AGN -Chapter 449 Taifeng Tower

Zhao Cheng’an carefully observed for three days and confirmed that Qin Huai wasn’t like before—suddenly making a breakthrough as if he had swallowed some miraculous elixir. Only then did he quietly let out a breath of relief.

Good. His buddy just looked like he had an epiphany—he didn’t actually have one.

If Qin Huai were really having big breakthroughs every few days, how were ordinary geniuses supposed to survive? Did he ever consider the life and death of ordinary geniuses like them?

If Qin Huai knew what Zhao Cheng’an was thinking, he would probably pat him on the shoulder to reassure him: don’t worry, it’s just a small insight. Nothing big.

When the proficiency bar fills up later, I’ll give you a real big one all at once.

Amid the peaceful grind of skill proficiency, time quickly arrived at July 14th.

As a side note, Qin Luo’s final exam results came out on July 7th. She did alright—not at the bottom of the class—which greatly relieved Qin Congwen and Zhao Rong. So relieved, in fact, that they called Qin Huai that night to sigh emotionally about how their daughter had finally grown up and become sensible, no longer ranking in the bottom ten of the class!

She was 13th from the bottom!

Considering there were only 30 students in her class, that could also be interpreted as 18th from the top.

Qin Huai also felt relieved. Sometimes a child’s academic performance only becomes “painful” when compared to others. Although Qin Luo’s grades were still not great, compared to Shi Dadan’s two children, she looked practically like a model student.

In his relief, Qin Huai deeply felt that the tutoring teacher recommended by Gong Liang had indeed been effective. With some extra money, they managed to get the tutor to come to Shanshi, and even bundled He Cheng off there as well to study with Qin Luo.

Qin Huai said that as He Cheng’s cousin, there wasn’t much else he could do. Since he had earned a bit of money over the past two years, even if he couldn’t give anything else, he would cover the tutoring fees!

From the fact that Qin Luo hadn’t posted on social media for five days, it was clear that the tutoring was probably going well.

Sorry for the digression—back to the main topic.

The exchange meeting hosted by Baobao Zhai was scheduled for July 15–16, and it was set to begin at 9 a.m. on the 15th. Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng’an had to leave on the afternoon of the 14th.

Given Zhao Cheng’an’s personality, since they had a flight to catch in the afternoon of the 14th, there was no way he would still go to Zhiwei Residence in the morning to make pastries. Under Zhao Cheng’an’s sincere invitation, Qin Huai also chose to sleep in that morning and pack his luggage, then head to the airport with him in the afternoon.

After all, he had been grinding proficiency for so long—Qin Huai had only taken one day off during the entire period, and even that day he stayed home making pastries for Shi Dadan. He could be said to have not rested at all.

Taking half a day off was completely reasonable.

Master Zhou understood this very well. He believed that balancing work and rest was the best way to practice. Not only did he thoughtfully prepare pastries that could be taken on the plane, he also cheerfully told Qin Huai that if one day in Beiping wasn’t enough, he could stay a few more days.

If Qin Huai didn’t get enough to eat at Fen Garden in one meal, he could just call him anytime, and Master Zhou would immediately mobilize all his connections to book another table.

Zhao Cheng’an asked Master Zhou whether, if he didn’t get enough after two meals, he could have a third.

Master Zhou told him to get lost.

Zhao Cheng’an obediently got lost—onto the plane—while also taking inventory of the pastries Master Zhou had packed for Qin Huai.

“Damn… egg yolk pastry, peach blossom pastry, lotus pastry, peach crisp, jujube paste pastry, egg tart, mille-feuille cake, yam cake, eight-treasure cake, dragon’s beard candy… this one is obviously smuggled in by Master Hua. Seriously, how come I never got this treatment when I traveled abroad before?”

“My master never packed me this many pastries. I always had to shamelessly ask for them! Even then, he’d only casually make one or two items for me. And now he makes so many for you—aren’t you afraid you’ll choke to death? Oh right, there’s water on the plane, so you won’t choke.”

While speaking, Zhao Cheng’an accurately picked out the egg tart that needed to be eaten warm from the pile of dry pastries and motioned for the flight attendant to bring him another glass of orange juice.

Watching Zhao Cheng’an start eating without hesitation, Qin Huai felt an unusual sense of familiarity—as if Shi Dadan were sitting right next to him.

The flight attendant, clearly experienced, handled Zhao Cheng’an’s behavior with ease. Not only did she refill his orange juice, she even handed him the drink menu.

Zhao Cheng’an ordered green tea for Qin Huai—and then drank it himself.

“Is it possible that Master Zhou deliberately prepared so many pastries, and half of them were actually for you?” Qin Huai said.

He had long noticed that although Master Zhou often complained about Zhao Cheng’an, and even disliked him in his heart, among the three apprentices, he actually liked Zhao Cheng’an the most.

Zhao Cheng’an chuckled and kept eating his egg tart.

“So what’s our itinerary in Beiping this time?” Qin Huai finally asked about the next two days after boarding.

“I’m not too sure either,” Zhao Cheng’an said, checking his phone. “Boss Su sent me a file, but I didn’t really read it.”

“I just remember we have a meeting at Baobao Zhai at 9 a.m. tomorrow, lunch there too, and the day after that we’re probably going on a field trip or something—maybe visiting the Great Wall?”

“Accommodation and meals are all included, even round-trip flights. There must be a lot of people attending this exchange meeting! As expected of a red-case restaurant, Baobao Zhai is really wealthy. Compared to them, our Zhiwei Residence looks like some rural beggar outfit. Our previous exchange meetings only reimbursed train tickets—and only second-class high-speed rail at that.”

“What exactly are they exchanging at the 9 a.m. meeting tomorrow? Cooking experience?” Qin Huai asked curiously.

“Don’t know,” Zhao Cheng’an clearly knew nothing, his mind only on eating and sightseeing. “Maybe just touring the kitchen? I’m not sure how red-case chefs do exchanges. In our Zhiwei Residence, we just walk around the kitchen, each chef cooks pastries directly, and then we taste each other’s work.”

Qin Huai: Fair enough. Very Zhiwei Residence.

Even visiting white-case chefs at exchange events had to cook two pastries before leaving.

Seeing that he couldn’t get any useful information about the exchange meeting—and not being particularly interested in it anyway—Qin Huai’s attention shifted elsewhere. Compared to the exchange, he was more interested in going to Beiping with Zhao Cheng’an.

“I checked where Taifeng Tower is,” Qin Huai said abruptly. “Our flight lands at 4 p.m., so we’ll have time. Let’s go take some photos there first, then go eat.”

Zhao Cheng’an was still eating when he nodded absently, then reacted a second later.

Taifeng Tower?

Oh right—the closed-down restaurant Qin Huai mentioned before.

What’s there to even check out at a closed restaurant? It’s not a tourist attraction.

Forget it. He didn’t understand. Not important. Let Qin Huai go wherever he wanted. Maybe it was another mission from that weird game system of his.

Zhao Cheng’an thought he was really a considerate colleague.

Zhao Cheng’an spent the entire flight eating and drinking, sampling every beverage on the menu. Halfway through, he even complained that the flight attendants’ tea-making skills were terrible—both green and black tea were worse than what newly trained An Youyou could make.

The downside of his indulgence was that before the plane even landed, he was already full.

Those who didn’t know would think he came on the plane for an all-you-can-eat buffet.

“Burp.”

Zhao Cheng’an let out the first post-landing burp in Beiping, checked the map on his phone, and said, “Hey Qin Huai, the Taifeng Tower you want to go to is actually quite close to Baobao Zhai and our hotel—all within the Second Ring Road.”

“Is that so?” Qin Huai nodded. “Then let’s drop our luggage at the hotel first, then head straight to Taifeng Tower. I just messaged Master Zhou to say we landed safely. Did you send yours?”

Zhao Cheng’an: …

So we even have to report safe arrival? Damn, I lost again.

After arriving at the hotel, Qin Huai was once again reminded of how wealthy Baobao Zhai was.

A high-end hotel suite inside the Second Ring Road—Qin Huai didn’t even need to guess the price. Baobao Zhai’s new boss, Ling Guangzhao, was clearly obsessed with spending money.

The wealth gap between top-tier red-case restaurants and white-case ones was enough to make Qin Huai grit his teeth.

Zhao Cheng’an was also slightly shocked.

“Holy crap, just how much money does Baobao Zhai make a year? This is ridiculous. It makes our Zhiwei Residence look like country beggars.”

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng’an looked at each other.

And both felt, at the same time, that they were the “poor ones.”

“Don’t say that,” Qin Huai comforted him. “You’re the only one from Zhiwei Residence. I’m not.”

Zhao Cheng’an: ?

The hotel was only 2.4 kilometers away from Taifeng Tower. Zhao Cheng’an, still uncomfortably full from the plane meals and in urgent need of digestion, checked the weather and felt that a mere 30°C was nothing. He boldly suggested, “How about we just walk there?”

Qin Huai: ?

Is this how Mayfly people experience the many facets of life?

Qin Huai didn’t quite understand, but he respected it—and nodded in agreement.

And so the two of them, one saying something outrageous and the other actually going along with it, set off from the hotel with great enthusiasm, walking toward Taifeng Tower.

Along the way, Qin Huai felt that, in theory, he should have already walked these streets in both Zhao Cheng’an’s and Chen Huihong’s memories. After all, back then the “Mad Miss” would do city walks in the inner city every day, practically exploring every corner of it.

The two-kilometer radius around Taifeng Tower must have been her regular roaming area.

A hundred years of time had completely transformed Beijing’s inner city. High-rise buildings had replaced low, cramped houses. Asphalt roads had flattened the old dirt paths. Street vendors had turned into storefronts in prime real estate locations.

The sky wasn’t even that blue anymore—in fact, it looked a little dull due to air quality—but Qin Huai felt it was much brighter than in his memories.

Everywhere he looked was traffic and crowds. Cars stretched into endless tail lights in traffic jams. Beggars along the roadside had completely disappeared. People on the streets wore either new or old clothes, but none were patched rags or coarse hemp garments.

Those squatting in corners were no longer terminally ill, dying poor people—but young folks sheltering from the sun and scrolling on their phones.

The inner city was still bustling and prosperous—but it was a different kind of bustle and prosperity.

Qin Huai had seen Beijing many times in memories—winter, autumn, summer—but this version was the first time.

“I was just joking,” Zhao Cheng’an said when he noticed Qin Huai looking around constantly. “Why are you acting like it’s your first time in the city?”

“It is my first time in Beijing,” Qin Huai smiled. “And it really is just like the legends say—traffic is terrible.”

Zhao Cheng’an deeply agreed. “Good thing we took the subway and didn’t call a taxi. Otherwise we’d still be stuck on the road. The navigation says turn left 100 meters ahead and we’ll reach Taifeng Tower. Strange, isn’t it? This restaurant has been closed for decades, but it still shows up on maps.”

“More importantly,” he added, “this place can support a restaurant staying closed for decades. I wonder how much rent this location would bring in per year.”

As he spoke, Zhao Cheng’an led Qin Huai forward, turned left—and Taifeng Tower came into view.

Qin Huai stopped in his tracks.

He hadn’t expected that after nearly a century, what he saw would still be exactly this.

It was almost identical to what he had seen in Chen Huihong’s memories.

The same exterior. The same signboard. Even the carved window frames, the steps at the entrance, the pillars beside the plaque—they were all exactly the same as in his memory.

Only now did Qin Huai realize how deeply etched Taifeng Tower was in his mind.

He remembered so many details: the aged plaque, the tall lacquered pillars, the carved patterns on the window frames, the double-line engravings on the edge of small tables by the windows, the style of tea sets the waiters used, the ivory chopsticks reserved for the “Mad Miss,” and even a missing bead in the abacus in the accounting room.

Most of all, he remembered how the two-story standalone building once stood proudly here, towering above the low surrounding houses like a crane among chickens.

Now that same “crane” had ended up in a CBD area, surrounded by skyscrapers—looking like a protected ancient relic.

“Wow,” Zhao Cheng’an exclaimed. “No wonder you wanted to come here for a photo stop. This Taifeng Tower is basically a tourist attraction!”

“Though I wonder if we can go inside.”

“No,” a clear male voice came from behind them.

The two turned around and saw a young foreign man—visibly over 185 cm tall, and strikingly handsome.

“This isn’t a tourist site. It’s privately owned and not open to the public,” he said, explaining in precise, fluent Chinese.

After finishing, he took a few photos of Taifeng Tower and then left.

Qin Huai blinked. “Wow, foreigners in Beijing really speak Chinese well. His Mandarin is more standard than my grandfather’s.”

His grandfather, a native of Guangdong Province, probably wouldn’t even pass the second-level Mandarin exam.

Zhao Cheng’an stared at the man’s back for a moment. “Wait… that guy… isn’t he Zhang… Zhang something?”

“Zhang something…”

“You know him?” Qin Huai asked curiously.

He hadn’t expected Zhao Cheng’an to have acquaintances in Beijing—especially foreign ones.

“I don’t know him personally. I just heard of him—I saw his photo before. Zhang something… I can’t remember. He’s a disciple of Master Xia!”

“The Master Xia from Fen Garden?”

“Yeah!”

Hearing that, Qin Huai immediately understood. Dong Shi had mentioned him before.

“I’ve heard of him. Isn’t he studying in Japan right now?”

Zhao Cheng’an shook his head. “Not sure. Maybe Master Xia returned recently because of poor health. I heard that guy started apprenticing under him before he was even ten. He might be a relative or something. Master Xia has no children—if he’s really unwell, the disciple would definitely come back to take care of him.”

“Master Xia has foreign relatives?”

“He’s half-French. His father is a famous French chef.”

Qin Huai stretched his neck, trying to catch another glimpse of the legendary disciple of Master Xia—but the man was tall and walked too fast, already gone.

“What was he doing taking photos of Taifeng Tower anyway?” Qin Huai muttered.

“No idea. Maybe just like you—treating it as a sightseeing spot,” Zhao Cheng’an said, snapping photos of the building with his phone. “A privately owned standalone restaurant in such a prime location, not even open to the public… just maintenance costs alone must be huge. Rich people really do whatever they want.”

Just as Zhao Cheng’an finished speaking—

A system notification suddenly rang in Qin Huai’s mind.

“Ding. Congratulations, you have discovered a hidden quest. Please check your quest panel.”

Huh?

A hidden quest.

This game system even has hidden quests.