First Meeting with "Xue"

That afternoon, Wu Ling arrived at an obviously expensive teahouse with the invitation Xiao Fen had given him. According to Xiao Fen, the invitation had been delivered by a maid from this very teahouse.

Although Wu Ling knew that Xue Qinghe was now Qian Renxue, he still needed to play dumb when appropriate. Before leaving, he had even asked Ghost Douluo about it and received a three-word answer.

"Go without worry."

However, because of Xue Qinghe's identity as the First Prince, Gui Mei was not suited to accompany him. As a result, Wu Ling had come to the appointment alone.

The teahouse was called the Hundred Flower Garden. Wu Ling had heard that it specialized in flower tea.

He walked alone to the entrance. The wooden doors did not give Wu Ling much of an ancient or imposing feeling. Instead, merely approaching them allowed a fresh fragrance to flow into his nostrils. With a gentle push, the doors slowly opened.

"Welcome!" ×4

The moment Wu Ling entered, the four maids standing on either side called out softly, yet clearly enough for him to hear every word.

Wu Ling looked closely and discovered that the four maids were actually two pairs of twins. While neither pair could be called breathtaking beauties, they were certainly attractive. Moreover, standing together in pairs, their visual impact was no weaker than that of a single stunning beauty. Even Wu Ling could not help sighing at the sheer extravagance.

Then, one of the maids stepped forward and said to Wu Ling, "Hello, young master. We deeply apologize for delaying your enjoyment of tea, but the entire teahouse has currently been reserved. The reservation lasts for three hours. If possible, you may return in two and a half hours, or come back tomorrow.

"On behalf of our teahouse, I would like to apologize once more. This is a flower cultivated by our establishment. Before it wilts, you may bring it here and enjoy one cup of our signature tea for free. We hope you will continue supporting our Hundred Flower Garden afterward."

Seeing such attentive service, Wu Ling could not help but sigh inwardly.

As expected of a major establishment. Their service attitude is excellent, nothing like those novels where people look down on others because of their clothes. Though maybe it's because I'm handsome. Still, has Xue Qinghe already been here for half an hour?

Only after the maid finished speaking did Wu Ling take out his invitation.

"Hello, this invitation says that I was supposed to come here at this time. Could you take a look?"

The maid was initially stunned. As a teahouse famous throughout the capital, the Hundred Flower Garden was even favored by the current emperor himself. Naturally, its private reservation fees were astronomical.

In the Heaven Dou capital, even the young masters of those merchant guilds could not afford to reserve the place for three hours at once. Only their fathers, the heads of those merchant guilds, or members of the imperial family possessed such means.

The man before her was handsome, certainly, but he was completely unfamiliar to her. His mannerisms did not seem like those of someone from a wealthy household either, which made her somewhat suspicious.

Suspicion aside, her professional training still prompted her to accept the invitation and reply respectfully, "Certainly, young master. Please wait a moment."

There had previously been cases at other reserved restaurants where people had forged invitations to cheat their way into free food and drinks. Since then, major establishments had developed unique methods for producing and verifying their own invitations.

The maid removed the flower pinned to her chest and gently brushed it over the invitation.

As the invitation released an exotic fragrance, the expressions of the four surrounding maids gradually became more respectful.

After returning the invitation to Wu Ling, the maid gave him a deep bow. From Wu Ling's position, he happened to have a clear view of the deep cleavage revealed as she bent over.

Wu Ling's expression remained unchanged. Only after the maid again expressed her apologies and welcomed him did she lead him toward the inner rooms.

After passing through a long corridor and several private rooms, Wu Ling was finally brought to the private room at the very end.

The maid lightly knocked on the door from outside. Only after receiving a response did she open it and gesture for Wu Ling to enter.

After Wu Ling went inside, the maid did not follow. Instead, she closed the door and remained outside waiting.

As Wu Ling entered the private room, its decorations came into view.

The room was large, for all around it—and even across the walls and ceiling—grew all kinds of flourishing plants. There were small trees, little flowers, and various rare herbs growing independently. Wu Ling merely glanced around and roughly estimated there were no fewer than thirty varieties.

Yet the room was also small, because there was only a small table in the center. When Wu Ling entered, the room contained only a man seated beside the table and a maid standing behind him.

Upon seeing Wu Ling enter, the man closed the book in his hand and set down his teacup.

"This distinguished young master must be Wu Ling. Come, sit." As he spoke, the refined and gentle man smiled at Wu Ling.

Hearing the man's invitation, Wu Ling walked over and sat down. As he did, the man observed him, while Wu Ling carefully examined the man before him.

So this is Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue?

Xue Qinghe, seated across from Wu Ling, merely waved his hand. The maid behind him immediately understood.

The maid stepped forward, took away Xue Qinghe's unfinished cup of tea, carried it to the door, and knocked lightly.

As though receiving a signal, the four maids who had welcomed Wu Ling at the entrance filed in one after another. The first two each carried a fresh cup of tea, placing one before Wu Ling and one before Xue Qinghe. The latter two each held a plate of tea snacks, which they placed in the middle of the table.

After setting down the tea and snacks, all five maids, including the one who had originally been inside the room, left together.

Once all the maids had departed, Wu Ling and Xue Qinghe simply began drinking tea. Neither spoke, because whoever spoke first would lose the initiative.

The situation appeared to be an equal contest between the two, but in truth, they were not on the same level at all. Xue Qinghe knew very little about Wu Ling, while Wu Ling knew most of Xue Qinghe's background. In terms of intelligence alone, Wu Ling was already invincible.

Finally, unlike Wu Ling's indifference and calm, Xue Qinghe could no longer endure it. He had spent a fortune reserving the Hundred Flower Garden for three hours, not merely to drink tea with Wu Ling.

Xue Qinghe was the first to set down his teacup. Seeing this, Wu Ling followed suit and placed his own cup on the table.

Xue Qinghe smiled faintly at Wu Ling's action and said, "Brother Wu Ling, this is our first meeting. I'm a few years older than you, so you may call me Brother Xue."