A backhanded compliment

One of the Chinese contacts for whom I undertake regular editing work sent me an e-mail last week, telling me that she and her chief editor had recently met up for dinner with the English woman who first recommended me to her.  (Why do I never get these free dinners from them??) She was trying to tell me how warmly they had both praised my work to my English friend. "Mr Froog usually manages to return the articles in only one or two days.  And amazingly, the editing is quite good." I would have sulked about it…. if I hadn't been guffawing so loudly.