Going through the dishes of all the contestants took almost three hours. The feedback slowly got shorter the further in they got since a lot of things only had to be repeated. But each judge still needed to say at least a sentence or two for every dish and with so many people, there just was no way to finish sooner.

By the end, whether it was the three judges or the contestants that had been waiting, they were all exhausted. To think that there was a second task coming up soon really made them feel faint.

It didn't help that while the first few contestants had been exceptionally good, there had also been others who hadn't been able to convince the judges of their expertise as much. As such, quite a few people were nervous on top of tired. This really made one anxious for the second half that was supposed to start later today.

As soon as the last contestant had been given feedback and gone back to their cooking station, the cameras were turned off and Yang Shu Na, the assistant of producer Bian stepped into the room, giving a faint smile. "It seems that it is time for a break, everyone." She smiled at the contestants and then went over to the judges' table.

She didn't say anything though until the contestants had filed out of the room. Only then did she turn around to the three people, her smile deepening. "We've been looking at the proceedings from behind the scenes and Mister Bian is very satisfied with how things are going. I'm sure that this will be made into an exciting episode for our viewers.

"Producer Bian send me over to reassure you that in the upcoming episodes, things won't be as taxing as they were today. Since the number of contestants is halved every time, starting from next week, you won't need to spend as much time on the feedback. So if you're feeling that today was rough, don't worry. It will get easier."

This was something they had originally worried about when the concept for the show was created. Back in the casting, there had been additional chefs to check the dishes of the contestants and only the best ones had been let up on stage. Also, thanks to the fact that they all cooked different dishes, some had finished earlier, making it so that Mister Yu and Xiao Ming hadn't needed to taste one dish after the other. It had been much more manageable.

Now, in the first episode, the number of participants couldn't be compared anymore but having to judge sixty-four contestants in a row wasn't easy. They had figured that the judges would be able to handle it but now, it seemed that they might have been wrong.

While she might have said that Mister Bian had been satisfied, it wasn't quite like that. Actually, he had been complaining behind the scenes when he found out that the feedback was getting shorter.

The idea was to film the whole process and then cherry-pick whom to show with the spotlight being on the contestants who would make it into the next round and any contestants that stood out in a specific task. If the feedback got shorter though, they didn't have as many opportunities to pick out only the best ones. After all, they also wanted to show the judges as knowledgeable experts in their field who could lead these contestants to greater heights.

If each of them only said one sentence and then referred to what they had told a previous contestant, then what were they supposed to do with that? The viewers at home wouldn't accept it.

Looking back now, it might have been better to film in groups so that there would be twenty-one contestants per group that all got feedback before the next group started. In that case, the judges probably would have said more since the second and third groups wouldn't have heard what they told the first group.

Unfortunately, it was too late to change the format now so they could only try to butter up the judges, reassure them that they were doing great and things would get easier, and then throw in a while later that it would be good if they could be a little more thorough in giving their feedback.

Of course, Yang Shu Na didn't say these things immediately. For now, she needed to give the judges a break. After that was the time to put more work on their shoulders.

The three judges saw her point and all nodded. Xiao Ming and Chu Yu An then couldn't help but look at Mister Yu. While the two of them were still young, the same couldn't be said about him. Having him sit through two hours of the contestants cooking, and then also judging dishes for three hours, without any kind of break in-between seemed like a difficult thing to ask of him.

In fact, the two of them also couldn't help but wonder if maybe it wouldn't have been better to film the first episode over the course of three days instead of just two. Because thinking of how they would have to film for another five or six hours in the afternoon, they really weren't sure if they would be able to handle that. Even though there was a break, it was only a one-hour break. Enough to eat a bit and sit down for a while, but nothing else.

Mister Yu was actually the first one to get up. "Well, it's nice of producer Bian to send you over. I think we're all aware of that though. Now, I believe there's only one hour before we resume filming. The three of us should go and walk a few steps. Only sitting in the same spot for so much time isn't good for the body. You young people should make sure to move more. It's better for your health!"

Xiao Ming and Chu Yu An exchanged a glance, feeling as if they had worried about Mister Yu for nothing. Clearly, he was holding up better than them.

They followed suit and then walked out of the studio, and at least Xiao Ming heaved a sigh of relief when they were out of reach of the cameras. Well, that was to say, they were as far as he knew. Who knew what was going on behind the scenes?

He could also imagine that the producer would want a few candid shots of the candidates from behind the scenes to create some more teasers for the next week. In that case, they still wouldn't be completely unobserved. Thinking of that, he straightened up again and then looked around for Li Shui and Qian Huang, wanting to find out if that worry would actually come true.

Before he had the chance to find them, somebody else found him. Or maybe it wasn't right to say that he found him. Actually, Si Jin had never lost sight of Xiao Ming so he hadn't even needed to start looking for him. He just walked up to him when he was coming in his direction.

Xiao Ming stopped in his tracks, not quite sure what to make of this. He felt like he had made it pretty clear that he didn't want to have anything to do with these matters anymore and he had thought that Qian Huang and Ai Gui Jin had come to an understanding regarding that. So he really wasn't sure why Si Jin was now walking up to him.

Xiao Ming might not know what to say but Si Jin had already thought about his side of things. Thus, as soon as he stopped in front of him, he inclined his head in greeting. "I'm sorry. I didn't want you to be bothered. I've already taken care of it. You know already but I wanted to reassure you again in person."

He wasn't sure if Xiao Ming wanted to hear this from him personally and he knew that he didn't need to say it since Si Shi Wu had already taken care of it but he still wanted to.

This person, Si Er had only gotten involved because he was interested in him. As such, he owed him an explanation. For anybody else, it would have been enough to have Si Shi Wu give that explanation but not for Xiao Ming. When it came to him, he needed to put in the effort himself.

Xiao Ming was confused for a moment but then realized that this was precisely about the matter he had thought of. Realizing that, he couldn't help but give a faint smile. "Well, that was hardly your fault. It wasn't you who made the decision. Anyway, thank you for getting involved. I am afraid he wouldn't have stopped if you didn't ask him to. So thank you for that." He gave Si Jin a long look, once again noticing the rather blank expression on his face.

This was something that was obvious from the moment they had met. But after everything that Shi Ru Qiu had told him, he wasn't all that surprised. He started to understand why Nin Sha was like that. He also understood that he normally didn't talk much. So him coming here and giving him an explanation was probably something that had taken a lot out of him. Why wouldn't he be grateful for that?

Si Jin faintly nodded and then turned to look to the side from where Qian Huang and Li Shui were giving him strange looks. "I think you were looking for the other two. They're over there. Also, be careful regarding Fan Mei. She is still trying to make up some kind of conspiracy." He looked back to him and then turned around, walking away without another word.

Actually, he had wanted to say so much more. He had wanted to tell him that he understood that he needed to stay away for Xiao Ming's own benefit but that he wouldn't give up just because of that. He wanted to tell him in person that he loved him and that he wouldn't stop doing so.

But he knew that right now wasn't the right moment for that. He might not be that good in these things — whether it was knowing how to win somebody over, having a good date, or whatever else you needed to know to start a relationship and then keep it — but he wasn't an idiot. He was able to figure out that right now, love confessions really weren't a good idea.

At the very least, he couldn't do anything too obvious. That didn't mean that he couldn't still try to impress Xiao Ming. But he should impress him with his skills while on the show. So considering that the first task had gone rather well, he needed to keep up the good work for the second and third tasks.

By the time he made it into the next episode, there would already be much fewer people around. This meant that he would've gotten much closer to Xiao Ming as well and hold more of his attention. He just needed to keep that in mind. Every task he did well on was one task that would win him additional time with Xiao Ming even before he managed to win 'Golden Spoon'.

Xiao Ming watched him leave, not quite sure what to make of that. Finally, he just shook his head and walked over to Qian Huang and Li Shui who indeed stood where Si Jin had pointed him.

The two of them immediately raised their brows, pulling him closer.

"Alright, what did he want from you?"

Xiao Ming gave Qian Huang an annoyed look. "What kind of thing are you thinking of? He apologized again for that matter the other day."

Qian Huang heaved a sigh of relief, happy that this wasn't another one of Nin Sha's shenanigans in the hope of getting closer to Xiao Ming only for things to go horribly wrong. "Well, looks like he's learning."

Xiao Ming smiled faintly and then turned to Li Shui. "That aside, I was looking for you. Have you heard anything about filming over the break?"

Li Shui nodded, pointing at a camera over in the corner. "I can't say how much they'll use of that material but if they find something interesting, they are going to use it for sure."

At that, Qian Huang couldn't help but furrow his brows. "So, please tell me that you didn't stand close enough to the camera for them to catch that scene with Nin Sha just now."

Xiao Ming looked at him, not sure what to say. Actually, had they stood far enough away? Whether it was the judges or the contestants, they were all fitted with a microphone. So he really didn't think that they could ever be far enough away. He probably should've thought that.

Realizing this, he put a hand over his microphone and leaned closer to Qian Huang, lowering his voice. "I don't think we should talk about that anymore while we're here. Let's wait until this evening."

Qian Huang nodded and then motioned to where Mister Yu was talking to Ye Ping, and then over to Chu Yu An who seemed to be looking for someone. "Well, looks like the other two judges are using their break to have some fun and mingle. You should probably do too. Is there anything you need? Something to eat maybe?"

Xiao Ming shook his head at him. "Ah Huang, I just ate congee for three hours. It might have only been a bite each time, but after sixty-four congees, that also fills you up. I don't think I need to eat anything soon. Especially considering that we're going to start the next task in one hour. Actually, I hope I'll be able to still eat by then."

Qian Huang couldn't help but nod. "True as well. Well, then you'd better find something else to do. You can talk to the contestants but better stay away from Nin Sha and that Mister Shi or anyone else who has to do with them. I'll go and talk to that Miss Chu for a moment if you don't mind."

Xiao Ming raised his brows but then watched him leave before he turned to Li Shui. "Did he say why he wanted to talk to her?" This was actually a bit surprising. Qian Huang hadn't mentioned anything before today and they had known just who the first temporary judge would be.

Li Shui raised his brows and then glanced in the direction of the camera again before he shrugged. "Who knows? I've never really understood Qian Huang. Anyway, if you don't mind, then I'll go and find something to eat. I've been starving behind the scenes."

Xiao Ming laughed and then motioned over to one of the people from the team that was rushing about. "You know, you could probably ask if you could get some of the congee that the contestants made. Otherwise, they're only going to throw it out. That'd be a waste of a lot of good food."

Li Shui nodded and then immediately rushed over, clearly excited about the idea that he might also get a taste.

Clearly, the first task was a success for many different people. He could only hope that the second task would be similar. Especially since this was the one that he himself had come up with.