"Your heighness is wise, thanks to your advice... the Imperial Medical Academy has cured the plauge ravaging the land." - Doctor

"I did what now?" - Prince

"Your heighness is strong, the demonstration of your martial arts has convined the enemy nation to retreat" - General

"My butt was just itchy, how does scratching it without using my hands count as martial arts?" - Prince

"Your heighness is kind, the foreign princess with godly beauty was moved by you saving her life and hopes to be your empress" - Eunuch

"What princess? All I did was give some fried chicken to some homeless vagrant woman" - Prince

The entire world is on the hunt for one great chicken!  

The Celestial Emperor has issued an arrest warrant for the same great chicken! A bounty of 100 billion Celestial Jades!

The Three Realms are in chaos due to the great chicken!

"Great Chicken, just surrender! Have faith in us! We love you!"

"Great Chicken, don't run away! You belong to my stomach!"

The poor chicken is afraid of the world as everyone in it "loves fried chicken!".

(On Hiatus)

Zhang Zian had been immune to their crazy teenager thoughts. "Well, you guys would stay in your dorms and play online games anyways. Why not use that time to do something that is, in fact, meaningful? Here is my offer: you have to work two hours a day. One hour at noon and one hour at night. Your major responsibility is to clean, do odds and ends, and run errands for me. The hourly wage is 50 Yuan an hour and you can also eat two meals with me. That’s all for now. We can discuss further in the future. Who is interested?" 
100 Yuan and two meals a day?! Sounds like a good deal! They could make 3000 Yuan a month by only working two hours a day. That was almost as much as what people made working full time. Who would reject such an attractive offer? Like Zhang Zian said, if they stayed at their dorms, all they did all day was play online games and talk on the BBS. 
Li Kun elbowed Wang Qian, meaning, "Look, great achievements begin with basic training. We will get Master’s attention if we continue working hard. This is a trick!"
The two immediately said, "We both will come, with or without pay."
The store had been getting busy. Zhang Zian could no longer handle it on his own. 
Cats were fine. Although Fina had been a great help keeping the cats calm, someone still needed to change the litter. There were less dogs than cats, but they required more attention.  
When there was only one person in the store, he could not even get out of the store to get some food. Also, he came up with the membership system today. He was obligated to research and develop the system. It was time to get some extra help; however, it happened much sooner than he had anticipated. 
Through getting along with Wang Qian and Li Kun these days, he found that although they were crazy at times, they were reliable, kind people. They also had pets at home, so they could work with pets. It was not a highly skillful job, but the job required dealing with cat and dog waste, so he offered a good wage.
Zhang Zian asked them to go home and think over the offer. If they were willing to accept, they could come the next day at noon and in the evening. In that case, their job would not interfere with school work. Even though they claimed that no further consideration was needed, Zhang Zian kicked them out anyways. 
It was a shame that the cashier desk was not really helpful. His parents were old-fashioned and had been writing down all transactions by hand. There wasn’t even a computer in the store. Therefore, if he wanted to start the membership system, he would need a computer, or at least a desktop. 
Zhang Zian checked the price on his cell phone. Desktops were fairly reasonable. However, the membership system seemed quite complicated. There were so many versions. He was completely lost on which one was the best fit. It would not be fun to find out the system didn’t work after installation. 
At this time, a notification popped up on his cell phone. 
[Game Tips]:The Maneki-neko’s friendliness increased to friendly. She could go out with player. Congratulations! Keep up the good work! Continuous improvement on the pet’s friendliness will further release the pet’s capability. 
Zhang Zian was speechless. 
Seriously? This had to be a trick. Normally, the improvement on friendliness would be harder and harder. How many diamonds would it take to fully release Fina’s friendliness? It is going to be an endless investment. 
He was thinking about the setting of the game. All of a sudden, a golden light flashed in front of his eyes. Fina jumped from her princess bed to the recliner. 
"Zhang Zian, I am hungry," she stared at him and said. 
"Okay, Madam. I am going to cook," Zhang Zian stood up from the recliner. Haixing came down from upstairs and was playing hide and seek with the kittens. 
This was the first time she called his name. Although it sounded blunt, it was much better than before. She had never even called his name before. Maybe this was a sign of improvement of friendliness? 
He went upstairs and got in his bedroom. Aunt Liu’s American shorthair meowed as she walked up to him asking for food. Since he had been adding chicken and fish in addition to her normal cat food, she recovered quickly. Her leg got much better these days.  
"Okay, okay. I am going to cook now." He lightly flicked his fingers on her head. 
He planned to make a pumpkin, carrot and chicken stir fry, heat up the chicken liver and heart that he cooked before, and make a seaweed and egg soup with some dry shrimp. Both cats and humans could eat it. Although it was going to be a bit too light for humans, he would just eat it because he didn’t want to cook two separate meals. He wasn’t a good cook anyways. As long as the food was cooked, it would be served. 
My Lord, please give me a girlfriend, someone who can cook!
His cell phone rang. He was hoping that it was a game tip that said a girlfriend was waiting for you. To his disappointment, it was a message from Xiao Yan. 
"Mr. Manager, I am not sure what kind of membership system you are going to use. If you need help you can let me know. The system I use is pretty good. You are welcome to take a look."
He responded immediately, "That’s great. Where is it?"
Xiao Yan sent him an address. Zhang Zian found out that it was a beauty salon called Glamour.
"Okay. I will come over in a day or two," he replied. 
He put his laptop in the kitchen and watched a movie as he cooked. 
It was an old movie from 1963 called Cleopatra by Elizabeth Taylor. He remembered seeing it on the Movie Channel. He forgot most of the story, but only remembered the fascinating setup and Taylor’s beautiful bathing scene.   
The movie was four hours long. It was a great movie with lots of famous stars and extraordinary scenery. It was the best of the best. In his opinion, the movie still lived up to today’s standards. 
After cooking, eating and resting, his whole afternoon was contributed to that movie. He paused the movie when customers stopped by and continued after they left. 
In the first 10 minutes of the movie, Cleopatra’s brother and rival Ptolemy XIII was holding a cat which looked like a pure white Persian cat. 
The movie didn’t show Cleopatra holding a cat; however, in the beginning of the second half, there were two variations of cat sculptures on her chair, one on each side. In the meantime, the Goddess alligators and coyotes were carved on the deck. All in all, cats were highly appreciated and had an extremely high social status at that time. 
The Chinese Emperors used dragons on their chairs. Egyptian Pharaohs used cats on theirs. It was not difficult to tell that they honored cats. 
At some point, Fina came to Zhang Zian quietly and watched the movie with him where current actors and actresses were trying to present a story that happened over 2000 years ago. Zhang Zian was anxious. He knew the movie to Fina was like Chinese people watching a Kung Fu movie performed by Caucasians. It had to be ridiculous to her. 
It turned dark when the movie ended. 
Fina jumped back to her princess bed, only leaving one simple comment: "That lady was ugly."


1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

*previously**

I could see the goosebumps erupting from her body and her nipple hardened which made me groan. "It's so good to watch you knowing I make this" I pointed to her nipple "happen to you" I gave her a quick peck on her cheeks before holding out my hands. I cleared my throat to bring her out of her thoughts and she slowly took my hand. I led her to the car and we went to get lunch.


*Now**

Anna's POV... 


He pulled up in the parking lot of a really expensive Chinese restaurant. In front of the restaurant was an inscription written in Chinese that I couldn't make out. As we stepped in, we were ushered to a VIP section where a waiteress came and took our orders. I ordered a Kung Pao Chicken–not sure what that means– and Ben ordered Chow Mein. We chatted for a while before our meals were brought. 


In front of me was a dish with diced chicken, dried chili, and fried peanuts...and I think it's covered with cornstarch and vegetables?

"Wow! I have no idea what this is." 

"I don't know either. I haven't been here but I heard they serve really great meal." 

"Hmm.. it's delicious. Try it" I said handing out a piece of sliced chicken to him. 

"Wow" 

"I know right. The fried peanuts killed it. You're gonna have to get me more of this" I said with my mouth full. 

"You look so cute when you eat like a pig. No offense though." 

"No offense is taken. Everyone say that I eat like a pig and I'm cool with it." 

"You're so natural. I love you Kitten" I blushed at his lustful gaze. 

"I love you too." 
"Are you gonna finish that?" I asked after a few minutes when I was done with mine. 

"Wow! Is it the baby or you eat real fast and consume much?" 

"Probably both. So will you finish that?" 

"Nope. Have it." 

"Yes!" I dug in right away using chopstick. I laughed at how difficult it was for me using it and I kept it aside and dug in using my bare hands "hmm... much better." He chuckled at my childish behavior but didn't make a comment. There was a comfortable silence between us. "I'm done. Okay that didn't fill quarter of my stomach but I'm gonna manage that." I said as I cleaned my hands and mouth. 

"You're so adorable" he said and I flushed. He cleared his throat before continuing "Your family will be coming over for dinner and we'll discuss the wedding arrangements then since their flight will be leaving tomorrow." 

"Great! That's great. I miss them already." 

"Your parents are really nice. Do you know that?" 

"They're my parents. Why wouldn't I know? But they can be embarrassing sometimes."  


"I know right? There was this one day when my brother got into some serious trouble at school and I had to take the blame for him because he would've been expelled. My mom came to the school and literally pulled our ears to the car. So many students were in the hallway at that time. It was so embarrassing" he said with a smile as his reminisced the past. He cleared his throat before continuing "I miss them alot" his voice cracked in the end and I know he was fighting the urge to cry. 

I held his hands in mine "Look at me. Ben look at me" he reluctantly rose his head up and his eyes were red and tears were threatening to spill. I felt a part of my heart shatter just by seeing at how sad he looks "Don't hide your feelings. Express them when the need be." I slowly stood up from my chair and walked towards him. I leaned down and pulled his head against my chest and I felt his body convulsing and radiating heat. 


This is one of those times I honestly wish I knew what to do when someone needs comfort. I just let him cry on me "They were good to everyone. If only they were alive to see me get married. If only they were alive to watch their grandchild grow. If only they never had to leave.  I miss them everyday." I didn't know what to say so I pulled him in tighter and rubbed small circles on his lower back. We stayed like that until his breathes were even and he slowly pulled away from me.

"Thank you" 

"Ssh... It's nothing" I said with a whisper as I wiped off the tears off his face. He looked so... vulnerable. I leaned down and kissed his cheek. He held my hand and yanked me to his lap as I tried going over to my seat. 

He leaned his forehead against mine before whispering "I love you Kitten. I love you so much" 

"I love you too babe" he smiled and pulled me into a tight embrace. 


                 ————DINNER————


Anna's POV... 


After my lunch date with Ben, I fell asleep on our way home. Way to go for my large appetite. After what seemed like hours, I was woken up by someone jumping on my bed. I groaned loudly "ISABELLA CHRIS! GET OFF MY BED RIGHT THIS MINUTE" I groaned loudly before throwing my pillow at her. 

"Ouch.  What was that for?" 

"Disturbing my beauty sleep. Now get off my bed. I need to sleep" 

"Nope. You need to get up and get ready for dinner. Everyone is waiting for you".

 I groaned again as she pulled me out of my comforting bed and into the closet. "Just look for something simple that I can wear" 

"Woah! Are all these for you?" 

"Hmm" I replied sleepily. 

"Oh em gee! This is like Aunt Sophie's boutique" 

"Yeah yeah. Just find me something to wear. I'm exhausted." 

"Wear this" she held out a simple polka-dot playsuit. 
"Hmm, give me" I changed out of Ben's oversized T-shirt–which I don't know how they got into my body–into the playsuit then I slipped my feet into my fluffy Mickey Mouse slippers and we both headed downstairs. 


"Big sister, very soon you'll be too big to wear any of those clothes there, so can you please give me some?" 

"No" 

"Pretty please" she said giving me her best puppy dog eyes that I can't resist. 

"Ugh... fine.  I'll give you some and we'll go shopping tomorrow before you guys leave. Is that okay?" 

"Yes yes! It's perfect". She was now jumping up and down the stairs. 

"Careful you might fall down" I say as she skipped a step and nearly fell if not for the rail. We both burst out laughing. Damn I missed this girl. 

"Hey mom... dad" I say as I walked up to them and kissed their cheeks while hugging them. 

"Bella dear, how are you doing?"  

"I'm fine" 

"How's my grandchild?" 

"Fine also but makes me eat like a 'bigger pig'." And everyone started laughing. "Where's Ms Williams?" I asked Ben just in time as she walked into the dining room rolling a cart consisting of various dishes. I helped her in setting the table. We all sat down and my dad prayed before we started eating. *My family is very religious* After dinner everyone was in the living room except Ms Williams, Isabella and I who were washing the dishes. Ms Williams refused but I didn't agree with her because I want her to be involved in our family discussion. 


                   **LIVING ROOM**

We were all seated in the living room with a glass of wine in everybody's hands except for Isabella and I who took fruit juice instead. "I prefer next month May 22nd rather than next two months. At least I won't be showing in the wedding gown." 

"Yes that's true honey. She won't be showing by next month since she will be a month and 2 weeks." After much consideration, we finally agreed on May 22nd, 2014. We hanged out and chatted for hours. My parents getting to know more about Ms Williams and Ben, me being filled up with what had happened since I left home blablabla.

Anna is a fat girl who got tired of being mocked by the public as a result of her size and appearance. She did a plastic surgery and soon became the envy of all men and women in H city. At daytime she works at Ben's corporation but at night she's a waitress in ABC club. Her new appearance cause her a promotion in the club thus being the anonymous stripper. What happens when her boss pays much to have a one-night stand with her?

Superintendent Ouyang was being obviously biased. She was even telling general surgery director Zhao Quanping to send a second-highest level certification doctor over to help the enemy. Zhao Quanping was so angry that even his heart hurt, but what could he do?
There was nothing that he could do. No ordinary surgery would be too difficult for Zhang Fan. Although Zhang Fan hadn't shown off any major general surgeries yet, the fact that he could perform liver tumor removal surgery at a level where even the general surgery director of Raptor City's Dee University Affiliated Hospital wanted to come learn from him, it was likely that Zhang Fan would also be skilled at the major and difficult general surgeries.
As Zhao Quanping walked back to his own director's office, he mulled over the superintendent's words. He calmed down and felt that she was actually correct. The doctors in the general surgery department were far too complacent. It was about time to make them feel a sense of loss.
All of the doctors and nurses in the proctology department were quite happy with all of their newfound work. Only by having patients would the medical staff have more bonuses. Who wouldn't want more bonus money? The head nurse seemed like she was on fire every day at work as she said in rapid succession things like: "Who's in charge of patient #17? He's smoking in his room! The doctor in charge needs to go scold him. Patient #33 is about to be discharged. Hurry and clean things up. We need to make room for the next patient." This was all because she was so energized. The head nurse's energy state would be representative of the other nurses' motivation and energy. With how things were, everyone in the proctology department would earn significantly increased income.
Although everyone was really fatigued at the end of each day, they were still really happy. Nobody liked to work in a department that the entire hospital looked down on. People would want face.
Zhang Fan's status was imperceptibly and slowly rising. Before, when most doctors from other departments saw Zhang Fan, the younger doctors would address him as Doctor Zhang, while the older doctors would simply nod. Also, few of the staff in the medical laboratory departments would recognize Zhang Fan.
But now, so many people would address him as Director Zhang. Respect came from power. This saying was absolutely correct! Before, Zhang Fan would always get embarrassed whenever others praised him. Zhang Fan would even explain to the other party that he was unworthy of such praise. Actually, others were simply praising him out of politeness, so Zhang Fan's explanation was going rather overboard. But now, Zhang Fan was getting older and becoming more experienced in dealing with Chinese society.
He would nod when it was necessary, he would speak when it was necessary, and he would stand and chat with someone when it was necessary. Maybe he was maturing! If you didn't mature and understand how Chinese society worked, things would only become harder and more uncomfortable for you since everyone here was a part of Chinese society. Maturing and understanding how Chinese society worked would help everyone save time!
Zhang Fan's parents finally returned from their Beijing vacation. They immediately cooked a meal of barbequed meat the moment that they returned home. They were both starving due to eating mostly only coarse rice over the past week. Zhang Fan's mother was someone who usually could only eat a small bowl of beef noodles, but she was eating three large bowls of nothing but coarse rice over the past few days!
"I almost starved to death!" Zhang Fan's father commented to his relatives. Zhang Fan's uncle had also been preparing to go visit Beijing through the travel agency. Beijing was filled with smog, and locals there looked down on outsiders. However, Chinese people would still have special feelings for Beijing as it was the capital. This was even more so for people of Zhang Fan's parents' generation.
A Chinese person could curse Shanghai or Hong Kong or Taiwan, but no Chinese person would be allowed to curse Beijing. Otherwise, older people would likely start an argument with you. Although the older people had all gone through the same generational events, Beijing's importance had been imprinted on them during their youth.
"It's not that serious, is it? Could it be that you couldn't even eat anything?" Zhang Fan's uncle remarked in astonishment.
"While they did provide us with three meals per day, breakfast was nothing more than porridge with plain buns and pickled vegetables. For lunch, more than 10 of us would be seated at a single table that had only four dishes which were each the size of my hand. How much food do you think those dishes could contain? During the last few days, my wife would eat three large bowls of nothing but rice at each meal. Moreover, it was the coarsest type of rice. You think we starved or not? So, you absolutely mustn't sign up with this travel agency," Zhang Fan's father told him while enjoying a large bite of fatty meat.
Zhang Fan's father then said, "Look, this is a waistband we purchased which cost us more than 3,000 yuan. We used it for only three days so far, but you see, this waistband is already falling apart. They're such a group of scammers. Yesterday, I brought this waistband over to the travel agency. Guess what they told me? They said that the waistband sellers are unaffiliated with their company, so if we want a refund, we would have to go back to Beijing and find them ourselves! Sigh, we really were scammed big time!"
Human nature really wasn't that good. Many elderly people from this neighborhood had gone on the same vacation with the same travel agency already. However, why were there still so many who were getting scammed? One reason was because this travel agency really did have many shills working for them. The other reason was because the scammed were feeling jealous. "Since I've already been scammed, it's not fair that you weren't scammed yet! I won't tell you anything!" They would think in such a manner.
Additionally, most people here in Zhang Fan's parents' neighborhood were already retired. They would have only a meager pension while maybe also working part-time for a little extra money. But now, Zhang Fan's family had even opened up a little store, as well as purchased a new apartment in the central part of town. Others were jealous of their newfound wealth!
Zhang Fan's parents had originally been slightly unwilling to give up on their old neighborhood until now. They finally made the decision to sell their old apartment here after New Year's. That was because it wasn't only their family that got scammed. Almost every single elderly person in this neighborhood had fallen for the exact same scam! The people in this neighborhood were the classical type where the poorer they were, the more they would want to make others even poorer than them!
Still, Zhang Fan's parents didn't mention anything about this to him. They felt that it had to be difficult already for their son to be out all alone in a different province. Not only that, his job was important for saving lives. Thus, Zhang Fan's mother would always only say that she was doing well and eating well and having fun every time that Zhang Fan called her. Basically, nothing at all was wrong with her life according to herself! She would never mention how starving she had been on the Beijing trip. This was simply how his parents were! They were the type who would only report about good news, and never trouble their precious son unless it was really necessary!
Since Shao Hua was currently in Thailand together with Jingshu, Zhang Fan would either go work at another hospital after his work shift or come right back home after work and study. He would split his studying by reading medical textbooks for one hour before switching to studying English for one hour by memorizing vocabulary, reading English medical articles, and learning English grammar.
Zhang Fan would seem to be as unmoving as a statue when he was reading medical textbooks. At most, he would occasionally flip a page as he read the medical textbook and combined the knowledge within with his work experience. He found it quite fun to ponder difficult medical problems.
However, Zhang Fan would seem like a monkey in a zoo when it was his time to study English. He would constantly scratch his head or touch his face in between flipping pages. He would also constantly check the English textbook to see how many pages were still remaining. He found English to be truly difficult. It was common for one word to have many different meanings at different times, which seemed really ridiculous to him. There was also grammar such as past tense or past participle which didn't exist in Chinese. English grammar really gave Zhang Fan such a headache. However, he still had to learn English. No matter if he had to crawl or kneel, the mountain known as English was one he absolutely had to climb. Otherwise, his medical skills would forever be limited. The Chinese medical field simply wasn't as well developed or skilled as foreign medical fields!
Zhang Fan felt a significant amount of pressure from the English he was learning, even though he didn't need to take any tests or use any English during his normal work. Zhang Fan's current level of English would be more than enough for any regular doctor. In fact, his current English level could already be considered outstanding here in the border province.
However, Zhang Fan had become far more ambitious due to receiving his System. He wanted to go see what world-class medical treatment was like. He also wanted to stand at the very peak of the medical world and compete with top-level medical professionals.
Zhang Fan wanted even more to research all sorts of illnesses that were still major problems for humanity. Not only would he have to open up more courses in his System for this, he would also have to absorb more professional medical knowledge. How was he supposed to do this? He would first have to conquer the tremendous mountain known as English. English would be his greatest tool and weapon. How was he supposed to conquer anything without any tools or weapons?
"Zhang Fan, you should take a rest. Look at you, you've been studying for several hours already. I purchased a small melon for you that I just washed. You need to eat more fruits and drink more water. Also, have some chicken soup in a bit. Shao Hua's cousin just brought over a chicken. I broiled it for an entire day with some root of hairy asiabell. It should taste pretty good."
Although Shao Hua wasn't home right now, her parents were really satisfied with how Zhang Fan would immediately come home after work and start studying after he ate dinner. This meant that Zhang Fan was treating this place as his own home as well!


One day, Zhang Fan, a poor medical student, receives a medical system from the future. This turns him into a new shining star in the medical field. Along the way, he must face medical corruption, competition, and infighting from other doctors, and even find time for a love life as he strives for the top of the medical field!

Eh.
After eating a large plate of delicious food clean, round-faced girl discovered that the troublemakers had left.
She glared her round eyes and said, "Those hooligans just left?"
"What are they going to do if they don't leave?" Xia Yu was also full. Although his boeuf bourguignon passed the evaluation of 60 points in the system, he had a good time.
This was also the first western dish he cooked after he came to this world.
The research experience of the previous life combined with the hands-on ability to hold a knife when he was 3 years old. The originally impetuous heart suddenly settled down, and there was a kind of emotion called a sense of stability. 
"Don't they want to blackmail?" The round face girl was surprised.
"After eating my food, if they have a little IQ, they will go back." Xia Yu shrugged. "Otherwise, if I call the Food Association, they are the unlucky ones."
They used pure Mandarin to communicate, and when she heard about the Nihon Food Association, she had no surprise. Her taut face nodded seriously.
"Are you Chinese?" the goddess girl asked.
"Yes, Chinese. Although my primary school, middle school and the coming high school are in Nihon, I'm really a Chinese. There's no need to question it. Just listen to my standard Mandarin!" Xia Yu said with a smile.
"Waiter, check please."
Xia Yu was full and planned to go back to the shop early to continue his studies. Xia Yu beckoned to a waitress. The waitress immediately came over and bowed with respect. "Guest, Mrs. Kasumigaoka has ordered us. Your table is free."
"Mrs. Kasumigaoka?"
Xia Yu was surprised and looked up at the restaurant. He found that there was a housewife standing at the cash register. Looking at her back, she had a graceful posture with the unique charm of a mature woman.
After the waiter explained, Xia Yu suddenly realized.
It turned out that Head Chef Kasumigaoka was the owner of this Starlight Revolving Western Restaurant. He served as the head chef, and even bought the multi-storey building on the shopping street and the shop floor. It seemed he was very rich.
"Thank you."
Soon, Mrs. Kasumigaoka stood in front of Xia Yu and bowed to him. Her dignified and beautiful face was filled with helplessness.
"Although my husband used to be a student of Togetsu, Starlight Revolving Western Restaurant is his first food-related industry. At the same time, it is also his first time being the restaurant's head chef. Prior to this, his cooking had been abandoned for twenty years..."
"Okay..."
Xia Yu was relieved.
No wonder Chef Kasumigaoka was stumped by several food gangsters and almost lost his mind. It turned out that he was not experienced
However, investing in a restaurant and being a chef himself meant that Kasumigaoka had never forgotten about cooking. It could be said he was a head chef with dream. After all, it has been 20 years since he dropped out of school in Togetsu, and the cooking skills of Kasumigaoka had not fallen. Instead, it had risen from a student level and initially had the level of a master chef. This was the most valuable part.
Dropping out of school in Togetsu, many were very likely to be eliminated in a brutal competition. Some people were so weak that they gave up being professional chefs. But some people like Kasumigaoka, even though he was a successful person, did not give up cooking.
Talent? Xia Yu scoffed at this statement.
Most people had not reached the point where they had to compete with talents. 
Effort and perseverance were the basic qualities of a chef.
No matter what, Xia Yu though highly of Kasumigaoka.
…
Xia Yu left the Starlight Revolving Western Restaurant in the grateful eyes of the Kasumigaoka couple and a group of chefs and waiters.
Xia Yu got a lifetime free card for the restaurant, and at the same time, there were two more followers with him.
"Why are you following me?"
Putting the card in his pocket, Xia Yu put his hands in his pockets and glanced silently at the two Chinese ladies.
"We need a gourmet guide, so please take us!" The round-faced young lady smiled and said, "How about 10,000 yen per day?" 
Xia Yu looked at them like he was looking at fools and said, "This young lady, are you coaxing me because I'm young?"
"Ten thousand yen, even if you work for eight hours, it's 1,250 yen per hour. You don't know, but some time ago, low-income earners in Tokyo just went out on the street, asking for the minimum wage of 1,500 yen per hour…"
The girl with a round face blushed.
"Besides, with how tired the tour guide is, my family also has its own shop. If I go out to work as a child laborer, the old man will tear me apart." Xia Yu's mouth twitched.
"Small shop? What shop?"
"Chinese restaurant..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Yu stopped talking and regretted it.
As expected, the young lady with the round face immediately exclaimed, "Chinese restaurant? Is it delicious? I'm not full in the Western restaurant. Hurry and take us to..."
"How much can you eat!"
So, when he returned to his shop, there were two more Chinese female guests. He hadn't greeted a regular Chinese diner for a long time.
The old man rested in the backyard and did not appear. Xia Yu went into the back kitchen and changed into clean cook clothes. Standing behind the counter, he pointed to the wooden sign hanging on the left wall of the storefront. "The menu and the price are written on it. Take a look first."
"It looks shabby outside, but it's antique inside. I'm looking forward to the food here!" Miss Round Face whispered and dragged her girlfriend to the left wall.
A two-finger wide wooden sign with the name of the dish was written using a traditional brush and the price was on the bottom.
Today's meals:
"Sichuan cuisine-boiled fish, beef lungs in chili sauce, kung pao chicken."
"Cantonese cuisine-stewed pork with taro, stewed sirloin with radish, fried hibiscus egg."
"Lu cuisine-braised intestines in brown sauce, steamed tofu stuffed with vegetables, sweet and sour pork."
"Su cuisine-braised dongpo pork, Yangzhou fried rice, squirrel-shipped bass." 
…
Looking at the name of the dishes, they were all very traditional Chinese cuisines. However, after looking at the price under each dish, the two female tourists opened their eyes and rubbed their eyes, thinking that they saw wrong.
Boiled fish, 4000 yen.
Stewed pork with taro, 3500 yen.
Braised dongpo pork, 3500 yen.
Roughly looking down, the round-faced female tourist took a cold breath and said, "The cheapest is the Yangzhou fried rice, and it actually costs 3000 yen... Daylight robbery!"
The current Chinese yuan to yen was 1,000 yen for roughly 60 yuan. The fried rice was 3000 yen. That was 180 yuan!
Comparing the price level in Tokyo, people at the bottom of society in Nihon usually ate a set meal that cost 400-800 yen, which was more than 20 to 50 yuan.
Therefore, ordering a small dish or fried rice in Xia's Chinese restaurant was worth the food of a normal person's entire day. This price could only be said to be very expensive!
"Do you still want to eat?" Xia Yu stood behind the counter; his arms folded. He shrugged his shoulders. He had expected the reaction of the two Chinese ladies.
To be honest, he and his grandfather were so good at cooking. The small restaurant should not be so desolate.
The reason was the price!
Xia Yu asked the old man more than once about the shop's black price, but the old man's response was all a faint 'huh'. What else could he say? 
But he had a good time because there were few guests.


Xia Yu made a wish to eat until he vomited. And this particular wish brought him to a completely strange spirit world which was full of cuisines.
What, Chef God System?
"You need to not only satisfy normal people's appetite but also all kinds of devils and ghosts. Use your food to move them!" the old man said to him coolly.
So, Xia Yu would never stop running on the road of becoming a Chef God.
 

The next morning we brought the desserts with us and some heavy meals, we will be journeying towards the mountains to purchase farming lands suitable for planting crops. The more abandoned the farm the higher its fertility rate. I also want to have a poultry for chicken, and livestock animals. It will be better for my restaurant to have the ingredients provided by me so we can save. 

With the rising market price for the vegetables and meat products, it is likely expected that the demand for the supply is good. I will construct a bigger project in the capital which will be a public market. The people who can buy there will need membership cards so no one will create a fuss or try to create a ruckus that will disturb the buyers. The cards will be designed depending on the average amount that a person or a family can purchase. 

"The mountains are beautiful, whaaaa Zeze I wanna visit this place again when you start with your second business!"

Roushi stared fondly at the window. The air is fresh and the weather isn't warm even if it's a sunny day. Weishen became a glutton just like Roushi so she likely consumed the food on the table while watching the fields that Roushi admired. I am helpless, next time I will bring lots of food with me. 

It did not take long before we arrived at a lesser residential area. This place is governed likely by the left prime minister. When I asked my father about it he said I need to bring more guards with me and use his carriage. I agreed because I don't know what type of dangers we will face on the way. Thankfully we arrived safely at the destination. 

My father told the left prime minister Li Ruixeng that we are arriving to purchase a land. My father also said that I just need to choose and the ownership processes will be handled by butler Sheng. It saved me a lot of trouble. 

"Young miss we have arrived" the coachman announced 

"Are both of your butts aching?"

"Zeze I wanna ride a horse or something rough!"

"Try a witch's broomstick that's hard enough, it might work good for you"

Weishen chuckled 

"Shen'er it's time for you to learn horseback riding, let step out"

Thankfully my idea of wearing female traditional clothes are good. It has a hood and the lower part is pants. It won't be hard to ride a horse. It's so cool! I only admired Chinese movies where female characters wear traditional martial arts outfits. And now that I'm wearing them I feel like a martial arts master. 

"Han Wan go and retrieve some horses, we likely want to ride horses and enjoy the sunny weather."

Han Yuomei opened an umbrella so we kindly shared. We waited long enough for Han Wan to come back with three horses. I smiled. 

"Ruru you know how to ride a horse right?"

"That's my favorite sport" she winked and chose a horse to ride on

"Shen'er let me give you pointers for riding a horse."

She was a legendary figure, a genius neurosurgeon, a renowned lawyer and one of pillars of wildlife conservation. Her brainpower was too horrifying that the government saw her as an imposing threat to their jurisdiction. One day Feng Jiang Lei was sent to work for diplomatic relations with the terrorists and deal with the aftermath of risking her life to fulfill her duty. It could have been successful, but she was assassinated and died by the hands of her childhood best friend. Remembering that no matter how important a person is to you, there will come a time that love will abandon and betray you.

He was the son of an affluent technological expert, a professor from Harvard University and the heir to AdTech-Space Developers Corporation. Professor Qin Xue Rong spearheaded the expedition to Jupiter and ventured the lands of the unknown yet one night the great red spot appeared without warnings, thus putting everyone at risk. He could have saved his life, but he sacrificed his own to save his people and send them back to earthly safely. He was then sucked by the storm, bringing with him was a 17-Petaflop Titan Supercomputer and Valkyria the most advanced space humanoid robot.

But the gods seemed to have different plans. Two lost souls with untimely death were fated to meet in the era of the past and change the mistakes of the history. One became the wicked and outrageous miss who was banished to the mountains as the star of destruction. While the other was the fool who was stripped from his noble title and left to rot in the forest. Despised and plotted against, will they survive the test of time?

"What are you inventing hubby?" she asked

"A cultivation booster for my wifey!" he answered

"Will we get richer?" she asked again

"Indeed the richest!" he answered and kissed her forehead gently.

Thailand was a country that was more popular with Westerners just like Japan. Chinese food was popular as well, but due to there being any overseas Chinese people, their food was very much localized. But in contrast, Japanese and Thai food still kept their original colors.

So in America and Europe, many considered Thai food as a refined cuisine.

Pattaya. That was the region they landed at. It was also the most popular tourist destination next to Bangkok. His heart filled with excitement. Just the thought of the emerald green ocean and the street stalls along the streets made him smile.

But by the time they were ready to leave the airport, their hearts grew cold. Martin spoke to them with a questionable face, "I have a mission for you."

"… A mission?"

"Oh, no need to be scared. All you have to do is taste food as usual. Since we came to Thailand, we should fill our bellies. We will also provide you with unlimited funding."

This made them feel even more anxious. Emily glared her eyes and asked, "And?"

"Yes. There's a reason why I'm being so considerate. You have to complete the mission."

"… What's the mission?"

"You don't have to take it so seriously. The mission isn't all that difficult either. Every time you order a dish, you'll collect points. And with every point, you'll get a hint."

"What hint?"

"The location where the next cast is."

That was when Cho Min Joon exclaimed in understanding. That was what Martin said last time as well. That Anderson and Rachel weren't the final cast members. Martin continued in a calm voice, "The two cast members are waiting for you, and you'll be split up into teams."

"Do we have to find one person each?"

"Yes. If you're quick to catch on, you might get an important hint after just one dish and complete the mission, and there's one more thing you need to know."

Martin paused for a moment. By the time their eyes became impatient, he opened his mouth.

"The first team to bring back a cast member will spend the night in the most expensive penthouse in Pattaya, and the losing team will just stay at an average hotel."

Emily's eyes flashed. She was from a wealthy family, but that was how she knew the true worth of Martin's prize. She quickly asked, "How do we decide the teams?"

"I wish I could leave it up to you… But unfortunately, each of the cast members knows two of you. Emily, and Rachel, you can't be on the same team."


"… Are you saying they know both of us?"

"No. One person is your friend and one person is Emily's friend, so you have to find your own friends."

Rachel didn't answer. She didn't like that this person was a friend. After her husband died, she didn't meet up with anybody for 10 years, so she wasn't keen on meeting anybody. That was when she remembered the conversation she shared with Douglas.

'Are you thinking of replacing Douglas with him?'

What did she answer in response? As she had such thoughts, Rachel turned her head to the eyes that were on her. Anderson tried not to show it, but he kept glancing at her. Rachel smiled bitterly. She simply made him a few dishes when he was little, but Anderson seemed to have been very touched by it.

Of course, she didn't hate Anderson's attitude. Who could hate someone who looked up to them and liked them? She even felt sorry. Compared to how much Anderson cared about her, she cared too much about Cho Min Joon.

"I'll work with Anderson."

In response, Anderson looked blank from the surprise but then flashed a smile. Martin smirked at Anderson's response and then asked Emily, "Are you okay with that?"

"… I don't think he'll come even if I ask. I'm fine with being with Min Joon, but is Min Joon okay with that?"

Emily looked back at Cho min Joon. Cho Min Joon grabbed his bag and opened his mouth.

"What should we eat first?"


***

There were four things that stuck out the most on the streets of Pattaya, Thailand. The first was the face of the king. He was all over TV posters, bills, and even taxis. It was so common that one could memorize his face after just one day in Thailand.

The producers gave them a piece of advice in a careful manner. They told them not to point at the king with their fingers. Since the Thai people thought of him as a living Buddha, they could get taken away if they committed any rude behavior.

After that was things related to Hallyu. He had only heard of Hallyu before and never experienced it… He felt weird hearing K-pop at bus stations and shops. He felt proud and embarrassed at the same time. He felt like he was a kid on stage at school, but no one looked at him.

The remaining two were bags and street stalls. Since there was no kitchen in many houses, those Thai people took care of their meals at the street stalls. As a result, the culture of convenient take-away developed, and seeing the clear bags felt fascinating. Dinner. Streets lit up by the sunset, and different dishes contained in clear bags.

Of course, not all dishes were wrapped in bags, and the same went for the stall that Cho Min Joon and Emily were at. On top of a yellow batter cooked on top of a plate of iron was banana, strawberry, and evaporated milk.

A banana rotti was placed in front of them and Emily and Cho Min Joon shared it. They had to eat it as quickly as possible so that they could get their hint. But at the same time, they wanted to enjoy the food as well.

The cooking score was 5. But considering the ingredients, it was hard to taste bad. Inside the chewy batter was the scent of coconut. When the banana and strawberry jam came together, it made Cho Min Joon laugh. Emily opened her eyes wide and stared at him.

"What is it?"

"Haha… It's so sweet and delicious that I feel I committed a crime."

It wasn't a good dish. At least not according to Cho Min Joon's standards, but the flavors were intense. That was the charm of street food.

"There are better foods than this. Come this way."

Emily led Cho Min Joon elsewhere. The sun was setting over the ocean and the shop owners were turning on lamps to light up the streets.

In between the small street stalls were tourists and natives sitting in small chairs and chasing their hunger away. Why was it that inside the busy scenery, he felt something calm and warm?

"This place is nice."

"It's one of the most romantic places in Asia."

In response, Cho Min Joon nodded. At that moment, they heard a loud voice coming from a shop. A Hispanic young man wearing shorts was grimacing in front of a half-eaten roasted chicken. He was cussing.

"Look here, old man. What's wrong with this chicken? It's too chewy. Do you use expired ingredients?"

"Uh… I... can't speak English."

"Well, you can't cook either. It's burnt on the outside. How can you sell this for money?"

The old owner stuttered without being able to answer. The people around them frowned, but no one intervened. Whether they were tourists or natives, they didn't like to get involved in this sort of thing. And the man was quite threatening. No one wanted to mess with him.

Cho Min Joon quietly watched the man's behavior. His eyes turned sharper than usual. While there were those who worked hard to build something, there were always those who tried to bring it down, and Cho Min Joon had never allowed such behavior.

"Min Joon. Hold it in."

He didn't answer. He was already holding it in. That was why he was sitting still, but there was a reason why Cho Min Joon was angrier than the others. That was because he wasn't a chef. He saw the score on the chicken. Unlike what the young man said, he knew the dish was just fine.

[Thai Chicken Breast BBQ]

Freshness: 96%

Origin: (Too many ingredients for an accurate calculation)

Quality: High

Cooking Score: 6

The cooking score was decent for a cheap street dish, and the freshness and quality were great. The street stall didn't mess around with food, so he couldn't accept that he was receiving such criticism.

And by the time the man flipped his dish and the chicken landed on the ground, Cho Min Joon got up from his seat. Emily quickly reached out her hand, but Cho Min Joon was already too far before she could grab his arm.

Cho Min Joon charged in with anger and picked up the chicken from the ground. The man stared at Cho Min Joon. No, it wasn't just the man. It was Emily, the owner, the staff, and the tourists who were watching. Someone was already filming it with their phone.

And in the midst of the gazes, Cho Min Joon took a bite of the dirty chicken. He had once eaten a Norimaki from an unreasonable customer when he did the food truck mission. But this time, the food had already landed on the ground as well, but Cho Min Joon didn't hesitate. He could only refute if he ate the chicken.

People exclaimed either because it was dirty or because they were impressed. The dirt cracked in between his teeth. Cho Min Joon swallowed the meat and looked at the man. The man flinched and then stuck out his chest.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"It's good. It's perfectly chewy. It's not overcooked, and the outer layer has been seared. It's not burnt at all."

"What…?"

"I'm saying you're wrong. You have no right to criticize."

Cho Min Joon spoke in a serious voice, but inside his eyes were rage. And the man noticed that. He laughed.

"So are you telling me to apologize?"

"If you made a mistake, you should apologize. That's what parents taught us to do. DIdn't yours?"

"… What makes you so confident? Do I have to humiliate you to teach you a lesson?"

The man then scanned the cameraman and staff who were nearby. He caught on that they were filming something. He didn't know what show it was, but he noticed what was going on. If he swung his fist in front of the camera, he could get arrested.

But he couldn't back down because of his pride, so the man grabbed Cho Min Joon by the throat. But Cho Min Joon didn't back down either. He glared down at the man.

"Humiliate? I'd only be humiliated if I just shut my mouth here. If I don't say anything now, who'll stand up for me when I get a shitty customer like you?"

"Watch your mouth. You're testing my patience."

"Why are you holding it in now? You were mad just a second ago. You might be able to say whatever you want, but that man can't. Why do you think that is? Because he's not confident in his cooking? Because the meat is bad? No, the meat is just fine. It's cooked well, but that man couldn't say anything because you're his customer. He can't get mad at a customer, but are you even his customer?"

Cho Min Joon glared his eyes. The man was at a loss for words. Normally, people backed down to his size, but Cho Min Joon was pouncing without fear.

The man realized the situation was going to get worse. Just because he was big and strong didn't mean he could lead the situation. It was actually this Asian man who had more power. The power was supported by the other onlookers' support and the camera lens.

Isn't that Cho Min Joon?

Oh, from Grand Chef?

Some people even recognized him. He didn't know what program it was, but he realized he was famous. He was better off not messing with him.

In the end, the man let go of Cho Min Joon's throat. Cho Min Joon straightened his collar and opened his mouth.

"I'll give you a chance."

"A chance?"

"A chance to apologize to this man. If you don't want to..."

Cho Min Joon lifted his finger. His finger pointed at his clenched fist. A cold voice followed.

"You can hit me however you want."

Because of his love for cooking, he had thrown away his career as a teacher and had become a chef.
But despite his desires, his lack of cooking skills was the harsh truth he had to face.
But when he reached the age of 30, he had been sent back 7 years back into the past.
Another chance.

Bella woke up and dressed in jeans and a soft teashirt. She ate breakfast and Bret drove her to the address Mr. Heart had sent.

The door man greeted her and handed her a swipe card to use on the elevator. Then showed her how it worked.

She road all the way to the top and the elevator opened right into the penthouse.

As she walked in she found a note on the table.

Miss Bella,
Sorry I'm not here to greet you but I had an early morning meeting. In the Kitchen you will find cleaning supplies and Laundry supplies. Anything you think you need leave a list and I will make sure you get them. At the end of the hall is the linen closet with the sheets and towels. Don't be afraid to look around. I would like fresh sheets on Mondays and Thursday. Bathrooms and kitchen cleaned everyday. The rest as needed.
Question please call my secretary at (111)123-4568.
Zane

As soon as Bella swiped the card on the elevator Zane got a noticed and turned on his cameras. He watched her read the note he left. Then she programmed something on her phone. It looked like his secretary number then go to the kitchen and start cleaning.

He smiled at the thought of seeing her each day even if it was by camera. He hoped he could get an in site to what she was like.

Bella cleaned the kitchen and found were everything needed to go. She the found the bedroom and strip the sheets and made the bed. She took her time to make sure it had a good deep cleaning. 

She then started the sheets washing as she went to clean the master bath. She took her time there also to make sure it was deep cleaned.

As she brought the towels to wash and place the sheets in the dryer she heard someone come in. She walked out to find Mr. Heart there with a shack of Chinese food.

"Want some Lunch?" He smiled.

She looked at her watch 12:30 already.

"Sure let me get some plates. Chopsticks or fork?" She asked.

"Chopsticks of course." He took the food out , "I've got fried rice and white, sweet and sour pork, sesame chicken, pork dumplings, and beef noodles. Help your self."

"Thank you Mr...." she started but was cut off.

"Bella we've already talked about this call me Zane." 

"Sorry, Thank you Zane." Bella said.

Zane dished up a little of everything filling her plate then his.

"How's  it going so far?" he asked.

"Good, I cleaned the kitchen, I'll deep clean it tomorrow. The master bedroom and bath have been deep cleaned today.
I was folding the sheets when you came in."

He already knew this by watching the video but wanted to hear her voice.

"Is there anything you need?" He asked.

"You so far have everything needed here. I was going to ask about lunchtime." she said.

"Help your self to what I have in the kitchen. In fact if you could make my lunch for most days I'll be here at 12:30 Unless I tell you in advance. Then as with the supplies make a list of food you will need. As for dinner if you could have it ready before you leave it would be great. I'll also let you know ahead of time if meals are not needed."

"Ok sounds good m.. Zane" She almost slipped up.

They ate their lunch and he kept putting more on her plate. She was to thin and talking to her brother  the doctor wanted her to gain ten pounds.

When he left to go back to work she cleaned the dinning room the looked at what food was in the kitchen. 

She noticed all the fresh meats and vegetables and she had all the ingredients to make lemon chicken.

She went about cleaning the rest of the rooms and at 4:30 started dinner and had it on the table at 6 as Zane came through the door.

He smiled, "Smells good"

"You have Lemon chicken with wild rice. Grilled asparagus. and for dessert apple turnovers."

"Would you join me tonight?" He asked.

"Sorry I can't I need to be at the high school at 7 for a reading class. I tutor on Mondays." She rushed out the door.

She tired to give the card to the doorman and he told her it was hers to use for work. She then stuck it into her bag. 

Bret was outside waiting to drive her to the high school.

That night she read some more of her book.

◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ THE LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER cont:

At first the Sister wept over her little, changed Brother, and he wept too, and knelt by her, very sorrowful; but at last the maiden said, "Be still, dear little fawn, and I will never forsake you!" and, taking off her golden garter, she placed it around his neck, and, weaving rushes, made a girdle to lead him with. 

This she tied to him, and taking the other end in her hand, she led him away, and they travelled deeper and deeper into the forest. 

After they had gone a long distance they came to a little hut, and the maiden, peeping in, found it empty, and thought, "Here we can stay and dwell." 

Then she looked for leaves and moss to make a soft couch for the Fawn, and every morning she went out and collected roots and berries and nuts for herself, and tender grass for the Fawn. 

In the evening when the Sister was tired, and had said her prayers, she laid her head upon the back of the Fawn, which served for a pillow, on which she slept soundly. 

Had but the Brother regained his own proper form, their lives would have been happy indeed.

Thus they dwelt in this wilderness, and some time had elapsed when it happened that the King of the country had a great hunt in the forest; and now sounded through the trees the blowing of horns, the barking of dogs, and the lusty cry of the hunters, so that the little Fawn heard them, and wanted very much to join in. 

"Ah!" said he to his Sister, "let me go to the hunt, I cannot restrain myself any longer;" and he begged so hard that at last she consented. "But," she told him, "return again in the evening, for I shall shut my door against the wild huntsmen, and, that I may know you, do you knock, and say, 'Sister, dear, let me in,' and if you do not speak I shall not open the door."

There once was a powerful Prince who ruled the business world with no heart.

Everything he wanted he took.

One day a cleaning girl getting his home ready for a party caught his eye.

Could someone so simple thaw his hear and turn the beast into a man?

He quickly turned. He picked up a vase and threw it.

He stormed down stairs. "Who is in charge?" he roared.

Bella stood up, "I am sir, my name is Bella Beauté, what can I help you with?" She held out her hand.

He stared at it but could not take in, "It is improper to sit out in front of my home and have a picnic. There is a park down the road eat there."

"I do apologize sir. We will do that from now on. Is there anything else?" Bella tried to keep calm.

With out a word he stormed back into his home. There was still 40 minutes for lunch so they packed up their lunch and headed to the park.

From the window he watched the little girl drive away. 'Bella Beauté... Beauté is french for beauty and she was a beauty.'

[The book is also full of fairytales Bella loves to read]

An hour later, Jake was back in his own room, meditating on the Oracle Coach's evaluation while sitting cross-legged on his bed. Night had fallen and most of the recruits and gladiators were busy enjoying their meals. Since he had defeated a professional gladiator and joined the top 50, he was eligible for the rooms of the highest standard. That meant he was now residing on the upper floor well away from the other recruits.

His 'room' was actually a real apartment with living room, bedroom, kitchen and toilet. The latrine at his disposal was connected to the aqueduct network, which could be considered a real luxury in an Ordeal like this one. 

For the first week he had to settle for using a chamber pot when he had an urge and this was particularly repulsive for a 22nd century Earthling. It was another of the many reasons responsible for the depressive state of many of the recruits.

The furniture was also of better quality and he had a real bed. He was also allowed to order his meal directly through the few servants who were assigned to provide these services and who were constantly roaming the floor waiting for an order.

This was the reason why Gerulf and most of the top 20 gladiators hardly ever ate with them in the cantina, preferring the quietness of their apartments. All they had to do was snap their fingers to get the food of their choice, which was much more convenient for them.

True to his routine Jake ordered all sorts of dishes for his usual feast. As his stats increased and his training intensified, his appetite grew increasingly out of control. Most of his evenings were now devoted to eating to renew and expand his energy reserves.

About twenty minutes later, a slave entered with a cart containing the requested dishes. Jake recognized the slave bringing the food as one of those who had given up on the first day of training even before it began. Judging by the slave's jaded and bored expression, he seemed to regret his choice.

After finishing his service, the slave gave him a slight bow before retiring in silence. Jake paid no attention to him and began to fill his first plate. His jaw was now so strong that chewing on bones seemed as simple as eating potato chips. As a result, his tastes had begun to change.

His digestive system had also changed significantly. The one time he had eaten too much, he had had acid reflux for an entire evening, and what he could tell by the intensity of the smell was that it was not good for a normal human to be puked on by him. His gastric juices might not yet have been as corrosive as pure sulphuric acid, but it did itch.

While he was biting into a roast chicken leg, or at least some kind of chicken-like bird, Jake remembered that he hadn't had time to open Will's letter. Mechanically, he put the chicken leg down and wiped his hands on a napkin before he retrieved the letter in question. 

Calmly he undid the wax seal preventing access to the letter, then once it was in his hands he proceeded to read it. Will's letter had only a few words written in English, and when Jake finished reading them, he immediately spat the piece of chicken into his mouth, causing it to crash like a cannonball into the stone wall in front of him.

"Don't eat the Ludus' food tonight. Danger. "

A trace of blood tarnished the scroll, as if its author was wounded. It seemed Will had heard something he shouldn't have, but he still chose to tell Jake despite the risks. 

He had managed to give the letter to Creece in person, which meant that despite his injuries his status within the House of Quintus had not been compromised yet. There remained the possibility that the blood was not his and that he had obtained this information at the cost of a few dead bodies.

"What the hell are you doing Will?" Jake couldn't help but whisper out loud.

Now that Jake knew something was wrong with his food, Jake focused on his Shadow Guide. The Path that was supposed to ensure his survival and safety was still active. Yet he hadn't felt anything special while eating his chicken. Maybe Will was wrong.

He then turned his attention to the various dishes available to him, carefully watching for changes in his fetch attitude. The poultry was ok, as was the fish. Things changed when he pretended to taste the roast beef, the bread and the wine.

Jake didn't consume alcohol, but he had got into the habit of ordering wine and emptying the contents of the jug into the latrine to make it look like he was a wine lover unable to do without the famous drink. Since then, a carafe of wine was brought to him every evening with his meal.

As for bread and red meat, he swallowed colossal quantities every day to feed his high metabolism. Although he rarely wasted food, it was one of the foods that was least likely to be overlooked.

They were really trying to poison him. No! It wasn't him they were trying to get to. Remembering Cassius' words earlier, Jake put on his leather armour and a pair of boots that he had bought previously with his wages. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Unfortunately, he and the other recruits were not allowed to carry a weapon outside of the arena and training hours. They had to gain Cassius' trust to do so, or hold guard duty. And even then, weapon carrying was extremely controlled.

Carefully, Jake tucked his ear to his door for the slightest suspicious noise. Hearing no sound, he slowly opened the door, hoping not to be noticed.A squeaking door due to badly oiled hinges immediately ruined his attempt at discretion. Luckily, he was alone in the hallway. 

Most of the recruits and gladiators should have finished eating by now or should have been on guard duty.

By now, most of the recruits and gladiators should have finished eating or be about to. Jake would normally have expected to hear some racket from the gladiators' incessant chatter and laughter.  At that time there was usually a lot of activity in the Ludus where everyone was relaxing from their long day of training.

And yet the corridor was mysteriously empty, only a heavy silence answering him.

"Don't tell me they've poisoned everyone? "

It was impossible! At least the Players had their Oracle to protect them from such dangers if they used it properly.Even if their intelligence had decreased with the transformation into Throsgenian, they couldn't have been that stupid?  Could they?

To find out for sure, Jake went to the door next to his own that corresponded to the apartments of Lu Yifeng and his sister. He didn't trust them completely, but the siblings had shown their good faith all along the Ordeal. Whatever their plans, they really wanted to form an alliance with him. It would make no sense if they were responsible for these poisonings.

Knocking at the door a few times, he waited patiently for an answer from the other side.

"Who is it? Did you order something Yan'er? "Jake recognized Lu Yifeng's wary voice. His little sister's weak voice was heard just afterwards.

"No, why?" 

"Well, I'll check..."

Hearing the footsteps coming closer, then stopping on the other side of the door, Jake heard the latch come up, then the door creak. The annoyed face of the young Chinese boy appeared in the gap of the half-open door.

"Jake? What are you doing here? You want to talk about what Cassius said? Don't worry, we already have a plan. "Lu Yifeng started spouting off without waiting for an explanation.

"I'm dying to hear your wonderful plan, but we have another problem. " Jake interrupted him by raising his hand. "My food has been poisoned..."

"... What?!"

Lu Yifeng immediately dragged him into their room and locked the door behind him. His upset expression was all but gone.

Have you ever wished you exactly knew how to accomplish your dreams? Not feeling the slightest doubt anymore? Being aware at any time how every choice, action and decision of yours affects your future? 

That's what happened to Jake Wilderth, a procrastinating young man without ambition. When a mysterious silver spaceship, popping out from nowhere, delivered to each Earthling a bracelet containing an AI introducing itself as the Oracle, their destiny changed. 

From a boring uneventful life Jake began to strive for greatness, treading his Path over the dead bodies of many. 

What a blessing it would have been if he was the only one profiting of such a gift! But when everyone became equal to face the future, he soon realized no gift comes for free..


Just a warning. Volume 1 sets the atmosphere in a Earth slowly degenerating into chaos and can be considered as a big prologue. It is slow and not as rewarding for the readers than mainstream stories on this website. If you can push through it will be worth it. For some real action you need to wait chap 27.

===================================

NB: English is not my native language and despite my best efforts there can be some mistakes. Thanks for your understanding.

Discord link: https://discord.gg/d8udP7Q

chinese chicken meals

Transmigrated into The Body of a Chinese Prince even though I'm Japanese

Chronicles of The Great Chicken

Pet King

Her Boss [COMPLETED]

Path of Medicine With a System

Chef God Reborn in Japan

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