After Being Betrayed I Married the Glamorous CEO-Chapter 25, What is the Meaning of Zhilong Shedding His Robe?!
Chen Feng had just been chastising Shen Fanyun, telling him not to wander off and cause unnecessary trouble. The very next second, Shen Fanyun strode into the lobby as if no one else existed.
The hotel staff were, of course, perceptive. The manager who had been dealing with Chen Feng shrank back, followed Shen Fanyun’s instructions, and vanished without a trace. They wouldn’t dare be negligent.
"Mr. Shen, right this way, please." Another manager quickly took over, responsible for personally attending to Shen Fanyun for the duration of his visit, while Chen Feng and Old Master Su were completely ignored.
This... Chen Feng swallowed hard. Something is wrong. By all rights, the hotel’s senior staff should be fawning over me, the rightful young master. So why are they catering to Shen Fanyun instead?
"Mr. Shen, do you have a reservation, or should I arrange a room for you now?" the new manager inquired.
Only then did Shen Fanyun remember that Chen Feng was hosting today and had surely arranged for a private room. He turned to Chen Feng and prompted, "Which room did you book?"
Chen Feng was speechless. Should I go in now or wait for fifteen minutes? If I go in now, won’t it look like I’m riding on Shen Fanyun’s coattails?
What Chen Feng could never have anticipated was that the seemingly unremarkable Shen Fanyun also had the standing to come and go as he pleased at the Yunxiao Hotel, even commanding the staff to make a fuss over him.
Then again, another thought struck him. The guy wasn’t so ordinary after all; he was debonair and had a transcendent air about him. It was only because of their previous clash that Chen Feng had been viewing him through a prejudiced lens. Personal grievances aside, one glance was enough to tell that Shen Fanyun was far from common.
"Room 666," Chen Feng reported the number.
The new manager immediately arranged for the room to be prepared.
As Chen Feng stepped into the lobby, Old Master Su and Su Ziye followed.
At that moment, Old Master Su’s expression was a spectacle, shifting endlessly. From his first impression to their later interactions, Old Master Su had developed a strong aversion to Shen Fanyun, looking down on the man he saw as a flippant scoundrel. However... This fellow is far from as worthless as I imagined. He actually has connections with the Yunxiao Hotel? Is he a true dark horse?
"Old Master, this way, please," Chen Feng said, his enthusiasm unwavering.
Su Xiyan followed Shen Fanyun silently, while Su Ziye, beside her, shot more than one surreptitious eye-roll in Su Xiyan’s direction.
In truth, it wasn’t hard to guess why Su Ziye was displeased. This banquet had been organized by Chen Feng, who needed to shine on this occasion to further win the old master’s favor. Who could have guessed that before Chen Feng even had a chance to make his move, Shen Fanyun had stolen the entire spotlight?
"Su Xiyan, your companion here seems quite mysterious," Su Ziye said to her, her tone laced with sarcasm. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Su Xiyan’s eyebrows lifted slightly, inwardly delighted. Su Ziye, who was always looking for opportunities to compete with her, had finally been put in her place.
"Thanks for the praise," Su Xiyan replied, her words carrying a hidden meaning. "And I’ll add one more thing: when it comes to picking men, I’m clearly more reliable. At least my choice is pragmatic. Not like someone’s boyfriend, who makes extravagant boasts about how the hotel will give him face and provide the best service. Who would have thought that upon arriving, he’d leave our grandfather standing at the door? Is this his ’attentive hospitality’? Can’t he take stock of his own standing and keep his boasts realistic? If it weren’t for Fanyun, was his plan to really make Grandfather wait fifteen minutes in the cold wind?"
Su Ziye’s brows furrowed, and a nameless rage flared in her heart.
Hearing this, Chen Feng’s face burned with humiliation. He wanted to argue, but everyone had witnessed what had just happened. More words would be useless.
"Xiaofeng didn’t want it to be like this. I understand him," Old Master Su said, clearly taking his side.
Su Xiyan opened her mouth to say more but ultimately held her tongue.
After the whole ordeal, everyone finally made it into the private room.
Shen Fanyun had no interaction with Old Master Su and rarely spoke, only murmuring a few words when Su Xiyan asked him a question. He seemed to have little presence. In reality, after the scene in the lobby, all the Su family members were deeply puzzled. Someone who could make the management of the Yunxiao Hotel obey so readily could not be an ordinary person. With such a person, it was best to take time to observe and ascertain the truth of the situation rather than rashly starting a conflict. As for the grudge between Chen Feng and Shen Fanyun, since they weren’t part of the Su Family, it didn’t matter.
"Old Master, Yunxiao Hotel’s cuisine is considered first-class in Hangcheng City. Let’s really savor it today," Chen Feng said, picking up the menu and speaking enthusiastically to Old Master Su.
After all, the Yunxiao Hotel had a grand reputation in Hangcheng City. It was Old Master Su’s first visit, and the earlier unpleasantness was in the past. The current task was to soak in the hotel’s atmosphere.
"An order of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, the Peony Fish Slices, and also Zi Long Sheds His Robe..."
Chen Feng was certainly making a grand gesture, but while the names sounded impressive, the flavors—at least to Shen Fanyun’s palate—were too rich. Especially ’Zi Long Sheds His Robe’.
If Shen Fanyun remembered correctly, this was a famous southern dish made primarily from eel. After going through several steps including deboning, beheading, and skinning, the skinning process resembled an ancient general removing his robe, giving the dish its name.
"What is ’Zi Long Sheds His Robe’?" Su Xiyan asked. Like everyone else present, she was unfamiliar with it and instinctively turned to Shen Fanyun.
Shen Fanyun smiled playfully. "It’s stir-fried eel with shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots."
"Eel?" Su Xiyan was bemused for a moment. Thinking of an eel’s yellowish skin... she couldn’t help but laugh, admitting the name was quite vivid.
Chen Feng had ordered a series of dishes, none of which interested Shen Fanyun. After a few seconds of hesitation, he snapped his fingers and summoned the manager. "Bring me the internal menu."
"Certainly," the manager nodded and left.
Upon hearing the words "internal menu," everyone, especially Chen Feng, looked up and stared at Shen Fanyun in disbelief. Su Xiyan was equally astonished.
*Yunxiao Hotel has an internal menu? One that isn’t offered to regular guests? In other words, only the true elite, the super-VIPs, get to see it? More importantly, plenty of celebrities have eaten here... but no one has ever mentioned an internal menu, have they?*
"Mr. Shen, we only have four of our specialty dishes left today," the manager explained with utmost respect, handing Shen Fanyun a menu with a golden cover. "The weather has been too cold recently, affecting timely air transport. To avoid any issues, many dishes have been taken off the menu."
Shen Fanyun rubbed his nose. "Which four?"
"The finest abalone, premium North Sea caviar, and shark fin from the arctic regions. All were air-freighted from around the world within the last half hour."
Everyone was speechless.
Chen Feng was dumbfounded.
Holy shit, air-freighted from around the world just half an hour ago... Are these astronomically priced dishes? Suddenly, Chen Feng felt like a complete country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
