to describe. I'm having another piece!"

Apparently, aside from Zhang Li, no one else was willing to try the strange concoction.

This time, Zhang Li wasn't so hasty. She gently bit off half a piece. CRUNCH!

The outside was crispy and sweet. As she bit down, she was met with the familiar tender texture of watermelon, followed by a burst of juice. It was a truly unique flavor!

So good!

Watching Zhang Li eat one piece after another, the others couldn't resist any longer. One by one, they all began to try it.

Ling Shuyu took a bite, frowned, and retreated to the edge of the group. She really couldn't appreciate this dish.

Liu Shengnan tried a piece and, like Zhang Li, started eating them one after another.

There hadn't been much of the leftover watermelon to begin with, but everyone quickly polished it off, leaving Su Chen unsure whether to laugh or cry.