Once most of the guests had arrived, Owen brought out his special setup—he had prepared something extra for tonight.
If there had been any Chinese guests present, they would have immediately recognized what Owen was setting up—liquefied gas, a portable stove, and a wok. That's right, he had decided to cook up some Chinese dishes and give these Americans a taste of something different.
Seeing the commotion, people from various groups started gathering around. Owen didn't mind—after all, everyone here was American, and not a single Chinese person was in sight. He was confident in his cooking skills.
He had already prepared all the necessary ingredients earlier in the afternoon.
Lighting the fire, he added oil to the pan. Once it was hot enough, he tossed in pre-marinated strips of pork, frying them until golden brown before taking them out to drain. Then, he mixed a sauce using sugar, vinegar, salt, cooking wine, and starch, before returning the pork to the wok and stir-frying everything together.
In an instant, a vibrant, fragrant plate of Sweet and Sour Pork was ready.
"Oh my god, it's General Tso's Chicken!"
Someone who had tried Chinese food before excitedly called out. Owen rolled his eyes. General Tso's Chicken, my ass. That dish was invented by Chinese immigrants specifically to cater to American tastes. It was supposedly "Chinese food," but you wouldn't find it anywhere in mainland China.
"No, no, no, this isn't General Tso's Chicken. This is Sweet and Sour Pork."
Finally, someone got it right. Owen turned and saw that it was Jeremy—the one Chinese guy he had completely forgotten about. Jeremy quickly helped him carry the dish to the long table and was the first to take a bite.
His reaction was a little too exaggerated, making Owen internally rate his performance at best an 80 out of 100. But still, his enthusiasm was contagious, and soon enough, others began digging in. The lawn filled with delighted exclamations of "Oh my god!"
Owen shot Jeremy a look of appreciation before moving on to his second dish—Kung Pao Chicken.
He had carefully chosen tonight's dishes based on American eating habits. Since Americans generally loved sweet flavors, dishes like Sweet and Sour Pork and Kung Pao Chicken were perfect for their palates.
If he had chosen something else, some guests might have loved it while others found the flavors too foreign to enjoy.
The second dish was quickly placed on the table, and in an instant, a frenzy erupted.
From the chatter nearby, Owen could hear Amanda and her group of girls talking excitedly. They had managed to secure a prime spot at the table, and Owen spotted Bryan using his strong build to shield them, giving them extra time to grab their food.
"This is amazing, Steve! I didn't know you could cook like this!"
"Old Man" George approached Owen with a plate, but there was barely any Kung Pao Chicken left—clearly, he had joined the scramble but hadn't fared too well.
Carlos and Carl were in the same situation. Kung Pao Chicken was well-known in America, though most foreigners had never tasted an authentic version.
The long table continued to ring with the clinking sounds of spoons against plates. Owen had anticipated that not everyone would know how to use chopsticks, so he had prepared spoons and toothpicks. From the constant clatter, it was clear the first two dishes were a huge hit.
As people turned their expectant gazes back toward Owen, he was already working on his third dish—a simple yet classic Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry.
He had been slightly worried about this one. Unlike the first two, which had a sweet and tangy flavor profile, Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry had a very different taste. But his concerns were unfounded—the moment he placed it on the table, a flurry of spoons descended upon it, and the clinking of dishes never stopped.
Within minutes, the plate was empty. Many guests who hadn't managed to grab a bite started calling for more.
Owen had originally intended for them to just sample the dishes, but he hadn't expected them to be such enthusiastic foodies.
Fortunately, his family had a habit of eating Chinese food at home, so they always kept a well-stocked pantry. He quickly whipped up a few more plates to satisfy the growing demand.
Then, things took a turn.
"Hey, Owen," Mr. McCall suddenly spoke up—in Chinese, no less. "Do you have… meat buns? I love those!"
His pronunciation was a bit off, but the fact that he could even say "meat buns" in Chinese was impressive.
"Yeah, yeah, and how about Yangzhou Fried Rice? Char Siu Buns? Dumplings?"
"I love Cantonese food! Roast Goose, Har Gow!"
"Me too! I love hot pot!"
…
Suddenly, it was like a floodgate had opened. Multiple guests began using their broken Chinese to call out their favorite dishes.
Owen was dumbfounded. What the hell? Did they think this was some kind of Chinese comedy skit where they just recited dish names?
He never expected these people to be this obsessed with Chinese food.
"Alright, alright, that's it. That's all I'm making tonight."
Owen finally raised his hands in surrender. Seriously? He was just an average home cook—he could handle some simple stir-fries, but all these requests? That was way beyond his skill level.
He had just wanted to show off a little, not end up surrounded by a pack of hardcore foodies.
Looking for a way to slip away, Owen spotted Chloe hiding off to the side, happily eating her plate of Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry.
She looked up and met his gaze, her eyes immediately lighting up like stars.
"Steve, your cooking is amazing! I had no idea you could make Chinese food! I think… I might want to marry you."
"Oh, that sounds like a great idea, Steve! You should seriously consider it!"
Just then, Owen's mother appeared out of nowhere, casually dropping that comment before disappearing again, leaving both of them momentarily speechless.
Owen quickly changed the subject. "Hey, where are Jack and Tony? I haven't seen them all night."
"They're on assignment. They asked me to let you know, but the moment I saw you cooking, I completely forgot."
Of course… another foodie.
But he had underestimated just how much of a foodie Chloe really was.
She continued, "Steve, if you ever need to dig up dirt on someone or check their identity, just ask me. I'll find anything you need… as long as you make me more Chinese food."
Owen was speechless. This girl…
Just then, his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he saw that it was Jack Bauer. He assumed Jack was calling about missing the party.
"Jack?"
"Steve, starting tomorrow, you'll report to the Los Angeles FBI Headquarters SWAT team. Look for someone with the codename 'ASH'—actually, never mind, I'll go with you."
"What? Why? What's going on? Am I getting fired from CTU?"
"No, but the CTU field team has taken some heavy losses recently. It's time to improve your combat skills. You're the first one."
"But Jack, I'm on vacation—"
"Vacation's canceled."
Owen hung up, completely baffled.
He glanced at Chloe, who was still happily eating, and suddenly recalled something she had once mentioned—Jack was notorious for being stingy with vacation time.
Sure enough, his four-day break had barely lasted a day before being cut short.
Working for a workaholic boss… talk about bad luck.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]
For every 10 Power Stones received, I'll release an extra chapter ✨