Chapter 70

Even what Xuanyuan Xing casually called a “simple meal” was something Lin Tian had never seen before. From the moment the dishes began arriving, one question repeatedly haunted him: “What is this? And what’s that?”

You couldn’t really blame Lin Tian for his ignorance. This was, after all, a top-tier luncheon of a top-tier aristocratic family in a cookie-cutter romance world. The real mystery would be if Lin Tian had recognized anything on the table. In front of every person sat twelve artfully plated dishes on plates barely larger than a palm. Even without knowing what the food was, the sheer scale of presentation was overwhelming. Alongside the food came one to two hundred different utensils—yes, you read that right.

Two. Hundred. Utensils.

Lin Tian nearly passed out from the extravagance.

Once the food was served, a servant gently closed the doors of the banquet hall. Soft music began to play music even Lin Tian had never heard before. Actually, nobody had heard it before. It was an exclusive “dining symphony” composed by a master musician for the Xuan Yuan family, never publicly released. So yes, this family was rich-rich. The kind who get custom symphonies just for lunch.

After Xuanyuan Xing began eating, the others followed. Lin Tian picked up his chopsticks and aimed for the only dish that looked remotely normal, something resembling salted duck egg. He took a bite and discovered it wasn’t a salted duck egg at all.

It was light, rich with a creamy aroma, and somehow both sweet, salty, and inexplicably refreshing. One bite, and Lin Tian felt like his soul had cleared up. Real gourmet food can have that effect.

“Damn… that’s pretty good…” he mumbled to himself.

Unfortunately, this comment was heard by Shang Chan and Zhao Mengmeng, who looked at each other and, without hesitation, plopped their own “duck egg” dishes onto Lin Tian’s plate.

Lin Tian froze.

[What the hell are you two doing?! There were so many people watching! And you’re grown women! Why are you feeding me?? Besides, in this kind of fine-dining setting with individually plated courses, isn’t it weird to be sharing dishes??]

As he turned to the side in horror, he met Zhao Dongyun’s thunderstruck expression. He tried to explain, “Uncle Zhao, I swear, I have no idea why your daughters are doing this, don’t blame me…” But no words came out.

He’d expected a political minefield at the castle, but he didn’t expect things to go off the rails during the first meal.

He sighed and muttered quietly to the two girls: “When I said it was tasty, I didn’t mean you should start feeding me. Can you eat like normal people and give me some peace?”

Shang Chan blinked innocently. “I don’t like it. It has milk, truffle, and cheese—it’s too rich.”

Lin Tian internally: Too rich? It tastes refreshing as hell to me…

Zhao Mengmeng chimed in, “I don’t like things that look like salted duck eggs. I hate salted duck eggs!”

Their arguments were endless and absurd. Lin Tian could only sigh. How could he reason with these two?

Back when Zhao Dongyun didn’t want to bring Lin Tian to the Xuanyuan estate, these girls argued, “If you don’t bring him, the employees of Xinghai Group will rebel!”

He should’ve known that these women are illogical. Lin Tian shook his head and ate the two portions. What a waste it’d be to leave food that good uneaten.

Seeing this, Shang Chan and Zhao Mengmeng smiled sweetly. Zhao Dongyun, on the other hand, nearly exploded. Feeding your crush is one thing. But doing it in front of your dad??

The rest of the meal went in much the same fashion. Fancy-looking dishes that tasted nothing like they looked. It was clear the chef was aiming for shock factor, and they nailed it. Lin Tian didn’t guess a single flavor correctly. Not once. He guessed sweet things as spicy, and bland ones as heavily seasoned.

Chef: 12.

Lin Tian: 0.

Thankfully, once the meal was over, everyone was free to roam the castle. Some people went for naps. Others explored.

Zhao Dongyun, who’d wanted to take his daughters on a walk, realized both had now latched onto Lin Tian like koalas. He was about to combust from stress when Bai Ze and Bai Bing’er walked over.

Seeing the situation, Bai Ze was delighted. “Oh? Old Zhao, why aren’t you touring the place with your daughters?” The subtext: You can’t. They’ve got their eyes on someone else now.

Zhao Dongyun turned dark. But before he could retort, Bai Bing’er let go of her father’s arm and ran to Lin Tian’s side.

Now it was Bai Ze’s turn to get roasted. Zhao Dongyun smirked, “Hey, Old Bai, guess you also can’t control your daughter, huh?”

Bai Ze’s face turned grim. He could call her back, sure. But he already knew what his daughter was like. If she wanted to be with someone, it wasn’t on a whim. So he sighed, turned to Zhao Dongyun, and said, “Forget it. Let the young people handle their own business.”

Zhao Dongyun reluctantly agreed.