Chapter 143: The Art of Conversation

Better not to mention it; the mere thought of it made Tong Qing feel a sharp, agonizing pain all through her liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

She had genuinely believed that designer bag was real and had even bragged about it to her best friend, initially just to show how a country bumpkin was clueless about high-end goods. Who could have known that her best friend was also a treacherous snake? Behind her back, the friend took the bag to be authenticated, and of course, it turned out to be a fake. Not only did the friend keep quiet about it, but she also went around gossiping. Instead of mentioning that the man had given her a fake bag, the friend spread the rumor that Tong Qing was so broke she had sold the real bag and bought a cheap knockoff to deceive people.

And to make matters worse, people actually believed it, even going so far as to tell the man. Since the man had intentionally taken advantage of Tong Qing’s ignorance in the first place, he smoothly seized the opportunity to pin all the blame on her. With a righteous and dignified air, he broke up with her, acting magnanimous by generously letting her keep the bag.

Unable to clear her name, Tong Qing lost this somewhat decent meal ticket and had no choice but to settle for a backup suitor, though the two men were worlds apart in terms of looks.

When Chen Xin intentionally jabbed at this exact sore spot right in front of her new boyfriend, it nearly made Tong Qing spit blood with rage.

The chubby man wasn’t upset at all; he just watched with a faint smile as Chen Xin and his "girlfriend" bickered. He was only with Tong Qing for amusement anyway, and he knew perfectly well what kind of person she was. She was young, pretty, and a college student—it was a mutual arrangement of getting what they each wanted.

Chen Xin had no intention of pursuing the matter further and actually wanted to switch tables, but the restaurant was packed, and there were no empty four-seater tables left. Besides, why should she back down? It would make it look like she was afraid of Tong Qing.

"Sister Xin, are you going to eat this?" Zhou Yu quickly spread open the menu. "I wonder if this coconut chicken is any good."

Chen Xin glanced at it. The coconut chicken listed there was not made in the authentic way at all; it had clearly been modified after being introduced.

Since it wasn't authentic, Chen Xin couldn't be bothered to look further and told them to order whatever they liked.

"You don't like this flavor?" Seeing the complete lack of interest on her face, Zhou Hao immediately assumed it wasn't to her taste.

"It's not that," Chen Xin said, lowering her voice as she spoke to Zhou Hao. "The dishes here are probably adapted to cater to local palates, not the original, authentic local flavors. If you like it, I'll cook it for you sometime."

Zhou Yu had been all ears and immediately raised his hand to say he wanted some too.

"Alright, once we get to your place, find a decent-sized kitchen and I'll cook for you."

"Oh, boasting about your cooking skills, are we? What is it gonna be, egg fried rice or tomato and egg soup?"

Tong Qing hadn't caught the whole conversation and simply assumed Chen Xin was showing off. Unwilling to miss any chance to tear Chen Xin down, she immediately chimed in with a sarcastic remark.

Chen Xin just grinned at her and couldn't even be bothered to reply.

"Xiao Yu, order some Bak Kut Teh; it's good for cooling internal heat."

"You got it. Sister Xin, what else? How about this butter prawn?"

"Your brother probably won't eat it. You two can try it if you want, but if you don't nail the flavor, it's just ruining the ingredients." Judging by the picture alone, Chen Xin harbored deep doubts about this restaurant's culinary skills.

Tong Qing was about to keep going when her "boyfriend" tapped the table, looking at her with a half-smile.

Although the chubby man was wealthy and liked dating young girls, he wasn't lacking in street smarts. The four of them had come together, and the three males were clearly brothers; this meant they were a close-knit group, proving that this young woman was nothing like the likes of Tong Qing. Since they weren't in the same league, it was unreasonable for her to keep picking a fight with them. As a businessman, he preferred harmony for the sake of wealth, and having a college student girlfriend was just a way to show off and elevate his own taste, not to make enemies.

When the dishes arrived, they were exactly as Chen Xin had predicted. Most of the cooking methods had been altered to deliberately pander to the domestic palate, rendering the food completely devoid of character—it was like hanging a sheep's head and selling dog meat. She took a couple of bites and stopped. Rather than filling her stomach with this, she would rather go eat street snacks.

Zhou Yu and Zhou Sheng were both picky eaters as well. Initially, they hadn't thought much of it, but after witnessing Zhou Hao and Chen Xin's fastidiousness, for some reason, even these delicately plated dishes suddenly seemed completely tasteless.

They finished in a few bites, rubbed their bellies, and still felt entirely empty. The two teenagers looked pitifully at their older brother.

"Forget it, let's go downstairs and get some street food." Zhou Hao chuckled and beckoned the waiter to settle the bill.

"Tch, country bumpkins," Tong Qing couldn't help sneering again.

Zhou Hao and Chen Xin ignored her, but Zhou Sheng finally snapped. This cool little teenager didn't talk much, but he had zero tolerance for being bullied. Right then and there, he slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and pointed at Tong Qing.

"Zhou Sheng!" Zhou Hao frowned, standing up to pull him back.

"Brother, stay out of this! What is wrong with this bitch? Ever since we sat down to eat, she's been yapping nonstop like a broken-record myna bird. What we like to eat is none of her business, and we didn't ask her to pay for it." Zhou Sheng cast a disdainful glance at Tong Qing. "She's just a gold-digger acting all high and mighty; without a man, you're an absolute nobody."

Tong Qing was furious, her face turning pale as she pointed a trembling finger at Zhou Sheng, ready to unleash a torrent of abuse.

At this point, the chubby man couldn't just stand by and watch Tong Qing get humiliated; it was a matter of his own face. He stood up, his massive bulk easily twice the size of Zhou Sheng.

"Little brother, that's not right of you. She didn't say anything wrong. You guys came here to eat, picked at everything, complained this wasn't good and that wasn't right, and even said you'd rather go eat street food outside. So what if she laughed at you a little?"

The chubby man was clever with his words. He downplayed Tong Qing's initial sarcasm while magnifying Zhou Sheng and his group's disdain for the restaurant. That way, at the very least, the waitstaff and the manager wouldn't side with Zhou Sheng.

"It didn't suit my palate, so am I not even allowed to say so?"

When it came to the art of verbal sparring, Zhou Sheng was no match for a veteran of the business world like this fat man, but fortunately, Chen Xin was right there to cover his blind spots.

"Xiao Sheng, apologize." She stood up with poised elegance. "This is a conflict between classmate Tong Qing and me. She looks down on me and can mock me all she wants, but you cannot sink to her level. It makes you look devoid of class. Furthermore, your family taught you never to lose your composure in public, especially in front of ladies. No matter what perceived wrongdoing the other party commits, you must never retaliate with such an attitude."

"Got it, Sister Xin. My mistake." Zhou Sheng neatly bowed to Tong Qing. "I'm sorry, miss. I shouldn't have let your lack of manners cause me to abandon my own upbringing. I'm sorry."

That remark was so sharp it made even the thick-skinned chubby man twitch his facial muscles.

Chen Xin didn't give him a chance to react and continued, "What this gentleman said just now wasn't entirely accurate either. Why didn't you listen to the whole conversation, or did you intentionally stir up trouble without even understanding it? That hardly seems like the behavior of a grown adult."

Chen Xin nodded toward the approaching manager. "The head chef is from Malaysia, am I right? I could pick up subtle hints in his culinary technique, though it seems he modified the ingredients and seasonings to suit local tastes. Am I correct?"