From several meters away, Tang Yiting was already jumping with excitement and waving.
"Qiao Qiao, you're finally here! Come on, spill the tea—give me all the juicy details about how you slapped faces at the Academic Affairs Office!"
Li Qiao walked slowly over to the parking spot, nodded briefly at Wen Shi, then pulled out her car keys.
"Let's go. Crystal Garden."
Tang Yiting's burning gossip soul was doused by a cold bucket of water.
Weren't they supposed to first relish the thrill of putting scumbags in their place?
But Li Qiao got into the car on her own and drove off first without another word.
Only after Wen Shi reminded her did Tang Yiting reluctantly scramble into her car and hurry to catch up with that imposing black Mercedes G-Wagon.
…
Half an hour later, at Crystal Garden.
Li Qiao entered the grand lobby with Tang Yiting and Wen Shi.
The place was dripping with royal luxury, so much so that Tang Yiting instinctively clung to Li Qiao's arm.
"Boss lady, you actually have access to Crystal Garden?!"
Li Qiao didn't respond. She had only taken a few steps when a staff member dressed in regal attire warmly greeted them.
"Miss Li, welcome back. Please, this way."
The three of them followed the staff into the Yiwan Residence private room. While waiting for the tea to be served, Tang Yiting shifted restlessly in her seat and leaned toward Li Qiao with a scheming glint in her eye.
"Ancestor, please enlighten me—when did you get a pass for this place?"
As far as she knew, even one of the five Nanyang powerhouses—the Tang family—only allowed her father access to dine here.
She had heard about Crystal Garden her whole life… and today, she finally walked in alive.
Tang Yiting quietly took out her phone, getting ready to show off on her Moments, Weibo, Oasis, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter all at once.
Wen Shi, who had been silent the whole way, now looked at Li Qiao with curious eyes.
Li Qiao lazily lifted her eyelids and replied with an ambiguous answer:
"I don't have one."
Tang Yiting's eyes widened in disbelief. She pointed to herself, dumbfounded.
"Wait, then… I… Are we going to get kicked out?"
Li Qiao glanced at her casually.
"Probably not."
With that, Tang Yiting decided to throw caution to the wind and began snapping pictures around the room with her phone nonstop.
Wen Shi sat across from Li Qiao and looked around at the exquisite interior of the Yiwan Residence. After taking in the luxurious decor, his gaze returned to her.
"You come here often?"
"Once before."
At that moment, a server entered the room carrying a blue-and-white porcelain teapot with delicate handles. He poured their tea and politely asked,
"Miss Li, shall we begin serving the dishes now?"
Li Qiao nodded, and the server exited with a respectful smile.
Soon, the dishes arrived—six entrees and three soups, each crafted in the style of imperial court cuisine.
Tang Yiting, wide-eyed and amazed, kept snapping photos with her phone nonstop, while Wen Shi sat with slightly stiff manners, sipping his tea cautiously.
Only Li Qiao stared at the dishes and soups with a rather complicated, almost amused expression.
Because she noticed—every hot dish and soup was missing the usual garnish vegetables.
Green onions, ginger, garlic, seaweed, red cabbage… all gone.
All the ingredients she didn't like were completely absent.
A faint suspicion began to form in her heart, and as her lashes lowered, a subtle smile surfaced in her eyes.
She pulled out her phone, opened WeChat, and without much hesitation, sent a message to Shang Yu:
Li Qiao: The dishes you picked, Master Yan—I really liked them. Thank you.
About a minute later, the man replied with a single word:
Shang Yu: Mm.
Li Qiao kept her head down. Her bright, deer-like eyes twinkled as she typed another message:
Li Qiao: You're heading to Lín City now, so what are you doing for lunch?
Shang Yu: Doesn't matter. I'll eat when I get there.