Zhang Zhili hesitated for a moment. Tang Dapeng was willing to offer two million to protect him, and this kind of arrangement was a kindness he didn't want to refuse. So, he ended up leaving with Tang Yiran from the Tang residence.
After descending the stairs, they saw Jiang Li waiting by a black sedan. When Jiang Li saw Zhang Zhili, she paused, her eyes full of suspicion as she glanced at Tang Yiran.
Tang Yiran said expressionlessly, "This is my friend Jiang Li. You two should get acquainted. Are you feeling better?" Jiang Li obviously knew about Zhang Zhili's situation.
Tang Yiran nodded.
Jiang Li's lips curved into a faint smile, still carrying a disdainful expression. Even though he had recovered from his illness, he was just an orphan without power or influence, and he didn't look remarkable. How could he be worthy of someone as beautiful as Tang Yiran?
"Hello!" Zhang Zhili said with a calm expression, extending his hand.
But Jiang Li ignored it and went straight to the driver's seat. "The car, Tao Yuzhe and the others are waiting over there!"
"Tao Yuzhe is also here?" Tang Yiran hesitated when she heard this name.
Jiang Li giggled, "Just for a tea session, don't get me wrong!"
Seeing this, Tang Yiran didn't want to spoil her friend's mood and simply nodded.
The car sped away and eventually stopped in front of a lavishly decorated tea house.
"66 Yiran, Jiang Li, you're here, we've been waiting for half an hour!" Several well-dressed young men greeted them. The leader among them exuded an outstanding temperament, with a hint of arrogance between his brows. He was Tang Yiran's classmate and admirer, Tao Yuzhe.
Seeing another man coming out of the car, Tao Yuzhe's expression changed slightly. "Who is this?"
Jiang Li introduced with a smirk, "Niu Fen!"
"Niu Fen?" Tao Yuzhe paused for three seconds before realizing, "A flower stuck in cow dung!" Wasn't that Tang Yiran's idiot husband?
A flash of displeasure crossed Tao Yuzhe's eyes as he looked Zhang Zhili up and down. He could only say he was quite ordinary. He heard that his family was originally just average, and they even encountered misfortune later on. Such a person actually married Tang Yiran.
Tang Yiran frowned, but in the end, she only said to Zhang Zhili, "My friend speaks casually. Don't mind her!"
Zhang Zhili raised an eyebrow, but he didn't bother to say much.
"He's supposed to have, you know, that illness, right? Why did you bring him here?" Fu Yuan glanced sideways at Zhang Zhili.
Fu Yuan was Tao Yuzhe's friend, deliberately embarrassing Zhang Zhili.
"He's cured!" Jiang Li tilted her head, enjoying the commotion, "Hehe! Since he's here, let's all sit together! But I'm afraid he might not like this kind of place!"
Tao Yuzhe was only momentarily displeased before returning to his graceful demeanor. He had always known that Tang Yiran's marriage to that idiot was just in name only. It was because of her father's orders. Now that he's cured, divorce wouldn't be a burden at all. An orphan without any background like him didn't need to be taken seriously.
Tao Yuzhe regained his warm smile and said to Tang Yiran, "Yiran, aren't you interested in tea lately? The tea master here is highly skilled. I wanted to bring you here to experience it!"
"Haha, the owner of this tea house is Sister Shu, Shu Yiyan. She is the president of the Jiangnan Tea Association. Regular people can't even get in here, and even if they do, they may not get to taste her new tea!"
"Only Tao ge has this privilege. We're basking in Tao's glory!" Fu Yuan and another guy named Deng Zeng flattered.
Tao Yuzhe smiled faintly, "It's all thanks to my grandfather!"
He then looked at Tang Yiran again, "Regarding your promotion to attending physician being suppressed by your hospital director, I also asked my grandfather to help. I reckon there will be news soon."
Tang Yiran nodded, a hint of joy flickering in her eyes.
As they conversed, the group entered the tea house.
A well-proportioned female server immediately approached them, her gaze directly on Tao Yuzhe. "Mr. Tao, the same private room as last time?"
"Yes!" The waitress immediately led them to a private room on the second floor.
The room was decorated in an elegant style reminiscent of a noble family from the Song Dynasty, with ornaments displaying exquisite craftsmanship and a subtle luxury. On one side was a wooden tea table that could accommodate six people, and a tea master was already preparing the tea utensils. Across from the tea table was a guqin, and a guqin player in a water-blue robe sat in front of it.
"Today we'll have Qingfeng Marrow! Incense-burning tea tasting is incomplete without the accompaniment of elegant music! Let me play a piece for you all!" Tao Yuzhe said with a smile.
"How peculiar!" Jiang Li murmured.
"Haha, Qingfeng Marrow is a famous tea from the Song Dynasty, steamed, pressed, and praised as one of the best along with Longtuan. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, as well as the renowned scholar Su Shi, both praised Qingfeng Marrow endlessly!" Tao Yuzhe explained enthusiastically.
"Mr. Tao is indeed a refined gentleman! Unlike us, ignorant and lacking in talent, only knowing how to admire flowers!" Jiang Li was skilled at flattery, making Tao Yuzhe, who considered himself from a scholarly family, beam with delight.
"Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers, and tea, were the eight aesthetics of ancient scholars. Like Yiran, I admire antiquity!" Tang Yiran shook her head, "I was just introduced to it by Jiang Li out of curiosity, nothing more!"
They chatted while Zhang Zhili sat there, silent.
"Mr. Zhang, people say you're not suitable for Yiran, but I think perhaps it's not entirely true. To catch Yiran's eye, you must share some common interests. Do you know anything about tea?" Tao Yuzhe suddenly turned the conversation towards Zhang Zhili.
Zhang Zhili rubbed his chin, "I know a little!"
"Knowing even a little is not easy. What kind of tea do you usually drink?" Jiang Li, also a classmate of Tao Yuzhe, didn't like Zhang Zhili and was quick to belittle him.
Tang Yiran's mouth drooped slightly, regretting bringing Zhang Zhili along.
Zhang Zhili, however, didn't seem bothered at all, smiling calmly, "Common tea, whatever!"
The group exchanged glances, all sneering with disdain.
"Common tea? Isn't that just ten yuan per catty?" They were talking about tasting tea, which could cost thousands or even more per ounce.
Tao Yuzhe couldn't be bothered to say more to Zhang Zhili. As they conversed, the tea master was ready.
She prepared the teapot, stood up, and held the teapot three feet away from the tea cups with one hand. The tea flowed down from the spout into the cups, as if dancing.
Soon, the pattern of the tea water in the cups resembled a green valley. The group marveled at it.
"This is called Tea Hundred Performances, which can create various patterns. Qingfeng Marrow, along with Longtuan, are Emperor Huizong's favorites. I can't do Longtuan, so let's taste this Qingfeng Marrow first!" Tao Yuzhe said, snapping his fingers.
The guqin player understood and made way, allowing Tao Yuzhe to sit in front of the guqin. He smiled slightly, "Incense-burning tea tasting wouldn't be complete without the accompaniment of elegant music! Let me play a piece for you all!"
"Feng Qiu Huang!" Jiang Li teased with a smile, "Tao Yuzhe, who are you trying to impress?"
Tao Yuzhe maintained his graceful demeanor, simply smiling faintly as he touched the strings of the guqin.
With the fragrance of tea wafting through the air, mixed with the faint scent of incense, and the lingering sound of the guqin, Tao Yuzhe's guqin skills were learned specifically for this purpose, and he had made quite a name for himself during his university days.
Jiang Li had mentioned that Tang Yiran was not the type to be attracted to wealth and power; she liked men with substance.
At this moment, Tao Yuzhe was showing off in front of Tang Yiran, presenting himself as a refined man of letters, different from those vulgar commoners.
The aroma of the tea filled the air, and the tea master set down the tea pot, picked up a salt cup, and sprinkled a little salt into each tea cup.
"Please enjoy!" When it came to Zhang Zhili's cup, he covered it with his hand and shook his head, indicating he didn't need salt.
"Hehe, it seems you don't understand. Qingfeng Marrow requires salt to enhance its flavor!" Tao Yuzhe said with a smile, half mocking.
"I don't like it!" Zhang Zhili shook his head.
"You don't even know what it tastes like, yet you say whether you like it or not. Quite good at pretending!" Fu Yuan sneered disdainfully.
"Haha, let's see if Zhang brother understands anything. Why don't you enlighten us?" Deng Zeng said provocatively, looking at Zhang Zhili with a smirk, "Why don't you enlighten us?"
Jiang Li and the others also cast mocking glances at Zhang Zhili.
Tang Yiran felt embarrassed and spoke up, "He doesn't know much about tea like me. Please don't embarrass him..."
Before she could finish her sentence,Zhang Zhili smiled and said, "Well, I'll reluctantly share a bit for the sake of my wife's dignity."