Preparing Dinner

Charlize Theron is not the people-pleasing type. In fact, because of her untold past, she is actually quite wary of strangers.

Henry's ability to enter her heart felt somewhat opportunistic. However, Henry never intended to exploit her, which allowed their relationship to continue.

As for physiological needs... that's another matter.

Catherine Hepburn was not the kind of sweet girl who could be easily manipulated. She was humorous, intelligent, and possessed the strength that women of that era aspired to.

Henry originally envisioned a meeting between two equally strong-willed women as nothing less than a clash of titans.

The reason they dared to bring Charlize to meet this person was that they hoped Charlize Theron, who is not yet fully mature, could get along better with this veteran actress and learn from her life experience to pave her own path to becoming an Oscar winner.

Who knew that the old man and the young man would hit it off so well, getting so engrossed in their conversation that they completely forgot about Heng, treating him like a mere servant.

But their constant loitering around was getting on her nerves. Catherine simply said, "Henry, go buy some ingredients and prepare dinner. Tony will be coming over too; don't poison him."

The old lady saw through his intentions first, so Henry had no choice but to give up classic dishes that caused diarrhea, such as hairy crab stir-fried with persimmons, spinach and tofu, pumpkin and fish soup, and lemon shrimp.

As the saying goes, even a farmer's life can be stressful, and so can a cook's. But Henry generously spared the young master's stomach.

In the afternoon, the doorbell rang. Henry was busy in the kitchen, Catherine wasn't very mobile, so Charlize answered the door.

When Charlize opened the door, she didn't see Tony Stark as she had seen on TV. Instead, she saw a large, fat Old Black followed by a group of people of all skin colors.

Charlize paused, then asked, "Who are you looking for?"

The Old Black leading the group handed over a business card, saying, "Hello, ma'am. I'm Wesley Washington, the head chef of Wesley Five-Star Catering Team."

"Mr. Tony Stark has asked us to prepare dinner. Is this Ms. Catherine Hepburn's house?"

The extravagance of the wealthy is such that when they visit someone's home, they even bring their own chef. Charlize Theron has certainly seen something new.

Catherine, standing behind, called out loudly, "Charlize, who's coming? Is it Tony Stark?"

"No, Catherine. It's Mr. Stark's culinary team."

"Is that so? Then let them in. And tell Henry in the kitchen that he doesn't need to do anything."

"Okay." After responding to the person behind her, Charlize opened the door wide and welcomed everyone in. "Please come in."

Once permission was granted, the catering team immediately sprang into action. Some unloaded ingredients from refrigerated trucks, while others unloaded boxed tableware from regular trucks.

The catering team consists of more than 20 people, including chefs and kitchen helpers as well as waiters and waitresses.

As the head chef and manager, Old Black needed to know where the kitchen and dining area were before he could make arrangements. So he asked Charlize to lead the way, and the two of them headed to the kitchen together.

Seeing the man's back as he busied himself, Charlize said, "Henry, Mr. Stark has hired a catering team. This is Chef Wesley Washington."

Henry put down what he was holding and turned around. Old Black paused for a moment, pointed at the other man, and asked uncertainly, "Henry Brown?"

"Ah, Chef, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to still remember me." After drying his hands, Henry exchanged a fist bump with the head chef he had worked with at <Demon Fighter>.

"I never expected you to be a guest today," the fat Old Black greeted him cheerfully at first. Then, he looked worried. "Are you and Mr. Stark alright?"

"Would a big shot like him care about a nobody like me? It's all over now."

"That's good. I was worried someone might sneakily ask me to add some poison or laxatives or something," Old Black joked. Looking at the kitchen, he asked, "Are you preparing dinner?"

"Yes, I didn't expect you guys to come. If you don't want to go hungry, of course you'll have to cook for yourselves."

"What kind of dish do you want to make?" Old Black couldn't guess Henry's intentions just by looking at the ingredients and how they were prepared, so he asked directly.

"It's just some everyday dishes; I cook whatever I can find. I didn't think too much about it. What about you guys? You're not going to improvise like me, are you?"

"How could that be? Thanks to your cheeseburger, Mr. Stark often hires my team. Of course, it's on the menu today too; it's something he always requests."

As Old Black spoke, he handed over a menu. This wasn't for ordering food; it was a list of everything available for the day.

However, the menu doesn't strictly adhere to Western dining standards, which typically include appetizers, side dishes, and main courses. The main courses alone number at least three: a beef burger with cheese, bouillabaisse, and duck confit.

Looking at the menu, Henry exclaimed in admiration, "Wow, is this what rich people eat? Chef, how good is this menu for your company?"

Old Black feigned mystery, lowering his voice to say, "Although I'd love to tell you that I always serve top-notch food, there are actually different levels. Mr. Stark only wants truly top-quality ingredients."

"Oh, let me see, look how top-notch they are," Henry joked.

Just then, a few people pushed in a water tank that was still being inflated. Henry was stunned. "Is that what I'm thinking about in that fish tank?"

"I remember you mentioning that you worked on a crab fishing boat in Alaska. You wouldn't not recognize a king crab, would you?"

"Of course I recognize king crabs. But live ones... aren't you going too far? It's already December, the crab season is over. Where are you going to get live ones?"

"These are Norway Red King Crab. There are no seasonal restrictions there, only monthly quotas. The shipping cost for just this one tank is more expensive than the king crabs themselves."

"Tsk tsk tsk, the life of the rich is something I can never imagine."

At this point, Charlize Theron finally found an opportunity to interject, asking, "Henry, do you know Mr. Washington?"

"Ah, Wesley Washington, the top chef from Le Cordon Bleu. We worked on the same film set, so we know each other." Henry, of course, didn't forget to introduce them, saying to the Old Black, "Charlize Theron, my girlfriend."

"It's an honor to meet you, the beautiful Ms. Sailon." Lao Hei smiled honestly, showing two rows of gifted white teeth.

Henry briefly recounted his acquaintance with Old Black, noting, of course, that he had enjoyed quite a few free meals.

Charlize exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of film crew could afford to hire such a culinary team?"

"It's that guy from today's show. The crew that Mr. Tony Stark is the main financial backer of."

"Oh my God." Charlize was speechless.

Old Black added from the side, "However, I've only ever taken on the job of providing meals for a film crew once. Most film producers wouldn't agree to spend money on something like that."

After answering Charlize's question, Henry looked at the Old Black and asked, "Do you need my help today?"

"Hey, you're a customer. Help out with the food, don't steal my business."