522: Chapter 381 522: Chapter 381 “Are you flattering me just so I’ll pick up the tab?”
Tang Feiyang raised his sword-like eyebrows, bringing up the matter again.
The smile never left Du Jiaolan’s lips, she had already made the cut, even if the man before her didn’t pay for her meal, it would be worth spending generously to get to know him.
While she maintained such a relaxed demeanor, the maid beside her tensed up, clutching the purse in her embrace.
Unaware of the maid’s demeanor, Du Jiaolan said with ease:
“Alas, there’s nothing I can do, for the sake of getting to know such a gentleman I might end up squandering a fortune!”
Tang Feiyang, seated opposite her, noted the expressions of Du Jiaolan and her maid and couldn’t resist teasing the maid further.
“Miss Du, are you sure you brought enough money for this meal?
Don’t let the restaurant keep your maid here as collateral.”
The words from the gentleman before her nearly brought Du Jiaolan’s maid to tears; she felt this elegant man was truly betraying his own demeanour.
Why must he make life difficult for her mistress and herself?
In the future, one must never judge such a man by his appearance; what use is a handsome and dashing exterior if he’s so miserly on the inside?
Clearly so wealthy, yet so stingy.
Why should her mistress pay, and why focus on her?
She did not wish to be left behind as security at the restaurant.
It was a sale of sorts, and she might end up working at the restaurant as a waiter.
Just then, a waiter started bringing in the dishes, and upon entering the room and hearing this conversation, he took note; so this gentleman wasn’t treating the young lady to the meal.
The waiter placed the dishes in front of the young master and the young lady, with their meals served separately.
This was the plan he had hatched since he first heard their conversation; if the young master really wasn’t going to pay for the young lady, then it was only right for the young master to pay for his own meal.
It was Miss Du who wanted to come in, and if the gentleman wasn’t treating her to a meal, and they couldn’t pay the bill, they had no choice but to do as the gentleman had said and leave the maid there while Miss Du went home to fetch money for her redemption.
Or they could simply leave the maid as payment for the meal.
The waiter assessed the maid in front of him; she looked decent, though perhaps not worth the price of a meal.
The maid of a wealthy household was also unfortunate; meeting a mistress who pretends to have money and might end up being left here.
The waiter looked at the maid with pity; if he was not mistaken and her mistress couldn’t pay and didn’t redeem the maid, then the boss might sell her off to a brothel, fetching a higher price to cover the cost of such an expensive meal.
In the waiter’s thoughts, these were the rich and powerful enjoying a meal, while ordinary people’s lives might not be worth as much as another person’s meal; such was the sorrow of the common folk.
The maid trembled as the waiter scrutinized her, as if her mistress truly couldn’t afford the meal and she would be left there, only to be sold off into a fate she dreaded.
Tang Feiyang took note of the expressions on the faces of the master and servant, as well as those of the bystanders.
This might just be the effect he wanted; if someone was trying to freeload a meal off him, even if it were a woman, it wouldn’t be acceptable.
He didn’t feel that this was lacking in gentlemanly manners.
If he were facing someone with ulterior motives, he had to punish them first, teaching them a lesson to let others know he was not to be trifled with.
Tang Feiyang began his meal with elegant movements and did not invite his attendant to join.
It wasn’t because he only cared about his own belly and would neglect his subordinates once sated.
There were still others present, weren’t there?
As the gentleman opposite her ate, Du Jiaolan also dined with grace, as if all earlier worries had vanished.
The room was suddenly filled with a sense of decorum at mealtime, with a young master and a young lady each eating their own food, without conversation.
They dined with proper etiquette, unbothered by external affairs.
The expressions of the people beside them differed; Tang Feiyang’s attendant remained vigilant, watching the two women opposite.
It was as if they were a deluge or a ferocious beast, with no reduction in their alertness just because the others were women.
By the side of Du Jiaolan, her maid clutched her handkerchief tightly, her nerves on edge throughout.
Their meal was neither too long nor too short.
Tang Feiyang also didn’t finish all of the food, having polished off just one bowl of Spirit Rice, before setting down his dining utensils.
The attendant was quick to pour him another cup of tea.
Each of them had a teapot at their side, with the young lady opposite also possessing one.
This was due to their vigilance and in case the other party had poisoned the tea; they were not worried about the establishment having any accomplices.
Tang Feiyang knew that this restaurant was not owned by others; it was a tavern under the name of the Ye Family from the Imperial City.
It provided the kind of food eaten by high-ranking cultivators.
Anyone who wanted to flaunt their wealth was welcome to dine as long as they could afford the pricey meal.
Thus, the people in the grand hall on the first floor paid a steep price for their meals.
At that moment, as Du Jiaolan put down her utensils in parallel with the person across from her, she felt that the cuisine was indeed delectable.
No wonder people were willing to pay such high prices.
It wasn’t just about the delicious taste of the food prepared by the tavern’s cooks but also the extraordinary flavor of the fare.
Du Jiaolan was well aware that many cultivators feasted on such food; after all, a cultivator’s wealth far surpassed theirs.
She sighed inwardly, but it was only a fleeting moment of reflection.
The man before her, who could afford such food, clearly possessed no ordinary strength.
It wasn’t just his identity; it was a man with capabilities that enabled him to wield wealth so effortlessly.
Of course, Du Jiaolan knew that the Chief of Staff would be more influential than their Duke’s Mansion, which bore only a title without substantial official duties and subsisted only through some business holdings, not living as lavishly as others.
This was the very reason why.
It was because no one of notable talent had emerged from their family, and thus they were not among the most powerful at court.
After her mistress had finished eating, the maid’s hands trembled as she took the teapot to pour tea for her mistress and a bit of tea splashed outside the cup.
In a state of high stress, her frantic movements caused Du Jiaolan’s smiling face to pause for a moment.
Then, pretending not to care, she picked up the teacup, took a light sip, and tried to find a conversation starter to talk to the young lord before her.
Tang Feiyang took a sip of tea, and with a glance, signaled his entourage.
Understanding the cue, one went to summon the waiter to pay the bill.
At this, Du Jiaolan grew anxious.
She couldn’t let this prime opportunity slip away; she had to leverage her specialties.
“Master Tang, now that we’re acquainted, may I visit you sometime when you’re free?”
Tang Feiyang chuckled lightly, “Miss Du, men and women should not have close contact.
It’s one thing to meet on the street, but a visit is unnecessary, don’t you think?”
Without changing her expression at the man’s refusal, Du Jiaolan retorted, “Master Tang, you are unmarried, and I am unwed.
I, as a woman, am not afraid, and for you to say such things—not resembling the demeanor of a man, nor the suave character you’re rumored to be—doesn’t suit you.”
“It is better to maintain a distance.
I don’t want to be falsely accused!”
Tang Feiyang was implying something.
The follower by his side had the waiter come in and paid for the young master’s share of the bill.
The waiter, having received the money from the young master’s attendant, watched Du Jiaolan and her maid intently, wary they might try to dine and dash.
Du Jiaolan was taken aback that the man before her refused to pick up her tab; his tightfistedness surprised her, and she couldn’t help but clench the handkerchief in her hand.
The maid bit her lip, nearly on the verge of tears.
“Miss Du, I shall take my leave!”
As Tang Feiyang said this, he gave the mistress and servant duo a glance that suggested he enjoyed the scene and, in a rather cheerful mood, left the tavern with his entourage.
While he seemed to depart with ease on the surface, he would surely keep a discreet eye on the pair.
Du Jiaolan did not pursue him.
The person she fancied wouldn’t slip away from her so easily.
In her mind, Tang Feiyang appeared to be an unapproachable man, yet everyone had their weak points.
Did he not have brothers or sisters?
Du Jiaolan thought to this point and figured that starting with his sisters was a good strategy.
Ha, ha!
“Miss, is it okay for you to pay the bill now?”
At this point, the waiter could no longer concern himself with their genders; he had to fulfill his duty.
“Miss…”
The maid feared that the money in her pocket might not cover the bill.
“How much is it?”
After hearing the price from the waiter, Du Jiaolan found it incredibly expensive; the meal she enjoyed was three times as much as what she would normally spend at a tavern.