Chapter 23: A Feast Worthy of Its Name

"Xiaoyu, when that person arrives later, should I face the door with the left side of my face or the right?"
Inside the restaurant’s private room, a man in a tailored suit paced back and forth in front of the round table, sitting first on the left then on the right, occasionally striking a contemplative pose. “How about this expression? Does it look intimidating enough? I guarantee I’ll have that little celebrity completely cowed.”

Ji Xingyu exhaled, offering a weary smile. “You don’t need to put on an act. Just staying as you are now is enough to scare anyone.”

“That won’t do. You still have to keep up appearances,” Ji Xingjian disagreed. “What if he’s greedy, trying to return a favor for his own benefit, or itching to climb the social ladder? I’ve heard a lot of celebrities are like that—no conscience at all.”

“That’s not the case,” Ji Xingyu replied, his face full of helplessness. “He’s a good person. When I told him I wanted to thank him, he said it wasn’t necessary.”

Ji Xingjian sprang up as if someone had poked him. “How do you know he’s genuine and not deceiving you? He’s an actor, after all! What if he’s just putting on a show to lure in gullible types like you?”

“Brother, you really need to be more careful.”

If Ji Xingyu weren’t still injured, Ji Xingjian would have grabbed his younger brother and shaken him hard—anything to knock some sense into him.

“You’re handsome, your art is beautiful, you have a good personality, and you’re completely naïve. Those swindlers outside love targeting fools like you!”

Ji Xingjian urged earnestly, “Why don’t you come work with me? You studied art; you could help out in the design department. Brothers united are stronger than anything else.”

Ji Xingyu rubbed his forehead and sighed silently.

The reason he’d run away from home was precisely because this affection felt too heavy to bear.

“Brother—” Ji Xingyu looked at him seriously. “I’m twenty-three, not thirteen. I have my own judgment and life. You don’t need to worry so much.”

“If you really could take care of yourself, you wouldn’t have ended up in such a mess this time,” Ji Xingjian shook his head, reaching out to poke Ji Xingyu’s rib.

Ji Xingyu grimaced, clutching his injury.

“See?” Ji Xingjian continued shaking his head. “I told you to learn some self-defense but you wouldn’t. I told you to bring a bodyguard but you didn’t. You just had to stumble and fall, didn’t you?”

This time, Ji Xingyu knew he was in the wrong and pursed his lips, saying nothing.

At that moment, the door to the private room was knocked.

“Boss, your guests have arrived.”

The man spoke, opening the door for Lü Chunqiu and Mo Fei, and after they entered, he closed it and left.

Mo Fei caught sight of Ji Xingyu’s familiar face and cried out, “It’s you?!”

Lü Chunqiu’s eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful person and he lowered his voice to ask Mo Fei, “You know him?”

“Of course,” Mo Fei smiled shyly. “The day before my vacation, I saved him.”

Lü Chunqiu understood instantly.

This wasn’t a trap, it was simply a matter of returning a favor.

Thinking this, Lü Chunqiu straightened his back. This time, they had the moral high ground—there was no way they could lose out.

Ji Xingjian’s expression grew reserved in front of outsiders as he stood to greet them. “You must be Brother Mo Fei. Thank you for saving my brother.”

Ji Xingyu also stood, smiling at Mo Fei. “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself last time. My surname is Ji—Ji Xingyu. This is my brother, Ji Xingjian.”

“I know who he is,” Mo Fei said, looking at Ji Xingjian with a smile. “I’ve searched him online. You look even better in person than in your photos.”

The two Ji brothers, despite the age gap, bore a certain resemblance.

Ji Xingjian, however, had the marks of over a decade’s worth of experience, appearing far more mature and composed.

“Please, sit,” Ji Xingjian motioned for everyone to take their seats before formally speaking. “I invited you both here today to thank Mr. Mo for saving my brother’s life.”

Lü Chunqiu opened his mouth to offer polite words, but before he could, the “hopeless” one beside him let out a hearty laugh: “It was just a small thing, haha, no big deal really. You didn’t have to treat us to dinner. So, can we have the food now?”

Ji Xingyu smiled, glancing at Ji Xingjian as if to say, “See, I told you he’s a good person.”

Ji Xingjian tugged at his lips in a half-smile, raising his hand to signal the waiter to start serving, then continued, “Although my family is not particularly wealthy, we understand the importance of gratitude.”

“You’re too kind, Mr. Ji,” Lü Chunqiu replied quickly. “Little Mo really did just help out of kindness. We didn’t expect any reward.”

Mo Fei nodded from the side. “Yes, yes, just treating us to dinner is more than enough.”

“That’s hardly sufficient,” Ji Xingjian replied with a faint smile, his tone brooking no refusal. “Or do you look down on me?”

Lü Chunqiu and Mo Fei exchanged glances, uncertain what he meant.

Ji Xingyu called softly, “Brother.”

He, as the younger sibling, understood his older brother better.

Ji Xingjian had endured hard times in the past and knew well that monetary debts were easier to repay than debts of gratitude.

Mo Fei had saved Ji Xingyu—it was a major favor. If he could settle it with money, so much the better.

Ji Xingjian shot Ji Xingyu a warning look.

His brother was soft-hearted and easily deceived. In this day and age, being a good person wasn’t so simple.

Unless that good person had strength and backing, one mistake and nothing would be left but bones and scraps.

Since his brother insisted on being a good person, Ji Xingjian could only become strong enough to protect him.

Lü Chunqiu observed Ji Xingjian’s expression and asked cautiously, “So, what did you have in mind?”

Ji Xingjian fell into thought.

Truthfully, he hadn’t decided how to handle it.

Initially, he’d wanted to simply hand over a million and call it settled, but Ji Xingyu insisted the young celebrity had noble character and that throwing money at him was rude.

So Ji Xingjian had to consider other ways to return the favor.

Perhaps send him to shoot a movie, or offer him an endorsement?

Ji Xingjian was still pondering what suitable opportunity he could give Mo Fei, while Mo Fei’s eyes were glued to the plates being brought in by the waiters.

Ji Xingjian had chosen a mid-to-high-end restaurant—one Mo Fei wouldn’t even glance at under ordinary circumstances.

But the price matched the presentation.

The three-pound squirrel fish was sliced into perfectly even pieces, fried to a golden bloom, and smothered in thick sauce, dotted with white sesame seeds, the sight alone whetting the appetite.

Mo Fei felt his cheeks begin to salivate as a roast goose was brought to the table.

The whole bird’s skin glistened with a rich, lacquered sheen, the lights reflecting off it seductively, and the chef’s knife sent a crisp clang echoing through the room as he carved.

Mo Fei swallowed hard.

He couldn’t even imagine how delicious it must be.

Would eating it make him glow with golden light?