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The corridors of Stanford Medical Center are always filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant.

Su Ning stood outside the neurology clinic, her fingers unconsciously stroking the thick examination report.

For the past six months, he's had acupuncture three times a week, two doses of nauseatingly bitter Chinese medicine every day, and acupoint stimulation therapy that even he himself finds insane...

Today is the day to see if it was all worth it.

The consultation room door opened, and Emily came out.

He wasn't sitting in a wheelchair, but leaning on a carved sandalwood cane...

That was something Suning bought from an antique shop in Chinatown last month.

She was wearing a simple white shirt and jeans. Sunlight streamed through the corridor windows, casting dappled shadows on her face and outlining her regained color.

"How is it?" Su Ning went up to her, her voice completely calm.

Emily didn't say anything, but simply patted the report on his chest.

Suning hurriedly flipped through the document, and what caught his eye was the bolded conclusion: "Clinical symptoms have significantly improved... Nerve conduction velocity has returned to normal range... It is recommended to gradually discontinue immunosuppressants..."

"Not bad! Your patience during this time has finally paid off." Su Ning couldn't help but smile; the medical terminology transformed into the simplest victory in his eyes.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle, isn’t it?” Emily’s voice was filled with a long-lost vitality. “Even the chief physician at Stanford asked you if you were interested in giving a lecture.”

She suddenly took a step forward, her cane fell to the ground with a "thud," and she threw herself into Su Ning's arms.

The hug came so suddenly that Suning froze on the spot, his hands hanging in mid-air.

A faint herbal scent mingled with the aroma of high-end perfume wafted into Emily's nostrils...

It was a strange fusion of his formulated calming sachet and Dior J'adore perfume.

"Thank you," Emily whispered in his ear, her breath warm and real against the skin of his neck.

Before Su Ning could respond, she had already let go of his hand, bent down to pick up the cane, and her expression returned to its usual arrogance. "Father wants to see you. Seven o'clock tonight, the usual place."

The headquarters of the Kinmen Chamber of Commerce is hidden in an inconspicuous red brick building in Chinatown.

Pushing open the glass door of "Yongren Import and Export Company" reveals a completely different world inside...

The room features Qing Dynasty-style rosewood furniture, calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, and even an entire wall of aquariums filled with priceless dragonfish.

Chen Yongren sat behind a huge rosewood desk, brewing a pot of Pu'er tea.

He was more ordinary than Suning had imagined...

He was of medium build, with graying hair, and his eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses gleamed with shrewdness, making him look more like a university professor than a gangster boss.

"Sit down." Chen Yongren pushed a cup of tea towards her. "I've read Emily's medical report."

Suning took the teacup with both hands, the scalding hot cup burning his fingertips.

He was prepared to be questioned...

How could an illegal immigrant possibly cure a disease that even Stanford experts couldn't treat?

"Do you know why I chose you?" Chen Yongren suddenly asked.

Suning shook his head.

This problem had been bothering him for six months.

There are so many Chinese people in Chinatown who want green cards, so why was he, an illegal immigrant and undocumented worker, specifically chosen?

“Because of your eyes.” Chen Yongren took a sip of tea. “Actually, I saw you at the Kinmen Hotel that day. The way you looked at those American-style Chinese dishes on the menu was like you saw someone mixing Coke into Lafite.”

He smiled, a rare occurrence for him. "Emily needs that kind of adherence to tradition. And I really don't want her to marry a white pig or a black guy."

Suning did not expect the answer to be both so simple and so complicated.

“As agreed,” Chen Yongren opened a drawer and took out a stack of documents, “this is your permanent residency approval document.”

He pushed another envelope over, "And here's another $200,000 as your start-up capital."

Suning accepted the green card; the small plastic card felt incredibly heavy.

Three years of living in fear, countless nights hiding in kitchen alleys to avoid the immigration office, have come to an end just like that?

“And this too.” Chen Yongren took out another set of keys. “A Chinese restaurant near Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. Both the security and the clientele are top-notch in Los Angeles. The formalities have been completed, and the lawyer will take you to see the property tomorrow.”

Su Ning suddenly looked up: "This wasn't in the agreement."

“Curing my daughter is worth the price.” Chen Yongren’s eyes suddenly sharpened. “But remember, this gift comes with conditions.”

really.

Su Ning looked up at Chen Yongren again and knew that the Five Blessings Gang would not easily let him go.

“The restaurant is yours, and you will operate it completely independently.” Chen Yongren’s words were unexpected. “The Five Blessings Gang will only provide necessary assistance, will not participate in management, and will hold 30% of the shares.”

"Why? These conditions are too generous," Su Ning couldn't help but ask.

Chen Yongren looked at the arowana swimming in the aquarium: "Emily likes your... treatment."

He paused subtly, "Moreover, a legitimate businessman's son-in-law is more useful to the Chamber of Commerce than a gangster's son-in-law."

Thank you! I won't let you down.

"With the Five Blessings Gang backing you up, you won't have any troubles in the US, and they'll help you solve your labor and supply problems."

"Understood! I will contact Butler Wang."

……

The Chinese restaurant was more luxurious than I had imagined.

The two-story building on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles was originally a French pastry shop with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in plenty of natural light, an open kitchen, and even a backyard full of lavender.

Suning stood in the center of the empty restaurant, sunlight streaming through the glass ceiling onto the black and white checkerboard floor tiles, outlining his lonely shadow.

"How is it? Are you satisfied?" Emily's voice came from the doorway.

She wasn't using a cane today, and while she was still a little unsteady on her feet, she no longer needed assistance.

“It’s too extravagant,” Suning said honestly. “I originally thought it would be at most a small storefront in Chinatown.”

Emily walked through the empty restaurant in her high heels, her footsteps echoing between the walls: "My father believes location determines class. It's only a ten-minute drive from Beverly Hills. When the wolves of Wall Street get tired of sushi, they crave something 'exotic.'" She made an exaggerated quotation mark gesture.

Suning walked into the kitchen area, where the stainless steel countertop was so shiny it reflected a mirror.

"It looks like this place can be opened for business with a little renovation."

What are your requirements for the head chef?

"We already have a head chef! Just have Butler Wang arrange some sous chefs, kitchen helpers, and waiters."

"Oh? You know a chef?"

"That's right! I'm the head chef, and my cooking skills are actually quite good."

"real or fake?"

“We’ll go to the supermarket now and then cook you a real Chinese meal.”

"..." Emily looked at Su Ning in surprise, then took out a folder from her bag. "Before dropping out of UCLA's business school, I could be in charge of the restaurant's daily management."

She opened the document, which contained a detailed market analysis and business plan. "I've seen your medicinal cuisine recipes; you can definitely go for a high-end health and wellness route." "Chinese restaurants in America are all modified versions catering to American tastes. I've thought about authentic Chinese food, and also about going for the refined route of Japanese and Western cuisine."

"Okay! I support you."

"Let's go! Let's go to the supermarket."

Then Suning and Emily went to a nearby supermarket and bought a lot of fresh ingredients and seasonings.

Then, Suning skillfully prepared a large table of delicious dishes, which immediately amazed Emily, who stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

Emily had initially had some concerns about Suning, but now she was completely convinced.

……

The next two weeks felt like a dream.

Through the connections made by Emily and Butler Wang, Suning met with food suppliers and renovation teams controlled by the Wufu Gang, and even obtained discounts on Michelin-starred restaurant-level kitchenware.

But Suning insisted on designing its own menu...

Traditional medicinal cuisine has been adapted into refined dishes suitable for the American upper class: stewed pear with fritillaria cirrhosa has become a molecular gastronomy version of "Oriental dessert," and fish head soup with gastrodia elata has been reinterpreted as "Mediterranean-style fish soup with Asian spices"...

"Are you sure foreigners will buy this?" Butler Wang of the Five Blessings Gang shook his head as he looked at the menu. "These names are too mysterious."

“The rich people in Beverly Hills fall for this,” Emily answered for Suning. “The less you understand it, the more sophisticated it seems.”

"..."

The night before the opening, Suning was alone in the restaurant adjusting the lights.

The lavender in the backyard swayed in the night breeze, releasing a tranquil fragrance.

He recalled the traditional Chinese medicine shop in his hometown, where his father would check every herb after closing time.

How wondrous is fate...

Six months ago, he fled the small town of Changle with a bag of acupuncture needles, and now he is going to use these skills to open up a new world in a foreign land.

"Still not asleep?" Emily appeared at the backyard door at some point, holding two bottles of beer.

"I'm thinking of a name for the restaurant." Su Ning took the bottle of wine. "We can't keep calling it 'Golden Gate Hotel'."

Emily tilted her head back and took a sip of her drink, the moonlight tracing the lines of her long neck: "How about calling it 'Yihexuan'? It has both an oriental charm and fits the California style."

Su Ning silently recited the name, unexpectedly liking it: "How did you come up with that?"

“When I was little, my mother took me to Beijing for a trip. The only thing I remember is the Long Corridor in the Summer Palace.” Emily’s gaze drifted into the distance before quickly returning. “Oh, right! It’s opening tomorrow, and my father will be bringing some ‘friends’ to support us.”

Suning knew who those "friends" were...

Chamber of Commerce members, gang leaders, and possibly a few entrepreneurs who have laundered their money.

He suddenly realized that no matter how hard he tried to keep his distance, he was forever branded with the Five Blessings Gang.

However, these things are really not important in America, where gangs are rampant.

Perhaps every Chinese person is inseparable from the shadow of gangs, after all, without the protection of gangs, they would only be lambs to the slaughter.

On the opening day, the entrance of "Yihexuan" was filled with all kinds of top-of-the-line luxury cars.

Chen Yongren indeed brought a group of "chamber of commerce members," including many local celebrities from Los Angeles.

Emily, dressed in a Chanel suit, plays the role of the proprietress, fluently switching between English, Mandarin, and Cantonese to introduce "my husband's innovative cuisine" to the guests.

"This 'Five Elements Vegetable Roll' uses ingredients directly from organic farms, combined with my family's traditional theory of the five elements..." Su Ning explained the dish to a group of Wall Street bankers.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emily being stopped and talking to by an Asian man in a suit.

The man was in his early thirties, with a neatly combed back hairstyle and a sinister expression.

"Who is that?" Su Ning asked the waiter, Xiao Lin, in a quiet moment...

The "helpers" sent by the Five Blessings Gang.

“Zhang Jin, the second-in-command of the Chaozhou gang,” Xiao Lin said in a low voice, “has always wanted to marry Miss Emily, and I heard he’s been rejected three times.”

Just as Su Ning was about to ask for more details, she suddenly heard a crisp "snap" sound...

Emily slapped the man.

The restaurant fell silent instantly, and everyone's attention was focused on the center of the conflict.

"What's going on?" Su Ning quickly stepped forward and stood in front of Emily.

“It’s nothing, it’s just that Mr. Zhang made some…inappropriate comments about our restaurant.” Emily’s voice was as cold as ice, but her hand gripped Su Ning’s sleeve tightly.

Zhang Jin wiped his mouth and forced a smile, saying, "I was just saying, what kind of decent Chinese food can a chef who gets a green card through a fake marriage make?"

The air in the restaurant seemed to freeze.

Su Ning felt countless gazes piercing his back like needles.

A fake marriage...

This secret they had carefully concealed was thus casually exposed.

"Zhang Jin." Chen Yongren appeared in the crowd at some point, his voice not loud but enough to immediately silence the noisy restaurant. "Today is my son-in-law's grand opening day. Are you here to congratulate him or to cause trouble?"

Zhang Jin's expression changed, but he finally forced a smile: "Of course I'm here to congratulate you. Uncle Chen, let me toast you."

The crisis was temporarily averted, but Su Ning noticed that Chen Yongren's gaze towards him had become more thoughtful.

After closing time that evening, Emily unusually stayed behind to help take stock of the ingredients.

"Emily, thank you for today," Su Ning broke the silence.

Emily locked a box of saffron in the safe: "Don't get me wrong! I'm just investing in this restaurant and protecting my own interests."

"That's what Zhang Jin said..."

“There are dozens of Chinese gangs in Los Angeles, and it’s common for them to tease each other. They don’t actually do anything too outrageous,” Emily interrupted him. “The important thing is that our turnover exceeded $20,000 today, and the table on Wall Street has booked a private dinner for next week.”

Suning nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

But as he turned to tidy up the kitchenware, he heard Emily whisper, "That green card... now you can file for divorce."

Suning's hand froze in mid-air.

Yes! Emily has recovered, received her green card, and opened her restaurant...

According to the original agreement, this transaction should have ended.

"Do you want a divorce?" he heard himself ask.

Emily remained silent for a long time, so long that Suning thought she wouldn't answer.

Finally, she only said one sentence: "The lavender in the restaurant's backyard needs watering."

Outside the window, the Los Angeles night sky is dotted with stars.

The stars were as bright as those I saw back home, yet they were arranged in completely unfamiliar patterns.

Just like their relationship, on the surface it is a familiar marriage, but inside it is a complex connection that no one can explain.

...(End of chapter)