Chapter 643: Chapter 643: Neglected

Having found the table they were assigned to earlier, they went directly to it with Cindy Clarke and the others.

Their name tags were placed on the table, and all ten of them were conveniently sitting together.

It saved them from some awkward silence with strangers.

At this point, some leaders of the dinner’s organizers came over with a few well-known entrepreneurs and investors in the catering industry, introducing them to Parker Honi and others.

“You are all outstanding talents and rising stars!” one of them said.

“I can’t say I watch every episode of your live broadcast, but I’ve seen most of them. Sometimes I couldn’t watch the live broadcast due to some time constraints, and I ended up watching the replays instead,” another person said.

“Your cooking in the competition was truly amazing. It’s really admirable that such young people have such talent and strength.”

“Yes,” another person laughed, “if my son were as talented and capable as you guys, and could perform so well in the industry, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”

“Oh, Parker Honi, I remember I have a business partner who also has the last name Honi. His youngest son seems to be called Parker Honi, right? It’s such a unique name that I remember it quite clearly. Is that you?”

Parker Honi nodded and said, “If your partner is Kendrick Honi, and their family is in the livestock business, then that’s my family.”

“Hahaha! I talked to your dad about this before, and he mentioned that you were studying cooking. I thought that was quite a special ambition. I never expected you to be a student under Pingla Academy. That’s quite extraordinary.”

“Of course.” Parker Honi didn’t show any modesty, “When my dad told me to choose a major, he said it had to be related to our family business, even if it’s just a little bit related. I happened to be interested in cooking, and our family also deals with food, so I enrolled in Pingla Academy, which also has connections to our family.”

Another person recalled the last names of the others and asked, “Aiden Huxley, the Xenos family, is it the Huxley Foods that’s famous for its dumplings, glutinous rice balls, and instant bird’s nest?”

Aiden Huxley nodded and said, “Yes, that’s our family business.”

“Gladys Joy, with such a unique last name, could it be Joyful Delight Foods?”

Gladys Joy nodded and said, “You are right.”

With three of them having such special backgrounds, the others must be no exception.

So, they asked each of them in turn and found out that their families were all quite remarkable.

Some of the people who did not originally join the conversation came over after hearing this news.

It turns out that the people from Pingla Academy are not ordinary people, so it’s worth getting to know them.

And they could even collaborate with their respective family businesses.

Suddenly, Parker Honi and the others became the center of attention.

Many people started talking to them.

Quite a few of them indeed had potential for collaboration.

But since Parker Honi and the others were not focused on business, they didn’t know much about it, so they just muddled through the conversations.

At this time, someone noticed the unobtrusive Cindy Clarke, who was standing aside and hadn’t said anything. They asked, “This must be Cindy Clarke, right?”

The person recalled Cindy’s name and said, “Your performance was quite eye-catching.”

“Of course.” Parker Honi didn’t like to see people looking down on others, and he immediately answered on behalf of Cindy, “She’s my strongest competitor. I was very confident before entering the competition that I would be the undisputed winner.”

Parker’s words instantly drew eye rolls from Jasmine Hudson and others.

He really dared to say that!

Of course, he was indeed full of confidence, but the others did not think so.

Only Parker believed that he was invincible and could easily win the first place.

Others were also eager to compete, thinking they were on par with Parker.

Parker continued, “I didn’t expect to encounter Cindy in this major competition, she’s so strong. With her presence, I’m not sure I can secure the first place anymore.”

“This is really rare!” Daniel Vahn said, “It’s rare that you, Parker, have such self-awareness.”

Parker Honi snorted and said, “But I could still crush you easily.”

So, someone else looked at Cindy with a smile, “Miss Clarke, what about your family?”

Cindy Clarke smiled calmly and said, “My family is just an ordinary family. I am on my own in Belfard. When I saw the auditions for the Pingla Culinary Competition open to the public, I signed up to try.”

The crowd lost interest upon hearing that Cindy was just an ordinary person.

Someone still insisted and asked, “Aren’t you a student of Pingla Academy?”

This person obviously didn’t watch the competition; otherwise, they would have known Cindy.

Cindy smiled and said, “No, I am just an ordinary person.”

Upon hearing this, everyone completely lost interest in her.

But it was actually because of the comparison.

Initially, they thought the students from Pingla were just ordinary people, but when they asked around, they turned out to be quite special.

As a result, after asking a bunch of people and discovering that they all had notable backgrounds, it gave the illusion that Cindy Clarke would also have a special background.

But when they asked Cindy, she said she was just an ordinary person.

The contrast was too great, and people instantly lost interest in Cindy.

For a while, Cindy was left out, and everyone’s attention was on Parker Honi and the others, chatting with them about their families, parents, and company situations.

They asked about their cooking skills, professional matters, and so on.

All of them acted like amiable elders.

If it weren’t for the fact that they purposefully ignored Cindy, this scene would actually be quite heartwarming.

Perhaps it’s not deliberate neglect on their part, but more of an unconscious behavior due to their belief that there’s no need to befriend her. It might be because they are profit-oriented and shrewd as businessmen.

However, Cindy didn’t care about it at all. When those people didn’t pay attention to her, she just stood on the sidelines, feeling quite content on her own.

Finally, when everyone dispersed, only the ten contestants were left at the table.

Parker Honi let out a sigh of relief, “I don’t know how my dad and older brother can put up with this. They have to smile and say polite words all the time. It’s so tiring. It’s much better to just quietly cook.”

Aiden Huxley sneered, “Did you see anyone paying attention to us at the beginning when we were here? Wasn’t it because they heard that our family backgrounds are not ordinary that they came over? These people are very snobbish. It’s a pity they don’t know that the biggest background here is actually Cindy Clarke. If they knew she was (企业)wife’s assistant, they would have surrounded her, making it impossible for her to escape.”

Earlier, those people were busy talking to Parker Honi and the others but left Cindy Clarke out in the cold.