Who would still be a social slave when they are so rich?

"Hey Su, where are you? Didn't you say you were going to play chess with the old man this afternoon? How come you ran home as soon as I woke up? Were you deliberately hiding from the old man?"

When Su Chen saw Deng Chao and the others off, it was already past four in the afternoon. He thought that since it was so late, Grandpa Jiang probably wouldn't ask him to play chess anymore.

To his utter surprise, just as he was thinking of lying down to rest for a while, Grandpa Jiang called, and as soon as he answered, he heard Grandpa Jiang's loud voice.

"Grandpa Jiang, my friend had a little trouble, and I was just afraid you'd misunderstand. I even told Brother Yao before I left that I'd let you know when you got up, Grandpa. Didn't he tell you?" Su Chen pretended to be both amused and exasperated, decisively deflecting Grandpa Jiang's three questions.

To his surprise, Old Master Jiang didn't buy it at all, and chuckled, "Hmph, don't try to fool me! Don't think I don't know you've already taken care of things on your end. I happened to be right next to Huang Feng when Old Wang called to report just now!"

"Stop babbling! You come back right now, immediately! You can play a few games of chess with this old man and have dinner at Old Man Xiao's place tonight. Otherwise, this old man will come to your house and drag you away!"

Grandpa Jiang's booming voice came through the phone, making Su Chen's ears ring. Su Chen couldn't help but move the phone away a little, thinking to himself, "Grandpa Jiang is so old, yet his voice is louder than that of a young person."

Rubbing his ears, Su Chen was already racking his brains trying to come up with a good excuse to get rid of Grandpa Jiang.

"I've got it!" Su Chen's eyes lit up quickly, and a good idea came to mind. He immediately said seriously, "Alright, alright, you've personally given the order, how could I dare not play chess with you? But... Grandpa, you know it's getting late, almost time for dinner, how about this..."

“I happen to have opened a private club called ‘Tianque’ a few hundred meters away from the Xiao family compound. It’s a place to eat and chat. It was just finished these past two days. I even specially hired the top chefs from the eight major cuisines. Why don’t you and Grandpa Xiao come over and help me with the flavors and give me some suggestions? What do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Jiang on the other end of the phone burst out laughing. "You've got a pretty good plan, kid. What do you mean by 'just pretending'? You just don't want to play chess with this old man, so you're making up an excuse. If I refuse, are you going to find another reason to avoid coming?"

"Today, things just won't go as you wish. This chess game is a done deal with you today. Send me the address, and I'll bring Old Man Jiang and Old Man Chen over in a bit!"

Without giving Su Chen a chance to reply, she hung up the phone immediately, as if afraid that Su Chen would change his mind.

Looking at the phone that had been hung up, Su Chen smiled and shook his head. He then asked his butler, Jiang Hui, to call Tianque and ask them to arrange a lavish dinner immediately. He also sent Tianque's address to Chen Yao.

After finishing these tasks, Su Chen did not stay in the courtyard any longer. He called Chen Fei and the steward Jiang Hui and headed straight for Tianque.

……

The Xiao Family Compound!

Just as Grandpa Xiao was about to instruct Huang Feng to tell the kitchen to prepare some Huaiyang dishes for dinner, Old Man Jiang rushed in, shouting, "Old Man Xiao, Old Man Chen, come on, I'll take you to a big restaurant!"

Are they taking advantage of the big spenders?

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze turned to Old Master Jiang, waiting for their explanation.

"Isn't this Su Chen? I asked him to come and play chess with me, but he made up an excuse, saying that he opened a private club called Tianque nearby and asked us to go get some for him before he would agree to play chess with me." Old Master Jiang briefly explained the whole story.

"Tianque?!" Upon hearing this, Old Master Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly. He had heard Xiao Chen mention this name to him before, saying that Su Chen had put a lot of effort into creating a place specifically for eating and drinking tea. It was not open to the public and could only be entered by members, and there were only a handful of twenty membership cards available.

"That's quite an interesting name, 'I wonder what the celestial palace is like'~ It seems this young Su has quite the ambition!" Old Master Chen put down his teacup and chuckled as he teased.

"That kid also said he specially hired top chefs from the eight major cuisines, Old Man Xiao and Old Man Chen. We probably can't even enjoy this kind of treatment!" Old Master Jiang smacked his lips, feeling a little jealous.

Chen Yao, who was standing nearby, also chimed in, "As far as I know, Su Chen has put a lot of effort into Tianque. He brought back a lot of cultural relics from Hawaii this time, and they have all been sent to Tianque as decorations. Among them is Tang Bohu's famous tiger painting!"

As soon as Chen Yao spoke, the three old men showed surprise on their faces and became somewhat curious about the Heavenly Palace.

The three exchanged glances, and Old Master Xiao immediately made the decision: "Let's go! Since young Su has invited us like this, let's go see what he's up to!"

They didn't simply think that Su Chen had called them over just to get some food or play chess with Old Man Jiang. Only when they got there would they find out what Su Chen was really up to.

Soon Su Chen's address was sent over, and upon inspection... it was indeed very close to the Xiao family compound, only a few hundred meters away.

The old men had originally planned to walk there, just to empty their stomachs before the meal, but Huang Feng strongly stopped them, and in the end they had no choice but to take the car there.

Chen Yao also took the time to send Su Chen a message, telling him that the old men had already set off and that he should prepare to receive them.

On the other side, Su Chen had just arrived at the courtyard where Tianque was located. Before he even entered the gate, he received a message from Chen Yao. He had originally thought of going in first to see what Tianque was like, but after thinking about it, he decided to wait for the old men to arrive before going in together.

"Ah Fei~ Have you prepared everything?" Su Chen turned his head and looked at Chen Fei beside him.

Chen Fei immediately slapped his head and hurriedly turned around and ran towards the car. He saw Chen Fei take a bag off the car, which was about 30 or 40 centimeters long and wide.

"Sir, it's all ready, and the performance is top-notch!" Chen Fei patted the bag in his hand lightly and said with a smile.

"Hmm~" Su Chen nodded slightly, but when he thought about what was about to happen, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Just then, three Hongqi cars turned around the corner not far away. Su Chen saw the license plate of the lead car and knew that the old men had arrived. He immediately instructed the butler Jiang Hui to prepare to welcome them, while he himself quickly walked to the side of the road.

Three Hongqi cars came to a steady stop in front of him. Su Chen didn't know which old man to greet, so he simply stood there and waited for the old men to get out of the cars before going to greet them.

The car door opened, and the three old men got out of their respective cars. When they saw Su Chen, they all walked towards him. In particular, Old Master Jiang had a look on his face that said, "You little brat, you can't escape this time!"

"Haha, Su boy, you've chosen a pretty good place!" As soon as Grandpa Jiang got out of the car, he looked around at the courtyard house with its blue bricks and gray tiles. Above the vermilion gate hung a plaque with the words "Tianque" in gold on a black background, and two antique-style palace lanterns hung on either side.

Moreover, this courtyard house is located in a dead-end alley, and it is the only household in the entire alley. Not only is parking convenient, but their arrival did not attract much attention, and their privacy is relatively safe.

"Please come in, gentlemen!" Su Chen greeted them with a smile and then gestured for them to come in.

The three old men nodded and stepped inside, while Su Chen laughed and said, "I'm not afraid to tell you three old men that this is my first time here, and I don't even know what's inside."

As the group approached the gate, the heavy vermilion gate slowly opened to both sides, revealing several guards standing respectfully at the entrance, as well as a screen wall carved with the image of the Heavenly Palace.

Everyone assumed it was a traditional courtyard house like the Xiao family mansion, but after they turned past the screen wall and entered the front yard, they discovered that it was a completely different world inside.

The artificial hills and flowing water, pavilions and towers are similar to Su Chen's courtyard house, only much more magnificent in scale.

"What a wonderful 'Heavenly Palace'!" Old Master Chen's eyes lit up. "This design is truly ingenious!"

Grandpa Xiao nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the well-arranged Taihu stones in the courtyard, and he smiled, "Xiao Yao said before that you put a lot of effort into it, and I didn't quite believe it at first, but now it seems that I was thinking too simply."

Grandpa Xiao went even further, patting Su Chen on the shoulder and saying, "Come on, take us inside to see the true face of this courtyard house!"

Upon hearing this, Su Chen quickly gave the butler Jiang Hui a look, since he was the one who knew the situation best.

Jiang Hui walked out from the crowd. As soon as Grandpa Xiao and the others saw his clothes, they knew he was a butler. Under his guidance, they passed through the hanging flower gate, walked through the corridor, and headed towards the main hall.

Along the way, the elderly gentlemen were increasingly amazed by what they saw. The place was a picturesque scene every three steps and a painting every five steps, perfectly blending the exquisite beauty of Jiangnan gardens with the grandeur of northern architecture.

The pillars were adorned with exquisite carvings, and even the corners were filled with various antique porcelain pieces. The section of the corridor, in particular, displayed the original Yongle Encyclopedia and some porcelain pieces comparable to national treasures, all encased in glass cases. The elderly gentlemen were captivated, almost unable to tear themselves away. They were quite knowledgeable in this field; the items displayed in the corridor alone were enough to buy several three- or four-courtyard houses within the first or second ring roads of Beijing.

This is just the corridor. If we go to the main hall or the private rooms, wouldn't there be even more amazing things inside?
With curiosity in their hearts, the elderly gentlemen arrived at the main hall under the guidance of the butler, Jiang Hui. Under the bright lights, beams of golden light shone into their eyes, dazzling them to the point of being blinded.

Even though Grandpa Xiao and his companions were used to all sorts of grand occasions, they couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement when they saw the main hall. They exclaimed in their hearts, "This is simply too extravagant!"

The furniture in the entire main hall was all made of Phoebe zhennan wood; any one piece could be considered priceless. Not to mention the other decorations in the room, the calligraphy and paintings on the walls were all by famous masters, including the tiger painting by Tang Bohu that Chen Yao had mentioned earlier.

"Good heavens!" Old Master Jiang plopped down in the armchair made of golden nanmu wood, running his hands over the carved armrests. "Young Su, this isn't a club, it's a place for you to flaunt your wealth!"

"Tsk tsk tsk~ Old Xiao, Old Jiang, look what I found! A Ru kiln sky-blue glazed carved goose-neck vase and a Ru kiln cup stand. Just these two items alone surpass 99.99% of the porcelain artifacts in the Palace Museum!" Old Master Chen suddenly exclaimed, standing in front of a glass case, his face still showing a lingering sense of shock.

"Ru ware?" Upon hearing this, both Grandpa Xiao and Grandpa Jiang came over. You should know that there are only about sixty pieces of Ru ware in existence, and they are distributed in several countries. Even in China, there are only about twenty pieces in total.

There are practically no items that can compare to these two. If they were auctioned, they would fetch at least six or seven hundred million, and that's just for one piece.

After looking at the two pieces of Ru porcelain for a while, Grandpa Xiao and the others started to wander around the main hall, trying to see if there were any other good things they hadn't discovered yet. Seeing this, Su Chen took the opportunity to give Chen Fei, who was standing at the door, a wink.

Under Huang Feng's astonished gaze, Chen Fei pulled a brand-new camera from his bag and started snapping photos of the three elderly men admiring the artifacts.

Huang Feng's lips twitched as he watched. He thought about stepping forward to stop them, but he had also seen Su Chen's little gesture towards Chen Fei and knew that it was Su Chen's doing. Given Su Chen's status in the hearts of the old men, he didn't know what to do for a moment, so he simply turned his head away and pretended not to see it.

But the clicking sound quickly caught the attention of the old men, who all focused their gaze on Chen Fei. Chen Fei, who was looking at the old men through the camera, clearly felt the scrutiny in their eyes, which made him feel a little flustered.

"Ahem~" Su Chen knew it was time for him to step forward, so he coughed lightly and said with a smile, "I just thought that since you gentlemen are the first guests to come here, I wanted to take a picture to commemorate this important moment."

"I'll select a few suitable photos, develop them, and hang them on the wall of the main hall. That way, Tianque will always be under the supervision of the old gentlemen!"

Upon hearing this, the three elders, including Grandpa Xiao, were both amused and exasperated, never expecting Su Chen to put it so eloquently!
"Look, I knew this kid Su was plotting something. Now he's shown his true colors!" Old Master Xiao pointed at Su Chen in the air and said with a smile to Old Master Jiang and Old Master Chen beside him.

Forget about commemoration; it's just using their photos as the "mountain stones" of the "Heavenly Palace." If other people come here and see their photos hanging on the wall, won't they have all sorts of wild thoughts?

Grandpa Jiang laughed heartily, looking at Su Chen with a smile and saying, "You've got a lot of clever ideas, kid. How about this, since everyone's in a good mood today, let's take a group photo!"

After speaking, he looked at Grandpa Xiao and Grandpa Chen beside him and asked for their opinions.

Both of them smiled and nodded, agreeing with Old Man Jiang's suggestion.

Su Chen stared at Grandpa Jiang in astonishment, not expecting such a surprise to await him!

"What? Young Su, you're not willing?" Old Master Jiang raised an eyebrow and said, feigning displeasure, looking at the expression on Su Chen's face.

"Yes, yes!" Su Chen nodded his head vigorously. How could he miss such an opportunity? He immediately walked behind the old men.

As a result… just as he walked to Grandpa Jiang's side, the old man grabbed him, saying, "You don't need to go to the back, just stand in front of us three old men!"

"Ah~" Su Chen was immediately flattered and quickly waved his hands, saying, "How can this be? How can I stand in front of the three old gentlemen..."

"Just stand up!" Old Master Jiang glared at him and pulled Su Chen in front of him without saying a word. "Today, let the three of us old men become your 'backdrop'!"

Grandpa Xiao, who was standing to the side, also smiled and nodded!

Seeing this, Su Chen no longer declined and stood respectfully in front of the three old men.

"Click~"

As the shutter clicked, this precious group photo was captured! In the photo, Su Chen stood at the very front, with three kind-looking elders behind him, and the background was Tang Bohu's painting of a fierce tiger!
After taking the photos, Grandpa Jiang suddenly remembered his business. He put his right hand on Su Chen's shoulder and said seriously, "Young Su, shouldn't you play a game of chess with this old man?"

Upon hearing this, Su Chen's smile instantly froze on his face. He looked at Old Master Xiao for help, but Old Master Xiao pretended not to see it and turned to Old Master Chen, saying, "Old Man Jiang wants to play chess with Su boy, so let's wander around and see if there's anything else of value in Tianque!"

Old Master Chen was a clever man; he immediately nodded in agreement.

The two old men left the main hall chatting and laughing under Su Chen's surprised gaze.

Su Chen smacked his lips, forced a smile, and said to Grandpa Jiang, "Grandpa, please show mercy!"

"Hehe~" Grandpa Jiang smiled knowingly and said, "Don't worry, I promise I'll make sure I capture all your pieces before you lose."

Su Chen was stunned. Looking at Grandpa Jiang, who had already taken the chess set from Huang Feng, he could only bite the bullet and sit down opposite him.

Once the game officially started, Su Chen initially had a very difficult time, getting captured by Grandpa Jiang in various ways. However, as the game progressed, Su Chen began to find the game more interesting and started to play back and forth with Grandpa Xiao.

The games between the two gradually increased from a few minutes per game to ten or twenty minutes per game, and eventually, even Grandpa Xiao and the others stood by and watched.

Time passed silently, and before we knew it, it was past seven o'clock in the evening. The sky outside was already dark, and the entire Tianque Palace was brightly lit.

"Checkmate! Su boy, you've lost again!" Old Master Jiang looked at the few pieces left on the chessboard and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Originally, I thought I could have a good experience playing against a weak opponent, but in just two or three hours, I went from being completely dominated by him to now being evenly matched with him. Su Chen's growth rate is really too fast!

"I made a mistake, Grandpa, let's try again!" A hint of regret flashed in Su Chen's eyes. If he hadn't been a little too eager to win at the end and made a mistake, it would have been hard to say who would have won this game!

"It's getting late, let's call it a day!" After three hours of mental practice, Grandpa Jiang was feeling a bit tired. Plus, it was already past seven o'clock, and he was starving. He didn't have much energy left.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen glanced at the time and realized it was almost 8 PM, fifteen minutes to go. He patted his head and said, "Time flies! I'll arrange the banquet right away!"

As he spoke, Su Chen stood up and walked towards the door. Watching Su Chen's departing figure, Grandpa Jiang turned his gaze to his two old partners and said, "Young Su's learning ability is really fast. I had a hard time playing the last few games!"

"Hahaha~ Judging from Su's state, I'm afraid he'll be asking you to play chess from time to time from now on," Grandpa Xiao joked immediately.

"Tch~ What's the big deal? Let's play. Do you think this old man would lose to Su kid?" Although he said that, he knew in his heart that if he continued playing, he would probably lose more than he would win.

"Hehe~" Old Master Xiao and Old Master Chen chuckled in perfect unison, their meaning quite clear.

"Gentlemen, dinner's ready! The kitchen is starting to serve the dishes, let's go to our private room!"

At this moment, Su Chen returned, and Grandpa Xiao took the opportunity to change the subject, saying, "Let's go, let's go see how the top masters of the eight major cuisines that Su boy mentioned are doing."

Seeing Old Man Jiang "fleeing in disarray," the two old men, Xiao and Chen, exchanged a glance and both saw smiles in each other's eyes.

"Let's go, let's try the culinary skills of 'Tianque'!" The two old men then headed towards the private room. (End of Chapter)