The judges took a few sips, then leaned in toward each other, whispering.
The mood tightened right away.
They clearly weren’t on the same page, and nobody seemed ready to back down.
Mr. Lu simply hit his light first and said coolly, “Since we all have our own opinions, just vote according to what you really think.”
Then he added, “But don’t do anything you can’t live with.”
Another judge pressed his light next, nodding. “Yeah, the soup’s genuinely good. I’m into it.”
The two judges beside them were still murmuring to each other, stalling and refusing to make a call.
So the host turned to Sophia Lee, and the cameraman zoomed in on her.
Only after she confirmed the camera was on her did Sophia pick up the mic. She tossed out a whole string of technical jargon—obviou
