"Sister, you can come back for the Chinese New Year this year."

"What's going on?" It was the first time Ash had heard his brother talk to him so eloquently, and he couldn't help but be a little puzzled.

At the end of the end, Ek paused and said, "What do you need to go home for the New Year?" Ash, are you from the Ai family, and you are really willing to return to China until we are all dead? Isn't it more compelling to cook French food in China, besides, I've heard that your reputation is getting worse and worse over there! ”

As soon as he said a soft word, the fox's tail was revealed.

Ash's eyes darkened slightly, "Have you done something bad again, you haven't contacted me for so many years, today the sun is coming out in the west, and you still know that you are called sister?" ”

Ike said angrily, "You don't deserve to educate me!" ”

There was only a busy tone left on the phone.

Before Ash could think about whether something had happened to her family, Dennis, the boss, walked up to her.

"Hey, you Oriental demon girl, on such an important day today, you are actually lazy here? Even if you don't want to do it, please don't smash the signboard of this store! ”

Dennis had always disliked her, and it was the other party's father who left him in the shop, so he felt that he was a demon girl and confused his father's mind. But in fact, it's just because they are all Chinese, and the food she cooks happens to be good.

"My assistants are all working, please trust their abilities, no meal can be made by the chef alone." Ash didn't take his words to heart and turned and walked into the kitchen.

Everything was in order, and Ash quickly blended in.

She put the ground bamboo leaves into a cone-shaped machine, and the switch had already been turned on, but in a moment, the quiet smell of bamboo gradually spread in the kitchen.

Ash put transparent balloons on the top of the machine, and the bamboo incense slowly filled the balloons, and so on, Ash made a total of four "bamboo scent balls".

Because some nitrogen is added to it, the balloon is transparent, and the bamboo incense gas inside is free, like a mist in the mountains.

The whole kitchen is as busy as Ash, because today the Rêve restaurant welcomes a famous gourmet, Oliver.

Oliver is a well-known food critic whose tongue is trusted by foodies, and usually, whenever he praises a restaurant, it goes all the way. On the contrary, the restaurants he complained about did not turn out very well.

"Cheer me up, this is the first heavyweight foodie ushered in after the transformation of our restaurant, and success or failure can be done here!" Dennis followed him to the kitchen to explain, with a warning in his tone, "If I fail, some people won't be able to make up for my loss even if they take off their chef's hats!" ”

And Ash, as the head chef, didn't even look at him, staring intently at the machine, she was refining the essence of the fish.

The dish she is making is her new molecular dish, named "Fish Water Soul".

This dish is quite exquisite, not to mention the color, flavor and taste, and even the visual is very pleasing to the eye.

The bamboo aroma ball pokes out a few small holes with pinholes, and the nitrogen gas of fresh bamboo fragrance slowly overflows, as if you are in a bamboo forest; The black frosted disc has two rings, an inner ring containing the essence of fish and a transparent secret recipe, and an outer ring embellished with subtle herbs and a raspberry-coloured dessert.

Balloons are hung from diners' chairs, and when guests taste this dish, it is like eating fish with close friends by the abyss by the stream next to the bamboo forest.

This is the emotion Ash wants to convey.

As the finale, when this "fish and water affection" was brought out, Ash looked extremely calm on his face, but he was a little nervous in his heart.

This is her fifth year with three Michelin stars for Rêve, and she strives to innovate every day to keep those three stars. But inspiration can't be available all the time, so Ash went to the "Paragraph Symbol" restaurant during the bottleneck.

It's a molecular cuisine restaurant that has been praised by the Michelin Guide, and it lives up to its name, and when Ash goes to eat, every dish is truly exquisite. And she took a lot of inspiration from it, and returned to Rêve to create the dish of "fish and water affection".

But some of the deputies in the back kitchen and Dennis said that she might be suspected of plagiarism, because elements such as balloons and bamboo incense are quite similar to the inspiration of the two dishes in "paragraph symbols".

Although they are completely different dishes and have different functions, I always feel strange.

Ash doesn't think so, the "paragraph symbols" get their inspiration from famous paintings, and she gets her inspiration from "paragraph symbols", which is not dirty plagiarism.

She argues with them that after all, it is the chef, and Dennis and his lieutenants can only trust her for the time being. After all, she has maintained Samsung for the past five years.

“icey！ Oliver says he wants to see you! Dennis came in from the outside in a hurry, and the moment his eyes touched her, his expression became a little colder, "It seems that the Witch of the East has succeeded." ”

The little stone in Ash's heart fell to the ground and smiled at Dennis. What is she worried about, how can she fail with her own research on molecular cuisine!

It may seem narcissistic to think so, but Ash became the head chef of a three-Michelin-starred restaurant at the age of 28, and before that, he also shuttled through the kitchens of various Michelin-starred restaurants to study.

She consciously has this capital!

"This is our beautiful Oriental chef, and the final dish is so impressive to me that I must meet the witch that Dennis calls it. Oh, but I must say, our Miss Chef doesn't look like a witch more like an elf! Oliver's mouth was unexpectedly sweet.

Ash looked at the other party, a typical blonde handsome guy, with charming eyes when he smiled.

She was in a good mood and smiled and said, "Thank you for your recognition of my cooking skills, it seems that you have a very pleasant dining experience today, it is my honor." ”

Oliver exchanged a few more pleasantries, got up to greet her, and left Rêve.

Dennis followed Ash back to the back kitchen, changing his domineering demeanor with a smirk on his face, "Oh, Ash elf, please stay in Rêve, our dreams will definitely come true one by one." ”

"Okay Dennis, don't look at me with this flattering expression, I'm 33 years old, and I'm not an elf. There are other guests outside, please get out of my kitchen! After Ash received Oliver's evaluation, his heart swelled rapidly, and he had reverted to being the outspoken chef.

Dennis is the boss here, but the power is still in his father's hands, and Ash has just been praised by Oliver again. Therefore, for the sake of the prosperity of the restaurant and the management of the restaurant, he did not get mad, but walked out with a smile.

Ash is already in a good mood, and in fact, her molecular cuisine is full of strange things that have mixed reviews in the industry. Some people admire her spirit of innovation, but others think that many of her experiments have gone beyond the scope of ordinary molecular cuisine, like real chemistry experiments, where food has lost its true meaning.

She was a little uncertain in her mind during the bottleneck period, and this time she borrowed some things from others, and Ash was originally worried about this year's Michelin expedition. But today, Oliver's affirmation is like a shot in the arm that strengthens her confidence.

Wait for the Michelin Restaurant Guide to be published soon, and the nasty critics will be able to shut their mouths!

*

A month later, the much-anticipated 2026 Michelin Restaurant Guide arrived, and Ash confidently bought one and brought it to Rêve.

"Rêve" means dream in French, and Ash and the restaurant share the same goal of making this restaurant a dream for the whole world. At the same time, we also want diners to taste the taste that is indeed what they have always dreamed of.

For five years in a row, Ash thinks she's lived up to the name, and before opening the book, she thinks the new year should still be.

Dennis also came early today, because the restaurant has been transformed and all kinds of molecular dishes have appeared, and he has received a lot of boos this year.

And the day Oliver left, he felt that he was bound to raise his eyebrows, after all, he had received the news that Oliver was probably the hidden Michelin connoisseur.

When the other party left, the smile on his face was so satisfied, which gave Dennis great encouragement.

"Hey, Icey, you haven't opened that food book yet!" Dennis yelled exaggeratedly.

Ash sat back in his chair and curled the corners of his lips slightly, "Of course, such a moment should be witnessed by all the people in the kitchen. ”

Dennis smiled awkwardly, and immediately beckoned everyone in the store to come and see, "Guys, the time has come to witness the miracle, please ask our Oriental witch to open the food book." ”

Seeing that all his deputies were crowding around, Ash slowly opened the page and found the page number of "Rêve" according to the table of contents.

She always had a smile on her face that was determined to win, but when she actually turned the page, the smile froze completely.

Everyone froze in place.

The first to react was the boss Dennis, who snatched the Guide and rubbed his eyes vigorously.

“what the f**k！！！ Two stars? Downgraded?! ”

Ash's mind buzzed, full of disbelief, "This can't be! Oliver's attitude was so good, and he said that he was impressed with my cooking! ”

She grabbed the "Guide" and slapped it on the table, scanning the comments on it.

“…… The charm of the chef lies in his ability to change molecular cuisine to a more surprising level, and he does his best in every dish...... For those who prefer the 'Paragraph Symbol' restaurant but can't make a reservation, try 'Rêve'. ”

"Nonsense! This bastard with different hearts! Ash was so angry that the last sentence in the book literally crucified her on the cross of shame!

Oliver, the bastard, boasted so much in front of her, but in the blink of an eye, he sarcastically mocked her in the book! Say that you like "paragraph symbols" and can't make an appointment to try "Rêve", which is clearly ironic that she is a copy of another restaurant!

Ash was trembling with anger, she couldn't imagine that this food red book would be circulated around the world for a whole year and be seen by countless people!

"No, I'm going to find Oliver Theory! He's a villain! Ash was so excited that he slammed the book on the table.

"Enough!" Dennis suddenly roared, "Ash, don't spill in my restaurant!" I really looked away, and actually believed what a Chinese said! David, throw all those instruments out of hers! From now on, you're no longer the chef of Rêve, useless stuff! ”

"Dennis?!" Ash couldn't believe that the other party had completely torn her face with herself, and she had given so much for this restaurant.

Dennis slapped the table and pulled her out, "What are you staring at, Ash, for the past five years, you get out of here right away!" ”

The strength of the angry man was very terrifying, and Ash was pulled by Dennis like this and fell directly to the door of the restaurant. And in the entire kitchen, none of these deputies she brought out spoke for her.

"So you also think that I am Jiang Lang, and think that I am just imitating and plagiarizing 'paragraph symbols'?!" She looked at her assistants with one last glimmer of hope.

And they all bowed their heads, and none of them answered her.

Dennis went on a rampage again, kicked open the chair next to him, picked up the Guide and smashed it at Ash, "Haven't you been teased enough?" You arrogant Oriental, even if you don't have your own ideas, how can you copy someone else's? Oh, I really believe your so-called inspirational nonsense, please get out of here! ”

Ash stumbled out of the restaurant and stumbled out of the restaurant.

In an era where there is no shortage of three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, no chef is irreplaceable, and the menu is constantly being innovated every day, and the chef is likely to change every day.

Ash turned her back on her family despite the opposition of her family and went to France alone to learn cooking, but she became the first chef to be demoted in more than a decade.

And how many years has it been since a three-Michelin-starred restaurant had a star downgrade? Five years? Or ten years?

Who else would dare to use her.

Return? She didn't have the face to think at all, so she could only wander aimlessly through the streets of a foreign country.

Maybe the god here is afraid that she is not miserable enough, and after a few minutes of walking, the drizzling rain will fall, as if it will not be able to taunt her if it is a moment later!

"Whew-"

The screeching sound of brakes suddenly sounded in the street, startling everyone around them.

Ash only felt a dull pain, and the whole person flew out several meters, and she heard a "pop-" sound, and immediately fell from the air.

What a timely misfortune, no different from her fall in the kitchen world.

Ash's consciousness was blurring, his vision was blurred, and his ears were buzzing.

It is said that people will see the most precious things in this life before they die, why did she only see a puddle of scarlet, perhaps, because her most precious things have already been lost......

At this moment, Ash regretted it very much. She finally regretted her courage, and even more regretted that she had abandoned her family and fled to France regardless of Ai's survival.

If she is given one more chance, she will no longer plagiarize because of bottlenecks, will no longer anger her grandfather to the hospital, and will not ignore her parents' requests when Ai is facing an acquisition......

Maybe it's really because she did too much of a bastard at the beginning, that's why she has today's retribution......

*

"Ash, what time is it, get me up!"

In the chaos, familiar and unfamiliar voices sounded in my ears, like the interweaving of fantasy and reality, which was not very real.

Ash struggled to open his eyes, and saw his mother's young appearance, in her early forties, but well-maintained, and she looked the same as her thirty.

"So this is the last mirror image I saw......" she muttered.

"What nonsense, you guys hurry up and get her up for me, even if I'm sick, this coming-of-age ceremony has to give me a glamorous one!" Lian Yuyan glanced at her, and then gave instructions to the makeup artist and costume artist beside her.

Ash then realized that there were other people who had followed her mother, and before she could react, she was helped up and stripped naked!