Adrian pushed open the door and walked out of the room, facing the main hall of the kitchen. Through the door leading to the restaurant, he could see the tables and chairs outside.
This was White Chilies Restaurant in 2015. That year, this small restaurant was still quite ordinary, but Adrian remembered clearly that three years later, Ethan would become famous overnight with a unique dish, even being invited by the President to cook for dignitaries at a state banquet. He had seen the dish on the news and still remembered it vividly.
He had been Ethan's most loyal follower and admirer - a man's appreciation and admiration intertwined with love and lust for another man. But he knew that Ethan didn't like men, only women—a woman named Lillian Hayes.
Adrian's own memories were hazy, and he couldn't recall how he died in his past life. All he knew was that his current body belonged to the person who had ended their life as "Lillian".
Just then, Ethan's voice came from the outer hall, low and impatient. "Hello, is this Butler Ray? It's Ethan. He's done it again - he came to my restaurant trying to kill himself, and this time he ate peanuts. Luckily, it wasn't fatal. Yes, he called himself 'Lillian' again today."
It was late at night, and the restaurant had closed long ago. The vast space was empty except for the two of them.
"Money? No, I didn't give him the plastic surgery fee he asked for. Yes, the address is still the same, White Chilies Restaurant on Food Street. Please come and pick him up as soon as possible."
When Adrian heard the words "Butler Ray", his heart skipped a beat. A hazy yet painful memory flashed before his eyes. It wasn't his memory but Lilian's own. In that sad and quick memory, Lilian had been hysterical and even stabbed Butler Ray in his hand when he tried to take away the phone to speak to Ethan.
So, it was the same Butler Ray.
Could he be the one who was going to expose Lillian's secret and made her kill herself?
The phone call ended, and Ethan turned around, his eyes meeting Adrian's.
The two men stood facing each other. They were both the same height, enviably tall. Adrian knew that Ethan would grow taller in the future and more confident, while "Lillian" or Liam would never grow again—because he had taken medication to suppress his physical growth to be more like an average woman's height.
Ethan didn't say a word, walking to the restaurant door and leaning against it, waiting silently for Butler Ray to arrive.
"Ethan, why did you call my butler? Do I really disgust you that much?" Adrian's heart ached, and his face turned red.
Ethan turned around, raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer the question.
"Never mind, forget I asked," Adrian said with a perfunctory smile, turning to leave.
"Since you don't want me to stay here, I'll just go. But…." He paused, staring straight at Ethan. His tone was candid and laced with a hint of shamelessness when he said, "If we meet again, I'll marry you no matter what."
The air seemed to freeze.
Ethan's ears turned red, and he felt a catch in his chest. That shameless Hayes heir! "You….!"
Just as the atmosphere was becoming tense, the restaurant door suddenly swung open, and two people rushed in.
"Senior Ethan, please take a look at this dish!"
The person who just came in was a young man in his thirties, holding a plate of hot food, with his eyes red-rimmed as if he was about to cry.
Adrian was taken aback, then smiled faintly. Fate... had arrived.
With Lillian's memories, he quickly recognized the man as Chef Jack Brown. He was older than Ethan, yet he called him "Senior". This was because Jack Brown who is not yet a certified Chef as of now knew Ethan and knew he wasn't better than the 21 years old Ethan Forrrest.
He came from a rural background, graduated from the same culinary school as Ethan who secretly hid his rich background, but didn't achieve the same level of success as Ethan. It wasn't until seven years later in 2022 that he publicly shared on the internet that Ethan had helped him in a critical moment on May 5th, 2015 which was today!
Ethan's expression turned serious, and he immediately took the plate, placing it on the table. "Mr. Jack, what's going on?"
Jack was sweating profusely, his face pale, and he couldn't catch his breath. He pointed to the paper in his assistant's hand.
Ethan composed himself, took the paper, and glanced at it. It was a notice from the local government office, with a photo of a dish attached. However, there was no recipe, only a note that the dish must have a unique texture.
He tasted the dish Jack brought. It was cold, bland, and completely off. The taste and looks too didn't match the photo at all.
"What attempt is this?" Ethan asked sternly.
Jack lowered his head, his face filled with shame. "The 24th attempt."
"Hehehehehe"
Adrian couldn't help but chuckle.
Ethan shot him a glance. "What's so funny? Go! Get me honey, parsley, milk, raisins, lettuce, and cheese!"
"Yes, boss!" Adrian joked, mimicking a subordinate.
"And prepare the stir fry pot!" Ethan added but then rolled his eyes immediately , thinking to himself: 'This stubborn Hayes heir probably doesn't even know where the parsley is, let alone know what a stir fry pot is!'
Unbeknownst to Ethan, the person in the body was no longer "Liam" but Adrian. He had been a cook, and although he didn't have the opportunity to attend culinary school and become a Chef, he was inspired by Ethan's later achievements when he attained the crown of Worldwide Master Chef. So Adrian had self-taught himself. He had a natural obsession and passion for cooking. Identifying utensils and distinguishing ingredients was a piece of cake!
In fact, according to Jack Brown and his later testimony, Jack had failed 24 times to recreate the dish. But Ethan only needed three attempts! On the third try, the dish was perfect, just like the photo and tasted just like it was needed to.
What's even more impressive is that Ethan guided Jack, enabling him to pass the test.
And Adrian remembered all of this clearly.
The cooking began.
For the first attempt, Ethan sprinkled raisins as toppings of the dish as his last move. The dish was presented, and the four of them gathered around the table.
The finished dish looked almost identical to the photo. Perfect!
However, Jack took one bite and his face turned even paler. The sweetness was too much it was overwhelming! And the notice clearly stated that the government official had diabetes!
Jack clutched his chest, almost fainting. "Even Senior Ethan Forrest failed the taste... I'm dead by tomorrow!"