A girl then said to Zi’s boyfriend, “Look, two people who look so alike, yet have such different destinies. One is the Crown Prince, the other is a restaurant server.”
However, her boyfriend, a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince, clearly did not share her sentiment. “A person’s destiny is to be fought for. The Crown Prince’s current achievements are not solely due to his status as Crown Prince, but also his own hard work. If one doesn’t strive, they’ll just end up as a server!”
Seeing her boyfriend’s reaction, the girl rolled her eyes, knowing he was biased towards the Crown Prince.
“Besides, with his looks, he could have been a pretty face in the entertainment industry, earning more and working less than being a server here! I wonder what he’s thinking.”
“Who cares!”
The two left the street, and the shops began to welcome new customers.
The medicinal cuisine restaurant had been open for some time. Despite having few customers in the beginning, and now only limiting the number of patrons, every guest who visited was polite and courteous.
But today, whether it was an ill omen or simply bad luck, troublemakers seemed to be arriving in droves, and they were all people who had issues with Meng Huai.
“Sister Yingying, is this the place? They limit the number of diners every day. What’s so special about this restaurant?”
The voices of the newcomers could be heard even before they arrived at the medicinal cuisine restaurant.
Meng Huai had a bad premonition, and the ignorant tone of their speech felt very familiar.
Someone else then replied to the first person, and that voice was even more familiar. “This restaurant claims that every dish is a medicinal cuisine, with properties that can cure illnesses. But what’s most interesting is that some dishes and teas can whiten skin and beautify one’s complexion. Does our little princess Xin Xin have any interest?”
Meng Yixin’s eyes lit up as she listened to Shang Pingying’s introduction. “Is it that amazing? Then I’ll have to eat here more often! Is it hard to get a reservation?”
Shang Pingying, hearing Meng Yixin’s words, leaned in and whispered in her ear, “It’s very hard to get! I paid a high price to buy this reservation from someone else. Xin Xin, don’t tell anyone! This restaurant forbids such practices; if caught, both the buyer and seller will be blacklisted!”
Meng Yixin, wanting to return, also put her index finger to her lips and said softly, “Shh, this is our secret! Sister Yingying, you’re so good to me! You didn’t bring Big Sister, only me.”
The “Big Sister” Meng Yixin referred to was naturally Shang Yiying. Shang Pingying thought to herself, *How can I not try to please you? I’m counting on you to help me. Whether I can marry a man with a prominent family background depends on your family! As for Shang Yiying, she has her own circle and doesn’t like to play with us two ‘children’.*
Within a few sentences, the two women entered the shop. They had been chatting and laughing, but as soon as they walked in, they saw Meng Huai standing at the counter near the entrance.
Shang Pingying exclaimed in surprise, “What are you doing here?”
Meng Yixin also remembered this person. After Shang Pingying finished speaking, she immediately added, “Why is it you again?”
It seemed Meng Yixin had a deep impression of Meng Huai, despite them having only met once.
Meng Huai had already overheard their conversation and was not surprised that these two were at the medicinal cuisine restaurant. However, she had certainly heard that they had bought their reservations, so she had no intention of letting them dine there.
If everyone could buy reservations at exorbitant prices, wouldn’t it be chaos? Moreover, why should someone profit from loopholes in her own establishment? Meng Huai would not allow this to happen!
Meng Huai refused to tolerate this loophole. While it might be difficult for other shops, it was easy for her. Even if Meng Huai hadn’t overheard their conversation, she would still know that the two had bought their reservations.
This was because she had set up a formation long ago. Any customer who arrived with a bought reservation, whether purchased online or through offline queues, would trigger an alarm on the device placed at the counter as soon as they stepped into the shop.
Before Meng Huai could respond to the two women, Shang Pingying and Meng Yixin had already begun to imagine the worst.
Shang Pingying walked to the counter, looked at Meng Huai, and confidently said, “Oh, I see. You’re working here, aren’t you? Just a ‘nobody’ from a garbage planet, do you really think you can rise to prominence? This era is still about background!”
Shang Pingying continued her aggressive interrogation, “That’s right, I heard your tuition was from a loan? Five thousand star coins, I wonder if your monthly salary is enough to repay the loan?”
Meng Huai’s tuition loan had already been repaid once the amount due was settled. She disliked owing money, so she paid it back immediately.
Meng Huai said to Shang Pingying, “I am the owner of this establishment.”
At this moment, Sister Ting also arrived. Seeing the miniature mecha model on the counter emitting an alarm, she turned it off.
Sister Ting did not know what this alarm signified, nor had she heard their conversation. She simply greeted the two guests politely, “Two guests, are you dining in? Please follow me.”
Meng Yixin waved her hand and pointed at Meng Huai, saying, “We want her to serve us.”
This was clearly an attempt to cause trouble, but Sister Ting was unaware. The two women were simply too good at pretending; they appeared to be polite and courteous.
However, Shang Pingying soon revealed her true colors. She registered Meng Huai’s previous statement, and her once delicate face contorted into a hateful expression. “You’re the owner of the shop? You must be dreaming! Can you even afford the rent for this place?”
Shang Pingying’s gaze and tone were filled with mockery, and her voice, inevitably raised, attracted many people to look over. Even Xie You glanced in their direction.
Hearing Shang Pingying’s words, Xie You murmured, “From a garbage planet? I can’t feel it at all.”
He had always felt that Meng Huai’s demeanor was not that of a child raised in an ordinary family. Her aura was no less than that of the noble ladies he had met, and her personality was not at all affected.
Xie You wondered if this person had some conflict with this young owner, as she was so aggressive.
Meng Huai simply said to the two troublemakers, “You want me to serve you? I’m sorry, your dining reservations were purchased, weren’t they? Please leave! This place does not welcome guests who break the rules.”
“Purchased reservations?” Some guests heard Meng Huai’s words and began to converse amongst themselves.
“I don’t know. How does the shop owner know they were bought?”
“If that’s true, then this person is really something. We all worked hard for many days to snag a reservation, and she just needs to spend more money to get one. Why is the world like this! It’s awful that money can solve anything, and that makes me very unhappy.”
Shang Pingying saw everyone looking at them again, and the constant chatter reached her ears. Although these guests were not verbally abusing her, the scrutinizing gazes directed at her and Meng Yixin brought back memories of the humiliation she suffered outside the school gate at a restaurant.
However, Shang Pingying stubbornly held her ground. If the person who sold her the reservation didn’t speak up, who would know she had purchased a dining slot?
Therefore, Shang Pingying had no intention of admitting it. “Who says I bought it? I earned it through my own efforts! Are you saying this because we have a past grievance? Even if you are the so-called owner, you can’t act this way, can you? Kicking out a guest without reason?”