hollywood billionaire

Chapter 522 Two People's Per Se (Part 2)

"Ah, that..."

Madison paused for two seconds, then tucked a stray hair behind her ear and, like Jerry, showed Han Yi her teeth that had just been whitened.

"Of course there has been significant progress."

"What is it?" Han Yi asked with a smile, continuing to stare at her.

"Stephy said that after Christmas, she would invite me to her home in Los Angeles."

"Ok."

"Wait a minute." Madison's mouth dropped open slightly as she looked at Han Yi, who had ended the conversation so abruptly, somewhat surprised. "That's it?"

"Otherwise what?" Han Yi spread his hands and asked in return.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I want to talk about at her house?" Madison retorted. "What if she wants me to come to her house to ask for my opinion on the copyright acquisition?"

"Is she her?"

"...I don't know, I haven't gone yet."

"See?" Han Yi spread his hands wider. "I knew it."

"'I knew it'?" Madison's eyes widened. "That's so rude!"

"How rude?" Han Yi curled his lip. "I know you're not making any progress, which is why I chose not to ask."

“I can make no progress, but you can’t just not ask.” Madison looked hurt. “Do you know? I put myself in danger to help you, completely disregarding my own safety!”

"Huh?" Han Yi frowned in confusion. "Going to Stephen's house for dinner is 'putting yourself in danger'?"

“No, not at all.” Madison shrank back and lowered his voice. “I’ve just been watching Stranger Things lately, and I thought it sounded cool to say it like that.”

"Oh, that Nickelodeon TV show?"

“It’s not Nickelodeon, it’s Netflix!” Madison laughed and playfully slapped Han Yi’s arm, saying coquettishly, “Don’t joke about this with me anymore… And let me tell you, no matter what Steven invites me to her house for, I’ll talk to her about the copyright acquisition. Don’t worry, I can tell she likes me a lot, so she shouldn’t be too resistant to me bringing it up.”

“Take it slow, there’s no rush.” Han Yi shrugged and said, “It’s great that she likes you, and it’s also great that a legend in the music industry is willing to look after you in any way. So don’t let my business interfere with your career.”

"Your business is my business. You..."

Madison, who was about to say a few words to Han Yi, glanced at Sandra Poulsen walking towards them out of the corner of his eye and swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"Pure water for you two."

Sandra showed Han Yi and Madison the 25-ounce Evian glass bottle in her arms, then twisted off the cap and poured half a glass for each of them.

"Thank you."

“You’re too kind.” Sandra maintained a perfectly measured smile, and only after the two waiters placed two black calfskin menus in front of Han Yi and Madison did she continue, “Miss Bill, Mr. Han, what you are seeing now is the signature nine-course chef’s tasting menu that will be presented to you tonight. Please take a look… Also, do you have any food allergies that we should be aware of?”

Although she had already discussed this issue with Corey McIntosh, Sandra Poulsen still needed to confirm it with the diner in person.

"No."

Han Yi shook his head. As a Chinese man, he didn't have the delicate stomach of a Westerner. Besides, a proud Chinese person wouldn't admit to having food allergies—a sore throat from eating cantaloupe was because it was "too sweet"; nausea from eggs was due to being spoiled as a child and being a "picky eater"; a flushed face from even a little alcohol was due to a low alcohol tolerance; numbness and itching in the mouth from eating mangoes was due to eating too much of this warming fruit and getting "heatiness"...

In any case, any Chinese person who dares to say they have a food allergy is considered pretentious and disrespectful to food. Han Yi was no exception.

Drinking milk and getting diarrhea is called lactose intolerance? What kind of intolerance is that! You can absorb nutrients and lose weight at the same time, isn't that great!

"I don't have any serious food allergies per se...sorry that I said 'per se', didn't mean to be smart."

Unlike Han Yi, Madison comes from what is arguably the most fussy country in the world when it comes to food—the United States. People here not only actively seek out their own food allergies, but they also seem to want the whole world to know. Even a slight choking while eating peanuts can trigger a terrifying association with a range of severe symptoms associated with a peanut allergy.

Fortunately, McGrady isn't the kind of person who's overly sensitive. Although he's still scared and keeps his distance when he sees fish heads or innards, at least he still has that adventurous spirit.

"However, I've been trying to avoid any gluten-containing foods lately, but I see... this menu doesn't seem to have any gluten, so it's perfect for me. Thank you so much!"

“Excellent.” Sandra clasped her hands and bowed slightly. “I also learned from Mr. McIntosh that neither of you drinks alcohol…”

“He can’t drink.” Madison pointed at Han Yi, then at himself. “I can’t drink.”

The same word "can't" precisely expresses two different meanings.

“Understood.” Madison wasn’t telling a joke, but Sandra smiled brightly in response. “However, although neither of you will be drinking any alcoholic beverages tonight, considering that our main purpose today is to taste the dishes in preparation for tomorrow’s dinner, we’ve brought a sommelier from the restaurant. He will introduce you to the aperitifs we’ll be using at tomorrow’s dinner, as well as the wines that can be paired with each dish, so that you can have a complete experience of our service process.”

"Speaking of which, I would like to introduce you both tonight's sommelier, our extraordinary Mr. Michel Kuffler."

“Bonsoir, Mademoiselle, Monsieur,” Michel Kufflet, who was already waiting to the side, bowed. This bald man with black-rimmed glasses, from his accent to his mannerisms, exuded a distinctly French air, perfectly matching Han Yi's stereotypical image of someone working in the French high-end catering industry. “My name is Michel Kufflet, you can call me Michel. I believe you two can tell I'm from France, and I've spent my entire life as a sommelier. In Paris, I've worked for two Michelin three-star restaurants, L'Arpege and Restaurant Guy Savoy.”

“In 1993, I moved to New York and worked as the head sommelier at Le Bernardin for ten years. In 2009, I joined Per Se to help Mr. Keller develop and manage the restaurant’s beverage menu. Our exceptional wine collection has won an award from Wine Spectator magazine every year since 2013.”

Generally, Michel Kuffler doesn't share his professional background with ordinary diners. In fact, as the beverage director at Per Se, he doesn't usually need to personally serve sommeliers. But Han Yi is no ordinary customer. In 2016, Per Se's nine-course chef's tasting menu cost $325 per person, but Han Yi spent a whopping $7250 to secure tonight's tasting and tomorrow night's dinner at his One57 private residence, not even including tips for the service staff.

Thomas Keller is hailed as "North America's No. 1 Chef" not only for his superb culinary skills, but also for his keen business acumen and exceptional networking abilities. He excels at seizing opportunities, especially those involving cultivating relationships with the wealthiest individuals. Upon receiving this private catering order, Keller personally appointed sous chef Chad Palage, considered the most promising candidate to become the next executive chef, to oversee the cooking, and instructed beverage director Michel Kuffler to personally oversee the sommelier service.

Of course, even without Thomas Keller's instructions, Michel Kuffler would most likely be in the One57 penthouse—as a senior sommelier who has served the elite his entire life, he knows very well who his clients are and must carefully please.

This is one of the main reasons why he chose to move to New York.

In Manhattan, every billionaire you befriend possesses unimaginable power. Even if you don't need these connections immediately, even if you only become acquainted with them, as long as you can spread your name within this extremely closed circle, you can reap substantial benefits for yourself.

"In addition, I personally hold a Master Sommelier certificate issued by the Sommelier Association... I am not introducing these things because I want to show off or deliberately flaunt them, and not to hear you say: Wow—this sommelier is really good, let's give him an extra 10% tip."

"What I hope for is that, without either of you drinking alcohol and thus unable to directly experience the flavors, you can fully understand my professionalism and abilities, and trust that I can ensure your important guests tomorrow night enjoy a wonderful evening with a variety of fine wines."

“I have no doubt about that, Michelle,” Han Yi teased. “The moment you said Bonsoir, you had already won me over.”

As soon as he said this, the area around the table was filled with applauding laughter.

"Alright, now that we've finished our small talk, let's get down to business. Let me show you the world-class wine list that will be presented to your guests tomorrow night—Part One: Aperitifs."

Michelle laid out the two thick wine lists in front of Han Yi and Madison one by one, introducing them in a calm and elegant tone.

"Champagne is the top choice for an aperitif, perfect for setting a cheerful atmosphere before the meal and setting the tone for the appetizers to follow."

"At Per Se, we usually recommend two types of champagne to our guests."

“Brut, and Rosé.”

(End of this chapter)