At this moment, Wen Xinya was seated in the private room opposite of Wen Haowen’s. Wen Haowen had ordered a sumptuous spread of delectable dishes and fine alcohol. The directors gathered around the large circular table. The waitresses in the private room were also dressed to the nines and the atmosphere was warm and lively.
Wen Haowen introduced Ning Shuqian to each and every director present while singing praises about them. Ning Shuqian toasted to them and even swallowed her pride. As a result, she managed to earn their approval with her humble attitude.
The directors were also pleased with what Wen Haowen and Ning Shuqian were doing to cozy up to them, as evidenced by the wide grins on their faces.
The directors did not care about money. Respect was what mattered the most to them.
Ning Shuqian and Wen Haowen were obviously experts at currying the favor of the directors. They had spent at least hundreds of thousands of yuan on the sumptuous feast, and another huge bomb on the lavish bottles of wine that they had gifted to the directors. Not only would the directors feel safe about accepting the token, but they would also be extremely pleased and thrilled too. Since they need not worry about their reputation or give anything in exchange, what was not to love?
At this moment, the door of the room was pushed open and a few waitresses entered with the dishes, dressed in Cheongsam dresses.
There were carvings of dragons on the large silver pot which looked ostentatious and opulent. They could tell at one glance that the dish was incredibly expensive.
Ning Shuqian was the one who chose all the dishes for the feast and the waitresses had already informed her just now that all of the dishes had been served. Hence, she wondered, Where did this dish come from? Did they make a mistake?
Just as Ning Shuqian was in doubt, one of the shareholders immediately smiled and said upon sight of the table full of dishes, “CEO Wen, you’re being too generous. We’ve already been eating for so long but there are still more dishes to come.”
“Yeah, yeah… you’re being too generous…” The other directors began to chime in.
Ning Shuqian asked smilingly, “This dish looks very exquisite. What is it called?”
She had asked that question on purpose with the intention of subtly reminding the waitress that she may have served the wrong dish. Although it was a trivial matter, Ning Shuqian did not want any misunderstanding to arise because of a single dish.
The waitress answered smilingly, “This is our signature dish, braised dragon meat.”
The waiter then explained the origin of the dish. Braised dragon meat was actually just the flesh of a golden python from America. Due to the fact that the python flesh was hard and sour, it was rarely eaten and did not possess much value. However, there was a special way of preparing python meat that would get rid of the sourness of the flesh and tenderize its fibers. As a result, the python flesh would melt in one’s mouth and taste exceptionally delicious, so much that it could be considered the best-tasting delicacy in the city.
The dish also cost a hefty amount of 100,000 yuan.
Ning Shuqian deduced from the waitress’ attitude that it was probably not a mistake. Just as she was trying to figure out what was going on, another waitress entered to serve up another dish.
“This dish is Stewed Phoenix’s Wings! It’s also one of our signature dishes!”
If the dragon meat was a coincidence, how did this dish come about? There couldn’t possibly be another mistake.
All of the waitresses in Autumn Wind Jade Dew Pavilion had undergone strict and professional training and would be unlikely to commit such a basic mistake.
Sensing that something was amiss, Ning Shuqian secretly tugged onto Wen Haowen’s sleeve and whispered into his ear, “Did you order these dishes?”
Appalled and confused, Wen Haowen asked softly, “Didn’t you order them?”
Even Ning Shuqian was stunned.
If neither of us ordered it, what’s going on?
Next, five more signature dishes were served, followed by five bottles of 1985 Lafite.
The waitress finally smiled and explained, “It’s such a coincidence that Miss Wen is dining here today too. After hearing that Mr. Wen and Madam Ning are throwing a banquet here, she specially ordered these five dishes as a token for you guys. She has already paid for these dishes. Madam Ning, Miss Wen would like to congratulate you for joining the board successfully and she also wishes all the directors here to have a pleasant meal.”
As soon as the waitress said those words, silence filled the air in the private room.
“So it was Miss Wen…” The directors were suddenly displeased and somehow found that the dishes tasted horrible.
The five signature dishes cost a total of 400,000 yuan while the five bottles of 1985 Lafite cost 200,000 yuan. Wen Xinya’s actions seemed to be an attempt to steal the limelight from the host.
Who was the host of this meal? Since they had already accepted Wen Haowen’s favor and eaten the food bought by Wen Xinya, what were they supposed to do?
“My daughter…” Wen Haowen murmured with a sullen expression. He had already arranged the banquet as secretively as he could. He even deliberately avoided Old Mr. Wen and Wen Xinya. However, Wen Xinya still found out in the end. Hence, he was certain that Wen Xinya was out to jeopardize the banquet.
“What a coincidence. I didn’t expect that Xinya would be here for a meal too,” Ning Shuqian said with a stiff smile. She reached a hand out to tug Wen Haowen’s sleeve in a bid to stop him from continuing.
Wen Xinya had indeed pulled a brilliant move and managed to one-up Ning Shuqian and Wen Haowen effortlessly. The directors must be feeling uncomfortable!
All that bitch Wen Xinya does is pull these cheap tricks.
The waitress answered smilingly, “It really is a coincidence. Miss Wen made a reservation two days ago.”
The waitress’ answer was seamless.
Ning Shuqian grinned and said, “How thoughtful of her. Which room is Miss Wen dining in? Since we’re family and we’re all here at the same time, we ought to dine together.”
As Wen Xinya’s stepmother and one of the directors, Ning Shuqian ought to let Wen Xinya dine together with them. Otherwise, she would only look bad in front of the directors.
Wen Xinya is really something. If she had invited herself, I would have a way to embarrass her. However, she has totally gained the upper hand after pulling such a move. I even have to go and invite her to dine with us now.
Hence, Ning Shuqian had no choice but to invite Wen Xinya.
The waitress answered, “Miss Wen has already finished her meal and left the restaurant.”
The directors’ eyes lit up after hearing her words.
Greatly taken aback, Ning Shuqian said in disbelief, “I was initially planning to go over and invite Xinya to dine with us. It seems I won’t have the chance to do so now.”
Although she seemed to be speaking to the waitress, she was actually saying those words for the ears of the directors. Well, at least, she had to remain cordial with Wen Xinya in front of them.
However, the fact that Wen Xinya had left without saying goodbye was particularly embarrassing for them.
It seemed like Wen Haowen and Ning Shuqian had gained the upper hand today, but Wen Xinya was the true winner.
