Chapter 19: Mobei Western Restaurant

Miaomiao followed the waitress through the long foyer and stepped into the elegantly decorated restaurant. The lighting inside was dim, casting a sophisticated glow over every patron in the room.

She instantly switched her inner radar on.

"The older man ahead is wearing a Rolex," she noted to herself. "The slightly younger guy next to him is decked out in Armani. And that woman... Heh... The Hermes logo on her bag is obviously off."

As Miaomiao made her assessments, the waitress led her to her table—a cozy booth situated right by the window.

Outside, the city under the night sky sparkled like scattered jewels. The breathtaking high-altitude view left her momentarily dazed. Only she knew how much bitter struggle it had taken for an art student with zero background to make it this far.

"Miaomiao, you will definitely become someone at the top of society one day!" she cheered herself on internally.

Taking an elegant sip of her lemon water, she turned to the waiting server.

"For the appetizer, I'll have the French escargot.

"For the soup, I don't like it too sweet, so I'll go with the lobster bisque.

"No bacon in the salad; I'm cutting fat recently.

"For the main course, a Beef Wellington, medium-well.

"And for dessert..."

After noting down her order, the waitress asked if she would like some wine.

Miaomiao waved her hand elegantly. "I drove here, so I'll pass this time!"

The waitress smiled faintly. Having worked in this industry for quite a while, it only took her a few minutes of interaction to accurately gauge a customer's true standing. This beautiful woman was putting on such airs...

*Heh.* In reality, these were exactly the most difficult customers to serve.

And the reality was pretty much spot-on with the waitress's deduction. Miaomiao's seemingly expert ordering was entirely parroted from online guides. Although she had a little savings now, she would never bear to spend it on such an expensive meal if not for the sake of elevating her status and showing her wealthy sponsors what a refined taste in life she possessed.

Not long after, two beautifully presented dishes were brought to the table.

Miaomiao immediately whipped out her phone to take photos for her social media. But as she adjusted her lens for the perfect angle, she furrowed her delicate brows. She kept zooming in on one of the photos until a figure in the background became clear—a man wearing a white T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.

"So annoying!" she grumbled to herself. "I can't even use this picture. That guy is right in the middle of the frame."

Displeased, Miaomiao called out to the server. "Waiter! I'd like to ask why that person was allowed into the restaurant dressed like that. Isn't there a formal dress code?"

The waitress hadn't expected the customer to pick a fight over this. She quickly explained, "We at Mobei Western Restaurant do recommend that all guests dress formally, but it is merely a recommendation. Furthermore, that gentleman is—"

Miaomiao cut her off, latching onto the first half of the sentence, and habitually pulled out her phone to record. "Since you have dining standards, I expect this restaurant not to just let any random riffraff in. I consider it highly disrespectful to the other patrons."

Noticing that her voice was getting loud enough to disturb the other guests, the waitress hurriedly pleaded, "Miss, please don't film. It will affect the other guests' dining experience. Besides, that area is—"

Miaomiao stood up and interrupted again, refusing to let it go. "I'm not filming you! What are you so anxious about? Plus, this is an issue with your management."

The waitress waved her hands defensively. "Miss, please understand, filming is not allowed inside the restaurant—"

"Ah!" Miaomiao shrieked. "What are you doing? You hurt me!"

The waitress's face flushed bright red. She had merely been trying to block the phone's camera angle and hadn't touched the woman at all. "Miss, you... you can't falsely accuse me. I didn't even touch you..."

Miaomiao sneered coldly. "Is this the kind of service Mobei Western Restaurant provides? What a classic case of a big business bullying its customers."

This farce naturally piqued the curiosity of the other diners. However, since the patrons here were all refined individuals, they didn't crowd around like ordinary rubberneckers. Instead, many who understood the situation simply looked at the beautiful young woman with slight smirks, highly amused by the unfolding drama.

Meanwhile, the commotion was quite loud.

Su Yunzhou was rather speechless at this completely unprovoked disaster. Standing beside him, Jian Shan noticed the change in the 'rich heir's' expression and bowed slightly. "Mr. Su, I will go handle it immediately."

A moment later, Jian Shan walked over to Miaomiao, looking her dead in the eye.

"Miss, your behavior has severely impacted the dining experience of the people around you. Please—"

Miaomiao remained utterly unbothered. "What? Is your establishment failing to follow its own rules now?"

Jian Shan revealed a helpless expression. "Madam, could we speak in private? I will give you a satisfactory answer."

Miaomiao glanced around, full of righteous confidence. "Why? Is there something you can't say in front of everyone? I'll have you know, I'm a food blogger with hundreds of thousands of followers..."

Seeing her put on such an act, Jian Shan spoke in a deep, serious tone.

"Miss, our Western restaurant only recommends formal attire; it is not a mandatory requirement. Secondly, that area is our VIP member section. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Miaomiao froze, an awkward and shocked expression washing over her face.

From somewhere nearby, a sarcastic voice chimed in.

"Heh... You dressed up to the nines just to come here and take photos for clout. But that guy literally just came downstairs for a casual bite. An influencer? How interesting!"

The hushed whispers of the surrounding crowd were infinitely magnified at this moment. Their mocking gazes felt like a barrage of slaps landing directly on her expensively maintained face.

However, Miaomiao hadn't become a somewhat famous influencer based solely on her abilities; she also possessed skin as thick as a fortress wall. Even if she had just become a complete laughingstock, she had to see this through to the end.

Blushing furiously, she struck a pretentious pose and stammered, "I... I am a consumer and a food blogger! I've been to many... many famous restaurants. I was merely offering a personal suggestion today."

Jian Shan easily saw through her false bravado; the food blogger's knuckles were white from gripping the table so hard she was practically leaving indentations. But since he was in the service industry, Jian Shan could only smile politely while cursing internally, offering her a way out.

"Thank you for your valuable feedback," he said. "Have a pleasant meal!"

Miaomiao gave a haughty nod and sat back down, secretly taking a few deep breaths before gulping down a large mouthful of lemon water. Though her face still burned with embarrassment, she finally managed to suppress the urge to flee in panic.

Before long, the waitress brought over her exquisite dishes.

When dealing with this type of customer, the restaurant's attitude was simple: let them finish early, so they can get the hell out early.

Miaomiao began to eat, but with every bite, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. At the same time, she kept stealing glances at the man in the white T-shirt. She had embarrassed herself today, but there was still a chance to turn this disaster into an opportunity.

Seeing the man stand up to leave, she immediately followed.

At the Western restaurant's long foyer, she blocked his path. Perhaps due to rushing to catch up, Miaomiao's chest heaved with slightly exaggerated curves. She squeezed out a sweet, winsome smile.

"Hey handsome, could I bother you for a few minutes?"