From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

Seeing him roll up his sleeves and stand in front of the sink, V paused in stirring the soup pot. "You can do this too? Do families like yours need you to do housework?"

Leo was speechless: "I'm an orphan. If I don't do it myself, do you think the food will magically appear and fly into my mouth?"

"You're so rich, why don't you have any servants or maids?" V still didn't understand.

Leo didn't know how to explain, so he simply started working, demonstrating his firm stance as a working-class person through his actions.

V didn't say anything more, but would occasionally glance at him quickly, her expression somewhat dazed.

Ding-dong-

A while later, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"It's not even midnight yet, who's here so early?"

Leo grabbed a towel, wiped his hands, and walked toward the elevator.

After the security door opened, Jack and Mrs. Wells were outside.

"Welcome, Mrs. Wells and Jack, you've come very early."

Mrs. Wells, with her gray hair but full of energy, smiled kindly: "I heard from Jack that this was a family dinner, and I thought you would need an old lady who is good at and enjoys cooking for the children, so I came early."

"You've been a great help. V and I are just two half-baked people. Please come in."

Upon entering, the rich aroma of food drew the three of them into the kitchen.

This kitchen template comes with a glass exterior wall, creating a dedicated cooking space within the room.

"Hello, Mrs. Wells."

V seemed a little reserved when he saw Mrs. Wells, but it wasn't shyness; rather, it was the instinctive awe a novice chef felt towards a senior chef.

Mrs. Wells looked at the ingredients on the cutting board, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but she said nothing. She simply walked to the stove to examine the dish V had prepared.

"I could smell the Mexican tomato soup as soon as I walked in. It's very well made. Next time, please chop the bell peppers a little finer and add more cloves of garlic."

"Yes... I haven't made this in a long time, so I just found the recipe online." V said hesitantly.

"You're already doing very well. Let me teach you. Girls need to be taught by their grandmothers before they become mothers, so that they can control their husbands' and children's stomachs later on."

"Huh!? Oh... oh, um."

The Haywood bloodline began to take effect, and V was suppressed by his older grandmother.

Leo continued cutting fruit to make a universally appealing dish—a yogurt fruit salad.

"You can cook too?" Mrs. Wells seemed a little surprised to see his skillful movements.

"Yeah, when I lived alone, I had to know a little bit about everything," Leo replied casually, his attention focused on the cutting board.

Mrs. Wells looked carefully at his palms and cheeks, and nodded thoughtfully:

"You're great, and so are you. I've always heard that Eastern men are family-oriented, and it seems that's really true."

Jack, stop standing there, go set the table. Look at everyone else, and then look at yourself. Your childhood girlfriend is gone just like that. How old are you? Will I even live to see my grandchildren?

Jack, who had been grinning foolishly to the side, suddenly stopped smiling and put on a mask of pain.

With the kitchen staff expanded to four, plus an elderly grandmother, the aroma of the food increased exponentially.

Leo swallowed hard as he helped, feeling like he was going to starve before the meal was served.

At 12:15, Sasha arrived, greeted Mrs. Wells politely, and then helped with the chores.

Ten minutes later, Old Vie and Misty arrived together.

They stood together and really looked like a father and daughter.

With everyone present at the dinner, the introductions were naturally quite lively.

Apart from Sasha, everyone present knew each other to some extent, or at least had heard of each other's deeds, and quickly became acquainted.

Leo was initially worried that Mrs. Wells and Misty would have a falling out, but to his surprise, the two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

Mrs. Wells was somewhat puzzled by Misty's profession and tried to explain God's teachings to her.

Misty offered an answer using a different metaphysical concept.

Although the two had different opinions, they respected each other and there seemed to be no unpleasantness between them.

Taking advantage of Jack's absence as he went into the kitchen, Leo quickly gave him a wink and whispered, "How are things between you and Misty? Haven't you reported it to Mrs. Wells yet?"

Jack's cheek twitched, and he quickly glanced back to make sure no one was paying attention before whispering, "Don't talk nonsense. We're nothing, it's just... I've been going to Old Vina for checkups a lot lately, and we've gotten a bit familiar with each other. How did you find out?"

Leo smiled mysteriously, about to spout some nonsense, when V, who was listening in, came to his rescue: "Misty and I get along very well, you know? She actually asked you about you."

“Is…is that so?” Jack seemed a little happy. “Don’t spread rumors. We’ve only just started, unlike the two of you who are already living together.”

V's mocking smile froze instantly.

This Jack... how could he repay kindness with enmity...?

Jack, oblivious to the change in atmosphere, cheerfully picked up the dishes and left.

As soon as he left, Leo quickly turned to look at V, but he was a step too late—she had already turned to the side, not giving him a chance to make eye contact.

“V, did you hear what he said…”

"The last dish is ready, let's eat!"

V shouted loudly and left with the pot.

Leo had no choice but to go to V's room and move cases of liquor to the living room.

When these unassuming yet exceptionally high-quality wines were poured into glasses, everyone except Leo and V looked on with surprise.

Early Signs of Talent: Chapter Ninety-Five - A Big Deal (Part One)

"Holy Communion...the blood of Christ."

Mrs. Wells picked up a glass of dry red wine, gently swirled the glass, and watched the deep red liquid shimmer with a dazzling halo.

Bring it to your nose, take a deep breath, hold onto the aroma of the wine, and exhale slowly after a few seconds.

“That’s right, this is ‘natural wine,’ made from real grapes. I haven’t smelled such a pure flavor in years.”

She took a small sip, closed her eyes contentedly, and said, "This is the taste. It's the wine I drank when I went to church for communion as a child. You know, Jack, this is the real communion wine I'm talking about, without any of that weird stuff added. This is what wine should taste like."

Jack curiously took a sip—it was sweet and mellow, with an intoxicating fruity aroma. Very good, but not strong enough; a little more kick would make it even better.

The others present also tried it and had a good reaction, but none of them were as deeply moved as Mrs. Wells.

"I do think the things on this table are quite rare. You might not be able to find so many high-quality ingredients even if you searched all over Night City. Especially these fruits..."

Old Wei, the second oldest man at the table, marveled at the fruit basket in front of him. Even he, a high-income prosthetic doctor, rarely ate fruit of this quality.

The high price is one issue, but the other is that they are simply unavailable.

High-quality items like these are generally not distributed outside the upper class; they are consumed internally by the upper class.

Seeing that the banquet had achieved its intended results, Leo raised his glass to everyone: "Cheers, then let's eat quickly. We can chat after the meal; I can see everyone is quite hungry."

Jack, the good buddy, chimed in, "That's right, the aroma is so enticing I can barely move. But a toast always needs a reason, so what's it this time? Welcome home?"

Leo's gaze fell on the V on his left, then he looked around to make out the faces of everyone present.

V, Jack, Mrs. Wells, Misty, Old V, Sasha—before he knew it, he had made so many acquaintances in Night City.

Recalling his disheveled arrival in Night City, he felt as if it were a dream. It had only happened a week ago, yet it felt like an eternity.

Fortunately, everything has changed.

Returning to Night City filled him with genuine joy, and even the strange smell in the air couldn't dampen his spirits.

"When I first came to Night City, I really hated this place. It was full of crime, shootings, and violence, which was completely different from the environment I grew up in."

I thought this was an exile, but I never expected to find family, friends, and things I cherish here.

"Then let's raise our glasses for the fourth time to the City of Night, to this evil, ugly, yet great and glorious city!"

“Night City…that’s the kind of hellish place it is, but I’m going with it.” V raised his glass.

“Count me in. In this awful place, only family and friends can bring a little warmth.” Jack raised his glass.

“I wouldn’t say something like that… Anyway, I’m going with you!” Sasha raised her glass.

“This is destiny, shining brightly because of its convergence,” Misty uttered a profound and enigmatic statement.

The two elders didn't need to offer toasts; they simply raised their glasses with smiles.

Ding--

"Homage to the City of Night!"

After clinking glasses, we ate heartily.

After being instructed by Mrs. Wells, V's cooking was full of homey flavors. Combined with high-quality ingredients and seasonings, it created a delicious dish that left everyone speechless.

Eat like crazy,

They devoured it frantically.

It wasn't until half an hour later, when everyone was so full their stomachs were aching, that the dinner party finally came to an end.

When the yogurt and fruit salad was served, Leo mentally prepared his speech and began to steer the conversation toward serious business.

He laid out six bottles of wine in a row on the table and looked at Mrs. Wells.

The old lady, who had run the Wild Wolf Bar for decades, understood his meaning without him having to say a word.

"This is the big deal you were talking about?"

“That’s right, I’ve opened a smuggling route that allows me to transport all sorts of goods from the east directly into Night City. This is my first batch of goods. What do you think?”

“Very good, especially this one.”

Mrs. Wells picked up the bottle of dry red wine and gently stroked its surface.

"God's love for all things in the world flows into the cup and becomes the Holy Communion. I know this is just a religious metaphor. But it is undeniable that every one of God's people would like to drink such a cup of wine during Mass."

A devout Catholic.

Leo gave this old man a label.

"I also consider this when choosing wines. And here's the thing: I've brought a large quantity of wine, enough to—"

"Ahem." Old Wei coughed twice on purpose.

When Leo looked over, the middle-aged man shrugged dramatically: "Nothing else, it's just that if we're going to talk business, shouldn't Misty and I leave first? After all, this is a trade secret."

Leo smiled and shook his head: "No need. In fact, our team is about to strike it rich, so we need a trustworthy and highly skilled dedicated prosthetic doctor. Guess who our first... no, only candidate is?"

Old Wei laughed too: "It's me? Sure, why would I refuse a good opportunity to make money?"

"And what about me?" Misty tilted her head slightly.

Leo thought for a moment: "Our personal fortune teller will do a divination for us before we do any big work."

"If this can soothe your hearts, then so be it."

Misty seemed to be thinking of something, and suddenly glanced at Jack, their eyes meeting.

After keeping everyone in line, Leo continued, "I brought a lot of wine, tens of thousands of bottles, and this smuggling route isn't a one-time thing; it can bring in at least two batches of goods every month. So, I plan to find a few buyers to distribute the goods and make money together."

Then, he explained the positioning of the six types of wine.

Mrs. Wells picked up the six bottles one by one and nodded: "The goods are fine; these are all good wines that can fetch a good price. The problem is that Wild Wolf Bar is only a medium-sized bar; we can only help you sell lower-end goods at most."

And... honestly, your "low-end" beer isn't low-end at all. Night City craft beer and Sixth Street's homemade bourbon only sell for $150, not even enough to cover your wholesale price.

“It’s alright, this is just an appetizer before the big deal.” Leo smiled confidently. “Mrs. Wells, I’m willing to offer you these wines at the lowest prices: $100 for the low-end wines, $200 for the mid-range wines, and $500 for the high-end wines. I’m sure you can make a fortune by reselling them.”

Mrs. Wells gave him a deep look. “I believe you. Putting everything else aside, this cheap wine sells for no less than 200 a bottle. If you sell it by the glass in a bar or use it as a base spirit, you can raise the price by another 100. Your wholesale price shouldn’t be less than 150, son.”

The fact that he was willing to raise the price instead of haggling showed Leo that he knew this old man was a good person.

"Don't worry, my purchase price is low enough that I still make a profit. I'm willing to provide you with the quantity you need. As an additional condition, I hope you can help me make the connection so that I can discuss this deal with the priest in person."

First Signs of Talent: Chapter Ninety-Six - A Big Deal (Part Two)

“Sebastian Ibarra…”

Mrs. Wells uttered the name with a look of remembrance on her face.