And so, the photo session became more and more lively.
It went from two people to four, then from four to eight.
SE Couture's designers worked overnight to produce sketches for Rona Muir and Sophie Mo to choose from.
This time, there were even more people endorsing!
Miss Mo, CEO of Danni Cosmetics, Young Lord Jing (UK), Second Son Hirayama (Japan), and the Chief Mr. Yin and Chief Mrs. Yin of the Yin Consortium.
This lineup for endorsements is just insane.
So, before SE's wedding dress series even debuted, it was already a hit.
The whole world was watching SE Couture's moves, and keeping an eye on the Yin Group's fashion designs too.
Once everything was happily decided, everyone went to their rooms to rest.
Sophie Mo called Jing Rong, using her "summoning spell" to get him over for the photo shoot.
The German photographer nearly choked on his beer when he heard his subjects had gone from two to four, then four to eight.
Since Xiao Wang was on vacation, Ben stuck with Cecilia the whole time.
Cecilia grinned and asked Ben, "Who do you think will win?"
Ben snorted, "Chief Mrs. Yin, the Yin Family doesn't lack cooks. To be the young lady of the Yin Family, you don't need to be a great chef."
And now... he wasn't getting a single cent!
Ben chuckled, "A lot of people have their priorities all wrong. Whoever figures it out first is the real winner."
The next day arrived.
When Cecilia Gu woke up, she saw all eight beauties had ditched their glamorous outfits for homewear and aprons, bustling around among the kitchen ingredients.
"Hey, isn't the competition starting at noon? Why so early?" Cecilia couldn't help but ask.
Ben replied, "There's always prep work before the contest! Plus, they're all bragging about their amazing talents, so of course they want a head start."
If you don't prepare ahead of time, it'll be embarrassing later.
Cecilia Gu couldn't help running out to watch the fun, and everyone greeted her politely.
Cecilia waved her hand, "I'm just here to take a look, you all go ahead and do your thing."
The contest venue was set up on an open field.
Eight tables were lined up in a row.
All kinds of kitchenware and stovetops were ready.
After each person finished their dish, they'd put it on the dining table in front of their station for the judges to taste.
The more Cecilia watched, the more fun it seemed.
Ben quickly had chairs brought over, and everyone sat in a fan-shaped circle, totally focused on the show.
Just their cooking skills alone would be enough to feed everyone in the villa!
Cecilia Gu wandered around, satisfied, then headed to the garden for some fresh air.
Since Xiao Wang was on vacation, Little B stuck with Cecilia the whole time.
Cecilia grinned and asked Little B, "Who do you think will win?"
Little B snorted, "Ma'am, the Yin Family doesn't lack cooks. To be the young lady of the Yin Family, you don't need to be a great chef."
"You really get it," Cecilia sighed. "Too bad so many people just can't see through it."
Little B chuckled, "A lot of people have their priorities all wrong. Whoever figures it out first is the real winner."
Cecilia glanced at the flowers in the garden, all neatly trimmed.
The cut flowers had all been collected for later use.
While everyone else was busy prepping for the competition, Cecilia lay comfortably on a hammock, soaking up the sun.
This early autumn breeze was so gentle and nice.
Just as Cecilia was about to doze off, someone came to tell her: the contest was officially starting!
Hearing it was finally beginning, Cecilia perked up, quickly sat up, and dashed over to watch the action.
As soon as Cecilia arrived, the contest really did start.
All eight beauties rolled up their sleeves and showed off their cooking skills to the fullest.
The crowd of onlookers kept growing.
Besides Cecilia, Rona Muir, Sophie Mo, and Jiro Hirayama, even the villa staff came over to watch.
Even the Head Chef couldn't help but come over.
Everyone gathered in a big circle.
Little B quickly had chairs brought over, and everyone sat in a fan-shaped circle, totally focused on the show.
They say beauty is food for the soul.
Watching beautiful women cook is a sight to behold!
All eight were lined up and busy—some chopping veggies, some gutting fish, some baking bread.
There were so many kitchen gadgets, they could use whatever they wanted!
Cecilia's gaze landed on the Russian beauty who had openly tried to win over James Jing.
Watching her skilled moves, Cecilia was sure she really could cook.
Then she looked at the Chinese-Korean beauty, who seemed just as good.
Cecilia turned to Sophie Mo and said, "Sophie, I remember your family has its own food brand—one of them is Korean cuisine. What do you think of her performance?"
Sophie Mo smiled softly and replied, "Are you asking whose style looks more legit? If we're just talking style, she's got it. But... I paid attention to her ingredients, and she's still missing something."
Cecilia instantly got it!
Okay, so beauty really should stay out of the kitchen!
Looking at the other beauties, each seemed to have her own strengths.
Looks like these girls really put in the time to practice their cooking skills just to marry into a wealthy family.
Cecilia focused her gaze on Lily Lee and Joy Chen.
Joy Chen was pretty well-qualified—not from a super rich family, but her background was decent.
A girl like her being skilled in cooking meant her family had trained her from a young age.
Looking at Lily Lee, her performance was more like someone who'd spent years in the kitchen.
No wonder—she had to take care of her sister with cerebral palsy, so she definitely wouldn't eat out much.
So it's only natural she'd develop great cooking skills.
"Cecilia, you seem to really like Lily Lee?" Rona Muir whispered.
Cecilia shook her head, "I just think her strong character would make her a great teacher for kids."