I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Xu Qing looked up and saw a crowd gathered at the entrance of the Zhuangyuan Tower, with several familiar figures in the center...

Chen Shijin, Zhou Kang, Sun Decai, and three or four unfamiliar followers.

They were stopped at the door by two servants.

Zhou Kang pointed his finger at a servant's nose, speaking so loudly that the whole street could hear him.

"Are you blind?! Don't you even know who Young Master Chen is?! How dare you block his way outside?"

Sun Decai chimed in from the side, "Young Master Chen is a regular at Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant. Even your boss treats him with deference. How dare you, a mere doorman, stop him?"

The servant stood with his hands at his sides, neither servile nor arrogant: "Today is different from usual. Only guests with invitations are allowed to enter. This notice has already been posted, and we hope you gentlemen will understand."

Zhou Kang stepped forward, his finger almost poking the servant's face: "I'll forgive your mother's leg..."

"Zhou Kang," Chen Shijin interrupted Zhou Kang.

His gaze was gloomy. Although he didn't lash out on the spot, the folding fan in his hand kept opening and closing, clearly indicating that he was holding back his anger.

Just as things were at a stalemate, Li Yan arrived with two classmates.

He saw Chen Shijin being stopped at the door from afar, a faint smile appeared on his lips, but he walked to the door with even more upright steps.

Li Yan took out an invitation card.

"Waiter, please take a look."

The servant glanced at him, then bowed and said, "Young Master Li, please."

Zhou Kang's eyes turned red: "Why is he allowed in?"

Li Yan glanced at Chen Shijin, his tone indifferent: "Because I have an invitation. What, doesn't Young Master Chen have one?"

Chen Shijin's face immediately darkened.

"Zhou Kang, Sun Decai," one of Li Yan's classmates said with a smile. "You two are here early. Have you been standing here for a while? It's windy at the entrance, don't catch a cold."

Another person chimed in, "It's not that they'll catch a cold, it's just that some people might feel embarrassed."

Zhou Kang's face twitched, and he was about to lash out when he caught a glimpse of Xiao Mingyuan and Xu Qing walking over side by side.

His eyes darted around, and he immediately changed the subject, shouting in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, isn't this Young Master Xiao? What brings you here for the banquet at Zhuangyuanlou?"

Sun Decai chimed in, his tone full of sarcasm.

"Young Master Xiao has been quite something lately, writing poems and receiving praise all the time. Anyone who didn't know better would think he'd passed the imperial examination with top honors."

Zhou Kang pointed at Xu Qing with his fan and added, "He even brought a poor, penniless pageboy? Tsk tsk, this display is really going downhill."

Xiao Mingyuan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed: Shout, shout, the louder you shout now, the harder you'll be slapped in the face later.

He walked to the door, slowly took out the invitation from his pocket, and waved it in front of Zhou Kang and Sun Decai.

Then, unfolding the document in front of the waiter, she calmly and composedly asked, "Excuse me, sir, may we come in?"

The servant took the invitation, glanced at it, and immediately bowed, saying, "Young Master Xiao, please."

Zhou Kang's face immediately turned a deep shade of liver: "That invitation must be fake!"

Sun Decai echoed, "That's right!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Mingyuan turned around and looked at Zhou Kang.

"You're all speechless now? It's just these two sentences going back and forth."

Zhou Kang pointed at Xiao Mingyuan: "Don't be so smug! So what if you sneaked in and had a meal?"

"Young Master Zhou, take a look at yourself first. You can't even get inside, you can't even get a hot meal, and all you do is bark like a dog."

"you……"

"Young Master Zhou."

A clear, melodious voice came from upstairs.

Everyone looked up...

Su Man was descending the stairs.

Today she wore a light green long dress with a light gauze overlay, and only a white jade hairpin in her hair. She had no other ornaments on her body, yet she was still radiant.

She walked slowly and deliberately, her gaze sweeping around the doorway before finally settling on Chen Shijin.

"Since Young Master Chen is here, he is a guest."

Su Man's tone was neither warm nor cold, but it carried an undeniable air of authority...

"Zhuangyuan Restaurant does indeed have distinguished guests today, so it's inconvenient to receive too many people. However, since Young Master Chen has already arrived at the door, if you don't mind, you can come upstairs and take a seat together. But..."

She paused for a moment, her gaze gently sweeping over Zhou Kang and Sun Decai. "I hope you two will not cause any trouble."

Chen Shijin's complexion finally improved somewhat.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone returning to its usual refined manner: "Miss Su, you're too kind. I understand."

He led Zhou Kang and Sun Decai through the door, and as he passed Xiao Mingyuan, he gave a cold snort, said nothing more, and went straight upstairs.

Xu Qing followed behind Xiao Mingyuan, calmly surveying her surroundings, her gaze lingering on Su Man's face for a moment...

Su Man is looking at him...

Su Man's gaze held no disdain for the pageboy, only curiosity as she scrutinized him.

Xu Qing nodded slightly as a greeting, and then followed Xiao Mingyuan upstairs.

Su Man stood there, her gaze lingering on his retreating figure for a moment, a thought forming in her mind...

The page remained calm from beginning to end.

He didn't react much to the commotion others were making.

Chen Shijin was giving him the cold shoulder, but he seemed not to notice.

He stood behind Xiao Mingyuan, neither humble nor arrogant, neither showing off nor revealing his true intentions, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was thinking.

Is this the kind of shrewdness a pageboy should possess?

If he weren't so young, he would look more like a schoolteacher.

Yes, that's exactly the feeling of a schoolteacher!

It's interesting what makes someone look so mature for their age...

He's much more interesting than Xiao Mingyuan.

……

……