"What is it to be silent at first, but get everyone on their backs once you speak out?"
Chen Fan exemplifies this perfectly.
At first, he portrayed himself as a shy and reserved guy, afraid to look into the eyes of Susan and her gang. But after a few seconds, he had a complete 180, which left everyone astonished.
Even Xiaofeng, the reputed ladies' man, had to admit defeat. He looked at Chen Fan admiringly, as if saying, "Bro, you are badass!"
This lucky prick! Who claimed I was trying to decline effeminate men. Now, he's even bringing up the hermitic monk! Why don't you just go out and buy some tofu to choke on?
Susan cursed in her heart but tried her best not to show her anger outside, for fear that others would think she has a personal beef with Chen Fan.
"Susan, don't waste your time on such a slick-talking character. Treat him as if he was a housefly." Zhang QinQin stepped in again. Realizing that she had underestimated Susan, she changed her mind and decided to patch up her relationship with her. So, she spoke up in defense of Susan.
"Yeah, Susan, some cocky toads in this world want to eat swan meat but they don't even bother to take a look at their mirror reflection first." Some discordant voice chimed in suddenly. The owner of the voice was Liu Wei.
Xiao Dong was standing next to Liu Wei. He didn't say anything, but looked disdainfully at Chen Fan and his crew.
On top of that, there was a middle-aged man standing respectfully next to Xiao Dong, seemingly awaiting Xiao's next move.
"Weasel, what? You want your Uncle Yu to give you some trouble?" Yu Xuan perked up hearing Liu Wei's words, scaring the liveliness out of him.
This counterattack from Yu Xuan made Liu Wei's face extremely gloomy. He was about to say something, yet Xiao Dong stopped him.
Subsequently, Xiao Dong gestured to the respectful middle-aged man standing behind him. The man clearly understood, walked straight up to Chen Fan and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, friends, due to certain circumstances, you all can't continue dining here. Your table has been reserved by someone."
"Reserved? Why didn't you say that before? We're halfway through our meal and you say our seats are reserved, are you trying to bully us?" Yu Xuan, being a hothead, got enraged hearing the manager's words.
Xiaofeng also looked displeased. "We paid to dine here. Our meal isn't even over, and you are hurrying us to leave. Is this how you do business?"
The middle-aged man gathered that Xiaofeng was not an ordinary student and wouldn't dare carry out such a foolish act if it weren't for Xiao Dong's insistence. However, since Xiao Dong wanted Chen Fan and his gang to leave, he had no choice but to tough it out. Hearing Xiao Feng's words, he again apologized with a smile, "Sorry, all your expenses will be fully refunded."
"We don't need your refund. We can give up our seats, but only after we have finished our meal," said Xiaofeng, portraying the demeanour of a privileged scion, without backing down.
"Wow, aren't you swanky? Your attitude is bigger than your bank balance," Liu Wei, who had been holding back because of Xiao Dong, mockingly sneered upon hearing Xiaofeng's words.
Listening to Liu Wei, Susan found Xiao Dong and his gang were being unnecessarily rude. This had a big impact on her impression of Xiao Dong. Meanwhile, she stole a glance at Chen Fan, only to find him calm and composed, with no signs of irritation.
Chen Fan realized that if Xiao Dong could make the lobby manager take such absurd initiative, he must have a powerful backing. With Yu Xuan's temper, any slight poke could make him explode and create a big scene, which wouldn't end well for Yu Xuan.
Chen Fan was considering how to handle the situation when he noticed Susan's gaze. Smiling, he said, "Guys, even though you're jealous of us dining with these four beauties, there is no need for such bullying. Moreover, don't you think that acting this way will just make these ladies think less of you?"
"Dear student, this is the lobby manager's decision and has nothing to do with us," insisted Xiao Dong, who tried to release his dissatisfaction on Chen Fan but didn't want to spoil his image in front of Susan.
The middle-aged man nodded in agreement: "Yes, student. This is our restaurant's decision."
"Oh? What's your issue? Are you, by any chance, out of your mind?" Chen Fan calmly stared back at the middle-aged man and said, "I believe you're not insane. You claim you've no connection with the two guy standing behind you. So, are you willing to swear an oath? If you dare say you have no relation with them, and are ready to risk never getting it up again for the rest of your life, we will leave right away!"
Brutal!
Xiao Feng felt a shiver run down his spine.
Manly!
Yu Xuan silently gave him a thumbs up.
Premature ejaculation is more frightening than impotence.
Zhou Wen adjusted his glasses, remaining calm.
The middle-aged man was left speechless, his face turned all shades of purple. Although such an oath was something only mentioned in some fictional books, what Chen Fan said was so offensive that he didn't dare to swear without thinking.
Seeing the middle-aged man stay silent, Chen Fan seized the opportunity, turning to Susan with a smile, "Beauty, I can see these two guys behind me are interested in you. But, I believe you must look down upon them, right? You must be finding their method of pursuing you despicable and shameless. If they sit here, you wouldn't even want to eat, would you?"
While saying this, Chen Fan intentionally winked, as if saying: Girl, think carefully. If you don't cooperate with me, I'll publicly announce our relationship!
Deplorable! Unscrupulous! Shameless!
Susan trembled with rage. Reading the meaning behind Chen Fan's gaze, she wished to rip a chunk out of him.
Despite the anger she felt, Susan didn't like what Xiao Dong was doing either. Plus, the threat from Chen Fan left her no choice. "Xiao Dong, this guy is right. Your conduct will only make me despise you more!" Managing her emotions, Susan glared at Xiao Dong, unhesitatingly directing her anger from Chen Fan to him.
The color drained from Xiao Dong's face. He never dreamt that Susan would lose her temper with him for four strangers.
An enraged Xiao Dong dared not utter a word to Susan and hence, ended up glaring viciously at Chen Fan, who met his glare with a cheeky grin, completely disregarding the irate Xiao Dong.
"You claim that the decision to ask these four students to leave comes from your restaurant. It so happens I have Uncle Zheng's number, shall I give him a call and ask?" Susan faced the lobby manager with disapproval, discontent with his bullying.
Upon hearing Susan, the corners of the manager's eyes twitched violently and his face turned extremely unsightly, because... the Uncle Zheng Susan referred to was the actual owner of the Fortune Source Restaurant!
"Miss, I... I didn't mean that. I felt that these four were vulgar, of low quality and might affect your dining mood, so... I asked them to leave," the middle-aged man wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, trying to cool things down. If Susan did call, and the actual owner investigated afterwards, his career would be toast.
In that case, not only would he fail to impress Xiao Dong, but he would also lose his position, a classic case of losing both the wife and the army!
"Really?" Susan pondered for a moment, looking at Chen Fan and others, "In that case, there's no need for them to leave. They may be somewhat annoying, but they won't affect our dining mood. On the other hand, those two behind you are a significant nuisance. Please have them leave instead."
Finishing her sentence, Susan glanced at Chen Fan out of the corner of her eye. Smugly she thought: even if I cooperate with you, don't expect any compliments from me.
"Hey, have you no shame? Didn't you hear this beauty say that your presence here is affecting the appetites of these ladies? Why aren't you leaving?" Chen Fan noticed Susan's little play, but chose not to pay it any mind, instead casting a playful glance at Xiao Dong and Liu Wei.
Upon hearing Chen Fan, Xiao Dong, and Liu Wei all choked on their anger. They initially planned to exploit their status and bid the lobby manager to dismiss Chen Fan and his group, but Chen Fan had turned the tables on them, claiming they were ruining the dining experience for Susan and the others.
An infuriated Liu Wei clenched his fists, itched to rush forward and turn Chen Fan's annoying smirk into a bruised mess, yet the menacing look from Yu Xuan held him back.
Xiao Dong, on the other hand, turned a sickly green, finding the previously sycophantic lobby manager pretending not to see him, clearly indicating he would not be of any more help.
Realizing this, Xiao Dong's rage surged even more. But... remembering his vow to fully win over Susan, Xiao Dong held back his urge to beat up Chen Fan. He stared at Chen Fan intently for a few seconds before saying grimly, "Kid, you've got guts!"
Chen Fan looked back at Xiao Dong's grim expression with a relaxed smile, appearing unfazed by the threat of reprisal.
Because... in his eyes, Xiao Dong's challenge was nothing more than child's play.