Chapter Thirty-One: Judequan and Roast Duck Wraps

The distance from the Black Prince Hotel, where Lu Mingfei and his companions were staying, to Qianmen Street, home of the Quanjude flagship store, was not far. One simply had to walk along Xicaoshi Street and cross Zhushikou to reach it.

Since it was still early, the group decided to walk.

Liu Miaomiao and Qiao Yiran were chatting nearby about where to go for their free time on the 17th. Lu Mingfei, wishing to show he was not eavesdropping, politely maintained a half-meter distance from them as they walked side by side.

"Lu Mingfei, what are your plans for the 17th?" Qiao Yiran suddenly leaned in. "Do you want to join us for a stroll down Yangmeizhu Slanted Street?"

Liu Miaomiao quickly pulled Qiao Yiran back, giving her a secret, reproachful look. "Yiran, don't always put people on the spot. Lu Mingfei might already have his own things to do; if you put it like that, he’ll feel bad about refusing you."

While the words sounded considerate of Lu Mingfei, he caught the subtext: Liu Miaomiao wanted to distance herself from him.

Indeed, from her perspective, the rumors and sitting next to him on the plane were unavoidable circumstances. Although some ambiguous interactions had occurred, they were unintentional and could be brushed aside. But now that she was going to dinner with her friends, if he insisted on tagging along, she would naturally start to guard against him. She might wonder if she had misinterpreted his kindness, or if he had ulterior motives.

Lu Mingfei knew that she had been close to him initially not only to get to the "paralyzed-faced" senior, but also because she found him harmless—like a sheep that wouldn't want anything from her. But now that the sheep was showing signs of lupine aggression, she was becoming vigilant.

Lu Mingfei, however, didn't think much of it. To hesitate when one should cut ties is to invite trouble; refusing someone you don't like is actually a commendable trait. Unlike some people who, despite not liking you, continue to offer hope and display ambiguity just to keep you on a leash.

"The 17th?" Lu Mingfei lied. "I’m afraid I can’t join you on the 17th. I need to go to Liubiju to buy pickles and to the Zhaofu Street grocery store for some Erba sauce; my aunt asked me to bring them back for her."

Since Liu Miaomiao wanted to avoid suspicion, he would play along.

Qiao Yiran nodded and said nothing more. She didn't know if he was truly busy or not, but since he had refused, she wouldn't press the matter. She understood that a forced melon is never sweet. After Lu Mingfei had laid his cards on the table back at the hotel, she realized he likely had no designs on Liu Miaomiao for the time being.

*But if this guy isn't interested in Miaomiao, why did he tag along?* Qiao Yiran wondered to herself. *I actually thought he had finally figured things out.*

As they talked, they arrived at Qianmen Street. No sooner had they reached the entrance than they saw a bustling crowd waiting in line.

*Damn it, I forgot about this.* Lu Mingfei slapped his thigh. In the future, as Quanjude’s reputation declined, the number of tourists coming for roast duck would dwindle year by year. By the time Lu Mingfei visited Beijing in 2010, the flagship store no longer required a wait; one could walk right in and find a seat.

But this was 2004. In the capital, Quanjude was still a golden brand, a must-visit destination for any tourist.

"What do we do?" Lu Mingfei asked the two girls.

"I’m sorry," Liu Miaomiao said, looking guilty. "The times I’ve come to Beijing to eat at Quanjude, my family always reserved a table in advance. I completely forgot."

"So, are we still eating here?"

"Well, since we're already here..." Liu Miaomiao whispered.

*Understood.* Since they were already here, they would just have to wait.

Lu Mingfei found a server to get a queue number. The waiting area was already full, and even the plastic stools were gone. A few local men from the nearby alleys had brought their own small folding stools, sitting in the shade and cracking melon seeds while watching the queue like monkeys in a zoo.

Lu Mingfei chatted with the old men and managed to get a handful of melon seeds, sharing them with Liu Miaomiao and Qiao Yiran as they waited. Just as he finished his share and was about to head back to the old men for more, a voice greeted him from above.

"Isn't this Lu Mingfei? What a coincidence!"

He looked up to see Zhao Menghua accompanied by the same group of lackeys from the elevator.

In truth, Zhao Menghua had seen Lu Mingfei in the elevator but had pretended not to. After meeting him in the hotel lobby, he had searched his memory, but no "Lu Mingfei" existed among his elementary school classmates. He had even called his butler to check his old graduation photos, confirming the name was nowhere to be found. He felt cheated and wanted to confront him, but calmed down after leaving the hotel, sensing that Lu Mingfei was a strange character. If he couldn't afford to provoke him, he figured he could at least avoid him.

When he arrived at Qianmen Street, he had spotted Lu Mingfei eating melon seeds from a distance and intended to ignore him again. But then he saw the beautiful, athletic girl from the plane standing next to him, along with another quiet, delicate beauty. He felt so stifled he could have coughed up blood.

He was wearing designer brands and a million-dollar Rolex, yet he was out to dinner with a bunch of guys; meanwhile, this guy was dressed in knock-offs but was accompanied by two beauties. It was enough to make anyone miserable.

Noticing them queuing, he figured they hadn't made a reservation. Zhao Menghua rolled up his sleeves, his Rolex gleaming in the sun, and strode confidently toward Lu Mingfei, determined to regain some face.

"What a coincidence," Lu Mingfei said, looking up from his squatting position.

Zhao Menghua froze. Was Lu Mingfei really going to talk to him like that? In the past, he would have been furious, but the more dismissive Lu Mingfei acted, the less he could gauge him. In Guangdong, he had heard that those in suits were often just laborers, while those in flip-flops were the real bosses. Lu Mingfei gave him the impression of a powerful figure hiding in plain sight.

"What are you doing here?" Zhao Menghua asked, knowing the answer.

Lu Mingfei pointed at the crowd. "Queuing for Quanjude."

"Oh, you didn't make a reservation?" Zhao Menghua straightened his back.

"No, I don't come here often, so I don't know the rules. Besides, I don't have the connections to make a reservation."

"You should have said so! My dad is very close with the owner of Quanjude. I could have booked a table for you if you wanted."

"That would be great!"

Just as Lu Mingfei was about to butter him up and offer the rest of his melon seeds as a token of thanks, Zhao Menghua changed his tune: "However, reservations usually need to be made two hours in advance. Now that it's mealtime and everyone is queuing, it probably wouldn't be right to cut in line."

"Oh, I see."

Lu Mingfei finally got it—Zhao Menghua was just here to show off. He closed his hand, deciding to keep the rest of his melon seeds for himself. Seeing Lu Mingfei’s deflated expression, Zhao Menghua felt a surge of gratification and decided to go for the kill.

"How about this, Lu Mingfei? Join our table. It’s a table for ten; we have six, you have three, it’ll fit perfectly. We're all friends—elementary school classmates and soon-to-be peers at Shilan High School." Zhao Menghua looked between Lu Mingfei and the two beauties. "Would I have the honor of having dinner with these two lovely ladies?"

*Damn,* Lu Mingfei thought, *how did I never notice how greasy Zhao Menghua was?*

Wanting to share a table? *Heh.* He was prepared to break the bank just to keep Zhao Menghua away from Liu Miaomiao; did he really think he’d agree to this?

Lu Mingfei opened his mouth to refuse, but a shadow flickered before his eyes, and suddenly, someone stuffed something into his mouth. He was shocked, wondering who would dare poison him in broad daylight, but before he could spit it out, a small hand covered his mouth.

"Eat it, don't waste it. I just wrapped it for you, and it has two pieces of duck meat inside."

Beside him, Lu Mingze sat on a small stool, a box of roast duck, cucumber strips, scallions, spring pancakes, and sauce spread across his thin legs, calmly rolling up a wrap.