Chapter 226: When talking behind someone's back, why didn't you close the door?

"Red Candle Restaurant," a high-end private Cantonese restaurant in Shengang City, with an average cost of nearly "2 mao" per person!

Judging by the chat information in the group, the restaurant for the gathering had been changed to this place at the last minute.

Shen Ci didn't need to think to guess that it was definitely because she had agreed to come, and You Liqing, the organizer, had specifically changed it to this restaurant for the sake of face. After all, she had also been the one to host and organize last year's classmate gathering.

She didn't deliberately dress up, but everything she wore was low-key designer brands, and none of it was cheap. She didn't intend to deliberately hide her strength in front of these old classmates either. In Xingxing's words, if she went voluntarily, it might be suspected of showing off, but if she was "warmly invited," that would be a different story.

Who told them to insist on inviting her?

Thus, while Shen Ci appeared to be dressed ordinarily on the surface, she was actually wearing a "Cartier limited edition bracelet" worth nearly a hundred, a "Van Cleef & Arpels Ultimate Collection" necklace, and "Graff yellow diamond earrings."

She stepped in "Christian Louboutin" red-bottomed high heels, carried a "Hermès diamond-buckle rare crocodile skin" Birkin bag, and even the perfume she wore was one of the "world's extinct famous fragrances," "Ink Orchid Deep Sea," with a single bottle selling for nearly "30" yuan.

From top to bottom, inside and out, this outfit added up to at least eight hundred, if not a thousand!

And against the backdrop of these luxurious accessories, Shen Ci's bright and stunning face remained the eternal protagonist.

"Welcome to Red Candle. Do you have a reservation, Miss?"

A beautiful receptionist wearing a velvet traditional Chinese dress stepped forward enthusiastically. Shen Ci smiled slightly at her and said softly: "Yayuan private room."

"Alright, please follow me."

Who knew that Shen Ci had followed the beautiful receptionist for less than ten meters when a surprised greeting suddenly came from behind: "Miss Shen?"

Shen Ci instinctively paused her steps and turned her head to look, seeing a face that was both familiar and strange appear before her.

After a brief pause, she realized, and quickly responded with a smile: "Boss Huang?"

This Boss Huang was someone Shen Ci had met at an investor gathering in Longcheng. It was the one arranged by Lu Jinzhao where she had met Brother Xizi and Uncle Yang, and this Boss Huang was among them.

The two had even added each other on WeChat.

In an instant, some fragmented information came back to her; this Boss Huang had said back then that he was a fellow townsman, both being from Shengang.

"Look, I saw you from afar and thought I'd recognized the wrong person, but then I thought, how many people in this world are as beautiful and elegant as Miss Shen? I definitely didn't recognize the wrong person!"

Knowing that this Miss Shen was currently very close to Brother Xizi in Longcheng, and that Boss Yang also favored her, Boss Huang naturally didn't dare to be negligent and only said pleasant things.

Shen Ci understood this in her heart, but even though the words were a bit fake, hearing them did indeed make her happy.

"Boss Huang is still as humorous as ever. Are you here to eat as well?"

"Oh, what kind of eating? This restaurant is mine!" Boss Huang said with a straightforward expression: "Which private room is Miss Shen in today? It's on me!"

"That won't be necessary. It's a classmate gathering, there are at least twenty-something people."

"So what if there are twenty-something people? Are you afraid I can't afford it?" Boss Huang said, about to call the manager over to arrange it, but was stopped by Shen Ci.

"Really, no need. Thank you. The gathering today has an organizer, and the organizer is paying. It has nothing to do with me."

Boss Huang had been in business for many years and was a shrewd person. Although Shen Ci's words seemed fine, he understood immediately.

If she had a good relationship with the person paying, even if she didn't discuss a free meal, she would at least ask for a discount, right?

But Miss Shen hadn't said anything.

Boss Huang immediately revealed a look of understanding and nodded: "Alright, since Miss Shen says so, then next time. Next time Miss Shen brings her family to eat, just give me a heads-up on WeChat. If you feel embarrassed about a free meal, a fifty percent discount is a must, right?"

"That's definitely a must. A fifty percent discount is good; I'd be too embarrassed to come if it were free," Shen Ci laughed.

As the two talked, they went upstairs. Boss Huang personally sent Shen Ci to the door of the private room. It seemed they were in the middle of serving dishes, and the door hadn't been closed tightly but was left ajar.

It was very lively inside, with over twenty people surrounding a huge round table, sitting full, and the sound of talking clearly came through the door crack.

"What time is it already? Why hasn't Shen Ci come yet?"

"Probably not coming, right? She was wishy-washy about not coming from the start. I think she's just scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared of Qingqing, what else? Qingqing and Hexu are together now, wouldn't she feel awkward watching?"

"Hey, do you think she might be dating some rich second-generation in Longcheng? I heard there are tons of rich second-generations at the University of Science and Technology."

"Don't know if she's dating, but there must be plenty chasing her. Have you seen the photo on her WeChat avatar? She looks even better than in high school!"

"It must be Photoshopped. In terms of beauty, Qingqing isn't bad either!"

"Stop guessing, you guys. The boyfriend A-Ci is dating is a police officer, one meter eighty-five, a Longcheng local, handsome as hell."

"Oh, Weiwei, you know this? That's true, you two are the closest. Tell us, what else do you know?"

"What could I know while studying in Linhai? But I saw her wearing a 'Cartier' bracelet yesterday, a limited edition, very expensive."

"It must have been a gift from someone else, right?"

"I don't know about that. Don't guess blindly, A-Ci isn't that kind of person."

"What did we guess? What kind of person..."

Shen Ci stood at the door and listened for a long while, but the expression on her face was very calm and indifferent.

It was just that she couldn't help but sneer in her heart. It was exactly as Xingxing had said: if you don't come, you'll become a topic of conversation, and all sorts of absurd rumors will spread like wildfire.

Truly disgusting.

Boss Huang had heard it too, and with an ugly expression, he sighed: "Miss Shen, you are still..."

Shen Ci looked at him and smiled slightly: "Boss Huang, go ahead and get busy."

After saying this, Shen Ci raised her hand and pushed the private room door open. The lively atmosphere inside stopped abruptly, and everyone looked toward the door with surprised expressions.

When they saw clearly that the person who arrived was Shen Ci, everyone revealed different expressions: shock, surprise, amazement, smugness...

And with over twenty high school classmate faces entering Shen Ci's line of sight at once, it was hard for her to recognize them all at once. She carried her Hermès bag, swept across the room with a calm expression, and then said in a playful tone: "When talking behind someone's back, why didn't you close the door?"

A light sentence, already domineering.

If it were anyone else, they would definitely pretend not to have heard, but she was too lazy to even pretend, and would not care about these people's face.

Caught red-handed talking behind her back, the few who had just participated lowered their heads in shame. Xia Weiwei, however, came to her senses and stood up warmly to greet her: "A-Ci, you're here. I said you would definitely come, but they didn't believe me!" ===== CHAPTER 227 =====