Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
âThen Iâll thank you in advance, Mr. Lin, for honoring us with your presence.â
With that, Yun Shu downed her drink in one go and politely said,
âMr. Lin, I wonât disturb you any further while you dine with your family. If you need anything during your meal, please donât hesitate to call on me.â
âAlright, thank you.â
After a few more polite exchanges, Yun Shu and the male manager left the private room. Then, the manager quietly asked.
âMs. Yun, you offered him such a big discountâwhat if he brings people here to eat and drink excessively in the future?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As a manager, his instinct was to consider the situation from a financial perspective.
âDonât worry, he wonât come back here to eat,â Yun Shu replied.
âI was just being courteous. But honestly, I wouldnât mind if he did come backâIâm not short on money.â
âHe wonât come back?â the manager asked, puzzled.
âNo, Furong Xiang isnât up to his standards.â
âNot up to his standards? This is Furong Xiang weâre talking aboutâthe Michelin Guide was even going to give us a star!â The manager was a bit indignant.
âAnd besides, even if heâs picky about the food, with your status, Ms. Yun, I canât believe he didnât take notice.â
Yun Shu smiled, a hint of self-deprecation in her expression.
âIn your circles, I might be someone of importance, but in his world, Iâm nothing.â
Instinctively, Yun Shu glanced back at Lin Yiâs room.
âYou must have seen the woman sitting beside him, right? Sheâs not inferior to me in terms of appearance, is she? To be honest, when it comes to the women around him, any one of them, could probably outshine me, so Iâm really nothing special. Donât think too highly of me.â
The manager shivered slightly. âReally?â
âOf course,â Yun Shu said matter-of-factly.
âHis status and influence are far beyond what we can imagine. You should aim high. Heâs the ceiling for you men. Strive to be like him.â
âThe ceilingâ¦â
The manager glanced back at Lin Yi and suddenly felt a deep respect for him.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the private room was tense and awkwardly quiet.
Yan Ci quietly ate her food, already guessing most of what had transpired.
The woman named Yun Shu was smooth in her actions and words, clearly someone well-versed in social interactions.
She must have learned about Lin Yiâs identity from some source, which is why she acted the way she did.
Yan Ci found the situation quite amusing.
It turned out that all the special treatment they received was because of Lin Yi.
âWhy isnât anyone eating? Letâs eat before the food gets cold.â
Tang Li said, trying to ease the tension. After all, Chen Teng was her daughterâs boyfriend, and she didnât want him to get embarassed.
âYes, letâs eat.â
Chen Teng quickly suppressed his discomfort and tried to appear calm as he encouraged everyone to eat.
But Zhou Xinyu couldnât accept it so easily.
She had thought her boyfriend outshined everyone, only to find out that Yan Ciâs boyfriend was far more capable!
But who exactly was he?
Wasnât he just some pretty boy? How could he command such respect from Furong Xiangâs owner?
âCousin, what does your husband do? He seems to have quite a bit of influence.â
Zhou Xinyu couldnât help but ask.
âHeâs a police officer who works at the Xinshan precinct,â Yan Ci replied.
âOh, a police officer.â
Zhou Xinyu felt a bit relievedâhe was just a cop, after all. That didnât seem too impressive.
He shouldnât be able to outshine her boyfriend.
âNo wonder heâs so respected, heâs a police officer.â Chen Teng raised his glass and said.
âLetâs take this opportunity to get to know each other better. We should stay in touch.â
âSure.â
Lin Yi nodded but didnât say much or even raise his glass.
Chen Teng frowned slightly, surprised that Lin Yi wasnât more courteous.
Heâs a bit arrogant.
âXinyu, why arenât you eating? Werenât you saying you were hungry in the car?â Tang Li asked.
âIâm full,â Zhou Xinyu replied flatly.
Learning that Yan Ciâs boyfriend was a police officer made Chen Tengâs advantage seem less significant, and the earlier events had left her feeling disappointed.
She didnât feel like eating anymore.
âYouâve barely eaten, have a little more.â
âIâm on a diet. I canât eat too much,â Zhou Xinyu said.
âMom, you should finish up too. We need to rest early tonight since we have to go to the hospital tomorrow.â
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow, glancing at Zhou Xinyu.
His mom hadnât even finished eating, and this cousin was already talking about leaving. Her emotional intelligence was really lacking.
If she ever ended up working in a government office, she probably wouldnât even know what hit her when things went south.
âIâve had enough too.â
Tang Li set down her chopsticks, no longer intending to eat.
Yan Ci looked at Lin Yi, as if asking for his opinion.
âIâm full as well.â
âLetâs head out now. We have to go to the hospital tomorrow, so we should rest early,â Chen Teng said.
âBut Auntie, you donât need to worry about anything. Iâll go with you tomorrow and make sure everything is handled perfectly.â
âOh, thank you so much.â
âItâs my pleasure.â
Chen Teng lit a cigarette and stood up. âLetâs go. Iâve booked a hotel, so we can head over now.â
âWe wonât need a hotel. Weâll stay at Yan Yanâs place. We already discussed this before,â Tang Li said.
âThatâs fine. Weâre all family, so staying at Cousinâs place is just as good.â
Chen Teng didnât mind where they stayed. It would save him some money, after all.
The group stood up and left the private room, heading downstairs.
On the first floor, a few diners recognized Chen Teng and began whispering to each other.
âThatâs the guy whoâs really something. Came here for a meal, and they moved him to a private room on the third floor for free. Thatâs some serious clout.â
âIâm so envious. I wish I could be like that someday.â
At that moment, Yun Shu caught up with them from behind.
âMr. Lin, youâre leaving so soon? Was there something you werenât satisfied with?â
âThe food was excellent. We just have other things to attend to, so weâll be heading out.â
âI see,â Yun Shu said.
âThen I look forward to your next visit, and as I said before, youâll never need to make a reservation here, and the bill will always be on the house.â
âIâd rather not. You run a business, and there are costs involvedâI canât just eat for free.â
âDonât say that. Having you dine with us is an honor for our humble establishment. Offering you a free meal is the least we can do.â
âWell, thank you then.â
Hearing the conversation, the surrounding diners were stunned.
âWhatâs going on? So the owner wasnât being so courteous because of that guy with the glasses?â
âI was mistaken too. Turns out the real big shot is that handsome guy.â
âIf it werenât for this, Iâd have thought he was just a pretty boy. Who knew he was hiding so much?â
âNow thatâs what they mean by âyou canât judge a book by its cover.'â
Standing a short distance away, Chen Tengâs expression darkened as he overheard the chatter.
But there was nothing he could say, because today, he really couldnât compare to that guy.
However, Chen Teng had already made up his mind.
Although today was a bit of a loss, it was only temporary.
In terms of overall capability, Lin Yi still wasnât on his level!
No need to feel discouraged!
Tomorrow at the hospital, heâd make sure everything went smoothly, and heâd regain his lost face!