ion, constantly pestering her for money and threatening to marry her.From the greedy look in Zhang Dazhu's eyes every time he saw her, Sun Xinxin clearly felt his desires. Of course, she wouldn't let...Chapter 1260: Why Put Up This Useless Front

"Then, how can one become a platinum member of your restaurant" Shu Jing frowned slightly. She was actually visiting this restaurant for the first time as well. It had only been open for a short while, and she had merely heard that it was different from other places with high standards. Tonight was very special to her, originally planning to go to the Emperor Grand Hotel, but now unable to do so, she wanted to choose an upscale restaurant, which is why she came here.

"Miss Shu, you would need to dine at our establishment ten times at least before there's a possibility of becoming a platinum member," the middle-aged man replied.

Dine ten times

Shu Jing muttered to herself. This was no ordinary restaurant; each visit here must cost an astronomical amount. To make ten visits here probably wouldn't be possible within just a few years, yet this restaurant seems to have only been open for less than a month.

"Then is there any other way to become a platinum member" Shu Jing thought for a moment and asked again.

"It's not entirely impossible. If the guest holds a particularly esteemed status, we would also take that into consideration," the middle-aged man answered.

"What does it mean to have a particularly prestigious status Is it about money or power" Shu Jing asked straightforwardly, for in the end, there wasn't any fundamental difference between this restaurant and others. Guests of different statuses would still receive varying treatments.

The middle-aged man smiled slightly: "Miss Shu, to us, having a prestigious status isn't just about money or power. As for the specific criteria, I'm afraid I can't disclose them."

"Jingjing, stop wasting time with this guy," Xia Tian became impatient while overhearing their conversation. He looked at that middle-aged man and said, "Hey, tell those surnamed Luo and Ma fellows to come over and cook dinner for my wife right now if they know what's good for them! Otherwise, I'll tear your restaurant apart!"

"Sir, please don't get upset. This is our restaurant’s rule. When you dine at our place, you should follow our rules. If you’re not willing to comply with it, we won’t force you to eat here." The middle-aged man responded calmly without getting angry.

"What I say goes as the rule, and I never follow others' rules," Xia Tian glared angrily at the middle-aged man. "I’m giving you a final warning: get those two cooks over here immediately! Or if they don’t cook for my wife tonight, then they won't be cooking for anyone in their entire lives!"

"Forget it, stop causing trouble. We’re just here to have a meal," Shu Jing pulled Xia Tian and whispered persuasively, "All I want is to have a pleasant evening without any unpleasantness."

"Jingjing, this lousy restaurant has already ruined our mood," Xia Tian said discontentedly. "So what if it’s just two chefs They shouldn’t put on such airs in front of me! Tonight, they must cook for us!"

"Sir, it seems that you will have to be disappointed tonight. In fact, Mr. Luo has already been invited by Governor Song to cook for one of his guests this evening. So even if you are a platinum member, Mr. Luo won't be able to spare the time to entertain you," the middle-aged man said without getting angry, but his words clearly meant to tell Xia Tian: Don’t act so high and mighty; we know people in high places!

"Governor Song Song Jinping" Xia Tian snorted. "Do you think pulling out a governor will scare me off Never mind, Jing, let's not eat here. I'm going to tear this place down!"

Xia Tian pulled Shu Jing and started to get up, as if he were about to demolish the restaurant.

"Forget it, it's just a dinner," Shu Jing held Xia Tian back; she truly didn't want any trouble. Just like what she had said earlier, she hoped this evening would be happy, that she would remember only good things from tonight and not some unhappy moments when she thought of the night in the future.

After a pause, Shu Jing softly told Xia Tian, "Don't say anything; let me talk to him."

She didn’t give Xia Tian an opportunity to speak. Instead, she turned and looked at the middle-aged man: “I don’t want to cause trouble for you either, but my husband’s temper isn’t very good. You said that Mr. Luo was hosting guests in Governor Song's home; according to your standards, a governor is considered a distinguished guest, right I believe although my husband may not be an official of high rank, his status isn’t lower than theirs. Perhaps you don’t know who my husband is yet, but I believe you must have heard his name: he’s called Xia Tian, the 'Xia' in Spring and Autumn, and the ‘Tian’ in the number one under heaven…"

Before Shu Jing finished her sentence, the middle-aged man's expression had already changed dramatically. He looked at Xia Tian with sudden panic: "Y-You’re Mr. Xia, Xia Tian"

"Of course I'm the Summer, who else would dare to impersonate me" Summer said irritably.

The middle-aged man hurriedly apologized: "Sorry, really sorry! I didn't know it was you two!"

"That's more like it." Summer finally felt a bit better and sat down with Shu Jing again.

The middle-aged man left in a hurry. Less than a minute later, a handsome man in his thirties appeared in the private room, followed by that same middle-aged man.

"Mr. Summer, Miss Shu, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting; my name is Ma Qifu. Chef Luo is on his way back right now. Would it be alright if I prepare the Western cuisine for you two" The handsome man said with a respectful expression.

"Alright then, let's do that. You guys go ahead and get ready." Shu Jing quickly agreed; she thought this outcome was already quite good.

Summer didn't say anything more either. After all, for him, the most important thing tonight wasn't the meal itself but what happened after dinner.

Meanwhile, in the compound of the provincial committee officials, Song Jinping had a rather helpless expression on his face.

Song Jinping was currently sitting at the dining table. Besides his wife, there was also a woman dressed in ancient-style clothing who looked like a fairy. This woman was his niece, Song Yumei.

Although Song Yumei was Song Jinping's niece, Song Jinping was very clear that when it came to status and standing within the Song family, she far surpassed him. After all, Song Yumei was now the person in charge of the entire Song family, and one could say without exaggeration that she held the power of life and death over everyone in the family.

Because of this, since Song Yumei arrived in Jianghai, Song Jinping had been treating her with great care. Tonight, he even invited Chef Mr. Luo from Roma Restaurant to specially prepare dishes for Song Yumei.

The first half of the dinner went rather well; Song Jinping was quite satisfied because he could see that Song Yumei was very pleased with the dishes made by Mr. Luo. However, halfway through the meal, something happened which left him speechless: Mr. Luo received a phone call and then rushed off without even offering an explanation.

"Yumei, I'm really sorry. Chef Mr. Luo must have suddenly faced some urgent matter; he just ran away without saying anything. Should we go out to eat somewhere else now Or should your auntie cook for you and make a couple of dishes" Song Jinping looked apologetic and was too concerned about soothing Song Yumei to worry about finding out the reason.

"Uncle, it's okay. Actually, I'm already full. I just kept eating because Mr. Luo’s dishes were really delicious, but it doesn't matter that he left. This isn’t your fault; don't be troubled by it," Song Yumei smiled gently. "There are still some dishes on the table. You and auntie haven't eaten much yet, so why don't you eat now Mr. Luo is truly a very good chef."

Song Jinping heaved a slight sigh of relief, as it was obvious that Song Yumei wasn't angry. This somewhat comforted him; after all, his niece was easier to deal with compared to the previous incarnation of Song Yumei.

Suddenly, Song Jinping's phone rang. He hurriedly picked up and then erupted in anger: "What are you pulling off… What"

After a moment, Song Jinping hung up the call and looked at Song Yumei with a peculiar expression. "Yumei, Mr. Luo called to say that Xia Tian is currently dining at his restaurant and specifically requested him to cook for them. That's why he rushed back."

"Uncle, I also heard." A rather gentle smile appeared on the corner of Song Yumei's mouth, though Song Jinping knew very well that this gentleness was not directed toward him but towards Xia Tian. It was now clear to everyone in the Song family that Song Yumei truly liked Xia Tian, which left many people feeling conflicted as they couldn't accept this fact.

Song Jinping let out a soft sigh: "With Yuan Langguang fallen and me being both the provincial governor and acting secretary, nominally, I am the number one person in Pinghai Province. However, at least within Jianghai City, my words carry far less weight than Xia Tian's. When I speak, many people would merely pretend to comply while secretly rebelling against me, but when Xia Tian speaks, no one dares not to follow his instructions. His influence over Jianghai City is much greater than in Beijing!"

"Even now that he’s back in Beijing, few dare disobey what he says." Song Yumei smiled slightly. "But don't worry about this, Uncle. He wouldn’t come after your power. Besides, we're family; if he does something to cause you trouble, just let me know and I'll talk it over with him."

Song Jinping nodded slightly: "I understand that. Actually, Xia Tian is fine in other aspects… It's just, ah, he isn't very devoted to you…report the incident to the police, and I just asked other people in the building who also said they hadn’t reported it. Yet, the police received news of this so quickly—this is somewhat unusual," Qiao...