But at this moment, his hands began to tremble slightly, and his half-squinted old eyes suddenly widened, as if he were Captain Jack who had just discovered a treasure in the deep sea.

“Jin Xiang Yu, it really is Jin Xiang Yu... How many years has it been since I’ve seen such craftsmanship? Unbelievable...”

Old Man Collins gently picked up a piece of stir-fried rice noodles, his movements as tender as a young boy in puberty caressing the face of his first love. He gazed at it affectionately for a long while before slowly putting it into his mouth.

“Oh...”

As the liangfen entered his mouth, the tip of his tongue touched the crispy fried piece, and instantly, a burst of delicious sauce wrapped inside the crispy shell exploded out. That sudden, fresh aroma almost made Old Man Collins's old eyes pop out of their sockets!

“Damn, this is actually the best of Jin Xiang Yu! With top-notch stir-frying skills and perfect control of the heat, the hot sauce is completely sealed inside the crispy shell, and even now, it still maintains a delicious temperature... Perfect, absolutely perfect!”

Old Man Collins didn’t care that the younger generation was present, and actually blurted out a curse in excitement: “What a pity, what a pity, the stir-frying and heat control are already at their peak! It’s just the sauce that’s a bit lacking—otherwise, it would be even more perfect. To call it the best stir-fried noodles in the world would not be an exaggeration. Little Brian, did William Carter make this sauce himself... Brian Foster! Can’t you wait a bit before eating?”

While he was sighing with emotion, Brian Foster had already eaten more than half the box of stir-fried noodles, his eyes wide as he reached for more. Fortunately, Old Man Collins reacted quickly and snatched the noodles behind his back.

“Uh, let me have one more piece, uncle, just one more... Ah, what did you just say, the sauce?”

Seeing the old man’s angry face, Brian Foster finally managed to ‘snap out’ of the temptation of the liangfen, smacked his lips, and said, “I heard from our people that the female stall owner’s business wasn’t good, she couldn’t sell her noodles, and it was William Carter who helped her sell out. The sauce should be the stall owner’s.”

“That makes sense...”

Old Man Collins nodded. “That’s what I thought. How could a grandmaster chef make such a rookie mistake with the sauce?”

“Chef god? Uncle, you mean...”

Brian Foster widened his eyes. “Don’t tell me it’s that guy?”

“Who else could it be...”

Old Man Collins gave a wry smile, hugged the remaining half box of stir-fried noodles, sat back on the sofa, and sighed deeply: “It’s laughable that I wanted to take him as my apprentice, only to find out I’ve met a true chef god... Ridiculous, ridiculous, I’ve really lost face this time.”

“No way, uncle. Just because this guy can fry liangfen well doesn’t mean he can cook everything! There are eight major cuisines in China, and just the famous dishes number in the tens of thousands. Who dares say they’ve mastered them all? Aren’t you praising him a bit too much?”

“Heh, of course he can’t cook every dish in the world, but just from the stir-frying and heat control shown in this one plate of fried liangfen, I, as an old man, am far inferior. To call it the realm of a chef god is no exaggeration!”

Old Man Collins glanced at Brian Foster, then suddenly said seriously, “Brian Foster, remember this: extraordinary people always have their quirks. I can see that William Carter is not one to show off—he’s a true hidden master. So, what happened today, you keep it to yourself. Never tell anyone that I ever called him a ‘chef god’, understand?”

“But you can look for opportunities to befriend him, get closer. Maybe, at a critical moment, he’ll be the one to help you through tough times...”

Old Man Collins gave a wry smile. “And as for me wanting to take him as my apprentice, that must also be kept secret. This kid is bound to soar one day. If the people in our trade find out that I, Henry Collins, once overestimated myself and tried to take him as my apprentice, where would I put my old face?”

“Yes, uncle. Don’t worry, I’ll keep this in my heart and never tell a soul.”

Brian Foster's eyes were already shining. Of course, the fewer people who knew about William Carter, the better—he wasn’t stupid...

Chapter 11: [Yezi’s Terminal Illness]

That night, Lillian Reed’s mood was anything but calm. The little deer hidden in her chest kept restlessly bumping around, especially whenever she happened to meet William Carter’s gaze—the deer would jump even more wildly.

William Carter suggested they walk together, actually out of gentlemanly courtesy—after all, there were two ladies present. But when it came time to actually walk together, it immediately became awkward.

Before graduating from graduate school, he had worked on several projects with his advisor, earning nearly three hundred thousand yuan in bonuses alone. He was financially comfortable and had a lazy, laid-back personality, so he always took taxis when going out. But Lillian Reed rode an electric tricycle.

This created a problem.

Since they were to go together, it wouldn’t be right for William Carter to take a taxi. But to sit on the tricycle like Little Alice, letting Lillian Reed—a young girl—do the driving, would look bad.

So William Carter suggested that he drive the tricycle himself, letting Lillian Reed and Alice Green ride in the back. Little Alice of course clapped her hands in delight at this idea, but Lillian Reed blushed and refused no matter what.