Christmas Eve

"May I have these three notebooks?" Audrey Hepburn asked.

Henry nodded in agreement without hesitation, uttering only one word. "Okay."

If it weren't for this lady's request, Henry wouldn't have gone to such lengths to write everything down. Could it be that this Kryptonian Super Brain is running out of storage space?

So he gave it to them, and he had no reason to be reluctant.

On the contrary, the training these past few days has been a very interesting new experience. I can now use my Super Brain to solve math or physics problems. As long as they are not too advanced, such as conjectures, Henry can almost always give an intuitive answer.

However, there is no single solution to problems in literature and philosophy. How to make one's answers convincing, establish one's own unique aesthetic sense, and then inspire others is no easier work than that of a mathematician or physicist.

When it was finally all over, Henry breathed a sigh of relief and was about to swear he would never do such a thing again when Audrey...

Ms. Hepburn asked, "So, child, are there any other love stories like this, involving different cultural backgrounds?"

"Again!" Henry asked, his eyes wide with horror.

"Of course. Women of all ages always love to hear love stories," Audrey Hepburn said not only smugly, but she continued:

"I can agree with you that different cultural backgrounds lead to different views on love. What If...? you want to convince me that love isn't just about Romeo and Juliet or War and Peace, you'll need to provide more evidence to convince me."

Then there were those same big, watery, sparkling eyes again. Their attack power exceeded 10,000, their damage striking straight to the Mind Stone, leaving the Kryptonian with almost no health in one move.

"Okay, okay. But we can only talk about it tomorrow."

"Oh, why?" The older woman's coquettishness had a subtle but powerful effect. The Kryptonian, stubbornly resisted.

Henry said firmly, "One story a day is the limit. Besides, tonight is Christmas Eve, and I need to help prepare dinner." The lady wasn't feeling well, so dinner was prepared by Henry or the family's maid.

"Okay, one a day then. But there has to be one every day from now on."

"Wow, boss, are you treating this like One Thousand and One Nights? I hope you won't send someone to chop off my head after I've told all one thousand stories."

"I'll pardon you in advance," Ms. Hepburn laughed happily. Then she suddenly asked, "By the way, if it's Christmas Eve, what about my Christmas present? You don't expect me to open it myself under the Christmas tree tomorrow, do you? Have some compassion for an old lady and give it to me early."

"You already have your Christmas presents in your arms," Henry said, pointing to the three notebooks.

"Well, this is something I asked for myself, so it can't be considered a gift," Audrey Hepburn complained.

Henry retorted without mincing words, "No matter the cultural circle, the story always emphasizes one point: greed never ends well. So, receiving a gift is good enough. I need to prepare dinner, boss."

Besides Robert, Ms. Hepburn, and Henry, the lady's two children will also be returning for dinner tonight. Furthermore, Sean Farrell will be bringing his girlfriend, Lila Reagan. So there's quite a bit to prepare.

This year, Audrey Hepburn specifically requested a variety of dishes, including Portugal King Cake, Belgium biscuits, Czechia Prague dishes from Prague, Germany Berlin donuts, Moscow mayonnaise salad, Denmark rice pudding, Romania pork, Sweden pickled herring fillets, smoked salmon and meatballs, France foie gras, oysters and Baumkuchen, and Spain sweet bread.

It includes main courses, desserts, and starchy staples. You don't even need to finish them all; just a bite of each will exceed your daily calorie limit! It's a menu that would make even a nutritionist faint.

Although there were many dishes he had never made before and only had the recipes, Henry was still very confident in his cooking skills. He just needed to control the cooking time well, as many steps couldn't be Super Speed.

As usual, I first kicked out the five Jack Russell Terrier that had wandered into the kitchen. I've never heard of keeping dogs; they're all practically as fat as balls, and they'll be on my plate sooner or later.

Sean and his girlfriend Lila, who have more flexible working hours, arrived home first.

In his early thirties, Sean is in his prime. Inheriting his parents' top-notch looks, he gives off a sunny and cheerful vibe, which is why he can attract a sweet, brown-haired girl like Lila.

As soon as he entered the door, the son gave his mother a big hug. "Mom, this is Lila, my girlfriend."

Hello, Lila.

"It's a great honor to meet you, Ms. Hepburn."

The two exchanged a friendly cheek kiss. At the same time, Lila presented a paper bag, saying, "This is a Christmas gift I specially prepared for Ms. Hepburn. A hand-knitted scarf."

Audrey Hepburn took a scarf from the paper bag—a scarf with a sophisticated pattern and skillfully knitted stitches. She exclaimed, "Wow, this scarf is beautiful! Sean, look, the girl you picked has such skillful hands!"

She immediately wrapped it around her neck. At the same time, Audrey Hepburn held Lila's hand tightly and said, "Lila, just call me Audrey. Come in and sit down with me."

This delighted the young couple. At least the first meeting between the future mother-in-law and future daughter-in-law seemed to go very smoothly.

Later that evening, Luca Dotti returned. With a psychiatrist as his father, Luca, though not as handsome as his older brother, was certainly more quick-witted and achieved better grades.

The two half-brothers, born of the same mother but different fathers, were raised and cared for by Audrey Hepburn from a young age.

However, when they reached school age, in order to access better educational resources, they traveled between prestigious schools in various Europe countries, studying either by boarding or by being cared for by nannies.

So the two brothers' relationship wasn't exactly close, but it wasn't exactly distant either. After all, they were ten years apart; by the time Luca was old enough to remember things, Sean had already gone to boarding school.

Their feelings for Robert were also quite complex. However, they were more familiar with their own mother, a woman who desperately needed family support and a man to lean on.

As children, they have their own lives and careers to create. So it seems understandable that a father who cannot remain kind and loyal to his mother would be replaced.

At least Robert took good care of his mother.

This family reunion, in Henry's eyes, concealed an undeniable estrangement. They all loved the same woman in different roles, but they didn't love each other in the same way. The only saving grace was that they didn't hate each other. Because this wasn't a relationship between husband and wife and a third or fourth party.

Henry, on the other hand, was just a cook who also freeloaded.