Chapter 248: Give A Rose To Others, And Its Fragrance Will Linger On Your Hand
It had to be said—the staff at AllReviews were impressively efficient. Just two minutes later, when Wang Peng refreshed the app, the restaurant's location already showed up as a blank listing.
Only, there was nothing inside it—completely empty.
Other listings on AllReviews were all detailed and complete: photos, names, ratings, reviews, average spending, location, and so on.
But this one had only a blank name—and nothing else.
Wang Peng thought for a moment and started filling in some information himself.
The name remained blank.
As for the average spending, based on this meal, that would be more than five thousand yuan per person.
The detailed rating, though, was a bit tricky.
Originally, Wang Peng planned to give it 4.8 stars, but after browsing other restaurants in Jingzhou with 4.8 ratings, he realized that this unnamed private kitchen utterly outclassed all of them—in flavor, environment, and service alike.
Giving it a 4.8 would simply be unfair.
So, he gave it a perfect score!
Wang Peng entered nothing but rows of five stars.
There were no photos, since taking pictures inside the restaurant was not allowed.
He could have taken a picture of the entrance, but it was just an ordinary villa—it didn't show at all the wonders hidden inside. Feeling that a photo of the front gate would be meaningless, Wang Peng decided not to upload any pictures at all.
Then, he carefully wrote his review:
"Overall, this is the most high-end restaurant in Jingzhou—bar none. We ordered three or four dishes, and the ingredients were all top-tier, probably the best available in the country. Reservations are required one or two days in advance. The taste was excellent as well; I'm guessing the chefs were brought in from other regions, and likely more than one, since they can serve all kinds of cuisines."
"The environment is extremely quiet, and the decor even changes depending on the dishes served—that level of attention to detail is truly impressive."
"The service was flawless. You never need to lift a finger; the staff handles everything for you—yet somehow, you never feel intruded upon. It's remarkable."
"Also, they care a lot about ceremony—no photos allowed during the meal. But honestly, that makes the dining experience even more immersive."
"In short, the food lovers of Jingzhou are truly in for a treat."
Wang Peng didn't exaggerate or write any empty praise—he simply described what he experienced, honestly and completely.
However, since this review was posted from his verified red V account, it naturally carried much more weight than an ordinary user's.
That very evening, not long after Wang Peng's review went live, it began racking up likes and comments at a rapid pace!
As one of AllReviews' co-founders, Wang Peng's account carried a verified red V badge. Internally, such accounts received preferential exposure—meaning that if multiple people reviewed the same restaurant, Wang Peng's review would always appear first.
On top of that, Wang Peng was known for being quite the character—a dramatic guy who loved to make his presence felt. Every time he visited a restaurant, he never forgot his roots and would always write a serious review afterward.
As a result, his account had accumulated tens of thousands of followers. The moment this new review was posted, his fans immediately noticed.
But when curious netizens opened the restaurant's page, they were all dumbfounded.
No photos. No name.
The restaurant's title field was completely blank—it looked absurdly sloppy.
Below it, however, sat a five-star review and an average spending of over 5,000 yuan—leaving onlookers utterly bewildered.
"Is this an official AllReviews recommendation?"
"Did the platform promote it themselves? This place is gonna blow up!"
"I remember Mr. Wang being super strict with his scores—full marks this time? Must be a sponsored post!"
"Who on earth could afford to hire Mr. Wang for promotion? That's some serious pull!"
"Why doesn't this place have a name? Is the system bugged?"
"And there's only Mr. Wang's single review—not even a single photo."
"Over 5,000 yuan per person? Yeah, not for me. Guess I'll just watch from afar while the rich folks feast…"
"Jingzhou's fine dining scene is way behind Beijing and Shanghai—can it really be worth that price?"
The online spectators were getting fired up.
Sure, they couldn't afford to eat there, but watching from the sidelines was free entertainment, wasn't it?
Many locals in Jingzhou were puzzled—since when did their city have such a high-end restaurant? No one had ever heard of it!
Meanwhile, wealthy foodies from other regions were intrigued as well. Any place that could earn a five-star review from Wang Peng had to be extraordinary. If they ever visited Jingzhou on business, they'd definitely have to stop by for a meal.
Enthusiastic fans flooded the comment section under Wang Peng's review, and Wang Peng—ever the extrovert—enthusiastically replied to each question.
"I know a proper review usually needs at least three photos, but the restaurant doesn't allow photography, so I couldn't include any."
"Yes, it's expensive. But considering the ingredients, the culinary skill, the ambiance, and the service, I think the price is justified. If you have a special passion for fine dining, go ahead and splurge once—the experience will absolutely be worth it."
"Recommended dishes? Hard to say. I just ordered a few random ones, and every single dish was excellent. So I imagine the rest are just as good—this place is clearly committed to perfection."
"No, this isn't a collaboration. In fact, the owner of this restaurant is too low-profile. I actually wanted to discuss a partnership, but they politely turned me down... I just feel, as a member of AllReviews, it's my duty to recommend a place this good to everyone—that's been our core mission from the very beginning."
After replying to a few more comments from enthusiastic netizens, Wang Peng set his phone down with a satisfied smile.
AllReviews had always operated under a simple founding principle: information from the people, for the people.
When a business was good, it deserved praise; when it was bad, it deserved criticism. The goal was to make sure every excellent establishment could shine—and every subpar one could be exposed.
As a co-founder of AllReviews, Wang Peng felt he had lived up to that ideal perfectly.
As the saying goes, "Give a rose to others, and its fragrance will linger on your hand."
By promoting this mysterious private kitchen, maybe—just maybe—the chef would be so pleased that he'd finally agree to become an official partner of AllReviews!
Wang Peng thought happily to himself.
. . .
August 27th, Friday.
Pei Qian tossed his game controller aside and rubbed his sore shoulders.
He was exhausted.
After suffering through a full week of gameplay, even though he was getting increasingly familiar and skilled with the game, for someone like Pei Qian—who couldn't find joy in "painful challenges"—it was still pure torment.
"If it weren't for the sake of losing money, I'd never push myself like this…"
He glanced at the character on the screen—the avatar wielding Pudu (Salvation) had already reached the entrance of the "Six Paths of Reincarnation" stage. There were still many tough battles ahead in the coming days.
Fortunately, at this pace, he would definitely finish the game before its official release.
"Almost time to check in on Qiao Liang."
Pei Qian shut down the computer and stood up, preparing to head to the Moyu Internet Café.
After taking Qiao Lao Shi to dinner at Mingyun Private Kitchen last weekend, Pei Qian hadn't been back there since.
Business entertaining had its own rules—going once was fine, but dining there constantly would raise suspicion. The system wouldn't allow it.
So Pei Qian figured that now, a week later, he could find some clever excuse to go back to Mingyun Private Kitchen again over the weekend.
As for what kind of "clever excuse" that might be…
That was easy—just have Qiao Liang come up with a few "suggestions" for changes to the game. That way, it would count as a major contribution to Tengda, and going out for another meal would be perfectly reasonable.
. . .
At Moyu Internet Café, Handong University branch.
Qiao Liang's game session had just reached a good stopping point. Leaning back in his chair, he took a sip of his cocktail, feeling completely relaxed.
After a month of playing, he realized he'd finally figured out the game's tricks!
It was definitely difficult at first, but not in the usual "numbers too high" way—the difficulty came from how it completely redefined the playstyle.
If players couldn't shift their mindset or adapt to this new system, the game would feel punishingly hard.
But once they did adapt, the difficulty dropped dramatically.
Typical RPGs were extremely forgiving—small mistakes barely mattered. Most players were used to that kind of leniency. Getting hit by a few minor enemies? No big deal.
But Turn Back Before It's Too Late demanded total focus even during regular encounters. Players had to consciously memorize each monster's attack patterns, timings, and tendencies.
Once that shift in mindset clicked, Qiao Liang found the game wasn't so hard after all—and in fact, far more engaging than other titles.
"So, I really misunderstood President Pei before," he muttered.
"Turn Back Before It's Too Late is a game truly built for hardcore players, full of innovative ideas—not something made just to torture people!"
"If he wanted to make it painful, he could've just inflated the numbers mindlessly. But he didn't. Instead, he created a world where every player can grow stronger through effort. That's genius."
"I can't believe I ever doubted him. Shame on me!"
The more he played, the more fascinated he became. What used to feel like suffering now felt like a thrilling challenge—every day filled him with motivation.
And life at Moyu Internet Café was simply too good.
The computers here were even better than his high-end setup at home. Not only was the hardware top-tier, but even the peripherals—the keyboard, mouse, headset, controller—were of the highest quality.
For a game like Turn Back Before It's Too Late, where a moment's distraction meant instant death, high frame rates and stability were priceless. And here, everything ran buttery smooth—the experience was addictive.
On top of that, the café served coffee and cocktails. The food might have been simple, but it was nutritious, balanced, and genuinely tasty—worlds apart from greasy takeout.
Qiao Liang was living in pure comfort. It was, quite literally, every gamer's paradise.
Of course, the only downside was that it was a bit pricey.
But honestly, for this level of comfort, the price felt totally fair.
<+>
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