"Move aside!"

Qin Heng glanced indifferently at the male waiter. "You're just following orders, so I won't punish you. But if you dare to stop me again, the moment Qian Zhenghai shows up, you'll be fired on the spot!"

To say Qian Zhenghai collaborated with Qin Heng's family was merely a pleasantry; strictly speaking, Qian Zhenghai's survival depended entirely on business from the Qins. If the Qins were to immediately sever ties with Qian Zhenghai, then not just the Fairy Pavilion, but all of Qian Zhenghai's enterprises would face the grim fate of bankruptcy. Consequently, Qian Zhenghai absolutely dared not offend Qin Heng. Previously, when renting Qin Heng's helicopter, the daily rate should have been one million, yet he had actually paid five million—all in an effort to curry favor with Qin Heng. If Qian Zhenghai were to learn that Qin Heng had been obstructed by a mere waiter at the Fairy Pavilion, he would likely faint from sheer terror.

"What Qian Zhenghai? Qian Crooked-Sea? Who are you talking about? Never heard of them!" The waiter simply dismissed Qin Heng's words; he had never even heard of Qian Zhenghai.

A slight twitch touched the corner of Qin Heng's mouth. The waitstaff's rank is too low, he thought. They'd never encounter a Qi Lu business tycoon like Qian Zhenghai, let alone understand they're working for one of his enterprises. This is rather awkward.

Song Ningran had also stopped. She looked at the receptionist, frowning. "What is the meaning of this? Is the Fairy Pavilion turning guests away?"

"It's not like that," the receptionist, clearly well-trained in etiquette, said with a smile. "The seats in the Heaven Private Room are fixed. There are only thirty-six, and now just one remains, reserved for you. As for your friend, there will be no seat for him if he goes up."

"We came with exactly thirty-six people, so the number of seats should be just right," Song Ningran said, puzzled. "What happened?"

"Ms. Song, you might not be aware," the receptionist explained apologetically to Song Ningran. "Since Mr. Mo Cheng is hosting the banquet, our Manager Zhao also went up, so we are short one seat."

"Now you understand, don't you? There's no seat for you upstairs." The male waiter looked at Qin Heng. "Mr. Mo Cheng is an important person. He's taken such good care of you, even specifically reserving a table for you in the main hall. You should be thankful to him."

"Is your manager named Zhao Weicai?" Qin Heng asked in a low voice. "Have him come down to see me. As soon as he sees me, everything will be clear."

Zhao Weicai was one of Qian Zhenghai's confidants and naturally knew Qin Heng.

"I'm sorry, but Manager Zhao Weicai was promoted to headquarters half a year ago," the receptionist said, gently shaking her head. "Our current manager is Manager Zhao Weicai's younger brother, Zhao Gaocai."

Qin Heng's eyes narrowed slightly. He smiled. "Heh, it seems I've really picked an unlucky time. Qian Zhenghai will probably have to take a few more heart pills."

"Sir, there's no need to bring up Qian Zhenghai anymore," the male waiter shook his head and scoffed. "We at the Fairy Pavilion really don't have such a person. You aren't even aware that Manager Zhao Weicai was promoted, so stop trying to curry favor here."

TAP! TAP!

The sound of high heels approached. The innocent and beautiful Han Ya had walked over at some point. Seeing Song Ningran and Qin Heng, she asked in surprise, "Ran Ran, why haven't you gone up yet? Mo Cheng and Manager Zhao are waiting for you, and so are the teachers and classmates."

"Why has Mo Cheng stopped Qin Heng here, making him stay in the hall?" Song Ningran frowned upon seeing Han Ya. "Ya Ya, is Mo Heng deliberately targeting Qin Heng?"

"How could that be, Ran Ran? You've misunderstood," Han Ya said with a smile. "Because Manager Zhao is present, our private room ran out of seats. We can't just have Qin Heng standing to the side, can we? That would be rather inappropriate. So, Mo Cheng reserved a table for him in the lobby on the first floor to let him eat his fill. That's quite considerate of him."

"Ya Ya, why does it sound like you're siding with Mo Cheng?" Song Ningran furrowed her brows, feeling something was off about Han Ya's attitude.

"Ran Ran, you've misunderstood. I always have your best interests at heart." Han Ya moved closer to Song Ningran and smiled. "Ran Ran, you should know, Mo Cheng is the heir to the Qi Lu Mo family's conglomerate, and that Manager Zhao is from the Legitimate Line of the Fairy Pavilion's top brass. They're all significant figures in Qi Lu. It wouldn't hurt to get acquainted with them."

The Mo family's conglomerate, with a market value of ten billion, was one of the most prominent financial groups in the Qi Lu region. Mo Cheng was the only son of the conglomerate's CEO—undoubtedly a crown prince! The nearby receptionist and waiter showed expressions of envy. To them, such status was unimaginably wealthy and prestigious.

"What do their identities have to do with me?" Song Ningran shook her head. "If Qin Heng can't go up, then I won't go up either. I'll just eat with him in the main hall on the first floor."

"Oh, Ran Ran, what am I supposed to say to you?" Han Ya frowned. "Alright, I'll go up and see if I can bring Qin Heng up."

"Han Ya, go up and tell Mo Cheng this," Qin Heng suddenly interjected, his tone indifferent. "If they want me to go up, fine. But only if he and Zhao Gaocai both come down here and perform the three kneels and nine kowtows to invite me. Then, I might consider having a meal with them."

"You..." Han Ya stared at Qin Heng in disbelief, then turned to Song Ningran. "Ran Ran, your friend is quite the joker. I'll head up first."

「Meanwhile, on the sixth floor of the Fairy Pavilion, in the Heaven Private Room.」

The room was brightly lit and splendid, its ornate doors closed. The large round table was easily big enough for thirty-six people. Mo Cheng was leading a group, toasting and drinking merrily, completely engrossed in the revelry. Next to him sat a portly, middle-aged man with a noticeable paunch. He was squinting his small eyes, sizing up the female students at the table. Which ones should I take home for some fun tonight? he mused.

This was the current manager of the Fairy Pavilion, Zhao Gaocai. He wasn't highly educated, possessing only an elementary school diploma, and had secured his managerial position solely through the support of his older brother, Zhao Weicai. He didn't have many hobbies; he just liked to amuse himself with female college students. Seeing these women, more educated than himself, submissively pleasing him, being dominated and toyed with as he pleased, filled him with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"Young Master Mo, that girl named Song something you mentioned earlier," Zhao Gaocai lowered his voice, leaning close to Mo Cheng, and whispered, "When will she arrive? You praised her beauty so much, my heart is burning with anticipation, heh heh."

"Relax, didn't Han Ya just go down to get her?" Mo Cheng said confidently, twirling the wine glass in his hand with a smile. "Later, we brothers can enjoy these two beauties together."

"Hahaha!" Zhao Gaocai burst out laughing. "Excellent, excellent! Oh, Han Ya's back!"

"Ya Ya, how did it go? Song Ningran didn't come up?" Mo Cheng raised his voice, frowning when he noticed Han Ya had returned alone. "Is she still hung up on that poor loser who rented a helicopter just to show off?"

"Mo Cheng, Manager Zhao," Han Ya shook her head. "Ran Ran refuses to come up. She wants to stay with Qin Heng on the first floor. She said she'll only come up if Qin Heng is allowed to come with her."

Upon hearing this, the girls at the table began to whisper amongst themselves.

"My gosh, why is Ran Ran still hanging around that deceitful pauper!"

"Mo Cheng and Manager Zhao are both big shots in Qi Lu! It's so hard to get a chance to meet them, and Ran Ran actually refuses to come up?"

Mo Cheng took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his rising anger. He said in a heavy voice, "Then call Qin Heng up here. We'll just add an extra chair for him. Let's see if he even dares to sit down then."

"But... but..." Han Ya hesitated, glancing at Mo Cheng and Zhao Gaocai. "Just now, Qin Heng said he won't come up. Not unless you and Manager Zhao go down, perform the three kneels and nine kowtows to invite him. Only then might he reluctantly consider it."

"FUCK!" Zhao Gaocai exploded in fury. SLAM! He smashed his hand on the table and jumped to his feet, roaring, "SON OF A BITCH! Doesn't he know whose territory the Fairy Pavilion is?! How dare that little whelp act so arrogantly right under my nose! Let's go, Young Master Mo! We'll go down and see where this little bastard gets his nerve! I'll crush his balls, damn it!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.