Chapter 31: Cola Chicken Wings

Two days later, Nicole arrived at the house with a young girl, who had a sweet appearance and was dressed in splendid attire. Upon their meeting, they introduced each other, "Tony, this is Mrs. Olsen I told you about before. Liv, this is Mr. Monet!"

Before Monet could greet them, Mrs. Olsen excitedly exclaimed to him, "Mr. Monet, your remedy is truly miraculous! I never thought that Coca-Cola could actually treat my stomach ailment. I've only been drinking it for two days, and I already feel much better in my stomach!"

"Good that it's effective, but at this point, you mustn't stop. The condition has only been alleviated, not completely cured. Furthermore, you shouldn't indulge in hawthorn or jujube anymore. Remember, everything should be in moderation, or else excess can be harmful," Monet advised.

"Don't worry, I will continue to drink it for a week," Mrs. Olsen nodded in agreement. Then, she extended an invitation, "To express my gratitude for curing my ailment, I've prepared a dinner party tonight at my place. Both you and Nicole must come!"

"You are too kind, madam. In fact, I haven't done much!" Monet humbly declined.

"My grandmother taught me that even if you can't immediately repay someone for their help, you must make them feel your gratitude. Otherwise, your heart will never find peace throughout your life," Mrs. Olsen insisted.

Unable to refuse further, Monet reluctantly agreed with a nod, "I appreciate your kindness then."

After Mrs. Olsen left, Nicole looked at Monet with admiration and asked, "Tony, can you honestly tell me if you're really a doctor? The first time you saved me, you used that Heimlich maneuver, and now you're treating stomach issues with Coca-Cola!"

With no choice, Monet once again attributed the credit to Mr. Heimlich, "I don't really understand medical techniques. In fact, I learned this from Mr. Heimlich. I thought that even if it didn't work, at least it wouldn't have any side effects. Unexpectedly, it worked!"

However, Nicole clearly wasn't fully accepting of Monet's explanation. After scrutinizing him for a moment, she suddenly threw herself into his arms, gently bit his ear, and whispered, "Someday, I will know all your secrets!"

"I'm afraid there are some secrets that you wouldn't believe even if I told you," Monet replied half-jokingly.

"Well, you have to tell me first, and then I'll decide whether to believe them!" Nicole retorted.

"Revealing such important secrets isn't something I can just casually do!" Monet shook his head.

"Then how can you be willing to reveal them? Like this?" Saying so, Nicole kissed Monet while reaching to undo his belt.

Just as Shan Shan was about to ask what to prepare for lunch, she heard a series of blush-inducing sounds coming from the study. She quickly retreated.

Observing her embarrassed expression, Casey asked with a chuckle, "Is this the first time you've heard such sounds?"

Blushing, Shan Shan nodded but remained silent.

Casey continued to inquire, "When you were working as Mr. Monet's chef before, were there no women visiting his house?"

Shan Shan shook her head, "Never!"

Initially, Shan Shan thought Casey would continue asking about Monet, but to her surprise, Casey shifted the topic, asking, "Do you like Mr. Monet?"

After a brief hesitation, Shan Shan nodded.

Casey sighed lightly, "Then you've missed out on the best opportunity."

Although the sigh was soft, it hit Shan Shan's heart like a heavy hammer. The truth was that she had already prepared herself to become Mrs. Monet, but she hadn't anticipated the swift arrival of this American widow.

Looking at Shan Shan's expression, Casey understood that Madam's speculation was correct. So, without saying anything, Casey simply chuckled lightly and left, leaving Shan Shan standing there in a daze.

After a good while, Shan Shan finally regained her composure and quietly headed towards the kitchen.

Unaware of Shan Shan's complex thoughts at the moment, Monet, deep in his philosopher's moment, was thinking of something else. He turned to Nicole, who was lying beside him, and asked, "Shouldn't we bring something when we go to the Olsen's dinner party?"

"Why not just bring a bottle of wine?" Nicole casually replied.

Monet smirked, "That lacks creativity. I've decided to bring a dish!"

"Bring a dish? Isn't that inappropriate? Won't it be an insult to their chef?" Nicole asked, furrowing her brows.

Monet explained, "If we bring a common dish, it would indeed be impolite. But if it's a dish no one has ever tasted before and is somehow related to Coca-Cola, it's a different story!"

"A dish related to Coca-Cola? What dish is that? I've never heard of it," Nicole asked curiously.

"Of course, you haven't tasted it. It's something I recently invented, called Cola Chicken Wings!" Monet proudly replied.

"Is it as delicious as tomato scrambled eggs?" Nicole asked, trying to hold back her salivation because she really loved eating tomato scrambled eggs.

"It's roughly on the same level. You'll know when you taste it later!" Monet said excitedly, getting up to put on his clothes. At the same time, he shouted loudly outside, "Shan Shan, I'm going to teach you a new dish!"

Observing Shan Shan's frantic actions, Monet asked in confusion, "Shan Shan, are you not feeling well today, or is something going on at home? Why do you seem distracted?"

"Ah? No, uh, what's the next step, sir?" Shan Shan defended.

Monet somewhat speechlessly responded, "Next step? You didn't even do this step correctly. I told you to make a few small cuts on both sides of the chicken wings. This way, they'll absorb the flavors better!"

"Oh, alright."

After regaining her focus, Shan Shan managed to prepare the "Cola Chicken Wings" fairly well. After all, the dish itself was quite simple. After tasting it, Monet nodded approvingly, "Good job. Practice a couple more times, and tonight at the Olsen's, you'll have a chance to show off!"

"What?! I have to, have to go out with you and cook?" Shan Shan asked excitedly.

Monet nodded, saying, "Yes, let them witness your skills!"

While Monet was teaching Shan Shan how to make the Cola Chicken Wings, Casey was reporting to Nicole, "Madam, it's true that Shan Shan seems to have intentions toward Mr. Monet. Should we..."

But before Casey could finish speaking, Nicole interrupted, "No need to be so tense. How could a blushing young girl possibly be my competition!"