The waitress felt personally insulted, as though Liuxianju itself had been disrespected. Watching Jiang Fuyue walk away, her gaze grew increasingly hostile. Her eyes swept over Jiang Fuyue’s outfit—plain, nothing designer—and the girl looked young, not like someone with real spending power.
What she really couldn’t stomach was—this woman was actually wearing sneakers?!
In her mind, any woman not wearing heels was practically a village bumpkin.
If Jiang Fuyue had known what this woman was really thinking, she might’ve wanted to crack open this odd brain and see what the structure was made of.
“This lady, please wait a moment.” The waitress still smiled, but her tone had clearly soured.
Jiang Fuyue turned around, eyes questioning. “Something else?”
“Are you sure you’ve thought it through? There are only two seats left in the main hall. Any minute now, more guests could arrive. Why insist on a private room? Besides, private rooms aren’t something ordinary folks can afford…”
Jiang Fuyue’s gaze turned faintly cold.
But the waitress remained oblivious, still preening: “At Liuxianju, a single table is hard to come by. You’re lucky today. On other days, you might not even get a seat in the hall!”
“Don’t be fooled by all the hype about that Jiang Ji’s Private Kitchen online. All that talk about how people line up to eat there? It’s all fake—just hired shills and marketing tactics! When it comes to real private dining, even just in Linhuai, Liuxianju is leagues above Jiang Ji’s!”
Jiang Fuyue raised an eyebrow and turned back around. Suddenly, she wasn’t leaving anymore.
She tilted her head, leisurely scrutinizing the waitress. “You say Jiang Ji’s hired shills?”
“Of course.” The woman sneered. “Nowadays, consumers just see a line outside a shop and assume the food must be good. Then they line up like sheep and get the most average food imaginable.”
She even clicked her tongue in disdain.
“Oh? You’ve eaten there?”
“Of course.”
“Really? Which dishes did you try?”
The woman froze. “…You know, just the usual ones. I don’t even remember. Wasn’t a memorable meal anyway.”
“What a coincidence. I’ve eaten at Jiang Ji’s too—and my experience was the complete opposite of yours.” Jiang Fuyue looked around the restaurant, smiling. “Are you guys trying to smear the competition?”
The waitress’s expression shifted. “What kind of talk is that? Liuxianju has been around for years with an impeccable reputation. Why would we lower ourselves to slander some second-rate internet-famous place? Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Second-rate?” Jiang Fuyue’s eyes gleamed. “What do you mean?”
Seeing her innocent and clear-eyed, the waitress assumed her earlier questions came from naivety, not malice. Her tone softened and she leaned in conspiratorially, voice lowered: “You don’t know? Jiang Ji’s uses all frozen ingredients from who-knows-where. Rotten seafood and expired meat—who knows how long it’s been sitting in the freezer? And yet they lie online, saying the ingredients are fresh and organic. Please.”
“These days, restaurants are getting more and more dishonest. Instead of spending money on real chefs and quality food, they pay for fake reviews. Speaking of chefs, that’s the worst part.”
“Do you know the owner and head chef of Jiang Ji’s used to sell pancakes? One of those sidewalk carts. Kneading dough with one hand and taking cash with the other—flies everywhere. So dirty.”
“And these internet fools just eat it up. Don’t want proper food, say it’s too greasy. Just want some measly little pancake, calling it ‘nostalgic’ and ‘authentic street flavor’ and raving about how it captures the taste of real life? What a joke!”
This waitress happened to be the Liuxianju owner’s sister-in-law. She’d worked at the front desk for years.
Back when business was booming, her commissions were fat and she lived comfortably, dolled up every day, earning easy money.
But ever since Jiang Ji’s Private Kitchen opened, Liuxianju’s customer traffic had dropped by half.
Her paycheck shrank with it, and life got tight. She’d long harbored resentment toward Jiang Ji’s.
Before, she only ranted in private and occasionally posted hate comments online under a fake name. She’d never had the chance to “perform” in front of a customer.
Of course, most of Liuxianju’s clientele wouldn’t bother chatting with a waitress.
But Jiang Fuyue was different.
Not only did she ask questions, but she looked so naïve and curious that the woman couldn’t help spilling everything, tearing Jiang Ji’s down from top to bottom.
“You tell other people the same thing?”
“Of course! I always tell the truth! What I told you, I’ve said to others too. Even if the police showed up, I’d say the same thing!”
Jiang Fuyue’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Very good.”
“Hmm?” The woman straightened, still casual. “What’s good? Why the sudden praise? By the way, are you taking one of those two hall seats or not? If not, I’ll seat someone else. Why so much chatter—”
Even though she was clearly the one doing most of the talking.
Jiang Fuyue smiled sweetly, eyes sparkling like spring water. “When the police get here, don’t change your story.”
