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"It seems Fuman Building is truly in trouble now,"

Hearing the man’s mockery, Zhao Hongsheng curled the corners of his mouth, sneering, "If Xia Zheng could be defeated so easily, then wouldn’t I be nothing but a straw man?"

The man grew fearful and bowed his head deeply, "This servant deserves to die!"

"No matter," Zhao Hongsheng chuckled lightly, his eyes still fixed on the Fragrant Full Building across the street. Although the sign had been re-hung and the entrance swept clean, it somehow looked all the more desolate.

"If it were only Xia Zheng, it might be tolerable, but now Lin Yuan has emerged. Humph, Zhao Hongde must have really lucked out to have so many capable people under him."

This time the man was much more reserved, though his tone still carried an unmistakable arrogance, "Are you referring to that kitchen lady? I’ve heard of her.

They say the girl has some culinary skills, but in my opinion, she’s at most a bit clever.

If it really comes to a cooking contest, I guarantee that she’s not worth mentioning. "

They had already investigated Lin Yuan’s abilities thoroughly.

A small village girl from the countryside, who by chance, prepared a couple of exotic dishes for Old Mr. Zhen, earning herself a cooperation opportunity with the Fuman Building.

If she truly had any talent, it was probably in developing the method to make tofu.

But that didn’t mean she was all that remarkable.

In the cloaked man’s opinion, these were merely minor clever tricks.

If it really came to a cooking contest, how could a young girl like her compare with the skills he had honed over decades?

Hearing the obvious disdain in the man’s voice, Zhao Hongsheng was about to reprimand him, but then the man suddenly exclaimed, "Eh," and Zhao Hongsheng also couldn’t help but become curious as he followed the man’s gaze.

Seeing the stage taking shape at the entrance, Xia Zheng raised an eyebrow, "What now, they’re planning another, what was it, a product launch?"

Lin Yuan gave a charming smile and glanced sideways at him, looking very much like someone with an ace up her sleeve, "Product launches are an old trick. Do you think I’d use the same method twice?"

The man who had been lounging in his chair suddenly lit up, leaned forward, and laughed wickedly, "Not using the same method twice? Are you sure?"

Lin Yuan raised her eyebrows but didn’t catch on immediately.

Not until she saw the devilish grin on someone’s face did Lin Yuan’s mouth twitch, and she turned her head away, pretending not to understand, not to understand at all!

Watching her blush, Xia Zheng propped his chin with his hand, his long fingers rhythmically tapping on the table, as his eyes whirled with thoughts. It seemed he needed to acquire a few more erotic paintings for thorough study.

...

"Hey, hey, did you hear? They’re going to have a performance at the entrance of Fragrant Full Building!"

"Hurry, hurry! Let’s go watch the play at Fragrant Full Building! I heard it’s really good!"

"It’s free? Wow, there’s still free entertainment these days? Come on! If we’re late, we won’t get good spots."

The news of the play being performed at the entrance of Fragrant Full Building spread quickly throughout Yecheng. Before the show even started, the area below the stage was packed with a crowd of onlookers. After days of quiet, Fragrant Full Building buzzed with excitement once more.

After all, it was just a play, and watching a play couldn’t poison anyone.

An Yixiang sat in an elegant room on the second floor of Drunken Immortal Residence, growing impatient as she watched the dense crowd gather in front of the stage.

Li Zhicheng, knowing his wife well, gently took her hand and smiled, "You’ve been busy with the winery all the time, and today you’re finally taking a break. Just consider it as keeping me company."

Feeling somewhat guilty at her husband’s words, An Yixiang’s mood eased.

Across from her, An Jie looked at the anxious Luomeiyan and personally poured her a cup of tea, "Don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control."

Luomeiyan’s nose tingled, and she hung her head, unwilling to look up.

"When is it going to start?" An Yueyue couldn’t help complaining. Just as she had entered, she saw that Second Prince Zhao Hongsheng and the Tang Family Father and Daughter were sitting next door.

The thought of Tang Ruyan sitting beside the man she loved at this very moment made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

As she was complaining, someone knocked on the door outside the elegant room.

It was Tang Ruyan.

An Yueyue rolled her eyes in disdain.

The incident from last time was known to both An Yixiang and her husband, and truth be told, they were not very eager to have their daughter marry into the royal family.

Even if they had the inclination to climb the social ladder, they did not want their daughter to be a sacrificial piece.

Yet their child was truly infatuated with the Second Prince.

After greeting An Yixiang and her husband with proper respect for juniors, Tang Ruyan smiled and said, "Just now, His Highness was talking about Yuer. And just by chance, Yuer has arrived. The Second Prince specifically asked me to invite you over to sit with us!"