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"Ning Ning's having pork knuckle rice, so I'll have the curry chicken cutlet rice," Lin Jiahua returned the menu to Zhang Jiande, "Many thanks, Brother De."

"Sure thing." Zhang Jiande took back the menu, visibly pleased. "I'll also treat you both to a pot of slow-cooked soup, made with dragon bones for three whole hours – it's something truly nourishing for you."

Chu Yuening's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Thank you, Brother De."

The food arrived promptly, starting with two bowls of soup.

As Chu Yuening lifted her spoon for a taste, the entrance to the restaurant was pushed open.

The tea set vendor entered, panting heavily and brimming with excitement.

"It's incredible! In front of the Peninsula Hotel, a naked man was chased out by an elegant lady with a knife!"

Chapter 5

"Is it really that bizarre?" Zhang Jiande was startled, promptly placing the pig foot rice on Chu Yuening's table.

"We just did the fortune-telling in the morning, and it's already coming true in the afternoon?"

Chu Yuening wasn't surprised. Temple Street wasn't far from the Peninsula Hotel. The first thing He Shifei would do after realizing she had been swindled would be to rush to the hotel to find someone.

Cao Daguang was still in the dark about the situation as he sat down in the restaurant. "I heard a man took three ladies to a room for some fun, and his wife caught him red-handed. Wow, that wife was waving a knife around in the air!"

His eyes narrowed slightly as he exaggeratedly mimicked the action of brandishing a knife. "The man was so scared that he begged for mercy! She's truly an idol for women, a heroine among them!"

"Ha." An old lady at another table, eating her meal with chopsticks, recalled the past. "Back in my day, my late husband wasn't any different. I was even more ruthless."

Cao Daguang asked, "How so?"

The old lady picked up some food with her chopsticks and gestured with her left hand while muttering, "I chopped it off. Not a single bit was left."

Cao Daguang instinctively covered his crotch and drew a sharp breath. "Well, that does make you a bit more impressive, Granny."

The atmosphere turned quiet.

Seeing Lin Jiahua's silence, Cao Daguang leaned over curiously. "What's up? Why isn't anyone responding?"

"I don't know how to respond," Lin Jiahua said helplessly, sharing the story of He Jiajia's visit to the fortune teller.

Cao Daguang let out a startled cry, his gaze immediately darting towards Chu Yuening. Coincidentally, Chu Yuening had just finished her pork trotter rice and lowered her chopsticks to meet his eyes.

Cao Daguang hastily used the menu to shield half of his face. As Chu Yuening raised her chin, he hastily moved the menu upwards, dodging left and right like a frightened rabbit.

"Hey, Ning Ning, let's just eat. We're all good friends here. No need to stare at me," he said.

Chu Yuening blinked, confused. What was going on? She looked at Zhang Jiande, who jumped in fright and turned to grab a menu, but finding it too far away, instinctively covered half of his face, peeking through with one eye.

"Ning Ning, your fortune-telling is scarily accurate. It's like you strip people bare, leaving no secrets," Zhang Jiande said, forming the gesture of a snake with his right hand. "You see through them from top to bottom, inside and out."

"At that time, when you mentioned my past girlfriends, if my wife found out, she'd kill me! After all, I only admitted to my first love."

The restaurant burst into laughter.

Lin Jiahua chimed in, jestingly, "Looks like all your guilty consciences are making you jumpy."

Chu Yuening's eyes crinkled as she suppressed a giggle. "My mental energy is limited. Reading fortunes requires intense concentration and analysis. I'm already exhausted from dealing with customers all day. Since you haven't paid, I'm not bothered to read yours."

"Oh, that's more like it," Zhang Jiande exaggeratedly sighed in relief, dropping his hands.

Chu Yuening laid down her chopsticks with a bright smile. "I'll go check my stall, you guys carry on eating slowly."

"Opening the stall so early? It's so hot outside, why don't we head to Da Tong Ice Room for some cold drinks?" Zhang Jiande held his smoking pipe, grinning. "Brother De will treat you."

The Da Tong Ice Room was located near the Peninsula Hotel.

It was clear that his intentions were not as innocent as they seemed.

Upon hearing about the cold drinks, Chu Yuening immediately changed her plans and raised both hands in agreement. "Great!"

A regular customer at the restaurant teased, "Brother De, do men really need to be so nosy?"

"Nah, nah, nah, one shouldn't speak without thinking. Am I that kind of person?" Zhang Jiande denied it with ease, his face not showing any sign of embarrassment. "I simply felt that Da Tong Ice Room had a connection with me today. Wasn't my wallet's money burning a hole in my pocket?"

Ten minutes later.

The four of them – Shanpo, Zhang Jiande, Lin Jiahua, and Chu Yuening – were crouched together in front of the Peninsula Hotel, each holding a cup of iced milk tea.

Zhang Jiande, sitting with his legs shaking, smiled. "Watching gossip unfold in person is truly quite enjoyable."

Not far away, a bare-chested man, clutching a towel to cover his essentials, hastily explained, "Feifei, listen to me, please!"

"He Shifei sarcastically remarked, brandishing a pork knife at the man, "You really know how to have fun, bringing three women to a hotel!"

"Men are never cheap enough, only cheaper. Daring to do this to me, I'll slice you apart!"

With that, she slashed again, and the man barely managed to dodge.

"Feifei," the man tugged at his pitiful towel, on the verge of begging on his knees, "Let's talk about it at home. It's not what it looks like. They're just my coworkers; we were meeting up for mahjong."

In the lobby, three elaborately dressed women stood, trembling and huddling together in fear as they nodded repeatedly upon seeing He Shifei.

With a fierce kick aimed at the man's groin, she declared, "Still trying to deceive me? If it weren't for the fortune-teller predicting your infidelity, if I hadn't checked our bankbook first, I'd have been blindly walking towards my doom!"

Caught red-handed, the man's panicked facade froze. "You knew all along?"

Before He Shifei could respond, a car screeched to a halt. The woman who emerged from the vehicle immediately slapped the man twice. "How dare you hurt Feifei!"

Tears welled up in He Shifei's eyes once more.

Ah Xian finished dealing with the man, pulling him behind her as she said, "Rest now." Following that, she reentered the hotel and grabbed one of the women who had been watching the scene with amusement, raising her hand to deliver two more resounding slaps while berating her.