Chapter 77

Xi Shuqin met his gaze, her heart “thumping” within her chest, “Mr. Tang, is there something wrong with this tea?”

Tang Feng didn’t answer her question, but just coldly stared at her, “Since Mrs. Shen has no sincerity at all, why should I warmly pursue your indifference? I’ll take my leave!”

With that, he stood up and walked towards the exit.

“Mr. Tang, please wait. I truly wish to seek your advice sincerely. What exactly has happened?”

Seeing him ready to leave, Xi Shuqin hurriedly stood up to block his path.

Tang Feng looked at her with icy eyes, “Sincere? This pot of tea is clearly pre-rain Dragon Well, yet you claimed it was pre-Qingming Dragon Well. Are you testing my knowledge or my intelligence?”

“Pre-rain Dragon Well? How is that possible? I specifically asked for pre-Qingming Dragon Well tea,” Xi Shuqin quickly walked back, pouring herself a cup of tea, and took a sip.

But she couldn’t taste any difference at all.

Qin Yanan also curiously tasted the tea, finding it refreshing and leaving a pleasant aftertaste, yet unaware of any issue.

Tang Feng, with an unwavering face, continued to stare at Xi Shuqin, “Pre-Qingming Dragon Well is harvested before the Qingming festival and has a higher content of amino acids, which gives it a lighter and fresher fragrance.”

“Whereas pre-rain Dragon Well is harvested during the Grain Rain period and tends to taste more astringent.”

“Moreover, in terms of price, pre-Qingming Dragon Well is about three times as expensive as pre-rain Dragon Well…”

Qin Yanan and Xi Shuqin listened to his eloquent explanation, impressed yet not fully understanding.

In fact, most people who come to tea houses of this caliber practice a superficial appreciation for tea, with few real connoisseurs among them.

Now, hearing his explanation, the two of them came to understand the difference between the two.

“Although pre-rain Dragon Well is cheaper, I myself do like its aftertaste and its robust astringency. But you cannot intentionally misrepresent pre-rain Dragon Well as pre-Qingming Dragon Well. Isn’t that a mockery of me?” Tang Feng’s tone was very strict, offering no face-saving grace.

“Mr. Tang, there must be some misunderstanding here, please wait a moment,” Xi Shuqin hurriedly offered an apology, then called the waitress over to inquire about what had actually happened.

The waitress, after tasting the tea, suddenly turned pale, “I’m so sorry, it must be our staff who got the teas mixed up and served pre-rain Dragon Well instead of pre-Qingming Dragon Well. We truly apologize.”

The manager of the tea house was quickly alerted and rushed over to apologize to the three of them, not only waiving the bill for their tea but also offering a complimentary pot of fine pre-Qingming Dragon Well.

The minor disruption was quickly resolved.

The three of them took their seats again, but their mindsets were completely different now.

Before this incident, Xi Shuqin had held the absolute initiative, while Tang Feng and Qin Yanan were in a passive position.

But after this small disturbance, the initiative had shifted to Tang Feng’s hands, and Xi Shuqin, feeling guilty, found herself in a passive position.

Tang Feng felt a sense of triumph in his heart.

In truth, he had no idea about the difference between pre-Qingming and pre-rain tea; it was all thanks to the system.

He was simply seizing the opportunity to take control.

It was to prevent her from suspecting that they had any ulterior motives towards her.

Though that was indeed the case, it was still better to allay her concerns first, to facilitate the next step of the plan.

“Mr. Tang, with tea in place of wine, I once again express my apologies to you,” said Xi Shuqin, still taking the initiative to apologize even though the mistake was on the tea house’s part.

Tang Feng nodded expressionlessly, “Since it was all a misunderstanding, I am not one to hold a grudge over such trifles. Let’s put this matter to rest.”

Only then did Xi Shuqin breathe a sigh of relief. She silently savored her tea for a while longer before asking again, “Mr. Tang, earlier you only mentioned my insomnia but did not offer a solution. If you can help me resolve this bad luck, I will be most grateful.”

Tang Feng set down his cup and glanced up at her, “Do you want to hear the truth?”

Xi Shuqin hurriedly refilled his tea and nodded eagerly, “Of course.”

Tang Feng drummed his fingers on the table a few times before he slowly began, “Looking at your face, it seems there’s a malicious energy invading your twelve signs, especially the Couple Sign, and there are signs of it spreading towards the Parent Sign and the Career Sign…”

Xi Shuqin was confused and promptly interjected, “What does that mean exactly? Can you explain it in plain language?”

Tang Feng paused briefly before continuing, “To put it bluntly, a stroke of bad luck is haunting you.”

“At first, it will affect the relationship between you and your husband, leading to disagreements and discord.”

“If this bad luck is not dealt with promptly, you and your husband might turn against each other, which could then affect both of your parents and your careers.”

Xi Shuqin’s expression grew more solemn; she and Mr. Shen had indeed had some quarrels in the recent days, something that had never happened before.

This matched exactly what Mr. Tang was describing.

By the time he finished speaking, she was so scared she turned pale, “We’ve never done anything immoral as a couple; how could we be struck with bad luck?”

Tang Feng shook his head, “This malicious energy wasn’t attracted by your actions; it came to you inadvertently.”

“Think carefully, has anything unusual, something with a negative aura, recently entered your home?”

“A negative aura?” Xi Shuqin furrowed her brow in thought, “No, there’s been nothing recently at home, just that Mr. Shen brought back a bracelet a while ago from a trip to the mountains, which an old man gave him. But that couldn’t be considered an object with a negative aura, could it?”

“A bracelet? What kind of bracelet?” Tang Feng feigned ignorance, while he glanced at Qin Yanan.

And Qin Yanan looked at him with admiration.

This guy truly has a talent for deception.

Thankfully, she had brought him to Ya Garden. If he were left to roam society, who knew what kind of chaos he might cause?

With this in mind, she felt like she had removed a scourge from the populace.

“It’s a bracelet Mr. Shen received from an old man on his trip to the mountainous area, he didn’t think much of it at first, but later discovered that the bracelet was worth a fortune…”

Xi Shuqin immediately recounted the incident, mostly aligning with what Qin Yanan had said earlier.

After listening, Tang Feng affected some calculations, and finally heaved a long sigh.

“If I’m not mistaken, this bracelet is the very object with a negative aura. Think about it, have you started experiencing insomnia, anxiety, and restlessness ever since this bracelet came into your possession?”

At his words, Xi Shuqin suddenly realized, “It does seem so; ever since Mr. Shen got that bracelet, I haven’t had a peaceful night’s sleep.”