Chapter 595 Zuijianglou Comes Knocking
The rumors circulated for several more days without stopping, and in fact, they grew stronger.
Xinglong Restaurant's business was finally affected, and it was no longer as lively as before, appearing somewhat desolate.
However, there were still customers dining at the restaurant, including some familiar faces and some strangers.
Zhu Chengye insisted, pulling Wan Qiqi, who had been serving customers, behind the counter and asking in a low voice, "Why do I feel like something's off today?"
"It's not surprising. They're about to make their move. Whether they win or lose depends on this one action."
Wan Qiqi had been waiting for this day for several days, but Zuijianglou finally couldn't wait any longer and prepared to make its move.
The fishing nets have been cast, and we are waiting for the fish to bite.
She was eager to see what kind of fish were in the water that had made it so murky.
"Are you confident?" Zhu Chengye asked.
"About 90%!" Wan Qiqi didn't dare to make a guarantee; no one could say for sure what might happen next.
Just then, Wu Gousheng strode in from the doorway.
"Sister Qi, there are many people gathered at the entrance. I see the owner and manager of Zuijianglou among them. They're probably here to cause trouble for Xinglong Restaurant."
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge crowd immediately filled the entrance of Xinglong Restaurant, leaving only one aisle.
The thugs hired by Xinglong Restaurant immediately shielded the two owners behind them, watching the crowd warily.
These thugs were left behind by Feng Gan, who thought that with his own men watching over them, ordinary people wouldn't dare to cause trouble at the restaurant.
Wan Qiqi and Zhu Chengye exchanged a glance, then looked past the thugs' protection towards the door.
He Feiyi and Manager Lü walked one after the other toward Wan Qiqi and Zhu Chengye.
While everyone expected the two sides to start fighting, the four of them simply bowed to each other, maintaining gentle smiles on their faces, looking nothing like they were about to quarrel.
"Manager Lü?" Zhu Chengye looked surprised, then looked at the person next to Manager Lü. "I suppose this is the owner of Zuijianglou. My apologies for not recognizing him!"
He beckoned to Erpang, "Go, prepare the private room on the third floor and invite the owner of Zuijianglou and Manager Lü up for tea."
Just as Erpang was about to leave after receiving the order, he was stopped by Manager Lü.
"Manager Zhu, we won't drink this tea. We have something we want Xinglong Restaurant to explain to us."
Manager Lü spoke in an unfriendly tone and didn't even give the people from Xinglong Restaurant a proper look.
Judging from his words and attitude, the people at Xinglong Restaurant knew that he was up to no good and was probably there to question them about the plagiarism.
"What's the rush? Sit down and have some tea, let's talk slowly. Why go through all this trouble, bringing people to surround Xinglong Restaurant? Those who know, understand that you're here to demand an explanation; those who don't, might think you've brought people to cause trouble!"
Wan Qiqi covered her mouth and laughed, her words laced with sarcasm and, given the current situation, carrying a hint of cold mockery.
The people who were eating at Xinglong Restaurant were interrupted, and the hall was filled with people, all of whom looked unfriendly and seemed to be there to cause trouble.
Manager Lü's face darkened upon hearing this, and he waited for Wan Qiqi to grit her teeth in anger.
"Oh dear, don't look at me like that. I'm easily frightened. What if you scare me?"
Wan Qiqi appeared delicate and frail, a stark contrast to her usual self. Yet, this didn't seem out of place; her thin, frail appearance suggested she was easily frightened.
Witch!
Manager Lü noticed that some of the onlookers were starting to sympathize with Wan Qiqi. He cursed Wan Qiqi in his heart, but dared not say it aloud.
They've come seeking an explanation, so we can't lose our composure; we need to reason with the people at Xinglong Restaurant.
But Wan Qiqi's pretentious act disgusted him, and he couldn't understand what the people who helped Wan Qiqi saw in her.
"Manager Wan, your husband isn't here, so don't be so dissolute. Playing the victim won't work on us." He Feiyi finished speaking with a furrowed brow, seemingly very dissatisfied with Wan Qiqi's current behavior.
He was certainly not satisfied.
As he expected, when they arrived with their entourage, Xinglong Restaurant shouldn't have been so calm, as if it had been waiting for them.
Such composure made He Feiyi slightly uneasy, feeling that something might change today.
Upon closer reflection, even if Wan Qiqi had a brother who was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), they would still be worlds apart. Moreover, the results of the palace examinations had been released some time ago, so it was unlikely that she had heard of the other party holding an official position.
Based on this, He Feiyi was filled with confidence, believing that Wan Qiqi and Zhu Chengye were now merely struggling in their death throes.
"Then please, the owner of Zuijianglou, stop pretending. After all, we are not the girls in the Dream of the Red Chamber, and we don't fall for your feigned kindness."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wan Qiqi tilted her head and smiled.
Her words seemed unintentional, yet they struck a chord with He Feiyi.
In Yunhe County, He Feiyi had an old flame, who was none other than a member of the Red Chamber.
He pondered for a while and felt that Wan Qiqi was just a figure of speech; he didn't believe it. His wife and Manager Lü didn't know that he kept a mistress, so how could Wan Qiqi, a newcomer, possibly know?
Wan Qiqi knew, but she did not mean it.
She had someone keep an eye on Zuijianglou and He Feiyi, and secretly discovered that He Feiyi always went to brothels to find girls during the day, and he always found the same girl.
The two sides had completely broken off relations and neither wanted to listen to the other's hypocritical rhetoric.
"Wan Qiqi, I suppose you've heard the rumors. I've had several portions of your peach blossom pastries purchased, and I've also invited a few people with considerable expertise in the culinary arts. Do you dare let them taste them?"
Perhaps provoked by Wan Qiqi's words, He Feiyi called her by her name.
"Sure! But who knows if you've tampered with the ones you have?" Wan Qiqi turned to Erpang and said, "Go, take a few portions of peach blossom pastries from the table of customers who ordered them today and let the people invited by the boss have a taste."
Even Manager Lü admired Wan Qiqi's courage and was even more eager to see her get slapped in the face.
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