Unexpected encounters at Adriella's
THIRD PERSON
The doorbell chimed throughout the restaurant as two figures entered, exuding a dominating aura. A waiter, who had been waiting for them since their boss's arrival, guided them to a VIP room.
"Thank you," Old Zheng said curtly, barely acknowledging the waiter before he left.
"Behave and keep quiet while we wait for the food," the assistant instructed the heir firmly.
"Yeah, yeah~" the heir fished out his phone from his pocket and decided to spend the time scrolling through the internet, to catch up on how many likes his photo that Anton's post from last week had gotten. He hadn't had a chance to check, thanks to his dad's constant reminders to cut down on screen time and focus on the project.
"WOAHHHH THAT MUCH?!" Max exclaimed, seeing that the single picture of him Anton posted on Instagram had reached over nine million likes, with thousands more being added every day.
Curious about what had excited the young master, Zheng tried to peek at Max's phone. He almost saw the screen when the heir moved and began being noisy again.
"THAT'S AMAZING!! HEHEHE, WELL, I CAN'T DENY HOW HANDSOME I AM," he said with pride, striking a pose with his hands on his hips. Despite being told to keep quiet, his loud exclamation was almost enough to make Old Zheng's ears ring.
"Didn't I ask you to be quiet, young MacGregor?" Zheng said with a bitter smile.
"Why are you standing and shouting? The room is small; your voice echoes all over the place. It's irritating."
"I have a serious question: is it hard for you to sit still for just a minute?" Mr. Zheng was barely enduring the heir's hyperactivity. Initially, he thought it might be due to his old age. But after spending another few hours with him, he realized it was just in Max's nature to be energetic. Plus, at 21 years old, the young man still had a lot of stamina. Old Zheng felt that the young master was even more hyper than normal children.
Feeling a bit guilty, Maximus apologized and sat down, looking like a child who'd just been scolded for eating all the chocolate bars meant for his nephew while they wait patiently. After a few seconds of silence, there was a knock on the door—three firm knocks before it opened. Three waiters entered in sequence, each pushing a metal trolley laden with covered dishes and desserts.
They presented each dish one by one, explaining the details of the food while the two tasted the dishes elegantly. Despite being just waiters, the way they introduced each dish made it feel like a masterpiece they took pride in, making it even more special, appetizing, and delicious in the eyes of the diners. Their professionalism was truly impressive.
"HMMMM~ YUMMY! WHY IS IT SO DELICIOUS? ALL OF THEM ARE SO, SO GOOD!" the heir exclaimed, eating all the food even though it was only supposed to be a taste test. It was clear that the young master would be full in no time and wouldn't be able to taste all the dishes.
Mr. Zheng, on the other hand, gave up trying to correct the heir's loudness. His strength gave out, and he was lost for words, simply continuing to taste the foods presented to them.
"Who cooked all of this?" Zheng asked, wiping his mouth with a table napkin as elegantly as a nobleman. "Mrs. West didn't mention who would be cooking for us—just that he was the best chef on her team."
"Oh, the chef is on his way. ." "He'll be a bit late because he's still currently training one of our cooks. We apologize if this seems a bit unprofessional." they apologised bowing their heads.
"It's all right. We're the ones who should apologise since we called Ma'am Adriella at the last second. We should've called the day before to give the chef time to think about what to prepare for us," Old Zheng revealed.
While waiting for Chef Zane, the waiters entertained the two by dancing to some funny TikTok trends, making the atmosphere livelier. Mr. Zheng, who wasn't into those kinds of things, found himself genuinely laughing. It became even more lively when the heir suddenly joined in, squeezing himself in and dancing crazily after shouting, "I KNOW THIS ONE," when the background music started.
The scene resembled a group of sugar-crazed toddlers at a birthday party, each one trying desperately to outshine the other for grandma's affection and an extra slice of cake. They were about as synchronized as a marching band made up of cats—everyone dancing to their own beat and having the time of their lives.
Just as the chaos peaked, Chef Zane strutted in, drawn by the commotion. The first thing he noticed was the racket, and then his eyes fell on a particular dancer, wildly thrusting his arms like he was trying to take off in flight. Zane felt the heat rise in him, a flashback to last week's incident burning in his mind like a bad hangover.
Clenching his fists, he advanced towards the group, ready to give the heir a piece of his mind. Just as he was about to deliver a well-deserved punch, a wrinkled hand shot out, stopping him in his tracks, accompanied by a smile that radiated clueless joy.
"CHEF!!" Zheng exclaimed, oblivious to Zane's internal turmoil. He had no idea that Zane, the master behind the culinary masterpieces they had just devoured, was the very same kid he used to help at the orphanage.
"Uncle Zheng?" Zane blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. Why on Earth was Mrs. Beth's husband here with this hyperactive spoiled brat? It was great to see Uncle Zheng again after leaving the orphanage seven years ago, but the sight of the heir dancing like he was on fire made Zane question all his life choices. Uncle Zheng had been the one to teach him how to read, write, and count when Mrs. Beth was too busy wrangling other children. He'd even supported Zane through school, despite the kid being perfectly capable of handling himself. Though they hadn't seen each other much lately—Zheng buried in work and Zane juggling school and part-time jobs—they kept in touch through texts and video calls.
Zane instinctively hugged Zheng back. It felt good to embrace someone who held such a cherished place in his past, especially after all the craziness that had unfolded recently.
Meanwhile, Max and his crew continued their impromptu dance party, now grooving to the viral hit "Water" by Tyla.
Make me sweat, make me hotter
Make me lose my breath, make me water
"Oh, make me water~" Max shouted, spinning around and twerking with all the grace of a bewildered flamingo, adding random ad-libs like a karaoke night gone horribly wrong.
As the dancing escalated, Max suddenly noticed that his assistant was no longer watching him. Instead, Zheng was engaged in a deep conversation with someone. The old man was laughing heartily, a sight Max had never witnessed before. Curiosity piqued, he ceased his questionable dance moves and sauntered over, planning to make some playful jabs at his assistant until he got the classic Zheng scowl.
But then he froze. The person Zheng was talking to was none other than Zane—the man he'd had a wild, unforgettable one-night stand with just a week ago.
"YOUUUUUU!" Max exclaimed, pointing at Zane as if he'd just uncovered a grand conspiracy. His eyes bulged as if someone had just revealed that the sky was actually made of cottons. How could this be the same guy who had inadvertently taken his virginity while simultaneously making him feel like the star of a steamy romance novel?
Zane shot back with a sharp gaze he could master, resisting the urge to kick Max in the balls—mostly because Uncle Zheng was around. Max's reaction, though, only confirmed what Zane had been suspecting all along. Zane didn't want Uncle Zheng to see his bad side after all these years. He wanted to maintain the image of the good boy he had been in the past.