Chapter 24

After the deal was settled, Zhu Jianhua suggested they all go for lunch to celebrate the smooth cooperation.

Su Jing, Zhu Jianhua, Liu Yin, and Shen Jiayao walked out of the hall and were immediately surrounded by some spectators from the pet show and a few media representatives, all asking Su Jing about the tabby cat. Some people still wanted to buy it, but Su Jing dismissed them with the statement, "Xiao Li has already been entrusted to Perfect Pet Paradise."

The only thing that puzzled Su Jing was that Zhao Jun, like a stubborn plaster, followed them. He even volunteered to choose a Western restaurant. Out of respect for Shen Jiayao, Su Jing and Zhu Jianhua did not object and agreed, thinking it didn't matter where they ate.

They hadn't walked far from the pet park when a car suddenly stopped in front of them. A man and a woman got out, and the delicate girl, upon seeing Su Jing, heaved a huge sigh of relief and complained, "Su Jing, I finally found you. Why do you keep hanging up on me?"

"Uh, what do you want?" Su Jing was taken aback. The delicate girl in front of him was Lin Cai'er, one of the apprentices of the food critic Zhou Xian. Su Jing was puzzled; they visited Zhenhong Seafood Restaurant every few days, insisting that he cook for them. Now, even when he was out for fun, they still tracked him down. Was there no peace for him?

"It's this Mr. Wang who wants to see you." Lin Cai'er pointed to the middle-aged man in a suit standing beside her, slightly overweight.

"Mr. Su, hello." Mr. Wang extended his hand politely.

"Mr. Wang, hello." Su Jing shook his hand out of politeness.

"Mr. Su, could we find a place to talk?" Mr. Wang asked.

"Um... I'm about to have lunch with my friends. If it's not urgent, we can talk later." Su Jing was curious about the relationship between Lin Cai'er and Mr. Wang and couldn't figure out Mr. Wang's intentions.

"Well..." Mr. Wang clearly didn't want to delay, but he glanced at Zhu Jianhua and Liu Yin, not wanting to ruin their gathering.

"Let's do this: we'll all have lunch together, and then we can talk." Zhu Jianhua suggested.

"If you don't mind, I'd be happy to." Mr. Wang nodded, and Su Jing, Liu Yin, and Shen Jiayao all indicated they had no objections. Thus, everyone went to the Western restaurant Zhao Jun had recommended, which was only a kilometer or two from Perfect Pet Paradise.

The restaurant had a high-class ambiance, luxurious decor, and was clean and hygienic. The service was polite and courteous, making the overall experience very pleasant.

After everyone sat down and ordered a couple of dishes, they began to eat. Mr. Wang's presence inevitably made the atmosphere a bit awkward, as Shen Jiayao had no connection with him, and neither side made an effort to strike up a conversation.

"Mr. Su." At that moment, a male waiter approached Su Jing.

"Is there something wrong?" Su Jing asked, puzzled.

"I'm sorry, but to dine at this restaurant, you must be properly dressed." The waiter said.

"Are you saying I'm not properly dressed?" Su Jing frowned.

"Yes, so please leave." The waiter continued, using the word "please," but his tone was not very friendly. This caused many well-dressed people around them to turn and look, pointing and sneering at Su Jing, who was wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

"How am I not properly dressed? Don't lie to me." Zhu Jianhua, with his short temper, became angry.

"Stay calm, don't be so impulsive." Su Jing spoke calmly, pressing Zhu Jianhua's shoulder to keep him seated. He glanced at the waiter and Zhao Jun, who was looking down, and understood the situation. While it was understandable for the restaurant to require formal attire, it was strange that the waiter didn't stop them at the door but waited until they were seated and had ordered before asking them to leave.

It seemed the restaurant was deliberately trying to embarrass him. He had no prior connection with the restaurant, so there was no reason for them to deliberately make things difficult for him. The only possibility was that Zhao Jun, who had recommended the restaurant, had played some dirty trick.

"Since they won't let us stay, let's go." Su Jing gently closed the pepper shaker, placed it on the table, and stood up.

"Let's go then." Mr. Wang put down his fork, untouched steak in front of him, and stood up as well.

"This is outrageous." Zhu Jianhua tried to suppress his anger.

"Ha, some people can't even dress themselves properly and come out to make a fool of themselves, making us all look bad." Zhao Jun, who had been silent, suddenly sneered coldly.

"Some people dress up like humans but are just rats in disguise." Su Jing replied coolly, and with a light flick of his finger under the table, a small object landed precisely in Zhao Jun's pocket.

"Hmph, a dog's mouth can't produce ivory." Zhao Jun snorted.

"Let's go, Zhao Jun, don't follow us." Shen Jiayao, who was very perceptive, had already guessed that Zhao Jun was behind this. She stood up with a dark face and left with Su Jing, Zhu Jianhua, Liu Yin, Mr. Wang, and Lin Cai'er. Zhao Jun remained seated, watching Su Jing leave with a smile.

"Give this business card to your boss." As he passed the waiter, Mr. Wang handed him a card. The waiter was taken aback, watching as Mr. Wang and the others left. After a moment of hesitation, he finally took the card to the boss.

In an office, a man in his forties, Mr. Li, was sitting in his chair, making a female secretary giggle.

"Boss." The waiter said respectfully.

"Did you get rid of that guy?" Mr. Li asked.

"Yes, I did." The waiter nodded.

"Go invite Young Master Zhao in and serve him food and drinks." Mr. Li waved his hand.

"Yes, sir." The waiter nodded and then handed Mr. Li the business card. "Boss, one of the men with that guy gave me this card and said to give it to you."

"Don't bring me every business card you get." Mr. Li scolded, but he still glanced at the card out of habit. He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up, eyes wide with panic. "Where is that gentleman? Is he still outside?"

"He's already gone." The waiter was puzzled by the boss's reaction.

"Gone... gone? You... you said he was with that guy, so you chased him away too?" Mr. Li's face broke out in a cold sweat, and he paced back and forth, his expression filled with fear.

"He left with that guy." The waiter realized something was wrong and spoke in a softer voice.

"Slap!" Mr. Li slapped the waiter across the face and shouted, "Are you an idiot? Are you blind? Can you just chase anyone away? Do you want to kill me?"

The waiter's face turned red and pale, almost shouting back that it was the boss who told him to do it, but he swallowed his words.

Mr. Li rushed out, hoping to catch up with Mr. Wang and the others, but they had already left in a car.

"Mr. Li, what's the matter?" Zhao Jun asked, puzzled.

"Master Zhao, you've ruined me this time." Mr. Li cried. He had never been able to invite such a big shot to his restaurant, and now he had chased him away. The fact that the man had left without settling the score and only left a business card meant he had taken note of the incident, which meant Mr. Li was in big trouble.

"How did I ruin you?" Zhao Jun was confused.

"Ah!" At that moment, a high-pitched scream came from a table by the window. More screams followed, and Zhao Jun and Mr. Li turned to look.

They saw a large group of rats rushing into the restaurant. Some quickly climbed onto the table where Su Jing had been sitting, while others swarmed toward Zhao Jun.

Seeing this bizarre and disgusting scene, Zhao Jun and Mr. Li were stunned for a second.