Chapter 223

Chapter 223: Enemies Always Cross Paths

After talking it over with Du De Sheng, Du An Rao called Xi Jing Yue, asked him out to eat, and said they could discuss business while they were at it. Xi Jing Yue acted as if he had set aside time just for her. As soon as he heard she wanted to have a meal with him, he agreed right away and even offered to pick her up.

When the two of them arrived at the Gourmet Pavilion, the small restaurant was still just like before, with a long line stretching from inside the shop all the way outside.

Xi Jing Yue was not scared by the crowd at all. He said: “I’ve long heard that this place is small but the food is amazing. Lots of food-loving bosses in City B like to come here. Foodies from other places also come for it, and some people even buy houses in City B just so they can live here and eat this food regularly.”

This was the first time Du An Rao had heard that. She knew the dishes here were delicious, but she had not expected the restaurant to be so famous that even an out-of-towner like Mr. Xi knew about it.

“This restaurant’s food is really good. The boss’s elder and my Granduncle are good friends. If we weren’t afraid of bothering them by coming too often, Granduncle and I would love to eat here every single day.”

“So there’s that kind of connection.” Xi Jing Yue smiled. “I’ve heard quite a few people mention this place before. Hearing about it is not as good as tasting it myself. I’ve always wanted to come try it. The problem is, this place doesn’t take reservations and doesn’t offer delivery. If you want to eat here, you have to line up in person. I’ve talked about coming a few times, but I really couldn’t find the time, so I never made it. Looks like I’m lucky today. So now we… should we line up first?”

“No need.” Du An Rao took out the VIP Black Card Old Madam had given her earlier, looking a little proud as she said: “I helped the owner with a small favor before, and they gave me this card. It can open one of the private rooms upstairs, so we don’t have to line up. But we still need to keep a low profile later and sneak in quietly. If the guests in line see us, it might cause trouble.”

Xi Jing Yue glanced at the black card in her hand and raised his brows slightly. If someone was willing to break a rule they had followed for many years and open a back door for her, then the favor she did for them was definitely more than just “a small help.”

But he was not the type to dig into other people’s privacy or go scrying into their secrets. So he cooperated and nodded: “That’s great then. You’re right to be careful. In a bit, we’ll pretend we’re going in to look for someone, slip inside quietly, and then just grab a waiter to open the private room for us. We shouldn’t attract attention.”

Talking to a smart person really was easy. It did not take any effort at all. Du An Rao gave him a playful OK sign, then led him inside.

Facts proved that keeping a low profile really worked. The last time she came, the guests in line had complained because a waiter personally led them upstairs, so anyone could see they were also customers cutting the line.

This time, there was no waiter guiding them, and the two of them walked calmly, looking like they were in a hurry to go upstairs to find someone. The guests in line downstairs noticed them, but did not really care.

After they went upstairs, Du An Rao casually grabbed a young lady wearing the restaurant’s uniform. She handed over the card and grinned: “Um, Miss, could you help me open Private Room One?”

The young waitress was very sharp. She glanced at the pattern and words on the card but did not jump to conclusions. Instead, she led the two of them to a corner of the second-floor hall and said politely: “Please wait here for a moment. I’ll go find our floor manager.”

The young lady moved quickly. In less than two minutes, a middle-aged uncle about the same age as Fu Rui Xiang hurried over with her.

“You must be Miss Du, right? If you were coming, why didn’t you let us know first so we could go down and welcome you personally?”

The floor manager’s attitude toward Du An Rao made Xi Jing Yue even more certain that the owner of this place owed her a big favor.

Du An Rao felt a little embarrassed by his enthusiasm and said: “You don’t have to be so polite. We already trouble you just by coming. If we’re too high profile, the regular guests who line up downstairs might complain again, and that wouldn’t be good for you.”

When the floor manager heard this, he guessed that Miss Du must have heard about what happened downstairs the last time she came. He was touched and his smile became even more sincere.

“Thank you for understanding us, but you really don’t need to worry about those things. We’ll handle it properly. The best way you can support our work is to eat happily and enjoy yourselves in our restaurant.”

“Let me take you to Private Room One now. It’s the peak dining time, and the boss is still checking things in the kitchen. I’ve already sent someone to inform him. Please wait a bit in the private room, Miss Du. I believe he’ll come by to see you soon.”

“Uncle Fu is here today too?”

“The boss usually takes turns inspecting the main store and the other branches. Today just happens to be this store’s turn.”

“That’s great. Mr. Xi, you’re in for a treat today. The food in this restaurant is delicious, and the dishes Uncle Fu cooks are even better.”

As she spoke, Du An Rao seemed to think of something. She turned to the floor manager and said: “If Uncle Fu is busy, you don’t need to ask him to come over. We’re just here to eat. No need to make a big fuss.”

“It’s no trouble. The boss is just walking around and taking a look. Most of the time there’s nothing big going on in the shop,” the floor manager said as he led the two of them toward Private Room One.

This private room was separate from the main dining area on the second floor. It was quite private and quiet. In theory, since Du An Rao and the others were being so low key, once they went inside, there should not have been any big problems.

But the heavens did not follow their wishes. They had just reached the door of the private room when a shout suddenly came from behind them: “You three, stop right there!”

The three of them jumped and turned around instinctively.

When she saw who had spoken, the smile on Du An Rao’s face collapsed: “Why is it you?”

As the saying goes, enemies always cross paths. The person who had shouted at them was none other than Du Tian Ci, the one who had butted heads with Du An Ran the night before.

“That’s what I should be asking. Why is it you two? What are you doing here?”

“We’re at a restaurant. What else would we be doing besides eating? And where I go and what I do shouldn’t need to be reported to you, right?”

“You!”

“Tian Ci, what’s going on? Why did it take you so long just to go get something?” Before Du Tian Ci could say anything, Du Wei Shuai walked over.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw Du An Rao and Xi Jing Yue, then his face darkened: “You two… are you following us?”

Du An Rao: “???”

[Help! This old jerk must have some kind of persecution complex. I just happily asked someone out for a meal, and somehow I keep running into these unlucky people. Are they not going to let me eat in peace? Next time I go out, I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely have to check the almanac first!]

Xi Jing Yue: “…” He could clearly tell that someone was about to lose it.