Zuo Yikai could not figure out what Lin Chen had said that could calm Cheng Gang down after he had been so furious.
But before he could dwell on it for long,
the private room door opened again.
Bang!
Along with the sound of the door came a hearty male voice.
"Hahaha, sorry to have kept all our distinguished guests waiting."
Hearing the voice, everyone instinctively turned to look and discovered that the newcomer was Chen Liming, the lobby manager of the grand hotel.
He held two bottles of red wine in his hands and jogged over with a broad smile on his face.
"Today is Cheng Gang's lucky day. The hotel has specially gifted him two bottles of 1968 Lafite Rothschild. I hope Cheng Gang will not stand on ceremony."
What?!
1968 Lafite Rothschild?!
And two bottles at that!!!
When everyone heard this, their eyes widened in utter disbelief.
If it had been any other hotel, they definitely would not have believed that the two bottles of 1968 Lafite Rothschild were real.
But this place was different. This was Zhonghai's top-tier Emperor Hao International Hotel, the calling card of all Zhonghai.
Moreover, from the very first day it opened, the hotel had declared that all food and drinks served here would be guaranteed genuine.
If any customer discovered even the slightest counterfeit or substandard product, the hotel would compensate the customer at ten thousand times the purchase price.
Of course, that alone was not enough to make these students truly believe it, since there were too many false advertising claims these days.
The reason they firmly believed that Emperor Hotel would not fake its products was because of an incident that had happened years ago.
Back then, a customer had ordered a bottle of red wine worth over a hundred thousand. While drinking it, he noticed that it tasted different from what he had drunk before. In the end, he called in a sommelier, who confirmed that it was fake.
The matter had caused a huge uproar, and everyone watched to see how Emperor Hotel would handle it.
Naturally, no one believed the hotel would actually honor its promise of ten-thousandfold compensation.
After all, according to the usual practices of other hotels, they would ultimately brush the matter aside and pay, at most, a few tens of thousands.
Yet Emperor Hotel's final response exceeded everyone's expectations. The hotel directly compensated that customer at ten thousand times the amount.
With the wine costing over a hundred thousand, ten thousand times that amount came to a full one billion.
That was an astronomical sum in compensation.
When the hotel made that move, it shook all of Zhonghai and even the whole of China, sparking countless discussions across the country.
After that incident, Emperor Hotel soared to become Zhonghai's premier grand hotel and the calling card of Zhonghai.
Of course, because of that unexpected incident, the customer instantly became a billionaire.
But where there were happy people, there were naturally unhappy ones, especially the hotel manager at the time.
After an investigation, the hotel discovered that the manager had secretly switched the genuine wine for fake wine for his own benefit, causing the hotel tremendous losses.
The hotel would naturally not let an employee like that off easily.
As for what ultimately happened to that employee, it remained a mystery to this day.
From then on, that person could never be contacted again. Although the police suspected Emperor Hotel had something to do with it, they could find no evidence.
Over time, the matter faded away.
"Th-This isn't very appropriate, is it? These two bottles of wine must be worth a lot, right?"
Looking at the two bottles of red wine Chen Liming had placed on the table, even though Cheng Gang knew today was his lucky day, he could not help feeling apprehensive.
After all, these were not two ordinary bottles of wine. They were two bottles of 1968 red wine.
Their price had to be staggering.
"Well... the wine is indeed a little expensive."
"But without red wine worth hundreds of millions, how could it possibly be worthy of today's lucky guest?"
"Wouldn't you agree, Cheng Gang?"
"But please rest assured, these two bottles of wine worth two hundred million today are complimentary from the hotel. No additional payment is required."
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone sucked in a sharp breath, then stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Two bottles of 1968 red wine were actually priced at two hundred million?!
That meant a single bottle cost one hundred million.
They rarely even heard of such wine in their daily lives. Even if they had, only China's top Super Tycoons would have been qualified to enjoy it.
Yet now it had appeared before ordinary people like them. How could they not be shocked?
It had to be said, Emperor Hao International Hotel was truly extravagant.
It casually gave away two hundred million, no wonder it could become one of Zhonghai's calling cards.
"It seems we really did benefit from Cheng Gang's luck today."
"Otherwise, at the price of this wine, forget drinking it—they would not even have been qualified to see it in their lifetimes."
At this moment, every student at the table looked at Cheng Gang differently.
Their eyes were filled with admiration and praise.
Although the two bottles had not been purchased but gifted by the hotel, that was still a symbol of status.
If Cheng Gang's luck had not been so heaven-defying, how could they have been qualified to taste such sky-high-priced red wine?
Thinking of how Zuo Yikai had mocked Cheng Gang earlier, the students began to look down on the former.
If they had not been wary of his family background and the powerful backer behind him, they would probably have already mocked him out loud.
"Two hundred million..."
After hearing what the hotel lobby manager said, Zuo Yikai found it hard to believe as well.
Of course, what made him feel the worst was the words that had slapped him squarely in the face.
Not long ago, he had mocked Cheng Gang with those very words, yet now they had been thrown back at him in full.
Judging from Zuo Yikai's flushed face, it was obvious how humiliated he felt right now.
He even wished there were a hole in the ground so he could crawl into it immediately.
"Hahaha, then thank you so much."
"To become the lucky guest of Emperor Hao Grand Hotel is truly an honor for me, Cheng Gang."
Cheng Gang meant those words sincerely. After all, only people with powerful backgrounds could receive such treatment from Zhonghai Emperor International Hotel.
Now, despite coming from a minor family with an insignificant background, he had received such an honor, and the hotel had even gifted him red wine of such astonishing value.
Calling him delighted would not be enough; it would not be an exaggeration to say he was overwhelmed by the favor.
"No, no, it should be our hotel's honor."
"To receive distinguished guests such as yourselves is what makes Emperor Hotel truly fortunate."
How could Chen Liming dare put on airs? Upon hearing this, his smile became even more obsequious, and he bent lower at the waist.
As he spoke, his eyes secretly glanced at Lin Chen in the distance again.
Only after seeing Lin Chen give a slight nod did he turn back with a smile.
"Then... I will not disturb everyone's enjoyment any longer."
"If you need anything, you may have a waiter contact me at any time."
"I, Chen Liming, will certainly represent Emperor Hotel in taking good care of all our distinguished guests."
With that, Chen Liming did not dare linger any longer. He turned and headed straight out the door.
Before you continue