Chapter 25 The High-End Classical Restaurant

Chapter 25: An Upscale Restaurant in Ancient Style

The car stopped in front of a high-end restaurant.

Shang Xu killed the engine, glanced at the rearview mirror, and said flatly, "Let's go."

"Oh." Cheng Feng responded, pushed the door open, got out of the car, and followed beside Shang Xu.

As soon as the two reached the entrance, the restaurant manager hurriedly came out to greet them, his face wearing an eager, ingratiating smile.

Shang Xu exchanged a few brief pleasantries with him before heading inside.

Cheng Feng kept his head down, following closely behind.

He didn't dare to look around, only sneaking occasional sidelong glances at the decor.

The restaurant was designed in an ancient style, with vases and porcelain pieces placed in the corners that looked like genuine, age-old antiques.

Cheng Feng thought to himself, if these were real antiques, accidentally breaking one would probably cost him everything he owned, right?

The party proceeded along the corridor to the upper floor and soon arrived outside a private room.

The restaurant manager stepped forward and knocked on the door, and someone inside called out immediately.

The one who opened the door was a young woman with delicate features, dressed in period costume. She looked like a restaurant server but addressed the manager as "Boss."

Shang Xu led the way in.

Just as Cheng Feng was about to follow, the young woman stretched out an arm to block his way:

"Sorry, bodyguards or attendants aren't permitted in the private room."

Cheng Feng flushed with embarrassment and hastily retreated a step.

He looked at the gift box in his hand, then at Shang Xu's back.

Hearing this, Shang Xu turned around and shot the young woman a cool look. "Let him in."

"Yes." The young woman immediately lowered her head and moved aside to let him pass.

The restaurant manager shot a glance at the period-costumed young woman, thinking she was clueless—didn't she see this person carrying something? She didn't even offer to help carry it inside.

The young woman, however, didn't understand the manager's silent hint and simply stood there awkwardly, watching as Cheng Feng slipped quickly inside.

As soon as he entered the private room, a light, delicate fragrance wafted over—clean and pleasant, not at all overpowering.

Cheng Feng raised his eyes to look. The private room was even more elegant than the outside, with pink gauze curtains hanging on all sides. Behind the curtains, the faint silhouette of a woman could be seen playing the pipa, the melodious music mingling with the crisp jingling of jade pendants. Several other women dressed in period costume were dancing gracefully, creating an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere.

The large dining table looked like it was made of premium wood. Cheng Feng couldn't name the type, but he could tell the grain was fine and radiated luxury.

Two men and three women were already seated at the table, all around Shang Xu's age.

The two men were dressed in particularly trendy and edgy styles. One of them not only wore earrings but also had a lip piercing, with a hint of defiance in his eyes.

In Cheng Feng's eyes, he looked exactly like a troublemaker.

The other was even more extreme, with a large tattoo covering his back and a somewhat fierce expression, making him look like a gangster.

In Cheng Feng's view, these two were good-looking but intimidating street punks.

As for the three women, each had her own charm—one was radiantly beautiful, another had a cute and delicate charm, and the third was gentle and graceful. All of them were stunningly beautiful, dressed exquisitely and appropriately, clearly coming from well-bred, distinguished families. Sitting with the two flamboyant men, they seemed somewhat out of place.

The man with the lip piercing spoke first, his tone tinged with mockery:

"Brother Xu, what's going on? It's the six of us getting together. Why did you bring a kid along? Is he your new bodyguard? Doesn't look like it. Or... is he one of your household staff? But he seems way too young, doesn't he?"

His gaze swept over Cheng Feng.

He felt puzzled.

This kid looked so young, and the clothes he was wearing probably didn't add up to more than three hundred yuan. Where did this poor kid come from?

He remembered that the Shang family treated their servants very well—they definitely wouldn't dress so shabbily. Had the Shang family started treating their staff poorly?

Had their wages been cut? Couldn't they even afford a decent set of clothes? Had the Shang family fallen? Treating a nanny like this?

Shang Xu replied, "My brother's nanny."

"Your brother's nanny? Then why is he with you? Why did you bring your brother's nanny along?" the man pressed.

Shang Xu had already taken his seat at the head of the table, casually adjusting his collar.

"When I was coming over, I ran into him. I figured carrying this stuff was a pain, so I had him come along to help."

The man with the lip piercing, Tao Yehao, hearing the slight chill in Shang Xu's tone, immediately fell silent.

Although they were friends, he didn't dare to upset him. In other words, he wouldn't dare question anything the boss said.

Cheng Feng kept his head down, keenly aware of several unabashedly curious gazes fixed on him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

He clutched the handles of the gift bag tightly, standing in place.

Without instructions from the young master, he couldn't move around freely.

At that moment, Shang Xu turned to look at him.

"Set the gift down and wait for me in the next private room."

The others were slightly surprised. Opening another private room just for a nanny to wait?

What was Shang Xu thinking? It was just a nanny—was it really necessary to have him wait in another private room? Couldn't he just stand to the side?

Cheng Feng felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He quickly nodded, gently placed the gift box on the corner of the table, and followed the server out of the room where he'd felt so tense.

The adjacent private room was empty.

Its decor was similar to the previous one, though slightly less luxurious and opulent.

The server gestured for him to sit down. Cheng Feng obediently took a seat on the chair, sitting up straight with his back rigid.

The server stood to the side, her gaze occasionally lingering on him.

Cheng Feng's nerves were on edge.

Why was she staring at him?

He didn't dare to move around, eyeing the room warily, afraid of accidentally breaking something valuable. If that happened, forget about earning money for his mother's treatment—he'd probably end up losing everything he owned.

Not that he had much in the way of family assets to lose, anyway.

After a pause, the waitress spoke up, her tone carrying a hint of apology:

"Sorry about earlier. I wasn't looking down on you. It's just that the restaurant has rules—staff really aren't allowed in the guests' private rooms. I was just following the rules."

Cheng Feng was taken aback, not expecting her to apologize to him. He quickly waved his hands and smiled:

"It's fine, it's fine. It's my position that's unusual. It's normal not to let me in."

The waitress smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, looking particularly friendly:

"By the way, which young master of the Shang family are you an attendant for? I've heard working for the Shang family is really great—not only are meals and accommodation covered, but the salary is really high too. The dormitories are said to be more comfortable than rooms in luxury hotels."

"I'm the little young master's attendant," Cheng Feng replied after a moment's silence. There was no reason not to answer this. "The benefits are indeed very good."

"Oh, so you're with the little young master," the waitress leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "I've heard the little young master, he..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Cheng Feng hurriedly interrupted her.

He instinctively glanced at the door of the private room, his voice dropping to a whisper,

"Don't talk about the young masters."

The eldest young master was right next door.

This waitress works for the restaurant. If she gossiped about the little young master, the worst she'd get is a scolding. But for him, it was different. If the eldest young master overheard, he could lose his job.

The waitress also realized that walls have ears and awkwardly smiled:

"Sorry, sorry. I have a big mouth and don't think before I speak. Good thing you reminded me. You look so familiar though... Have I seen you somewhere before?"