Chapter 6: The Despicable Lout

"Qin Feiyang?" When she saw who had arrived, Lin Qiqing’s expression darkened even further. "What are you doing at my house?"

"Qiqing, I admit I was wrong before and caused you some trouble. You wouldn't answer my calls, so I had no choice but to come find you myself." The young man named Qin Feiyang smiled slightly and offered her the bouquet in his hands.

Lin Qiqing hesitated for a moment. "Thank you. Is there anything else?"

"To express my apology, I’d like to invite you to dinner," Qin Feiyang said. "I think we could have a good talk."

As if afraid Lin Qiqing might refuse, he quickly added with another smile, "Of course, we can also take this opportunity to discuss business cooperation."

"Oh, is someone treating us to dinner?" Ye Fei, who was standing nearby, suddenly interjected. "Great, I’m starving!"

Seeing an unexpected man appear, Qin Feiyang’s face changed. "Qiqing, he is…?"

"He’s my junior apprentice, Ye Fei," Lin Qiqing replied, a trace of awkwardness on her face as she shot Ye Fei a glare.

"Your junior apprentice?" Qin Feiyang looked Ye Fei up and down, then his smile returned. "I see! Ye Fei, right? Since you’re Qiqing’s apprentice brother, that makes you my apprentice brother too! If you ever need anything, just come find me. There’s no need for formality between us!"

His tone carried a hint of possessiveness, as if proclaiming this was his domain.

"Is that so?" Ye Fei said with a skeptical look. "But my senior sister seems not to be very fond of you."

"I…" Qin Feiyang’s facial muscles twitched in embarrassment.

"Aren’t we going to dinner? When are we leaving?" Ye Fei rubbed his stomach, pretending not to notice the tension.

"Qin Feiyang, my junior apprentice has just arrived in Hangcheng, and he’s used to living in the mountains, so he’s a bit unrestrained. Don’t take it to heart," Lin Qiqing explained, a thought suddenly occurring to her. She originally didn’t want to be alone with Qin Feiyang, and Ye Fei was the perfect shield. "I’ll bring him along for dinner, you don’t mind, do you?"

"Not at all, of course not!" Qin Feiyang replied quickly. Instead of being angry, a flicker of disdain flashed in his eyes. "We’re all family here—no need to be so polite! Since Ye Fei is hungry, let’s set out now!"

Seeing the Audi coupe parked outside, Lin Qiqing said, "There’s not enough room for all of us. I’ll drive with Ye Fei, just send me the address."

"It’s at the Jazz Restaurant! See you there!" Qin Feiyang opened his car door, shot a glance at Ye Fei, and sneered inwardly, "A bumpkin from the mountains dares to ruin my plans? Doesn’t know what’s good for him!"

"Second senior sister, who is that guy?" Ye Fei had already settled into Lin Qiqing’s Porsche. "He doesn’t seem to have good intentions toward you."

"Don’t talk nonsense!" Lin Qiqing said sternly. "When we’re at dinner, you’d better keep quiet."

"Alright." Ye Fei shrugged.

With a roar, the car sped off.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the restaurant.

Qin Feiyang was already waiting at the door. "I’ve booked us a table. Please, come in!"

The restaurant was elegantly decorated in a Scandinavian style, with a grand piano on a stage in the center of the hall. The other patrons were all dressed in suits and evening gowns. Clearly, this was a high-end Western restaurant.

The three of them sat down at a table.

"Qiqing, I’ve ordered in advance—all your favorites. But as for junior apprentice Ye Fei, I’m not sure what he likes," Qin Feiyang said, picking up the menu. "Ye Fei, order whatever you like!"

"Order whatever I like?"

"Of course," Qin Feiyang replied with a half-smile. "I’m the host tonight—don’t hold back!"

"Well, I won’t stand on ceremony then!" Ye Fei opened the menu, his expression shifting slightly.

Lin Qiqing also noticed the menu—everything was in English. She immediately said, "Ye Fei, let me order for you."

"Qiqing, let Ye Fei choose for himself—let him pick what he likes," Qin Feiyang deliberately intervened.

"That’s right, second senior sister, I’ll order for myself." Ye Fei called the waiter and pointed to the menu. "I’ll have this, this, and this…"

Seeing this, Qin Feiyang’s smile widened. "What a bumpkin—when I said order whatever you like, I didn’t mean literally! He’s really taking me up on it!"

"Ye Fei, you don’t happen to not understand English, do you?" Qin Feiyang said deliberately. "If you don’t, just say so—no need to pretend. If you just order at random and end up with a mess of soups and broths, you’ll be a laughingstock."

"Ye Fei, let me order for you," Lin Qiqing clearly had no confidence in Ye Fei.

She knew her master was capable, and certainly had taught Ye Fei many things. But English—maybe not.

"No need, second senior sister! I’m not picky—I’ll eat whatever comes!" Ye Fei said carelessly.

"Really? All the better!" Qin Feiyang sneered inwardly. When the food arrived, he would make sure to mock Ye Fei thoroughly.

"Sir, madam, your meals are ready," the waiter said, pushing over a serving cart as they began to serve.

"Wait," Qin Feiyang gestured. "My friend here is visiting your restaurant for the first time. His order might be a little unusual, so please don’t be offended. In fact, if you’d like to use his choices as an example for your restaurant’s publicity, I’m sure he’d be honored!"

"Ye Fei, wouldn’t you agree?"

"Ah, you mean this gentleman?" The waiter turned to Ye Fei.

"That’s right, him!" Qin Feiyang nodded repeatedly, his tone full of anticipation, eager for a spectacle.

After all, in a genuine Western restaurant like this, haphazard ordering would not only annoy the staff but earn disdain from everyone.

"The gentleman is quite right—this customer’s order is truly unique!" The waiter nodded approvingly. "Our head chef was so impressed he said he wants to add it to our official menu!"

"What? Add it to the menu?" Qin Feiyang, who had been poised to ridicule, was instantly silenced. "Wait—you must be mistaken?"

"Not at all. I remember perfectly—it was this gentleman’s order. The head chef said the combination was so ingenious, even he felt humbled! If he weren’t so busy, he’d have come out to meet you personally."

"This…this…" Qin Feiyang’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Lin Qiqing, too, looked surprised, caught completely off guard.

"Why are you all staring at me? Let’s eat!" Ye Fei picked up his utensils and began to eat with relish, glancing at Qin Feiyang as he said, "Pairing a medium-well steak with Russian-style ostrich and conch egg soup—not only is it unpalatable, it’s downright tacky! Want me to order another round for you?"

"You… I…" Qin Feiyang’s face flushed a deep purple, as if he’d been slapped, burning with humiliation.

He’d set out to mock someone else, but ended up the butt of the joke himself.

"Ye Fei, just eat—no need for all this talk!" Lin Qiqing shot him a warning look. "Sorry, Qin Feiyang, my junior apprentice lacks a filter."

"No problem," Qin Feiyang forced a smile, but everything in his mouth tasted like wax.

Damn it! Pretending to be a fool and making me look bad—one way or another, I’ll make sure you’re out of the picture!