Chapter 23
Led by Hei Tong, the others in the private room also stood up one by one to express their dissatisfaction.
“One hundred and eighty thousand for a meal? That’s robbery.”
“Let’s just go to another restaurant. This is too much of a rip-off. It’s not like we absolutely have to eat here.”
“Yeah, I’ve never heard of any place charging one hundred and eighty thousand.”
The patrons who came and went were all either rich or noble. The waiter had never seen such a scene and explained in a flustered tone.
“The ingredients on the menu are all rare treasures collected by our boss. For example, the Luzon Yellow Gel Shark Fin King. The tea is also a 50-year-old Yunnan Pu’er. One hundred and eighty thousand isn’t expensive.”
Seeing people outside the private room turning to look at them because of the commotion, Wen Zheng’s expression soured. “That’s enough. One hundred and eighty thousand it is.”
However, everyone could see his dark face. It was understandable; even a rich second generation would feel the sting of that price for a long time.
Just as Wen Zheng’s words fell, a refined-looking man in his early forties walked in. The waiter immediately bowed his head and greeted, “Hello, Boss.”
Wen Zheng bowed slightly.
He had seen this man at a banquet once. Everyone called him Boss Gu. He was a master of social maneuvering, with a network of connections that spanned Jiangzhou and even Shanghai. Some even said he had the Lu Family backing him.
He handed over his business card with both hands. “Hello, Boss Gu. I’m Wen Zheng, Wen Zhongjiang’s son.”
Boss Gu glanced at him and accepted the card.
He didn’t offer a single pleasantry.
But Wen Zheng was content. For a major figure like Boss Gu to accept his business card was an opportunity he couldn’t have even hoped for.
Boss Gu scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on Ji Wei, who was seated by the door. Just as he was about to speak, everyone held their breath.
No one expected that Boss Gu, who had been so imposing just a second ago, would suddenly break into a smile. “Young Master, if I had known you were coming to Jiangzhou, I would have closed the restaurant for the day to await your esteemed arrival.”
Everyone was utterly shocked. The revenue of Tea Tasting Restaurant was never made public, but some busybodies had roughly estimated its daily turnover to be no less than a million yuan.
Giving up a million for Ji Wei…
This Tea Tasting Restaurant must be owned by Ji Wei, right?
In an instant, the way everyone looked at Ji Wei changed, filled with envy. But only Wen Zheng’s eyes held a deep sense of fear.
Because only he knew who Boss Gu was.
For such a figure to respectfully address Ji Wei as “Young Master,” Ji Wei’s background was self-evident.
He truly hadn’t expected Ji Wei’s connections to be so powerful. If he had harbored any unrealistic fantasies about Ji Wei before, they were now completely gone.
He and Ji Wei were simply not from the same world.
Wen Zimu didn’t know what Wen Zheng was thinking. He only found the way Wen Zheng looked at Ji Wei particularly glaring, and his hands under the table clenched into tight fists.
His grip tightened even more when he heard Hei Tong and the others whispering, his fingertips turning white.
“Ji Wei is so low-key. When Wen Zimu asked him earlier, he just shook his head. Now I see, I’m the only one who’s truly poor.”
“The main thing is he never shows it off. I never thought his family would be so rich, probably even richer than Wen Zheng’s.”
“Now that’s what you call class.”
…
To be honest, Ji Wei was quite bewildered.
He had never been to Jiangzhou before, nor did he know this boss. He was just about to ask, “Have you mistaken me for someone else?”
As if sensing his confusion, Boss Gu leaned in and said in a low voice, “Mr. Lu informed me of your arrival. This restaurant is one of the Lu family’s properties.”
He used the word “one.”
So it was because of Lu Shenxing.
Ji Wei suddenly realized that his idol was much… wealthier than he had imagined.
“I won’t disturb you any longer. I hope you all enjoy your meal.”
Boss Gu smiled and excused himself. Before leaving, he made sure to add, “There’s no charge, please rest assured.”
Wen Zheng’s face flushed hot at his words.
Frankly, the meal was better than Ji Wei had expected, or at least less awkward. With a table full of streamers, all of whom were talkative, the atmosphere quickly livened up.
“Here, let me pour you a glass of wine.”
Just as Hei Tong was about to pick up Ji Wei’s cup to pour wine, Ji Wei pressed his hand on the cup and shook his head. “Thanks, but I can’t drink alcohol. Water is fine.”
Wen Zimu glanced in their direction.
“Alright then.”
Hei Tong didn’t insist and got up to pour wine for the others.
When Ji Wei returned from a trip to the restroom, a female streamer, slightly drunk, boldly asked, “Ji Wei, I saw you were on good terms with Film Emperor Lu on National Style. Could you maybe video call him?”
“Ahhhhhhh, is that possible! I’d love to see what Film Emperor Lu is like in private.”
“Me too, me too!”
Several of the female streamers were clearly fans of Lu Shenxing, and they grew excited at the mere mention of his name.
But a video call…
Ji Wei immediately thought of the awkwardness of the last time he called, and his face flushed red. He demurred, “Film Emperor Lu is very busy. He won’t pick up even if I call.”
He wasn’t lying.
Lu Shenxing’s new movie, Sun Eater, had already passed censorship review, and he was busy touring different cities for promotions. He was probably at a press conference right now. How could he possibly have time to take his call?
Seeing the young man’s hesitation, Wen Zimu whispered to Wen Zheng with a hint of pity, “Who do they think Film Emperor Lu is? Would he do a small streamer a favor? He’s just dabbling in the entertainment industry for fun.”
Wen Zheng frowned.
Meanwhile, the female streamers were still pleading.
“How do you know he won’t answer if you don’t try?”
“Just try it, what if he picks up?”
“Yeah, just give him a call.”
The way he was raised made it difficult for Ji Wei to refuse a girl’s request. He braced himself and sent a video call invitation.
One minute…
Two minutes…
Three minutes…
Lu Shenxing still didn’t answer. While Ji Wei had expected this, he still felt a faint sense of melancholy. He showed his phone to the female streamers. “See? I wasn’t lying.”
The female streamers looked away in disappointment.
Wen Zimu wore an “I knew it” expression and smiled at Wen Zheng.
Wen Zheng’s frown deepened. He felt it was necessary to have a serious talk with Wen Zimu after dinner. Ji Wei might not hold a grudge, but that didn’t mean he was someone they could afford to offend.
Ji Wei turned off his phone and stared at the dark screen for a while. Suddenly feeling a bit stuffy, he picked up the cup beside him and drank the water in one gulp.
The moment the liquid entered his throat, he knew something was wrong.
It wasn’t water, it was white liquor!
But by the time he realized it, it was too late. The strong liquor went down his throat like a ball of fire, burning from his stomach all the way to his face. The world started spinning, his mind grew hazy, and he felt incredibly unwell.
“What did you give him to drink!”
Wen Zheng was the first to realize something was wrong. He shot up from his seat and shouted sternly at Wen Zimu.
It was the first time Wen Zimu had seen Wen Zheng so angry. He answered with a trembling voice, “I was just playing a little joke on Ji Wei. I swapped the water in his cup with liquor…”
Wen Zheng’s face grew even darker.
It was less anger and more fear.
Wen Zimu panicked.
He had only wanted to see Ji Wei in a sorry state. He had done more willful things in the past, and Wen Zheng always forgave him. But for some reason, he felt that this time was different.
Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open by a waiter. Amidst the slight bows of the crowd, Lu Shenxing stepped inside.
He was dressed in a black suit and a black shirt, with only a folded edge of a pure white silk handkerchief showing from his breast pocket. He exuded a faint aura of aloofness that kept people at a distance.
He didn’t say a word.
The joy on the faces of the girls present was palpable, but they were all intimidated by his presence, holding their breath and not daring to speak, for fear of disturbing the scene.
The man, as if accustomed to it, lowered his gaze slightly. His eyes paused on the unconscious, drunk Ji Wei, and his lips tightened into a straight line, his features appearing exceptionally cold.
Everyone could see that he was angry.
The room became even quieter, so quiet that you could almost hear everyone’s tense and uneasy breathing. The atmosphere was as oppressive as waiting for a verdict before dawn, an utter torment.
Finally, the man looked up, his sharp gaze slowly sweeping across the entire room before landing on the panicked Wen Zimu.
Struck by Lu Shenxing’s emotionless gaze, Wen Zimu grew even more terrified. His body trembled slightly, and he kept his head bowed low, not knowing what Lu Shenxing would say to him.
But he had really just been playing a joke…
To his surprise, Lu Shenxing withdrew his gaze and said nothing. He simply scooped up the drunken young man and walked out of the room.
Wen Zimu felt as if he had just been spared from the execution ground. He collapsed onto his seat, covered in sweat, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Boss Gu, however, cast a pitying glance at Wen Zimu before following Lu Shenxing out of the room step by step.
At the parking lot, Lu Shenxing gently placed the young man in the back seat. Before leaving, he gave a cool instruction, “You know what to do.”
“I do.”
Boss Gu lowered his head.
***
Ji Wei had a dream.
A dream he was ashamed to speak of.
In the dream, he seemed to have returned to his high school campus. The classroom was empty except for him. He was hunched over his desk, drawing, when a man walked in against the light.
The next second, the man swept him up, lifted him onto the desk, and set him down. His spine trembled slightly where it was touched by cold fingertips.
He wanted to push him away, but the man lifted his chin, leaned down, and kissed him. The action was gentle yet firm, aggressively exploring his mouth. He could only endure it, letting out a whimper.
But the man seemed not to hear, continuing to kiss him slowly and methodically.
It wasn’t until his mind went blank from lack of oxygen that the man finally let him go, his voice hoarse as he whispered in his ear, “Why don’t you like your big brother?”
The light was too bright, and he couldn’t see the man’s face clearly. Ji Wei tried to open his eyes wider, but he could only make out a rough outline.
But… why did he feel like the man looked a bit like… Lu Shenxing?