The sharp, stinging smell of disinfectant lingered in the emergency room. Figures in white clothes and masks hurried in and out, sweat beading on every forehead.
If there really is a next life, I'm going to eat every delicious thing in this world... and see all the scenery I never got to see in this one...
Agonizing pain dragged Fang Ye's consciousness down as if it were sinking into the depths of the sea. A chilling cold followed, then an intense sense of suffocation—
and then he lost consciousness completely.
"The patient has lost all vital signs!"
"Get the defibrillator, now!"
"It's no use. There's nothing we can do anymore..."
"Poor kid... He was only in his teens, and he got this kind of disease..."
On the monitor in the emergency room, the green line of the ECG flattened from jagged peaks into a single straight line, marking the end of a young life.
·
·
When Fang Ye regained consciousness, the blinding light around him made him squint. He instinctively tried to raise a hand to shield his eyes, only to realize he couldn't even lift his arm that high.
A large, gentle hand picked him up carefully, patting his back. Then a deep, steady male voice—strangely reassuring—reached his ears.
"Seven jin and nine liang! Good boy! You sure put your mother through hell. If you hadn't just been born, I'd be giving you a beating!"
Fang Ye turned his head with effort to look over. His vision was terribly blurry, and all he could make out was the outline of a man.
He looked big and powerfully built, with a short buzz cut, firm features, and an old-fashioned sort of masculine presence.
"If you dare lay a hand on him, I'll beat you to death first!"
The woman on the hospital bed looked exhausted. After hearing the man's words, she shot him an annoyed glare. He was already a father, and yet he still had no sense of seriousness at all.
"Oh, come on, honey, I was just saying it! How could I possibly hit him? He's my little ancestor now—I can't dote on him enough as it is!"
Seeing his wife get angry, the man instantly folded. Fang Ye followed the sound of his voice and looked over as well.
But because he had only just been born, his eyesight was still poor. He could only vaguely make out the outline of his mother in this new life.
Her face was small and delicate, carrying the soft grace of a Jiangnan woman. Her figure was slender and willow-like, yet she could keep a burly man completely in line, so much so that he didn't even dare raise his voice in front of her.
Fang Ye couldn't help feeling a trace of admiration.
"Why isn't this baby crying yet? If this keeps up, he'll suffer from oxygen deprivation. We'll have to be a little rougher."
Just then, a burst of Japanese sounded by Fang Ye's ear.
A moment later, a palm landed hard on his backside, making him let out a loud wail.
"Ms. Su Wan, your baby is very healthy. Please support him here, and be gentle—newborn bones are relatively fragile."
Seeing that the child had finally cried, the rookie nurse in charge of this part of the delivery let out a relieved breath. At last, the job had been completed successfully. She then turned to Su Wan.
"Thank you. I've studied the relevant childcare knowledge."
Facing the nurse's instructions, Su Wan gave her a gentle smile, then lowered her gaze to the swaddled infant, whose crying was gradually subsiding.
"So ugly..."
Looking at the baby in the blanket, his tiny face all wrinkled and scrunched up, Su Wan blurted out the comment without thinking. Then, realizing she'd said something wrong, she hastily smacked her own mouth.
"All babies are like this! All babies are like this! He'll look better once he grows into his features! He'll look better once he grows into his features! No, I still need to do some mental preparation. Nurse, please put him in the crib beside me for now."
After only a couple more glances, Su Wan handed Fang Ye back to the nurse and asked her to place him in the bassinet. A baby this wrinkly and ugly really was hard to kiss.
Tch. I'm being disliked already. So sleepy...
Ten minutes was enough for Fang Ye to grasp the situation. If nothing unexpected had happened, then he had probably been reincarnated.
More precisely, he had been reborn with the memories of his previous life intact.
This hospital was most likely in Japan, while his bargain-bin parents seemed to be Chinese, switching between Mandarin and Japanese. All in all, there was probably no issue with his bloodline.
Still, a baby's body really was fragile. A little bit of thinking was enough to make him overwhelmingly sleepy, as if all the data on a phone plan had been used up and the connection was about to be forcibly cut off.
And then, at that very moment—
a cool sensation suddenly welled up deep inside Fang Ye's mind, jolting his drowsy consciousness awake.
Ding. Congratulations, Host, on awakening the Strongest Proficiency System. It has been detected that you are currently in a world where cuisine reigns supreme. The Strongest Proficiency System will now undergo adaptive adjustment.
The mechanical electronic voice sounded inside Fang Ye's head, and delight instantly appeared on his face.
In his previous life, while confined to a hospital bed, he had read no shortage of web novels. He had often fantasized about one day awakening a system, reversing his illness, and starting life anew.
Unfortunately, that system had never come.
Fang Ye had a vague feeling that his rebirth with memories intact was connected to this system.
But what did a "world where cuisine reigns supreme" even mean? Cooking Master Boy?
No, that couldn't be right. Judging by the hospital equipment and interior design, this was almost certainly already the twenty-first century. If the Little Master Chef were still alive, he'd probably be the Old Master Chef by now.
The Strongest Proficiency System has successfully adjusted. It is hereby renamed the Strongest Gourmet Proficiency System. All functions of the original Strongest Proficiency System are retained, with expanded emphasis placed on gourmet-related modules.
Just as Fang Ye's thoughts were running wild, the mechanical voice sounded again in his mind.
Would you like to view your current proficiency panel?
View.
Name: Fang Ye
Age: 0 years, 1 day
Strength: 0.1
(The average Strength value for an adult male is 10; for an adult female, 8.)
Mind: 1
(The average mental power for an adult male is 8; for an adult female, 10.)
Charm: 0.3
(The average Charm value for ordinary people is 10. Those in positions of power, individuals with unique traits, or people with exceptional looks may receive varying bonuses.)
Skills:
Vocalization (White): Producing sound through the vibration of the throat.
Proficiency: Beginner (8/100)
"Waaah~"
"Waaah~"
"Waaah~"
As he looked at the status panel floating before him, a trace of delight appeared in Fang Ye's blurry vision. Then, as if thinking of something, he opened his mouth and started crying loudly.
Skill Proficiency Increased: Vocalization
Vocalization (White): Beginner (11/100)
So that's how it is. This is the Gourmet Proficiency System. It changed because of the world setting, but at its core it still retains the foundation of the original Strongest Proficiency System...
His inner speculation confirmed, Fang Ye was overjoyed.
If any skill could be improved simply through repeated use, then he might really be about to soar.
"Why is he crying all of a sudden? Is the bassinet uncomfortable? Fang Zheng, hurry and bring him over!"
Fang Ye had merely wanted to test things out a little, but the moment Su Wan heard his cries, anxiety instantly appeared on her face. No longer caring whether he was ugly or not, she immediately called for Fang Zheng, who was standing beside her, to bring the baby over.
"Huh? Oh!"
Hearing her shout, Fang Zheng froze for a moment, then quickly reacted. He reached out, lifted Fang Ye from the bassinet as carefully as he could, and placed him in Su Wan's arms.
"He's probably hungry. Newborns expend a great deal of energy during birth, so it's best to feed him within the first hour. After that, feed him once every three hours."
The nurse's voice sounded at just the right moment, offering the most appropriate advice possible to the flustered first-time parents.
"Eh? Eh? Ehhh!?"
If you send the next chapter, I'll continue with the same polished style and formatting.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 120)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 100)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 100)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter89)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter86)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter63)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter75)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 53
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 57
From Junkman to Wasteland 35
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 26
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 27
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