Chapter 023: The Swindler

The hotel where Wang Bo was dining was undoubtedly one of the top hotels on Hong Kong Island, situated in its most bustling area, with a daily flow of people as numerous as hairs on an ox.

The cost of the most luxurious suite in the hotel for a single day might be equivalent to a month or even more of rent for an ordinary person. To create a pleasant environment for its guests, the hotel's decor is nothing short of extravagant.

All sorts of details highlight the hotel's layout.

Naturally, the chefs employed by this hotel are absolutely the top chefs in Hong Kong Island.

As a hotel that brands itself as fashionable and high-end, they naturally wouldn't fall behind in this regard. In fact, not only the chefs, but even the ingredients used in the kitchen are very particular.

Any vegetable that is not fresh cannot even pass through the hotel's entrance.

Coupled with the chef's exquisite culinary skills, the dishes produced are not only delicate but also full of flavor.

At least that's what Tang Xin thought.

But for Wang Bo, the food here was truly unpalatable.

It wasn't that he was being picky, but Wang Bo's palate had been spoiled by the Gourmet Tablecloth. Originally, the dishes produced by the Gourmet Tablecloth were all of gourmet quality.

And ever since the Gourmet Tablecloth was upgraded, allowing it to summon delicacies from the world of Toriko, Wang Bo's palate had become even more refined.

The delicacies of this world are vastly different at each level.

For Wang Bo, every meal was a baptism and a storm of the senses.

So after getting used to the delicacies provided by the gourmet tablecloth, Wang Bo truly found it hard to swallow these ordinary foods; his tongue and even his entire body were rejecting the food here.

Even these dishes were delicacies carefully cooked by the chef.

But unfortunately, Wang Bo still refused.

"What's wrong, does the food here not suit your taste?" Tang Xin saw Wang Bo's forced smile and instinctively thought he might be used to American food and therefore couldn't accept Hong Kong's cuisine.

Wang Bo nodded and said, "I..."

He was about to speak when, just at that moment, his phone rang.

Wang Bo made an apologetic gesture, pointing at the phone in his hand. Tang Xin, understanding, gestured for him to go ahead and lowered her head to pick up a piece of char siu pork to taste.

But she secretly pricked up her ears, as if wanting to eavesdrop.

Wang Bo didn't avoid her either. After answering the phone, Ya Zi's energetic voice came through: "Wan Ming, it's me. I've picked up Chun Li and we're heading to your place now. Remember to cook us a good meal."

"Okay, no problem."

Wang Bo did not refuse, as he was not keen on eating the food here either. After a brief chat with Yazi, he hung up the phone and looked up at Tang Xin.

"My friend is coming to visit me at my place. You can come with me, and I'll cook you a delicious lunch."

"Your home?" Tang Xin asked, looking surprised.

“Don't worry, just come with me and you'll see.”

Wang Bo picked up a napkin to wipe the grease from Tang Xin's mouth, took her hand, pulled her up, and at the same time called the waiter to settle the bill, then led Tang Xin out of the hotel.

Tang Xin, utterly bewildered, followed Wang Bo into the car. Amid the roar of the engine, they drove through more than a dozen streets before finally arriving at the villa in Repulse Bay.

It was only when Wang Bo drove the car into the villa and parked it in the garage that Tang Xin belatedly said, "Ah, this is your home? When did you buy a house in Hong Kong? Didn't you just come back from the United States?"

Wang Bo smiled mysteriously, pulled Tang Xin into the villa's living room, made her sit on the sofa, and then went into the kitchen alone to start bustling about.

Of course, Wang Bo's so-called busyness was just taking out the ingredients from the fridge and reheating them.

Thus, a sumptuous lunch was prepared.

Tang Xin lay on the back of the sofa, watching Wang Bo busying himself in the kitchen, and finally couldn't suppress her curiosity, blurting out, "What's going on? You have a house in Hong Kong. When did you come back?"

Just then, Wang Bo walked out of the kitchen carrying food, came to the dining room, and said to Tang Xin, "Let me introduce myself first, Tang Xin. My name is Wan Ming, not Ma You."

Tang Xin was startled at first, then cried out, "What, you're not Ma You?"

"That's right."

"How is that possible?" Tang Xin felt that there must be some mistake. "Impossible, my father couldn't have mistaken someone."

"The reason Uncle Tang mistook me for someone else is that I look exactly like Ma Youchang," Wang Bo said.

“Exactly the same?”

"That's right, exactly alike." Wang Bo nodded and added, "At least in Old Man Tang's eyes, Ma You and I are identical. To be honest, I haven't even met Ma You yet."

"How could there possibly be someone in the world who looks exactly like Ma You?" Tang Xin still didn't believe it.

“Yes, there is. Aren’t twins identical?”

“Twins? You’re Ma You’s twin.” Tang Xin suddenly realized, but quickly frowned as a thought occurred to her. “I did hear that Ma You had a younger brother, but he went missing right after he was born.”

Wang Bo nodded and said, 'Uncle Tang thinks I am Ma You's missing younger brother.'

After hearing this, Tang Xin sorted out her thoughts. "You mean, Ma You never came back from the United States at all. The person my father met at the hotel was you, and then my father mistook you for Ma You. Then he realized he was wrong—that you weren't Ma You, but Ma You's younger brother—so he called me over, and then..."

Wang Bo placed the last dish on the dining table, wiped his hands, and said, "Things are pretty much as you imagined, but the order is reversed. Actually, when your father called you over, he still didn't know that I wasn't Ma You."

Tang Xin was startled. "So you're saying you impersonated Ma You?"

Wang Bo nodded and said calmly, "You know, I originally explained to Uncle Tang that I wasn't Ma You, but he didn't believe me and insisted that I was, which led to a misunderstanding on my part about all of you."

"Misunderstanding?"

"That's right. I thought Old Man Tang knew I was wealthy and wanted to scam me, colluding with you in a honeytrap scheme. So I played along, intending to make him suffer a loss instead."

Tang Xin suddenly understood. "No wonder you were so forward in the bathroom, touching me right away—you thought I was a con artist!"

As she spoke, a blush crept across Tang Xin's delicate face.

This time it was not shyness, but anger!

"That's right, at first I really did take you for a swindler, but later I realized it was all a misunderstanding." Wang Bo said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "I never imagined there could be such an absurd thing in this world."