Chapter Thirty-Seven: I Want to Sue Him

Unfortunately, it was too late. As for the promise he had made, Qiu Dayuan had no intention of going back on his word. Besides, he wasn’t a stingy person—otherwise, he wouldn’t have so readily agreed to the condition of one free meal a week in the first place. He wasn’t lacking that small sum of money; he was just a little annoyed at having misjudged someone.

“How about this, let’s say I owe you a favor, my young friend. What do you think?”

If Luo Chen hadn’t spoken up in the end, Qiu Dayuan would have truly lost face discussing this in front of the concerned parties, and if it ended up affecting the reputation of Zhonghua Pavilion, that would be hard to remedy. Since the other party had helped him, Qiu Dayuan knew he should offer something in return. Placing his business card on the table and making a promise, Qiu Dayuan then turned his attention to Luo Tianyi.

He was genuinely fond of both “The Millennium Recipe Ode” and its author, Luo Tianyi. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen this piece as Zhonghua Pavilion’s theme music.

“Tianyi, are you enjoying the food?” Qiu Dayuan asked with a smile, watching the delighted Luo Tianyi eat. He had always wished for such a beautiful and adorable granddaughter, but had never had the chance.

“Yes… If I could try a few more dishes, that would be even better.” Luo Tianyi looked at the nearly empty plates before her, thinking there were still plenty of dishes at Zhonghua Pavilion she hadn’t tasted.

Qiu Dayuan’s face darkened slightly; he must have been momentarily out of his mind to wish for such a granddaughter. With that thought, he cast a sympathetic glance at Luo Chen. Raising a little sister like this couldn’t be easy.

Luo Chen could only smile helplessly—it truly wasn’t easy. If it weren’t for Yanhe, they’d probably have gone bankrupt by now.

But, as her brother, how could he just stand by and do nothing? Luo Chen actually felt grateful to Master Qiu; at least, his plan to fill his sister’s stomach was now one-seventh complete.

A free meal once a week—if she spent the whole day eating in one sitting, wouldn’t that give Luo Chen at least one day’s peace of mind?

Fortunately, Qiu Dayuan had no idea what scheming thoughts the young man across from him was entertaining, or else he’d probably have thrown the siblings out together. Qiu Dayuan’s heart already ached with every table they occupied, let alone if they ate an entire day’s worth.

After chatting with Luo Chen for a while, Qiu Dayuan turned and left. As the master of Zhonghua Pavilion, he naturally had many affairs to attend to.

Once Qiu Dayuan had walked away, Luo Chen picked up the business card from the table. Even if the other couldn’t offer much help, at the very least, it might be good for a meal or two.

“So, Luo Chen, I’m pretty amazing, aren’t I?” Luo Tianyi said with a light laugh, putting down her bowl and chopsticks as she cocked her head to look at him.

“Yes… you really are.” Luo Chen glanced at the leftovers in front of him. He hadn’t even had a chance to take a bite before it was all gone, and he wondered how Luo Tianyi’s petite frame could hold so much food.

With a sigh, Luo Chen shamelessly asked the waiter to bring another round. After all, it was a free feast—there was no reason not to eat.

……

Qingshui City, television station.

Professor Yuan Ning stood anxiously backstage. Everything hinged on this moment; if he could turn public opinion in his favor, he might escape the pariah status he now endured. If not, utter ruin awaited him.

Yuan Ning had considered leveraging his connections to get some inside information, but his network simply didn’t extend here.

What should he do? What could he do?

When the staff finally signaled it was time, Yuan Ning forced down his nerves and strode out quickly.

“Good evening, viewers! Welcome to ‘The Truth.’ As you all know, not long ago…

For this, we have invited Professor Yuan Ning, one of those involved. We believe the truth will finally be revealed!”

After the customary opening, Yuan Ning stepped into the spotlight, waved to the audience, and sat down across from the host.

“Good evening, Professor Yuan Ning. According to insiders, the recent furor over the ‘Declaration of War’ incident was sparked because someone disapproved of your actions. Is that correct?” Host Sun Bo wasted no time, starting with a sharp question.

Nonsense!

Hearing this, Yuan Ning nearly swore aloud. Had the host been bribed? What happened to impartiality and fairness?

But this was a misunderstanding on Yuan Ning’s part. The production team had intended to invite both sides for a face-to-face confrontation but had been unable to find any contact information for the other party. Despite having over a million fans, there wasn’t any way to reach them. The fan groups came up empty, the Xingchen platform refused to share information, and there wasn’t even a microblog account to be found. In the end, the team had no choice but to give up on that idea.

Since only Yuan Ning was present, the host naturally leaned toward the side of the “Monster King.” Otherwise, the show would become a platform for Yuan Ning alone. Without sharp questions, who would watch? For the sake of ratings, Sun Bo had to play both roles.

“No, that’s not it. As I said on microblog, this whole affair is just a devious attempt by a certain unscrupulous person to climb to fame over a celebrity’s shoulders,” Yuan Ning replied, suppressing his anger.

“But according to our research, Professor Yuan, you weren’t a celebrity before all this, were you?”

“But the Monster King wasn’t either!”

“Some say that this entire farce was a collaboration between you and the Monster King to boost your popularity. Is that true, Professor Yuan?”

“Do you think that’s possible?” Yuan Ning nearly fainted with rage. His reputation was already in tatters; people on the street looked at him as if he were scum. Would he really do this to himself?

“Ahem… Next question.” Sun Bo himself found it unlikely and quickly moved on.

After the initial barrage of sharp questions, Sun Bo shifted to trivial topics, dragging things out until time was almost up. Then he hurriedly asked the final question.

“There’s a price list circulating online, said to be set by you: eight hundred for passing a course, two thousand for a scholarship, thirty thousand for a diploma, with other services depending on the situation. Is this true?”

“That’s slander! It’s a lie fabricated by that black-hearted person!” Yuan Ning finally saw through it—everyone was out to get him, all for the sake of ratings.

“Evidence! Where’s your evidence? If there’s no proof, this is slander! It’s defamation!” Yuan Ning stood up and roared at the camera.

“I’ll sue! I’ll take him to court for ruining my reputation!”

Thanks to reader Moonless Sky for the 600 Qidian coins, and to reader Big Eater Yuyuko for the 200 Qidian coins—much appreciated!