Chapter 33: Appearing Generous

"Young Master Shang, you're here! Please, come in quickly!"

Before the two people and one beast could even enter the restaurant, a middle-aged man greeted them with a smile. It was Wu Chou, the steward of Hongtian Restaurant!

"Find us a quiet place," Shang Bin said. "Teacher Cao Xiong and I want to have a good drink."

"This way, please!"

Wu Chou quickly arranged seats for them.

"Young Master Shang," Cao Xiong couldn't help but ask, "every time I come here, this Steward Wu acts so arrogant and ignores me. Why is he...?" Although Hongtian Restaurant was just a restaurant, it was said to have powerful backing. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been established within Hongtian Academy, nor would it be of such a scale! In the past, when he came to eat, this Steward Wu never paid him any attention. Now, however, he was bowing and scraping with utmost respect, which made Cao Xiong somewhat disbelieving.

"You must have heard of Elder Hong Hao from the Academy, right?" Shang Bin said.

Cao Xiong nodded. Hongtian Academy was founded by Hong Tian. After his death, his descendants continued his legacy, and thus, elders with the surname Hong in the Academy held a relatively esteemed position. He had indeed heard of Elder Hong Hao before; he was incredibly powerful and was even said to have contended for the position of dean. However, for unknown reasons, he suddenly resigned from his elder position, and there had been no news of him since.

"After resigning as an elder, he opened this restaurant," Shang Bin said with a hint of pride. "He and my grandfather used to be the best of friends, so every time I come, Steward Wu treats me very well!"

"So that's how it is!" Cao Xiong nodded. No wonder Hongtian Restaurant was so grand; it was opened by the former Elder Hong Hao. To be personally received by a dignified steward in such a large restaurant was certainly a great honor.

"Hmm?"

While enjoying treatment he had never experienced before, Cao Xiong suddenly paused, his face darkening.

"What's wrong?" Shang Bin looked over, puzzled.

"Isn't that Zhang Xuan? How can he afford to eat here?" Cao Xiong pointed.

"Zhang Xuan?" Shang Bin looked, and as he saw the young man, he also saw the figure sitting with him. His eyebrows twitched sharply, and fury surged. "How is she with that good-for-nothing? I've invited her so many times, and she always refused, but now she's eating with someone else! Damnable, damnable!" He, the dignified son of an elder, a senior teacher at the academy, and a martial artist at the fifth-level Dingli realm, had invited Shen Biru numerous times, but she had never agreed. He had thought she never ate with anyone, but he never dreamed that at this very moment, she was sitting with the academy's notorious good-for-nothing! He nearly fainted from anger on the spot. He slammed the table and stood up, wanting to rush over and confront them, but then he thought of Shen Biru's attitude and immediately wilted. She hated being disturbed. If he were to rush over and question her like that, she would get angry, and then pursuing her would definitely be out of the question!

"Young Master Shang, there's no need to be angry," Cao Xiong, a shrewd person who understood the situation, said with a smile, his eyes glinting. "I have a plan that will make Teacher Shen see Zhang Xuan's true colors! And it will also highlight your magnificent demeanor, Young Master Shang!"

"What plan?"

"This Zhang Xuan must be trying to curry favor with Teacher Shen by inviting her to dinner! How much salary can a low-level teacher like him earn? All we have to do is arrange for him to be unable to pay, and he'll naturally make a fool of himself! Then, Young Master Shang can step in as the hero to save the day... Teacher Shen will definitely look at you in a new light, and she might even secretly fall for you and throw herself into your arms..." Cao Xiong explained his plan.

"Good, let's do that!" Shang Bin's eyes lit up, and he nodded in satisfaction. This idea was simply too brilliant, as it could both undermine his rival and elevate his own status! It seemed Cao Xiong wasn't just good at teaching; he also had a knack for other things. Perhaps he should be nurtured more in the future...

***

Zhang Xuan, unaware that he was being plotted against, ate the delicious food on the table, nodding repeatedly. Although the cooking techniques weren't as good as on Earth, the spiritual energy in this world was abundant, and the ingredients were fresh and delicious, offering a unique flavor when eaten. Soon, most of the food and wine on the table had been consumed, with Zhang Xuan having eaten almost everything. Shen Biru had only symbolically tasted a little of each dish. Seeing that this guy was only focused on eating and completely ignoring her, Shen Biru's cheeks puffed out in anger. She had initially thought he was putting on an act to attract her attention, but now she realized he truly didn't regard her as anything special... Even the academy's talented and star teachers would deliberately try to please and flatter her when they saw her. But this person, despite being ranked last in the academy, acted as if she were invisible. She was so furious her teeth gnashed, and she wished she could kick him. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Knowing that continuing to eat would only infuriate her to death, she turned and sharply called out, "Check, please!"

"That will be 1280 gold coins in total!"

A waiter came over.

"1280?" Shen Biru froze, startled. "Why is it so expensive?" A senior teacher like her only earned a thousand gold coins a month. Did one meal cost a month's salary? How could it be so much? She had specifically calculated it when ordering; it was less than a hundred. How did it suddenly jump to over a thousand?

"I'm sorry, this bottle of wine alone costs 1200 gold coins!" the waiter said. Earlier, while they were eating, a waiter asked if they wanted wine. Shen Biru thought a little wine wouldn't hurt and nodded in agreement, never dreaming it would be so expensive!

"This bottle of wine was brought to us by you; we didn't know the price..."

Shen Biru's face darkened. Even a fool would know she had been swindled.

"If you truly didn't want it, you could have asked beforehand. Since you didn't say anything, we assumed you knew the price and didn't speak up!" the waiter looked over coldly.

"Hmph!" Seeing the waiter's attitude, Shen Biru knew it was useless to argue further and that making a scene would only have a bad impact. So she said no more. She rummaged through her pockets, intending to pay, when suddenly her pretty face went pale with embarrassment. "I don't have that much money on me. Could you perhaps put it on my tab for now? I'll go back, get the money, and bring it to you..." She had gone to the Library Pavilion to read today and hadn't brought much money. Later, she met Zhang Xuan and sought his guidance, and she was so shocked that she forgot about it. Only now did she remember that she only had about a hundred gold coins on her, far from the over a thousand needed. Inviting someone to dinner but having no money to pay... Her face burned, and she wished she could just disappear into a crack in the ground.

"If you can't pay, don't order! Since you've ordered, pay up. You can't dine and dash here!" the waiter sneered.

"You..."

Shen Biru's pretty face flushed crimson with anger.

"What's going on here?"

Just then, a rebuke rang out, and immediately Shang Bin, with the Sky-Shattering Lion, and Cao Xiong strode over. He wore white clothes, his hands behind his back, walking with a proud stride, exuding an air of superiority. In the past, with his demeanor, appearance, and the fierce Sky-Shattering Lion beside him, he would indeed have been considered a handsome and dashing young master. However, now, with his face swollen and both eyes bruised black, he looked utterly comical from a distance. However, he didn't feel this way at all; on the contrary, he felt quite pleased with himself. His gaze was deep, carrying a distant aura. As he approached, his eyes landed on Shen Biru, and he feigned surprise: "Teacher Shen, what a coincidence, you're here too?" He turned to the waiter: "What's going on? What's with all this noisy commotion?"

"Ah, Young Master Shang!" The waiter was startled, no longer aggressive but instead showing a cautious demeanor. "It's like this, they had a meal and can't pay the bill..."

"Can't pay the bill?"

Shang Bin shook his head, feigning a look of disappointment, and looked at Zhang Xuan: "Teacher Zhang, I'm not trying to criticize you, but if you don't have money, don't pretend to be generous and invite someone to dinner! Now you've embarrassed yourself, haven't you? You're already used to being disgraced as the last-ranked in the academy, that's fine, but to also make Teacher Shen lose face, that's a bit too much, wouldn't you say?"

"..."

Seeing the guy's self-righteous expression, Zhang Xuan paused, then turned to Shen Biru: "Hey, he seems to be talking about you. If you don't have money, don't pretend to be generous. Look, now you've embarrassed yourself..."

"You..."

Shen Biru was already annoyed by the situation, and hearing Zhang Xuan repeat the words almost made her explode with anger on the spot. She abruptly looked up at Shang Bin, who was proudly trying to show off and win the beauty's favor, and her jade-like teeth gnashed, "Shang Bin, who exactly are you saying is pretending to be generous?"