The sarcasm in her tone was obvious—nobody could miss it.
And she didn’t just offend Claire.
A few people nearby visibly stiffened at the words, clearly uncomfortable, but they held their tongues to avoid making a scene.
Claire acted like she hadn’t caught the mockery in Serena’s voice.
Her polite smile stayed perfectly in place.
“Miss Thompson, what a thing to say.
Everyone’s got it tough these days, don’t they?
Our staff works super hard, just like students pulling all-nighters in labs.
And big stars like you, pulling in two mil a day—can’t say that’s a breeze either, huh?
But…”
She lifted her head and looked Serena full in the face, eyes sharp and unflinching.
“But as far as I know, Miss Thompson, you didn’t exactly hit the books that much yourself.
So why look down on me?”
“You—!”
Serena’s expression almost cracked.
Sure, she was a top celeb, but school had always been her Achilles’ heel.
She’d tanked her entrance exams, didn’t even hit the national university cutoff.
The only reason she got into that joint foreign university program was because her family paid top dollar.
That college had a fancy name, and when fans found out, they hailed her as some academic queen—
Until that very night, when people went digging and exposed the whole thing:
If Serena was a top student, then anyone who joined P-Tech Night School must be a prodigy.
The online mockery came in waves.
Luckily, her PR team acted fast, scrubbing the hot searches and pivoting her image to a quirky “clueless beauty.” Public opinion cooled down with time.
Her education was the only bump in an otherwise smooth career, so naturally, it hit a nerve.
From the corner of her eye, Serena saw Violet recording with her phone.
She forced herself to bite back her anger.
After a pause, her face softened into confusion, like she was lost for words.
She gave a small wave.
“Claire, I didn’t mean it like that, okay?
You know I’m a bit slow sometimes and say dumb stuff.
I just meant… if you had studied a bit more back then, maybe your job would be less stressful now…”
Claire arched an eyebrow slightly.
They say in showbiz, a small break needs connections, but blowing up needs luck.
Serena didn’t become a leading star for no reason.
That acting?
Pure talent.
But Claire didn’t plan to watch the show.
She cut in, all calm and professional:
“Miss Thompson, no need to drag in unrelated stuff.
Let’s stick to your dining experience.
Could you tell me what exactly you found unsatisfactory about the food tonight at Lotus Smoke?”
Unsatisfactory?
Serena had a lot to complain about.
The restaurant was way out of the way—honestly, she wouldn’t have come if she hadn’t heard that Jasper might be cooking that night.
But when she asked, turned out the dishes weren’t from him at all.
Tasted just like a regular day.
Embarrassingly enough, she’d already posted about it on her social feed.
Now what?
Serena pulled a face.
“Claire, out of respect for you, I won’t make a fuss.
I’ll just say it straight.
The food here?
Bad and overpriced.
Tell me—how am I supposed to be happy with that?”
For a chef, nothing cuts deeper than hearing someone call your cooking “bad.”
The guy who made Serena’s dinner—Jasper’s top student, Arnold McCarthy—was standing nearby.
At the word “bad,” he couldn’t hold back.
“You calling my dishes bad?
Then how about you tell me what exactly was wrong with them!”
He’d been handling most of the VIP meals at Lotus Smoke ever since he graduated, and this was the first time anyone dumped on his food.
Serena wrinkled her nose and took a quick step back, voice full of disgust.
“Everything was off.
Let’s be real—if you guys didn’t keep bragging about having Jasper’s recipes, I never would’ve come.
But turns out it’s all just hype!
I mean, seriously, I didn’t even—””That’s total BS!”
Arnold’s temper clearly ran in the family.
Serena hadn’t even finished her sentence before his shout made her go stiff.
It took her a second to recover.
“Excuse me?
What, I can’t say something tastes bad now?”
Arnold puffed up his cheeks, clearly ready to argue more, but Claire stopped him with a glance.
“Miss Thompson, what would you suggest we do about it?” Claire said calmly.
“We’re here to serve our diners, so if there’s something you’re not happy with, just let us know.
We’ll do our best to fix it.”
Serena let out a sharp scoff.
Seeing Claire’s polite tone, she sneered, like she was doing a favor.
“Come on, Claire.
I’m only letting this slide today because of you.
Tell you what—get that so-called chef Jasper to cook a meal for me.
If it’s decent, I’ll just let the whole thing go.”
“Is that so…” Claire lowered her eyes slightly.
“Yeah, it’s that easy.”
Serena glanced at her freshly done nails, her attitude rich-girl levels of shameless.
“I’ll even pay for the meal we just had, and whatever your star chef cooks later.
That way no one can accuse me of stirring up drama.
Sounds fair?”
Claire gave a small shake of her head.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.
For starters, our former head chef no longer cooks for customers.
As for our current chef, he was trained by Jasper directly, so their dishes taste exactly the same.
Since you found this meal unpleasant, I guess even Jasper’s cooking might not suit your taste either.”
She paused, then added, “How about this—we’ll refund the full amount for today’s meal.
You and your friends can find a place that better fits your preferences.
This way we also free up the table for those still waiting.
How does that sound?”
As she spoke, Claire calmly stepped aside.
Almost in sync, the servers near them also moved, gesturing toward the exit like they had rehearsed it.
It was basically the restaurant version of “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
The whole move left Serena stunned for a second.
Just then, the lead server, dressed in a cheongsam, walked over with the bill.
“Miss Thompson, your total today was 3888.
The full amount has been refunded to Mr.
Cooper’s account.
We’ll also coordinate with him to collect the VIP card.
As for the membership fee over the past few years—”
“Wait a second!
Why are you cancelling the VIP card?” Serena’s face contorted.
Claire kept smiling.
“If a guest finds our food not to their liking, it’s only fair not to let them keep wasting money here.
Plus, we’ve got plenty of diners who do enjoy our menu and value the VIP services.
Retrieving the card allows us to better serve them.”
By now, Serena’s face was practically purple with frustration.
All she’d wanted was for Jasper to cook her a meal.
How on earth had it escalated like this?
If Nelson found out…
No, she couldn’t let him find out.
“I mean, I’m just one person with specific tastes, that’s all.
My friend actually really liked the food here.”
She bumped Violet lightly with her elbow as she spoke.
Violet nodded quickly, flustered.
“Yeah, I thought it was great.
And besides, it’s Mr.
Cooper’s card—how can you just cancel it?”
“But…”
Claire looked troubled.
Before she could say more, Serena quickly cut in, “Actually, I just remembered there are a few dishes I really like here.
Maybe today’s batch was off.
I’ll pick something else.
Don’t worry about the refund—just serve the new ones.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Thompson,” Claire replied with an apologetic smile.
“I don’t think there’s anyone here who can make something you’ll actually enjoy.
Maybe it’s best if you try somewhere else.”On both sides, the staff moved in sync, making it clear they were politely showing her the way out.