He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

It was 4 p.m., next to the bus stop outside the building materials market.

Zhao Shuyao watched his parents leave before turning away and finding a Hanting Hotel on a nearby pedestrian street.

I booked a double room, drew the blackout curtains, and fell asleep without even taking off my clothes.

His schedule these past two days has been too packed, from Yanjing to Suzhou, and with the constant review of online public opinion trends in his mind, even his young body in his early twenties really needs a deep rest to reset his energy.

In my drowsy state, my phone vibrated monotonously next to my pillow.

Zhao Shuyao didn't open his eyes immediately. He reached out and fumbled for his phone, then swiped to the right using muscle memory.

"Feed." His voice was hoarse from just waking up, but his brain had already started working in the first second.

"Sleeping?" Gu Nanxi's voice came through the receiver, clear and melodious, yet tinged with a rare hesitation.

Zhao Shuyao opened his eyes, looked at the smoke detector on the ceiling, and asked, "Why are you calling me instead of staying home with your parents?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Zhao Shuyao could hear Gu Nanxi's very light breathing as she hesitated.

Such hesitation is quite unusual for a decisive and talented woman from Jiangnan.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Shuyao sat up and leaned against the headboard.

Gu Nanxi sighed on the other end, seemingly giving up the struggle: "Um... my parents want to invite you to dinner tonight."

"Invited me?" Zhao Shuyao raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's neither a holiday nor a festival, why would those two elders invite me to a meal?"

Gu Nanxi's tone was full of helplessness: "It's all my fault. This afternoon, I was having tea with them at home, and when we were chatting, they asked me about what I was doing at school. I casually mentioned you a few times, and as soon as they heard that, they insisted on meeting you. I couldn't stop them, and they even booked a place for us."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuyao was slightly taken aback, then let out a few low laughs.

I totally understand this logic. Put yourself in their shoes. If, twenty or thirty years from now, your precious daughter, whom you've raised for over twenty years, comes home for vacation and talks about a male classmate's "grand vision," "integrity," and "earning tens of thousands a month while doing charity," then Zhao Shuyao would definitely investigate this guy thoroughly, even if it means digging three feet into the ground, to find out who this guy is who's stealing your beautiful daughter.

This isn't a meal; it's a spy operation set up by my father-in-law.

"Alright, I understand." Zhao Shuyao threw back the covers and got out of bed. "Send me the address, I'll be there at seven o'clock sharp."

"Zhao Shuyao, if you feel uncomfortable, I'll tell them you have other plans for tonight," Gu Nanxi said, trying to smooth things over.

"There's no need to force myself." Zhao Shuyao walked towards the bathroom, looking at his slightly messy hair in the mirror. "Since the elders have honored us with their presence, it would be ungrateful of me not to go. Send me the address."

After hanging up the phone, a WeChat message popped up very quickly.

Zhao Shuyao clicked on it and took a look. The address was in an alley near Pingjiang Road. He casually searched for the store name on the map.

Sure enough, it wasn't some fancy star-rated hotel, but an extremely low-key Suzhou-style private restaurant. The average cost per person was not low, and reservations were required in advance. The fact that a table could be booked within a few hours showed that the Gu family had very solid social connections in the area.

Zhao Shuyao washed his face, changed into a clean black jacket, and walked out of the hotel.

Since it was a visit to elders, going empty-handed was like offering one's face to be slapped. After walking along the pedestrian street for a while, I entered a time-honored tea shop and the pharmacy next door.

Two cans of Mingqian Longjing tea in simple, antique packaging, and two boxes of high-quality Dong'e donkey-hide gelatin.

It wasn't particularly valuable, but it was reasonable and there was nothing wrong with it.

6:50 p.m.

The ride-hailing car stopped at the entrance of a bluestone alley on the outer side of Pingjiang Road.

As dusk settled, the dim yellow lights illuminated the alleyways, and the air was filled with the unique moisture and sweetness of the Jiangnan water towns.

Zhao Shuyao opened the car door and immediately saw Gu Nanxi standing under the eaves.

Instead of wearing the beige trench coat from the afternoon, she changed into a high-quality light gray cardigan with a pure white silk shirt underneath. She looked less like a student and more like a dignified young lady from a well-to-do family.

Gu Nanxi also saw him, quickly walked down the steps, and her eyes immediately fell on the gift box he was carrying in his hands.

"You're here, why did you buy all this stuff?" Gu Nanxi frowned slightly, her tone filled with undisguised complaint. "My family doesn't need these things."

Zhao Shuyao stopped and looked at her in the light of the street lamp.

"Whether your family needs something or not is because your family is wealthy." Zhao Shuyao's lips curled up, his tone unhurried. "But whether I buy it or not is a matter of my manners. I am a junior, and if I were to swagger in empty-handed to freeload a meal when I first meet an elder, that would be a sign of my lack of manners. I will not take the blame for that."

Gu Nanxi was rendered speechless by his flawless logic, and could only glare at him irritably: "I knew I couldn't argue with you."

The two walked side by side toward a private restaurant deep in the alley.

"I told them I didn't need to treat them, but they wouldn't listen," Gu Nanxi muttered to herself as she walked. "They even said they were thanking me for taking care of them all this time. What do I need you to take care of me for?"

Zhao Shuyao's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing these words.

"Nanxi." Zhao Shuyao slowed his pace, his tone slightly teasing. "Do you really think your aunt and uncle are here to thank me?"

"Otherwise what?"

"My parents' dinner parties are never just about simple thanks." Zhao Shuyao looked at the wooden sign at the end of the alley. "You, a girl who is usually very opinionated, suddenly keep mentioning a boy's name in front of them."

"At their level of experience, this is called a 'high-risk sign.' They're less here to have dinner with me and more here to conduct 'due diligence,' to see what kind of person I am, the guy who might be trying to abduct their daughter."

Upon hearing this, Gu Nanxi paused slightly, a faint blush rising on her cheeks under the dim light. Clearly, she was an extremely intelligent person; with just a hint from Zhao Shuyao, she fully understood her parents' deeper intentions.

"Then... then don't mind it later." Gu Nanxi said a little guiltyly, "My mom is sometimes a bit blunt."

"Don't worry," Zhao Shuyao smiled. "I've even met an eighty-year-old master, why would I be afraid of a meal?"

The private restaurant has no main dining area; it consists entirely of independent courtyard rooms.

Pushing open the carved wooden lattice door, the private room is decorated with the atmosphere of a Jiangnan garden, with a round table of huanghuali wood placed in the center.

A man and a woman sat around the round table.

They all looked quite young, in their early forties, and were very well-maintained. The man wore a high-quality navy blue shirt and frameless glasses, exuding an air of refined scholarliness and the composure of someone who had long held a high position.

The woman wore a well-tailored cheongsam and a plain shawl, her makeup was exquisite, but her eyes revealed a shrewdness.

Gu Nanxi's parents.

Upon hearing the door open, the two stopped talking and turned their gazes toward the doorway.

"Dad, Mom." Gu Nanxi walked in first, making way for him. "This is Zhao Shuyao."

Zhao Shuyao stepped forward with composure, gently placed the gift box on the coffee table beside him, and smiled politely: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt. I am Zhao Shuyao, a classmate of Nanxi. It's a pleasure to meet you both. I didn't know your preferences, so I just brought some tea and donkey-hide gelatin as a small token of my appreciation."

These words were spoken without the awkwardness of meeting an elder for the first time, nor with any deliberate attempt to please; the volume was moderate, and the pronunciation was clear.

Mr. Gu remained seated, not immediately rising. He merely glanced at Zhao Shuyao and nodded slightly, saying, "Little Zhao, please sit down."

His gaze was deep, the kind of look that comes from years of navigating the complexities of society and habitually assessing people's worth.

Gu's mother stood up and quickly scanned the gift boxes on the coffee table. She recognized the two brands and found them to be quite expensive. For an ordinary student, this would definitely be considered a large expense.

"Little Zhao, right? You're here, why did you bring anything?" Gu's mother had a formulaic smile on her face, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

She walked slowly to the round table, pulled out a chair, and spoke in a seemingly gentle tone, but inadvertently revealed a sharp edge.

"I heard from Nanxi that you're still in school, and your hometown is in northern Jiangsu, right? Your family's financial situation isn't great, so why are you spending money on these things?" Gu's mother looked at Zhao Shuyao, her tone of concern tinged with a sense of superiority. "Our family doesn't lack these things. After dinner, you should take them back to your parents to help them recover."

Upon hearing this, the air in the private room seemed to freeze instantly.

In short, it conveys three meanings: it points out that you are a poor student; it points out that your family background is not as good as ours; it's a way of showing your filial piety while directly refusing your gift.

This is not just disrespectful; it's downright humiliating Zhao Shuyao.

Gu Nanxi's expression changed instantly.

She knew her mother all too well. Her mother was used to using this kind of subtle, understated tactic in the business world to suppress her negotiating opponents and gain a psychological advantage, but she never expected that her mother would use this tactic on Zhao Shuyao.

"Mom, what are you saying!" Gu Nanxi immediately became agitated, her voice rising an octave. "Shuyao came all this way to buy these things; it's a token of his appreciation. How can you say such things? This is going too far!"

As Gu Nanxi spoke, she pulled out a chair and sat heavily next to Zhao Shuyao, making her stance clear with her actions: "Hurry up and call the food, I've been starving all day."

When Gu's mother was confronted so directly by her daughter, the smile on her face froze for a moment.

Mr. Gu remained silent, only adjusting his glasses. Through the lenses, his gaze remained fixed on Zhao Shuyao's face.

He wanted to see whether this young man, so fiercely protected by his daughter, would blush with anger and retort in the face of such a humiliating scene, or feel so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear.

However, Zhao Shuyao's reaction exceeded everyone's expectations.

There was no anger, no embarrassment, and not even the rhythm of his breathing was disturbed in the slightest.

Zhao Shuyao calmly pulled out a chair and sat down.

Zhao Shuyao picked up the teacup in front of him, gently swirled it a couple of times, and a very natural smile appeared on his lips.

"Auntie's words make me feel a little ashamed," Zhao Shuyao said calmly, meeting Gu's mother's gaze as if discussing the weather.

"Actually, when I was buying these things, I was thinking that Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu are both well-traveled people. They must have seen all the good things that money can buy on the market, so they certainly don't lack them."

Gu's mother was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting the other party to go along with her words.

Zhao Shuyao changed the subject, leaning forward slightly, his eyes revealing a composed air of someone well-read: "However, the rules left by our ancestors emphasize 'a gift of a goose feather from a thousand miles away carries great meaning.'"

"I bought these not to provide you with anything rare or unusual, but simply as a junior offering something as a token of respect."

He paused, then his smile deepened.

"Since Auntie is worried about me, a poor student, spending money and afraid I'll go hungry," Zhao Shuyao put down his teacup, his voice soft but carrying immense weight, "then I'll shamelessly accept Auntie's 'care.' The things have already been delivered."

"There's no reason to take it back. If you two don't mind, you can keep it to serve tea to your guests. If you really want me to take it back, I'd be shameless enough to do it."

This statement combines both soft and hard tactics.

First, elevate the other party to defuse the awkwardness; then, invoke the rules to occupy the moral high ground; finally, go with the flow and define the other party's "rejection" as "feeling sorry" for the younger generation. Throughout the entire process, there wasn't a single dirty word or a single argumentative remark, yet the condescending arrogance was completely dispelled.

Upon hearing these words, Mr. Gu paused slightly in his teacup, a glint of light flashing in the depths of his eyes.

This young man is no ordinary person.

Not only is she shrewd, but she also has a sharp tongue; no wonder she managed to send that old academic tycoon to the hospital online.

Gu's mother was also speechless for a moment. The follow-up remarks she had prepared were completely rendered useless by Zhao Shuyao's Tai Chi push-hands.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room.

Waiters filed in carrying exquisite Jiangnan dishes.

"Alright, let's eat first," Mr. Gu finally spoke, breaking the brief silence.

Picking up his chopsticks, he looked across the round table at Zhao Shuyao again, his gaze less arrogant and more genuinely inquisitive: "Little Zhao, I heard you've been making quite a stir online lately."