Chapter 24: Not Even a Dog Would Eat It

Xiao Nan had just stepped into the private room at Feiyun Pavilion that Lin Ziqing had told him about when he felt several gazes land on him simultaneously.

"Pfft!"

After sizing Xiao Nan up, Yang Yuxian could not help but laugh. "Ziqing, this fiancé of yours is really... really quite unique!"

"Oh my god."

Lin Ziqing looked at Xiao Nan's attire, her delicate brows knitting tightly together. "Didn't I tell you my friends would be here? How could you come dressed like this?"

Xiao Nan was currently wearing the exact same outfit he had on when he first descended from the mountain: a white tank top paired with gray shorts. He had always been casual about his clothing, and since he had been in the middle of his cultivation practice when Lin Ziqing called, he hadn't bothered to change before hailing a taxi and heading over.

"Sorry," Xiao Nan said, looking at Lin Ziqing with a hint of apology. "I forgot to change."

Tang Zhanhao looked at Xiao Nan, his eyes filled with contempt. Having long considered Lin Ziqing his own prize, he had no intention of giving up on her just because she was engaged. When he first heard that her fiancé was a highly skilled and young miracle doctor, he had felt a flicker of insecurity. But now, seeing Xiao Nan in the flesh, that sense of crisis vanished instantly. What could a bumpkin like this possibly have to offer a woman like Lin Ziqing, the daughter of the wealthiest man in Luocheng? It seemed Lin Guodong must have been so gravely ill that it had muddled his brain.

"This is my best friend, Wu Qianru. Her family is in the catering business; they operate a major brand with over a hundred chain restaurants across the country," Lin Ziqing explained. "And this is my other best friend, Yang Yuxian. She is a very professional lawyer who runs her own firm, which ranks in the top three in Luocheng."

"Oh, and I have another close friend who is a genius in Western medicine. She has already achieved significant success in her field despite her young age, but she is currently abroad, so she couldn't make it today."

"This is my high school classmate, Tang Zhanhao. The Tang family is a top-tier family in Luocheng, second only to our Lin family and the Xie family. He is also a brilliant graduate of Kyoto University and was the top scorer in his year’s college entrance examination."

"And this is also my high school classmate, Wang Zhennan, he is..."

Lin Ziqing strictly followed the plan her best friend had devised for her, introducing everyone in the room to Xiao Nan in one go, while taking care to highlight their prestigious family backgrounds and statuses. Her goal was simple: to make Xiao Nan see the kind of people she usually associated with, to realize the gap between them, and to make him feel inferior.

Xiao Nan, however, remained oblivious to Lin Ziqing’s subtle schemes. He kept a smile on his face, greeting each person in the room as Lin Ziqing introduced them.

"His skin is really thicker than average." Seeing that Xiao Nan lacked the sense of inferiority or self-consciousness she had expected, Lin Ziqing couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"Mr. Xiao, may I ask where you are currently employed?" Tang Zhanhao asked, looking at Xiao Nan with a beaming smile. Lin Ziqing had already mentioned that this guy was an unemployed drifter who stayed home all day. Having realized the purpose of Lin Ziqing bringing Xiao Nan here, Tang took the opportunity to ask the question—it would not only make this guy feel small and out of place but also help him curry favor with Lin Ziqing. It was a move that killed two birds with one stone.

"I don't currently have a job," Xiao Nan replied, his expression perfectly natural. "In a little while, I assume Uncle Lin will arrange something for me."

"Uh..." As Lin Ziqing’s close friend, Yang Yuxian could no longer hold back. "Are you serious? It’s one thing that you’re living in Ziqing’s house, but you even expect her father to arrange your job?"

Wu Qianru also glared at him with disdain. "Do you know what this kind of behavior is called? I'll tell you: it's called being a 'kept man.' Even if you cured Ziqing’s father, that doesn't give you the right to act like this."

"Mr. Xiao, I don't mean to be rude, but as a man, it is better to have your own career. Especially for a girl like Ziqing, she needs a man who can provide support in her professional life," Tang Zhanhao suggested earnestly, maintaining a gentlemanly smile.

"Tang, watch how you address her," Xiao Nan said, looking directly at Tang Zhanhao. "I don't care if you were classmates or whatever in the past, she is my fiancée now. Only I am allowed to call her 'Ziqing.' If I hear you call her that again, don't blame me for being impolite."

Xiao Nan hadn't wanted to argue with Lin Ziqing’s friends, but this guy, Tang Zhanhao, not only took the chance to belittle him but was clearly harborings ulterior motives toward Lin Ziqing. There was no way Xiao Nan was going to give him any face.

"It's just a name, isn't it?" A flash of malice crossed Tang Zhanhao's eyes. What Xiao Nan had just said to him was exactly what he had wanted to say to Xiao Nan—he could call her that, but Xiao Nan couldn't. However, in order to maintain the gentlemanly persona he had carefully cultivated in front of Lin Ziqing for years, he only muttered under his breath and did not explode on the spot. Internally, however, he had already decided that he would not let this bumpkin off easily.

"Xiao Nan, don't go too far! I brought you here to eat, not to argue with my friends," Lin Ziqing scolded him directly. *No ambition, yet such a temper. You think just because others can't use my nickname, you can? Do you really think you're my fiancé? If it weren't for my father, do you think I would tolerate you calling me that?*

Lin Ziqing grabbed the menu and ordered caviar, foie gras, Beef Wellington, black truffles, and pan-fried abalone. These were the specialties of Feiyun Pavilion, and their prices were just as distinct—none of the items she ordered cost less than ten thousand. Finally, she ordered two bottles of Bordeaux red wine, priced at eighty-eight thousand each.

After ordering, she intentionally or unintentionally slid the menu in front of Xiao Nan. *Take a look at how the upper class of society spends their money. A single dish here is probably enough to feed you for a year back in those mountains, right?*