America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

Chen An looked at the bristling kitten and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

He walked slowly over until he stood in front of Katie.

Her height of 1.85 meters was compared to that of 1.55 meters. A huge shadow loomed over her.

"Are you done talking?" Chen An looked down at her.

"I wasn't finished! I won't work for nouveau riche! I'll just quit! I'll go to New York, I'll go to Paris!"

Katie held her head high, though there was a hint of fear in her eyes for Chen An.

He was particularly afraid of the methods he used to deal with his enemies, but he would never admit defeat verbally.

"Resign? Sure."

Chen An turned around, took the transfer agreement from Robert, and signed his name.

"But before you resign, I want to remind you of two things."

Chen An held up two fingers.

"First, you signed a non-compete agreement with the restaurant."

"If you leave, you will not be allowed to work as a head chef in any high-end restaurant in North America for five years."

"Unless you want to go to McDonald's to fry fries."

Katie's face paled slightly.

This was the unfair contract Robert set up to keep her.

"second."

Chen An leaned down and whispered seductively in her ear.

"If you leave, those blind trout, those wild wasabi, and that unique 'devil's water'..."

"From now on, not a single one will leave my farm."

"Are you sure you want to give up these divine ingredients that could get you three Michelin stars?"

That sentence hit Katie's Achilles' heel.

As a genius chef with an almost obsessive love for ingredients, losing these ingredients would be worse than death for her.

"You...you're shameless!"

Katie bit her lip, her eyes were red, and she looked so wronged that she was about to cry.

"That's business."

Chen An straightened up and looked at all the employees present.

"Starting today, everyone will get a 20% raise. Chef Katie..."

He looked at the silver-haired girl who was still trembling.

"Your salary will double. In addition, I will give you absolute control over the kitchen."

"I only have one goal: to make this restaurant a must-visit destination for wealthy people from all over the United States and even the world when they come to Montana."

"Is it possible?"

Katie sniffed, looking at Chen An's face, which was both hateful and damnably charming.

Double the salary? Absolute control?

And... an unlimited supply of god-tier ingredients?

This doesn't seem like... a bad deal?

"snort!"

Katie turned her head away haughtily.

"For the sake of the ingredients... I'll reluctantly agree."

"But if you dare to criticize my menu, I'll chop you up with a cleaver!"

Chen An smiled.

He reached out and ruffled Katie's silver hair as if teasing a cat.

"Very good. It's a pleasure working with you, my little cook."

………………

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Second floor of the restaurant.

Robert has left to deal with Titan Mining's financing issues.

In the huge office, only Chen An and Katie remained.

"This is the restaurant's ledger."

Katie slammed a thick stack of documents in front of Chen An.

"Although we have a big reputation, our profits are actually not high."

"You know, air-freighted ingredients are too expensive. Especially seafood and truffles."

Chen An casually flipped through two pages.

indeed.

The restaurant looks glamorous, but it's actually just a social tool for Robert; it doesn't make much money.

"We won't need to airlift so much garbage anymore."

Chen An closed the ledger. "I will establish a dedicated supply chain."

"Besides fish and wasabi, my farm will soon be producing top-quality beef."

"Use those cows that eat wasabi leaves and drink holy water, as well as high-altitude vegetables."

"Really?" Katie's eyes lit up. "If there's top-quality beef..."

"I could try making that long-lost 'Duke of Wellington's Special'."

"Not only that."

Chen An stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the bustling street below.

"Katie, have you ever thought about why you haven't gotten your third star yet?"

Katie paused for a moment, her eyes dimming:

"The judges said... my dish was technically perfect, but it lacked 'soul'."

"It lacks a... unique quality that moves people."

"soul?"

Chen An turned around, leaned against his desk, and beckoned to her with his finger, "Come here."

Katie hesitated for a moment, but still went over.

Chen An reached out and gently lifted her chin.

Her skin was very white and so smooth that you couldn't see any pores; it looked like the finest bone china.

"Your life is too simple and monotonous."

"Life consists only of the kitchen, knives, and fire."

Chen An's voice was deep and magnetic.

"To create a dish with soul, you need to personally experience more...desire."

"Desire...desire?" Katie's face flushed red, and her heart raced.

Greed, jealousy, conquest, pleasure...

Chen An's fingers gently caressed her lips.

"If you don't understand what 'ultimate pleasure' means, how can you make diners tremble with ecstasy?"

This is a dangerous sign.

Katie felt like a little white rabbit being targeted by a big bad wolf.

Strangely, she didn't feel the urge to run away; instead, she had a... desire to explore forbidden territory.

"Then... how do I experience it?" she asked naively.

Chen An released his grip and smiled.

"Stay here tonight, after closing time."

"I'll give you a... special tutoring session."

………………

It's 11 p.m.

The hustle and bustle of Whitefish fell completely silent.

The last car carrying slightly tipsy diners drove away from the Aurora Restaurant, leaving only the streetlights casting long, thin shadows of the trees.

The restaurant's main door was locked.

"Before that, turn off this light."

Chen An stood at the entrance of the corridor leading to the kitchen on the second floor, holding an unopened bottle of red wine.

"I don't like places that are too bright."

Katie stood opposite him, her hands gripping the edge of her black plaid miniskirt tightly.

The restaurant was very warm, but she felt a little cold, or rather... she was shivering.

All the other employees have gone home.

There were only the two of them in the huge restaurant.

"How can we have class with the lights...off?"

Katie's voice trembled slightly, and her usual domineering manner when yelling at the kitchen helpers was completely gone.

At this moment, she was more like a top student who had been cornered in the classroom by bad students before school was even over.

"Because taste and smell only reach their peak when sight disappears."

Chen An walked over and reached out to press the switch on the wall.

"Smack."

The main light is off.

All that remained was the faint green light from the safety indicator at the end of the corridor and a sliver of moonlight filtering in from the window.

In the dim light, the stainless steel kitchenware reflected a cold, sharp light.

The entire kitchen looks like a futuristic silver maze.

"Come with me."

Chen An's voice rang out in the darkness.