Night fell, and the city lights began to shine.
The prosperous Imperial Capital shed the clamor of daytime and draped itself in a dazzling coat of neon.
Traffic flowed endlessly along the crisscrossing elevated ring roads, while the glass curtain walls of towering skyscrapers reflected the city's extravagance and madness.
After spending the entire afternoon shopping with Jiang Che, Elizabeth, and Jiang Wantang, Qin Yunhan—
finally brought them to Gathering Clouds Pavilion, a high-end private restaurant near Wangfujing with a century-old legacy and an elegant, tranquil atmosphere.
Led by a server, the four of them took seats opposite one another by a window on the second floor, where the view was excellent.
"Brother Xiao Che, Sister Yisha."
Qin Yunhan flipped open the menu with practiced ease and cheerfully introduced the place to everyone.
"Gathering Clouds Pavilion might not be some top-tier grand restaurant, but its signature dishes are famously authentic!"
"Many of their specialties are century-old secret recipes passed down from the imperial kitchens of the previous dynasty~"
With that, the little girl grandly waved her hand and launched straight into reciting dishes.
"Miss, four servings of premium braised shark fin first, one scallion-braised sea cucumber, and one hanging-oven roast duck!"
"Then a serving of steamed crab roe lion's head meatballs, stir-fried three whites in fermented rice wine, crispy stir-fried fish fillets, and finally some boiled cabbage to cleanse the palate!"
After ordering an entire tableful of signature dishes—
Qin Yunhan turned around and ordered two bottles of premium Romanée-Conti Wine from the restaurant's cellar.
The wine and appetizers were soon respectfully brought over by the servers.
Under Qin Yunhan's deliberate efforts to liven things up, the atmosphere at the table was warm and harmonious.
After waiting for around ten minutes—
"Ladies and gentlemen, all your dishes are ready. Please