Extreme Almightiest Young Master

Chapter 350: Liu Jinming Shows Off!

"Everyone doesn’t need to take this too seriously, it’s thanks to the help of my good friend that we could come here to eat, and I just wanted us to have a nice get-together, so I begged my friend to arrange this private room; there’s really nothing more to it." Liu Jinming offered a modest disclaimer with his mouth, but his heart swelled with pride, and a radiant glow shone on his face. These two teachers really knew how to talk—at a time like this, to speak in such a way was undoubtedly to sing his praises. Yes, not bad, he would take good care of these two from now on.

Everyone knew that dining at the Jinjiang Hotel buffet cost 808 RMB per person. If it weren’t for Liu Jinming’s good friend, Wang Lin, who had managed to secure these one-tenth-off vouchers, it wouldn’t have been possible to receive such face and dine at the Jinjiang Hotel. Moreover, to have the buffet brought to a private room was no minor prestige. If he wasn’t Wang Lin’s childhood friend and a loyal pal, none of this would have been possible.

"That’s also thanks to Director Liu’s efforts!"

"Only Director Liu could give us the chance to dine here, of course we are grateful to Director Liu."

Jia Chun and Pan Xiao didn’t hesitate to seize the opportunity, lavishing Liu Jinming with flattery and vigorously buttering him up. This man was the newly appointed Vice-Dean and Department Head, wielding considerable power. Keeping good relations with him could bring many, many benefits.

As for the flattery from Jia Chun and Pan Xiao, Liu Jinming found it exceedingly comfortable. They really knew how to sculpt his illustrious image; they truly understood how to be subordinates. They had said the perfect thing.

"It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s nothing worth fussing over. If there’s another chance in the future, I’ll bring everyone again. Moreover, look at that new teacher’s expression—it’s likely that if it weren’t for today, he and the students would have never had a chance to come to a place like this, so as the new Department Head, of course, I want everyone to experience what the Jinjiang Hotel is like. Dean Leng, later you must try the food here, it’s truly excellent. You’ll definitely like it."

However, Liu Jinming’s attention was now entirely on Leng Mei. He noticed that she wasn’t looking at him at all; on the contrary, her eyes wandered occasionally to a young teacher, which irked him greatly. Today, he was supposed to be the protagonist of the gathering, so why was Leng Mei watching that youngster instead of him?

Could this young man be the legendary Lin Feng, the French teacher whose command of French was said to be impressively strong? He didn’t look all that impressive, and he was so young—how could he possibly match the hype? Some people just hadn’t seen the world; how could a Chinese person speak French better than the French? That was utterly impossible.

Moreover, he had heard that Lin Feng had gotten pretty close to Leng Mei during his absence from Yingbo University, and that was not a good sign. He had pursued Leng Mei for a long time and couldn’t afford any mishaps. Today was a great opportunity to find a way to put Lin Feng down, to make him lose all face.

Yet, the most important thing was, if Leng Mei didn’t look at him at all, then all the effort he put into bringing everyone here to dine was tantamount to a blind man lighting a lamp—a waste of effort. This thought made Liu Jinming particularly gloomy. No, this couldn’t go on; he had to catch Leng Mei’s attention at all costs. With that thought, he took the initiative to approach Leng Mei and start a conversation.

"I’ve eaten here before; it’s just okay," said Leng Mei when Liu Jinming struck up a conversation with her, knowing well that he was simply looking for an excuse to chat. Liu Jinming had been pursuing her for more than a day or two, always chasing after her.

To tell the truth, he did have some talent, but he wasn’t Leng Mei’s target. Especially after Lin Feng appeared, she had practically forgotten about this man. If he hadn’t returned from his studies, Leng Mei might not even have remembered his existence.

"Er... Dean Leng must be very busy lately. It’s a good opportunity to rest a bit, to be happy with everyone and adjust your mood, isn’t it?" stammered Liu Jinming, choking back his words. Internally, he was immensely frustrated. Why did Leng Mei speak in such a way now? It wasn’t like this before he left—even though she rejected him, she never made him lose face. What was happening today?

"For today, I must thank Director Liu for giving the students such a great dining opportunity; otherwise, they would have never had the chance to eat at such a luxurious place as Jinjiang Hotel," said Leng Mei, while watching Lin Feng at the corner playing with his phone, and the two campus beauties hovering around him. She felt an indescribable discomfort; just then she heard Liu Jinming speak and unthinkingly responded with an unrelated answer.

At this moment, she was more concerned with whom Lin Feng was texting. Observing Lin Feng’s seemingly cheerful demeanor, could he be messaging Shen Yao? That must be it—who else could make Lin Feng so happy besides Shen Yao? How wonderful it would be if she could text Lin Feng like Shen Yao...

Leng Mei guessed right; Lin Feng was indeed chatting with Shen Yao. Upon entering the private room, Lin Feng’s phone had rung, and when he checked, it was a message from Shen Yao, expressing her desire to chat. Lin Feng glanced around and, seeing there was nothing else to do, settled into a chair to text with Shen Yao to pass the time while waiting for the food to arrive.

Mao Rongrong and Ye Xiaoyu also settled down around Teacher Lin, watching him play with his cell phone. Both were fraught with emotions, each speculating whom Teacher Lin might be chatting with, and noticing that he seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit. Who could it be? Could it be Teacher Lin’s girlfriend? But they had never heard about Teacher Lin having a girlfriend. So, who could it be?

"..." Liu Jinming felt utterly gloomy now, having no idea how to respond to Leng Mei’s words. Leng Mei had completely ignored him; otherwise, how could he have made such an irrelevant response? With so many students around, where could he put his face?

Moreover, he had seen clearly just now that Leng Mei’s gaze was fixed on Lin Feng the whole time, while Lin Feng was engrossed in his mobile phone, which meant all of Leng Mei’s attention was on Lin Feng. This...this couldn’t happen; if this continued, he would stand no chance at all... No! He absolutely couldn’t let this happen. He had to trample Lin Feng today no matter what, but how exactly? With so many students and teachers around, anything too much might provoke disgust. Frustrating!

While Liu Jinming was burning with jealousy and clueless about what to do, the door to the private room opened, and a parade of service carts entered. The dishes were placed on the tables from the carts, which then retreated along with bringing a couple more carts specifically for utensils to the side of the tables. After all was set, the staff withdrew.

"Wow! Sea cucumbers!"

"Abalone! Abalone!"

"It’s really lobster!"

...

Upon seeing the dishes laid out on the table, the students’ eyes bulged. Although they had never tasted such delicacies before, they had seen them more than once on TV. They had never dreamed that they would one day eat these delicacies. But today, these very dishes were right before their eyes... could this be real?

No wonder the buffet at Jinjiang Hotel costs 808 per person; with these kinds of dishes, it definitely justified the price. These were expensive dishes when sold outside, and today everyone could feast on them for just 88 yuan—it was unbelievably good value. It seemed impossible for the costs to even be covered. Jinjiang Hotel, such a luxurious place, managing to offer a discount, made Director Liu seem incredibly capable. To pull off such a deal, his connections must be really powerful!

Seeing the students’ reactions, Liu Jinming was very satisfied. The effort he made to set up such a scene had paid off, and if Leng Mei could see him in a new light, that would make him even happier, even if it meant getting drunk tonight.

Just as Liu Jinming was about to speak, the door of the room opened again, and in came a chubby figure, not tall but quite fat, with small eyes and a round face, looking very astute—it was his good friend Wang Lin.

"Jin Ming, these are the teachers and students from Yingbo University that you told me about, right?" Wang Lin walked up to Liu Jinming and started asking, for today’s occasion, Liu Jinming had badgered him for a long time, and Wang Lin had finally caved in, using up half a year’s worth of discount vouchers to arrange this event and bolster Liu Jinming’s reputation.

"Yes, Wang Lin, these are my colleagues and students. We’re really grateful to you for today, otherwise we wouldn’t have had the chance to eat such great food." Liu Jinming was truly delighted to see Wang Lin himself, who as the Manager of the Catering Department at Jinjiang Hotel, was usually very busy during mealtimes. His presence here was a big honor!

"Let me introduce everyone—this is my good friend Wang Lin, currently the Manager of the Catering Department at Jinjiang Hotel. It was with his help that we’re able to have this gathering today," Liu Jinming hurriedly told everyone about Wang Lin’s identity. Since Wang Lin had shown up, it meant he was there to support the event, and it was only natural for everyone to know who he was.

"Hello, teachers and students. I hope you all have a good time here today—eat, drink, and be merry. Jin Ming and I are like brothers, so his business is my business. I hope everyone has fun here today. I’m quite busy right now, so I won’t be able to join you, but please don’t take it personally," said Wang Lin politely, intending to leave immediately. Indeed, he was quite busy at the moment, and he came to take a look purely because Liu Jinming was hosting the event. As a good brother, he had to show support for Liu Jinming at this time.