Before Zhang Zhidong could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp nudge on his elbow.

The piece of pork belly he had just stuffed into his mouth nearly got lodged in his throat.

He turned, about to ask Liu Lingxing just what he meant by that, but as he looked up, it belatedly dawned on him that he had misspoken.

Zhang Zhidong: "..."

Well, this was a bit awkward.

But this was where his thick skin came in handy.

"Wangxian Building was so lively! I just love a good crowd, so I went to check out the excitement. Heh heh, but don’t you worry, Boss Ming, I definitely didn’t eat there! In my heart, Ming’s Restaurant is the best restaurant in all of Shangjing City!" Zhang Zhidong declared with an air of mock righteousness.

Ming Lingyi never thought there was anything wrong with her customers eating at Wangxian Building. She wasn’t so overbearing as to think everyone should only eat at her restaurant.

Hearing Zhang Zhidong’s words, Ming Lingyi smiled. "Well, thank you for that." She hadn’t expected such high praise.

"You just went to Wangxian Building to see what was going on? You came back awfully quick, didn’t you?" Xiao Chun said. To be honest, she was a little curious too, but Wangxian Building was their rival. No matter how curious she was, she would never go there to join the fun.

"Don’t even mention it. The ’excitement’ wasn’t worth seeing," Zhang Zhidong said, stuffing another bite of grilled lamb into his mouth. As the flavor of the spices exploded on his tongue, he was momentarily distracted. ’I should probably offer a little extra silver later,’ he thought. ’After all, the spices for tonight’s grilled meat couldn’t have been cheap.’

"When we got there, that Xu Qian was there too. Oh, you might not remember who that is—the foppish-looking guy who’s always followed by a gaggle of servants whenever he goes out, reeking so strongly of perfume it could make you faint." Zhang Zhidong’s description was exaggerated, and he even pinched his nose as he spoke, as if he couldn’t stand the mere mention of the man.

His dramatic display made everyone at Ming’s Restaurant chuckle.

As for Liu Lingxing beside him, he had completely given up on trying to salvage his friend’s reputation.

’I probably can’t salvage it as fast as Zhang Zhidong can ruin it,’ he thought.

’Better to just give up.’

Ming Lingyi actually had some recollection of this Xu Qian that Zhang Zhidong was talking about. In fact, everyone at Ming’s Restaurant did.

A young master who liked to wear makeup and powder was quite conspicuous among the students of the Imperial College.

And the large retinue of servants constantly following him around made him even more eye-catching.

"I know him!" Xiao Chun piped up. "He’s that young master who comes to our restaurant all the time but doesn’t like to sit down and eat inside!"

She remembered him clearly. The young master came to their restaurant quite frequently, but he didn’t seem very easy to get along with.

Every time he came to their shop, he would stay in his carriage and send his men in to buy food. Still, Xiao Chun was quite fond of the makeup-wearing young master. After all, he was incredibly generous, always giving her a handsome tip in loose silver.

He was the king of all patrons.

The young master probably looked down on their restaurant’s atmosphere, which was why he rarely came inside to sit.

But that was fine, as long as he was spending silver!

"Yep, that’s him," Zhang Zhidong nodded.

"What about him?" Xiao Chun asked.

Zhang Zhidong: "He went to Wangxian Building today, too. We’re both students in Class A. As for his poetry skills... well, they’re about the same as mine!"

He knew his own level very well—rock bottom.

So, Xu Qian was about the same.

But Zhang Zhidong felt the biggest difference between him and Xu Qian was that he, at least, was self-aware.

He was a slacker who didn’t like to study and got poor grades, whereas Xu Qian thought he was a heaven-sent genius, and that the teachers at the Imperial College had simply failed to recognize his talent.

"The moment he showed up at Wangxian Building, I lost interest. You probably don’t know this, but there’s a poetry society in Shangjing City called the Xianyun Liushui Pavilion, and they’ve barred Xu Qian from entry," Zhang Zhidong said.

When Ming Lingyi heard the name "Xianyun Liushui Pavilion," her expression grew distant for a moment.

Of course, she knew what the Xianyun Liushui Pavilion was. Originally, it was just a group of talented scholars in Shangjing City who spontaneously formed a poetry society, which they named Xianyun Liushui.

On regular days, the scholars would gather and organize activities favored by literary men, dabbling in poetry, lyrics, and songs.

And back then, the founder of this Xianyun Liushui Pavilion was her own brother.

The other two founders were now influential figures in the imperial court.

The Xianyun Liushui Pavilion rarely rejected anyone, unless they had committed a major offense, like plagiarizing another’s poetry or hiring a ghostwriter.

"But Xu Qian was barred because he’s got a problem up here." Zhang Zhidong pointed to his own head. "He thinks his poetry is incredible, but in my opinion, it’s utter nonsense. As a result, every time there was a gathering at the Xianyun Liushui Pavilion, he was never satisfied with anyone’s critique and would insist on causing a huge ruckus. Eventually, the people at the Pavilion got so sick of him that they barred him from entry. Now, they just walk the other way whenever they see him."

"Haha, so he’s just forcing himself into a group that doesn’t want him, isn’t he?" Xiao Chun laughed out loud.

’To be able to drive an entire poetry society to its breaking point, this Young Master Xu must be something else,’ she thought.

An ordinary person wouldn’t have that kind of talent.

"So you can imagine, if he went to Wangxian Building today, there’s no telling what kind of trouble he’d stir up. I couldn’t be bothered to watch that! He’d just ruin a perfectly good spectacle!" Zhang Zhidong sounded frustrated as he spoke of it.

The moment he saw Xu Qian appear at Wangxian Building, he dragged Liu Lingxing away.

You didn’t have to be a genius to know what a huge scene that guy would make during the later poetry selection if his name wasn’t on the list.

To make matters worse, his father is the Chief Secretary. Ordinary people don’t want to offend him, but those with a bit of backbone are unwilling to curry favor.

In fact, dealing with Xu Qian was even harder than just sucking up.

Xu Qian genuinely believed his poems were one in a million and was unshakeably convinced of his own literary brilliance. Not only did he demand recognition, but he also expected others to provide a detailed, numbered critique of his "masterpieces." It was enough to make you tear your hair out.

Ming Lingyi only knew that Young Master Xu liked to wear makeup; she had no idea he possessed this kind of "talent." After hearing Zhang Zhidong’s story, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

’Looks like Wangxian Building is in for some excitement, and I haven’t even had to do a thing,’ she thought.

"Oh, right, Boss Ming, didn’t you have a poetry event before, too? Did that guy Xu Qian participate? You’d better watch out for him. The man has absolutely no self-awareness," Zhang Zhidong added, not forgetting to give Ming Lingyi a warning.

Ming Lingyi: "..."

’So, this Young Master Xu truly doesn’t miss a single poetry event,’ she mused.

Her restaurant, of course, had also received a submission from him.