Chapter Twenty-Two: The Astronomical Bill

The private room was spacious and luxuriously decorated. One wall was a panoramic window, offering a view of the garden outside, which, under the night sky and bathed in colorful lights, looked particularly stunning. Above the round table hung a chandelier with nearly a hundred bulbs, casting a gentle glow that illuminated every corner.

Everyone took their seats, and fruit was served as a starter. Shen Huifang insisted that Shen Huizhu’s family place the order. Shen Huizhu handed the menu to Xiao Chunrong, excusing herself to fetch something from her room, and called Xiao Ting and Luo Fei to go with her.

Ten minutes later, the three returned. Xiao Chunrong had already ordered six or seven dishes and handed the menu to Shen Huizhu.

Having held back from smoking in the room earlier, Xiao Chunrong could no longer resist. He took out a pack of Soft Zhonghua, ready to offer cigarettes, but, catching Shen Huifang’s glance, Lin Yuangui quickly opened a pack of 95 Supreme and handed one over.

“Old Lin, you’ve switched to this brand now?” Xiao Chunrong was momentarily taken aback by the cigarette, eyeing Lin Yuangui with suspicion. Lin Yuangui wasn’t as glib as Shen Huifang, and as he hesitated for a moment, Shen Huifang interjected, “Yuxin gave them as a gift. Bought thirty cartons at once, saying it should last Old Lin a year.”

Hong Chen had just taken a sip of water and nearly burst out laughing. Lin Yuangui was lucky not to have lit his cigarette, or he might have choked, but he still couldn’t hide his embarrassment. He masked it by offering a cigarette to Hong Chen as well.

The doubt in Xiao Chunrong’s eyes hadn’t faded, but he said nothing, lighting up and taking a drag.

Soon after, the ordering was finished. Shen Huizhu checked with Shen Huifang, “We’ve ordered eight cold dishes and ten hot dishes. Huifang, would you like to review it or should we place the order?”

With a wave of bravado, Shen Huifang said, “Go ahead, place the order. If it’s not enough, we’ll add more.”

Shen Huizhu then asked about drinks. Luo Fei chimed in that the place had an underground wine cellar with excellent red wines. Shen Huifang immediately replied, “Then bring the red wine. For those not drinking, order a few pitchers of fresh juice.”

Five minutes later, the cold dishes arrived. After a few more minutes, two servers entered, each with a bottle of red wine. Before they could speak, Luo Fei got up to greet them. “Open both bottles, decant them separately, and bring the fresh juice as well.”

The servers complied, but instead of leaving, they opened the bottles at the in-room service station, slowly pouring the wine into two decanters in full view of Luo Fei.

Luo Fei didn’t ask them to stay, instead taking on the task of pouring wine himself. Xiao Ting, after the juice was brought in, poured juice for the ladies who weren’t drinking.

Lin Yuangui made a few polite remarks, and Shen Huifang added a few more words. Everyone raised their glasses and shared a toast before beginning the meal.

During the banquet, Shen Huizhu seemed to have changed entirely, no longer boasting at all. After praising Lin Yuxin, she praised Lin Yufei, and even Hong Chen received rare words of approval from her. The underlying theme was that the Lin Yuangui couple had two outstanding daughters and a fine son-in-law—truly blessed!

Xiao Ting and Luo Fei were not idle either. The former used herself as a foil, constantly downplaying her own virtues to elevate Lin Yuxin and Lin Yufei. Luo Fei, though less obvious, lowered himself and proactively toasted others, even treating Hong Chen with deference.

Shen Huifang’s smile never left her face, her cheeks glowing, her vanity more fulfilled than ever. Lin Yufei and Lin Yuangui were a bit more reserved, but their happiness was still written all over their faces. In the past, whether at the Lin or Shen family gatherings, they’d always been at the bottom, the ones trampled on. Tonight, they finally experienced the joy of the tables turning—anyone would be lying if they claimed not to enjoy it.

As for Lin Yuxin, who received the most compliments, she remained calm. For one thing, she despised vanity; for another, the syrupy praise from Shen Huizhu and Xiao Ting made her uncomfortable and seemed suspiciously out of character.

Hong Chen, meanwhile, simply ate and drank as usual, undisturbed, as long as no one went too far at his expense.

About an hour into the meal, the abalone was served—each piece nearly half the size of a palm.

Hong Chen’s eyes sharpened; he immediately recognized them as triple-head abalone. Even at specialty seafood restaurants, they’d cost at least ten thousand apiece, and at a five-star hotel, the price could easily double. That meant, for a table of eight, these alone cost nearly two hundred thousand.

Hong Chen glanced around. Aside from Xiao Jinyong, who looked slightly surprised, the rest of Shen Huizhu’s family seemed unfazed. Shen Huifang’s group looked a bit shocked, but no one said a word.

Naturally, Hong Chen didn’t make a scene either. He picked up his knife and fork and began to enjoy the meal.

After the abalone came two more dishes and a soup, and finally dessert. As it neared seven-thirty, Hong Chen whispered to Lin Yuxin. After thinking for a moment, she looked at Shen Huifang and said, “Mom, Hong Chen has another appointment tonight. We’ll have to leave in about fifteen minutes, or else we’ll have to take a taxi home.”

Truth be told, Shen Huifang didn’t want the evening to end so soon; she was still relishing it. As she hesitated, Lin Yuangui spoke up, “Let’s all leave together then. We’re more or less done eating anyway.”

Shen Huifang shot him a displeased look but reluctantly nodded. She pressed the service bell and instructed, “Check, please.”

Soon, a server brought over the bill. Shen Huifang, holding a bank card, stretched out her arm and announced loudly, “Just swipe the card; the password is six ones.”

No need to look at the bill—she had money to spare. The thrill of showing off was intoxicating.

The server carried a portable POS machine. After swiping, the receipt didn’t print. The server tried again, but still no luck. She leaned in and whispered, “Ma’am, there are insufficient funds on the card.”

Shen Huifang froze for a moment, then suddenly turned, her gaze icy as she locked onto Hong Chen, the words squeezed out through gritted teeth, “You actually gave me an empty card.”

Hong Chen was stunned. Gao Tianxiong had given him a hundred thousand yuan from the safe, and he’d deposited it at the bank himself—how could the card be empty?

“Impossible!”

“Maybe the POS machine is broken?” Seeing Hong Chen’s certainty, Shen Huifang began to waver and looked at the server.

The server quickly guessed what might be wrong. “Ma’am, how much do you have on your card?”

“One hundred thousand.”

The server smiled apologetically and handed her the bill. Shen Huifang glanced at it, her expression changing slightly, though she tried to remain composed. “It’s only a bit over ninety thousand—the card should be enough.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. The bill comes to nine hundred eighty-four thousand, seven hundred yuan.”

Hearing that figure, Shen Huifang’s mind went completely blank.

She wasn’t the only one. Lin Yuxin, Lin Yufei, Lin Yuangui, even Xiao Jinyong were all dumbstruck.

Hong Chen, too, was stunned for a moment. He’d known the bill would be high, but he never expected it to be close to a million...

“Impossible! How could it cost so much…” After a moment, Shen Huifang, her face a mix of shock and rage, snapped at the server.

Lin Yuangui hurriedly snatched the bill, and Lin Yuxin leaned in to look as well. In just a few seconds, Lin Yuangui looked up at Shen Huizhu, bewildered. “Eight abalone for two hundred and thirty thousand?”

At the same time, Lin Yuxin looked squarely at Luo Fei and enunciated, “You ordered two bottles of red wine for seventy-four thousand each.”

Shen Huizhu put on an embarrassed face. “I’ve only ever had five-head abalone before. Huifang said to order whatever we liked, so I decided to splurge and try the triple-head.”

Luo Fei, unruffled, smiled with a hint of nostalgia. “It’s rare to find Bordeaux from the Liberté estate in the cellar here, so I ordered two bottles.”

After these simple exchanges, the room fell silent. Suddenly, Shen Huifang glared fiercely at Shen Huizhu and shouted, her rage boiling over, “Shen Huizhu, you set me up!”

A bill nearing a million, three-quarters of it spent on wine—she’d have to be a fool not to realize Shen Huizhu had done it on purpose.

Lin Yuangui, Lin Yuxin, and Lin Yufei were all equally furious.

Even Xiao Jinyong couldn’t help but scold in a low voice, “Huizhu, Luo, this is outrageous!”

Xiao Ting bristled, looking innocent. “Dad, it was Second Aunt who said to order whatever we wanted. After Mom finished, she even offered the menu to Second Aunt, but Second Aunt didn’t look at it. Luo Fei also asked Second Aunt before ordering the wine. How can you blame Mom and Luo Fei for being irresponsible?”

She then turned her gaze to Shen Huifang, seemingly oblivious to the latter’s livid face, and sneered, “Second Aunt, a meal costing nearly a million is a bit steep, but Sister Yuxin makes tens of millions a year. It’s a rare treat for everyone—what’s the big deal?”