"Isn't that... old Mr. Yang Tiancheng!"
"The richest man in Xining! China's newest richest man! The chairman of Tiancheng Group!"
"What's this big shot from XN City doing in this bar in Nan City?"
"This big shot made entertainment headlines just a few days ago. Apparently, he was seen coming and going from a five-star hotel with some famous foreign female singer. That old blade hasn't lost its edge!"
"An annual salary of ten million to hire a winemaker? Is this how the filthy rich play? It must be nice to have money!"
After a moment of silence, cries of surprise rang out one after another. Almost every customer in the bar recognized the old man, because he frequently appeared on television and online news.
Yang Tiancheng, the richest man in XN City and China's newest richest man, had been photographed coming and going from a hotel with a famous foreign female singer just days earlier. Apparently, the old man had a particular fondness for foreign female singers.
"Yang Tiancheng..."
The bar's proprietress, Yan Susu, came back to her senses. She frowned as she glanced at the old man, then her expression turned cold, and she gave a soft snort.
"Tiancheng Group..."
Su Cheng's brow also furrowed slightly when she saw the old man. She looked at Chen Zheng. If she remembered correctly, Xining's two immensely wealthy families, the Chen Family and the Yang Family, had always seemed to be rivals. There were even rumors of a past feud between their older generations.
Although Chen Zheng had said he had no interest in the Xining Chen Family, their blood still flowed through his veins, after all. So Yang Tiancheng's attempt to hire him as a winemaker was probably impossible from the start.
Of course, Su Cheng also knew perfectly well that Chen Zheng would never work as Yang Tiancheng's winemaker. This man sought a life without bonds or restraints. He did whatever he wanted, and no one could force him.
"Not interested."
Sure enough!
Chen Zheng merely glanced at Yang Tiancheng and replied indifferently.
"What!"
"He turned him down outright! Just like that!"
"Holy shit! Even an annual salary of ten million isn't good enough for him? And that's China's richest man! Hitch your wagon to China's richest man, and you'd never have to worry for the rest of your life!"
The customers in the bar were all stunned. Hadn't this young man rejected him far too bluntly? That was an olive branch extended by China's newest richest man!
"Twenty million a year."
Yang Tiancheng spoke again. His voice was not loud, but it carried the authority of someone accustomed to standing above others.
An uproar erupted!
The instant the customers heard that, the bar burst into an uproar. Their eyes shone, and every one of them wished they were Chen Zheng. Twenty million a year-how much money was that? Surely he would nod and agree this time!
Almost everyone looked at Chen Zheng, the vast majority waiting for him to nod!
"All right, old sir. Even if you gave me your entire fortune, I wouldn't be interested. In the past, winemaking was just something I did to pass the time when I was bored. As for now, it's purely an interest."
Chen Zheng still wore a faint smile.
"Fifty million a year!"
But the old man clearly did not believe him and raised his offer again.
Fifty million!
An annual salary of fifty million!
Hearing that figure, all the customers in the bar were dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open in disbelief!
This was madness!
Offering an annual salary of fifty million just to hire a winemaker... even if Yang Tiancheng was a godly tycoon, was this really worth it?
"Let's go. Let's take An Jing home."
Yet this time, Chen Zheng did not even glance at Yang Tiancheng. He merely smiled and spoke to Su Cheng.
"Mm."
Su Cheng nodded lightly and moved to help An Jing up.
"Hehe! Does having money make you so great? Yang Tiancheng, Young Master Chen has no interest in your money at all! Besides, with his winemaking ability, if he developed Drunken Life, Dreaming Death into a brand, what would fifty million a year amount to? It wouldn't be impossible for Drunken Life, Dreaming Death to earn five billion or fifty billion a year! Yang Tiancheng, that's what you're after, isn't it? That fifty-million annual salary is nothing but a gimmick. What you want is the recipe for Drunken Life, Dreaming Death in Young Master Chen's hands!"
Just then, Yan Susu gave a lilting laugh, then looked at Yang Tiancheng with cold mockery.
"Miss Yan seems to have a point. If he started a company and built Drunken Life, Dreaming Death into a brand, wouldn't sales go through the roof? I'll never forget that rich fragrance for the rest of my life. That simply wasn't wine that belonged in the mortal world. It belonged in heaven, an immortal brew only immortals could taste!"
"Looking at it that way, this Young Master Chen seems to be worth more than fifty million..."
"The recipe for Drunken Life, Dreaming Death must be priceless!"
Hearing Yan Susu's words, the customers looked as though they had suddenly seen the light. If someone could get the recipe for that bottle of Drunken Life, Dreaming Death, never mind fifty million-someone would buy it for five hundred million!
"Would you believe me if I said I simply wanted to hire a winemaker?"
Yang Tiancheng looked at Yan Susu.
"Hah!"
Yan Susu only sneered.
"Young man, won't you really reconsider? I don't ask for much. You only need to make one bottle of Drunken Life, Dreaming Death each month, and I'll pay you fifty million a year. I can even pay in advance-right now, in fact."
Yang Tiancheng looked at Yan Susu several times, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes. He could only shift his gaze back to Chen Zheng.
But Chen Zheng merely smiled faintly without saying a word. Together with Su Cheng, he supported the drunken An Jing and prepared to head home.
"Master..."
A middle-aged man standing behind Yang Tiancheng murmured, his unspoken meaning being that if Yang Tiancheng needed him to act, he could do so right now.
"Are you so arrogant that you won't even answer my grandfather when he speaks to you?"
But then!
The girl in a baseball cap sitting beside Yang Tiancheng suddenly rose. Before anyone else could react, she swept over everyone's heads and landed in front of Chen Zheng and Su Cheng in an instant, blocking their path!
Holy shit!
Lightness skill!
This couldn't be real!
The customers in the bar stared blankly, all of them tongue-tied and wide-eyed!
A girl in a baseball cap had suddenly whooshed over everyone's heads, then landed. That leap had to have covered at least ten meters, hadn't it? Were they really not filming a movie or television show?
Quite a few people could not help rubbing their eyes as they looked at the girl in the baseball cap. Dressed in sportswear, she was exceptionally tall and slender, with a face so exquisite it had no bad angle! Most importantly, she had just called Yang Tiancheng "Grandfather," which meant she was his granddaughter!
This girl was the young heiress of Tiancheng Group!
"Xuefei!"
Seeing the girl block Chen Zheng's path, Yan Susu could not help frowning. Clearly, she knew not only Yang Tiancheng but this girl as well.
"Please answer me!"
The girl stared intently at Chen Zheng. The moment she spoke, the temperature throughout the bar seemed to drop ten degrees, and everyone felt an inexplicable chill!
"Little girl, making unreasonable trouble isn't a good habit."
Chen Zheng tossed out the remark and took a step forward, supporting An Jing.
"You!"
The girl tried to stop him again, but her expression suddenly changed. She turned sideways to let Chen Zheng pass, then gritted her teeth and watched coldly as Chen Zheng, Su Cheng, and An Jing left.
"Huh? The temperature's back to normal!"
"How strange! It felt like the temperature suddenly dropped ten degrees just now!"
"I wonder where this Young Master Chen comes from. Money seems to be nothing but dirt to him!"
"If he can make wine like that Drunken Life, Dreaming Death, what would money mean to him? Ah! Drunken Life, Dreaming Death, Drunken Life, Dreaming Death-even if I could have just one sip, I'd feel this life had been worthwhile!"
"I'm afraid you'd have to become his friend to get a taste of Drunken Life, Dreaming Death!"
Watching Chen Zheng's departing figure, the customers were filled with emotion. If they posted what had just happened at Jasmine Bar tonight on their Moments, probably no one would believe them. China's newest richest man offering fifty million a year just to find a winemaker, only for that winemaker to turn him down-most people would think they were making up a story.
"Auntie, who is he?"
The girl in the baseball cap withdrew her gaze and looked at Yan Susu.
Auntie?
She actually called Miss Yan her aunt?
Some sharp-eared customers heard the address and were instantly dumbfounded again. At that moment, they understood why XN City's richest man had appeared at Jasmine Bar in Nan City!
It turned out that the proprietress, Miss Yan Susu, had an extraordinary relationship with the Xining Yang Family, though that relationship seemed rather complicated!
"Xuefei, don't provoke someone like Young Master Chen."
Yan Susu shook her head gently. She recalled that brief, miraculous time after drinking Drunken Life, Dreaming Death, and a touch of a mature woman's allure appeared on her beautiful face.
"Why?"
The girl in the baseball cap knitted her brows.
"I'm afraid you'll fall in love with him."
Yan Susu said something quite baffling.
"Fall in love with him? Auntie, you're overthinking things. I could never fall in love with a man that boundlessly arrogant in this lifetime, even if he does have some ability!"
The girl in the baseball cap sneered.