Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Who Is This Exalted Figure?

But Qin Tuo offered some words of comfort.

"Mom, Dad, let’s go back first. Since they said they’d come pay the bill, what’s there to worry about?"

Luo Xianglan shot Qin Tuo an irritated glare.

"Son, if we really let them pay, what would that make us? We were the ones who invited them to dinner. People will look down on us again!"

Qin Hongguo thought for a moment before adding,

"Son, you stay here and keep an eye on things. Get the food packed up. Your mother and I will go back and scrape some money together."

Hearing this, Qin Tuo felt a bit helpless but could only nod in agreement.

At that moment, his thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to his own origins.

’Am I really not part of the Qin Family? But why was I abandoned?’

A sharp pain throbbed in Qin Tuo’s mind.

Ever since this question had surfaced, it had been swirling relentlessly in his head.

He felt that if he didn’t get to the bottom of it, he wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep in peace.

Meanwhile, in the Emperor’s Hall.

Xu Zhigang and several of his colleagues were eating, drinking, and chatting, their conversation filled with laughter.

Sitting in a lower-ranking seat was a man in his late forties or early fifties with a fawning smile plastered across his face. It was Fang Zhengliang, the director of the Food Bureau.

The figures present were all incredibly prominent; a mere bureau director like him could only occupy an obscure corner seat, remaining inconspicuous.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Long Wu walked straight in, holding a bottle of fine wine.

Everyone’s minds immediately started racing, as nearly all of them knew what Long Wu did for a living.

They couldn’t help but speculate silently. Xu Zhigang was known for being an honest and incorruptible official. What was going on that he would invite a figure like Long Wu to this banquet?

After Long Wu sat down beside them, he said generously,

"Prefect Xu, your presence at Hong Lou is our honor. This meal is on me!"

However, Xu Zhigang slowly shook his head and smiled.

"You’re mistaken. I didn’t invite you here to treat me. I invited you because I want to personally thank Mr. Qin, and I was hoping you could help me arrange a meeting."

Everyone was stunned, secretly wondering who this venerable Mr. Qin could possibly be.

But Long Wu just chuckled.

"Prefect Xu, what a coincidence! Mr. Qin happens to be at Hong Lou right now. I’ll have someone invite him up!"

Xu Zhigang was startled at first, then quickly waved his hands.

"No, we can’t have Mr. Qin come up here. I must be the one to go and propose a toast to him!"

This single sentence left everyone present deep in thought, their minds racing with speculation.

Just what kind of person was this Mr. Qin, who even the Lord Prefect spoke of with such regard?

One of the influential figures at the table couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked tentatively,

"Prefect Xu, might I ask who this Mr. Qin is? We would also love to get to know him and make his acquaintance!"

However, Xu Zhigang just waved his hand casually and smiled.

"You may not know Mr. Qin, but his abilities are unlike any I have ever seen. And, given his personality, I don’t think he’s the type to casually befriend just anyone."

Hearing this, everyone grew even more intrigued, their curiosity about this mysterious Mr. Qin now piqued to the extreme.

With that, Xu Zhigang stood up directly, and the entire group hurriedly followed suit, ready to leave.

As they reached the door, however, they saw Qin Hongjian’s family.

Qin Hongjian excitedly rushed forward to propose a toast.

"Hello, Prefect Xu! I am Qin Hongjian from the Food Department. I came specifically to offer the Prefect a toast."

But Xu Zhigang’s brow furrowed, and he cast a cold gaze at the people around him.

"What is going on here?"

He hadn’t notified many people that he was dining here, nor did he wish to attract too much attention.

Fang Zhengliang quickly stepped forward, his face wreathed in a subservient smile.

"Prefect Xu, they are all my family."

Xu Zhigang was instantly furious and demanded,

"I am only hosting a dinner for friends. Why are there outsiders here?"

Fang Zhengliang was terrified and hurriedly explained.

"Prefect Xu, it’s not like that! I only mentioned to my son that I was eating here. I didn’t expect them all to show up."

Xu Zhigang sneered and pointed directly at Qin Hongjian.

"Oh? Is he the son you were talking about?"

At this, everyone else present couldn’t help but laugh in unison.

Meanwhile, Qin Hongjian’s face turned shades of green and white, and he was rendered speechless.

Fang Zhengliang, for his part, was anxiously wiping away sweat as he continued to explain,

"I’m so sorry, Prefect Xu. He is my son’s father-in-law."

As he spoke, overcome with anger, Fang Zhengliang landed a vicious kick on Fang Hao.

"All of you, get lost now! If you disturb Prefect Xu’s private gathering, I won’t let you off easy!"

And so, Qin Hongjian’s family left, trembling in fear.

After they had walked some distance away, Qin Wenwen complained,

"Fang Hao, what was that all about? Didn’t the Prefect know we were coming to give a toast?"

Fang Hao was already fuming, so hearing Qin Wenwen’s complaint made him snap.

He glared at her and said irritably,

"You have the nerve to ask? Who told your whole family to tag along? Have you never met important people before, or what? You’re all seriously dense!"

With that one sentence, he had insulted Qin Hongjian’s entire family.

Embarrassment was written all over their faces, but recalling the scene that had just unfolded, they couldn’t find the words to refute him.

Moreover, they were extremely worried. Had they offended Xu Zhigang because of this?

Right now, the group was also still hungry!

So, they decided to head back and continue eating.

Just as they returned to their private room, they saw Qin Tuo packing up the food.

As for Qin Hongguo and Luo Xianglan, they were already gone.

Qin Tuo was clearly unsurprised to see Qin Hongjian’s family return; he didn’t even bother to look up.

Qin Hongjian, who was already seething with anger, immediately pointed at Qin Tuo and cursed,

"You brat, are you sick in the head? We haven’t even finished eating, and you’re already packing things up!"

Qin Tuo chuckled coldly.

"Isn’t that what you said? That you were going to drink with the Prefect and told us to take care of things here? Why are you blaming me now? Don’t tell me Prefect Xu didn’t even acknowledge you?"

Qin Hongjian was so angry he was speechless, but Qin Jun burst out cursing,

"Qin Tuo, you’re full of shit! We already had a drink with Prefect Xu. We came back down because we didn’t want to disturb his banquet."

Qin Tuo immediately called his bluff with a smile.

"Oh? The wine in your glasses hasn’t gone down at all. Who do you think you’re fooling?"

Qin Jun flew into a rage, gritting his teeth as he said hatefully,

"Still better than you! I’d like to see how you’re going to pay the bill for this whole table!"

Qin Tuo said disdainfully,

"Don’t you worry. I have no intention of paying. I seem to recall someone saying *she* would pay the bill, right? Since that’s the case, I wouldn’t want to steal her thunder!"

At this, Qin Wenwen’s expression turned extremely ugly, and she couldn’t help but try to argue her way out of it.

"Your family was clearly the one who invited ours to dinner! Why should I be the one to pay now?"

Qin Tuo said mockingly,

"No one forced you to say that just now. You were the one who insisted on acting like a big shot. Don’t tell me you don’t have the money to pay, do you?"

Qin Wenwen was instantly enraged, her eyes bulging with hatred.