Xiangling let out a startled cry. "Dad!"
Kael had been watching Chef Mao closely from the moment they walked in.
The instant Chef Mao collapsed, Kael rushed forward and caught him before he hit the floor.
He lifted the unconscious man and shouted to Xiangling, "Hurry! Go get a doctor!"
Without waiting for her reply, he carried Chef Mao into the backyard of Wanmin Restaurant.
---
"Mr. Baizhu, how's my dad?"
Baizhu withdrew his hand and spoke to the anxious Xiangling. "Your father's pulse is deep. That means his qi has been blocked recently, affecting his spleen, which leads to restless sleep. Right now, his heart and spleen are both weak, and he can't handle overly intense emotions. That's why his blood and qi stagnated for a moment and he fainted."
"There's no serious problem. Let him sleep for a bit and make sure he rests these next few days."
Hearing the diagnosis, Xiangling finally breathed out in relief.
"Okay. I'll make sure he takes good care of himself."
Baizhu's gaze shifted to Kael, who stood beside the bed with guilt written across his face. "This gentleman doesn't seem to be from Liyue. May I ask what his relationship is with Chef Mao?"
At first glance, this young man looked gentle and approachable.
Yet for reasons he couldn't explain, the moment Baizhu saw him, a flare of irritation flashed in his chest.
Baizhu prided himself on being calm and collected.
This was the first time he had ever felt annoyed at someone he met for the first time.
Kael didn't exactly have warm feelings for Baizhu either, remembering how this man had treated him like a lab rat and even imprisoned him in the Life Simulation.
He glanced at Baizhu with cold indifference. "As long as Chef Mao is fine, that's enough. Xiangling, see him out."
"Huh? Oh… okay."
Xiangling was taken aback by how emotionless Kael sounded.
But she always listened to him. She turned to Baizhu and said, "Mr. Baizhu, this way please. The herbs and consultation fee will go on Wanmin's tab."
"Alright."
A spark of amusement flickered in Baizhu's eyes.
So the stranger disliked him on sight as well.
How interesting.
Was it a clash of temperaments?
After sending Baizhu off, Xiangling returned to the room.
She sat with Kael, waiting for Chef Mao to wake.
But even after a long time, Chef Mao remained unconscious, eyes still tightly shut.
It was late now. Xiangling and Mona both looked exhausted.
Kael spoke up. "Xiangling, take Mona to the backyard and settle in. I'll stay here and watch over him."
"But…"
Kael cut her off before she could argue. "There's no point in all of us waiting here. Don't worry. I'll call you the moment he wakes up."
Seeing the seriousness in his expression, Xiangling didn't dare talk back.
She took Mona and quietly left the room.
Kael sat beside Chef Mao's bed in silence.
Only when the room was completely empty did the guilt finally show on his face.
"Sigh… come on, wake up, Dad…"
As if responding to his voice, Chef Mao's eyelids trembled and slowly opened.
The moment he saw Kael sitting beside him, joy lit up his entire face.
"Kael…"
?
Kael froze for a second.
He hadn't introduced himself at all when they arrived at Wanmin Restaurant.
How did Chef Mao know his name?
But before he could ask, the joy vanished from Chef Mao's face. A deep, raw grief and terror filled his eyes.
He suddenly shot upright and began pushing Kael away with trembling hands.
"Kael, why are you appearing in my dream? You need to go! Don't stay in the world of the living!"
His eyes reddened with pain. "Xiangling and I are doing fine. I just… a while ago, she took in a little boy as an apprentice, and it reminded me of when you first learned to cook… Dad is doing well, really! So hurry and go back! Go back to where you belong! Don't come back anymore!"
Kael's pupils shrank sharply.
This…
This was the Chef Mao from the Life Simulation.
His consciousness had crossed over.
The System had explained before:
If the emotional bond between a real person and their counterpart in the Life Simulation surpassed a certain threshold, a connection could form between both worlds.
Love always carried complicated emotions—happiness, pain, jealousy, longing…
But parents' love was the purest emotion of all.
Maybe that was why the moment Chef Mao saw him, their emotional resonance had synchronized completely.
Looking at the terror and heartbreak in Chef Mao's eyes, Kael's throat tightened.
Chef Mao wasn't doing "fine" at all.
If he had truly moved on…
He wouldn't be so terrified of seeing his son, desperate to push him away before he grew attached again.
Feeling Chef Mao's frantic pushing, Kael could no longer hold back.
He grabbed Chef Mao's hands.
"Dad, I'm Kael. Look, my hands are warm. I'm not dead. I'm alive!"
After experiencing Amber's consciousness crossing over last time, Kael already knew the truth.
People from the simulation could only stay in reality for a short period of time.
He wanted to use this brief moment to break through Chef Mao's grief.