Culinary God in Wilderness

Holy shit!

Robert had been internally cursing him for being a cheapskate after hearing the first half of the proposal. But when he heard the second half, he immediately realized this was another opportunity with limitless commercial potential.

These past few days, his production team had been completely swamped, working tirelessly to get the new project off the ground. They didn’t have any spare energy to think about anything else.

Lin Chen’s proposal, without a doubt, provided him with a brand-new direction.

"This’ll work, absolutely. I’m sure it’ll have an audience if we film it. I’m going to call a meeting right now!" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

...

「The next day.」

Andre’s family had been transferred to Seattle’s most renowned medical facility, the hospital affiliated with the University of Washington School of Medicine, for a full check-up and treatment.

Thanks to the power of US Dollars, Mia managed to jump the queue—a rare feat—and secured a priority consultation with the specialist doctors.

After sitting in on the entire discussion, Andre left the caregiving duties to his mom and the nurses, then set off with Lin Chen on a bus to Vancouver.

Hos Shubei was an area north of Vancouver. Because it was an inlet, many scattered islands dotted the area.

The White Whale was located on one of these islands, neighboring two resorts. Not far away was a small village where the local fishermen lived.

The only way to get there was by ferry, or on the fishermen’s own boats.

"My mom said they opened around 9 AM when she came last time. The front-of-house manager was very kind; he even supported her as he walked her inside. I hope I can see him this time. I want to thank him in person."

"Your mom’s been here before?"

Standing on the deck, Lin Chen spread his arms wide, feeling the cool sea breeze wash over him.

He couldn’t remember how many years it had been since he’d last been to the sea. Gazing at the magnificent, rolling ocean before him, he felt an urge to fly to Panama and just enjoy himself for a few days first.

That was a tropical rainforest, a place he’d never been to in his entire life.

It would be dangerous, for sure, but it also sounded incredibly interesting.

With his current breadth of knowledge covering flora, fauna, and fungi, he certainly wouldn’t have to worry about his survival. And with Basic Trap Mastery, he wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry either.

The only things he’d really need to focus on were how to start a fire and build a shelter.

’But that’s all for later. No need to worry about it just yet.’

"Of course. We were still in Alaska back then. It was the day after you made that lamb offal soup for me. My mom heard a restaurant here was imitating your dishes, so she made a special trip to buy a few orders of lamb offal soup and hand-grabbed lamb to take back. Mia said it tasted great."

...

It was the middle of the week, and as usual, there were few tourists.

At the entrance of the White Whale Restaurant, Gray was lounging in a rocking chair, enjoying the sea breeze, while Max leaned against the main door.

"Ever since Wild Survival suddenly ended a few days ago, it feels like something’s missing from life. Don’t you think, old pal?"

"So boring~"

Gray sighed, staring blankly at the distant horizon.

"Now that the show’s over, the local regulars don’t even come by in their spare time anymore. It suddenly feels like the restaurant is about to go out of business."

"What are you talking about? At least a few tourists still show up every day after hearing about us. We don’t even have to pay rent here, so how could we possibly go out of business?"

The words had barely left his mouth when two figures at the end of the road began to grow larger.

Max’s eyes lit up. He immediately pushed himself off the wall, brushed a dust mark from his shoulder, and said, "Hey, stop lounging around! We’ve got customers!"

"Customers?"

Gray sat up in confusion and glanced at his watch. "It’s not mealtime. Who comes to a restaurant to eat at three in the afternoon?"

"Don’t ask so many questions. We’re the only establishment on this road, so they have to be coming for us. If someone sees you, the head chef, lazing around outside, who knows what they’ll... huh?"

As the distant figures slowly approached, their features became clearer. Max took one look, and his brow furrowed instantly.

’Why do these two look so familiar?’

"Probably regulars. Got nothing to do in the afternoon, so they’ve come for a couple of cocktails. If I had to guess, they’re here for the shrimp and clam cocktail. That stuff is a drunkard’s favorite."

Hearing they were just regulars, Gray couldn’t be bothered to put on an act anymore and flopped right back down in his chair.

’They’re just here for drinks anyway. The shrimp and clam cocktails are already prepped; they can be on the table in thirty seconds. Max, the front-of-house manager, is more than enough to handle it.’

"Hey, Gray... I feel like something’s not quite right here."

...

"It looks like two young men... oh, no, one of them seems a bit older."

...

"Don’t you find it strange? There are no young people in the nearby villages, so how could a young man who looks familiar to me just suddenly appear?"

"Maybe someone’s son came back to visit. What’s so strange about that?"

Gray waved his hand impatiently, clearly annoyed by how chatty the other man was being.

"I’m going to rest my eyes for a bit. Wake me up in an hour."

...

This time, it was Max’s turn to fall silent.

Gray had already closed his eyes, but when a long moment passed without a response from Max, and the breathing behind him became noticeably quicker, he turned his head in curiosity.

When he got a clear look at the two familiar faces that met his eyes, Gray froze as if struck by lightning. His mouth hung wide open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.

"Y-y-you’re... Lin?"

"And Andre???"

Max swallowed hard. He never in a million years expected to see characters from TV in the flesh.

"Hello. If I’m not mistaken, you’re the one who called the production team about wanting to work with me, right? Mr. Max?"