Liu Yifeng and Liu Qiang, who had ended up farming in the countryside, both agreed. What other reason could they have to refuse?
Consequently, quite a few people forced themselves to agree, saying, "I agree too!"
However, some people couldn't even afford five hundred yuan and grumbled, "Didn't we agree that classmate Gao would treat? Why is it going Dutch now? If it was going to be split, you should have said so earlier. We didn't bring that much money with us."
"Exactly, you should have told us sooner so we could have brought cash."
The way they said this was merely to save face; in reality, they had no money.
Teacher Xiong felt rather embarrassed. These people claimed to be celebrating his birthday, yet they were making the occasion so awkward. He couldn't possibly pay for it himself, an old man. It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, but if he paid, he would have no savings left, and then if he fell ill, he wouldn't even have money for medical treatment.
Gao Shuai saw this and quickly tried to smooth things over, "Dear classmates, thank you for your kindness, but since it was agreed that I would treat, how could I let you spend money! Besides, this didn't cost much, less than thirty thousand including drinks. If you still want anything else, just ask. We'll drink until we're satisfied today."
After speaking, he cast a meaningful glance at Liu Yifeng, "Classmate Gao, you should save your money and buy a car as soon as possible."
"Classmate Gao is indeed generous. He spent so much money on a meal and didn't even flinch. Let's toast him." Zhang Shuixin was thoroughly flattering Gao Shuai today.
Everyone then stood up and raised their glasses to Gao Shuai. Liu Yifeng and Qiangzi also followed suit and took a drink. At this point, everyone looked at Gao Shuai with admiration. The conversation then naturally revolved around him.
Liu Yifeng swapped seats with another classmate and sat next to Teacher Gao, striking up a conversation. "Teacher, it's been so many years. Are you still in good health?"
This was the first student to proactively inquire about his health. Teacher Xiong felt that he hadn't taught him in vain and nodded with a smile, "I'm doing well. But you've gone to farm? Not that farming is bad, but how can it compare to developing in the city?"
"I like this pastoral life. I'll personally deliver some of the vegetables and fruits I grow to your home sometime, so you can try them!"
"Alright, I'll have to try them then!"
Just then, the private room door opened, and two waitresses entered, each carrying two bottles of red wine. Seeing this, Gao Shuai was about to say he hadn't ordered any red wine when the waitresses' voices rang out first, "This is Romanée-Conti red wine, a gift from our hotel's General Manager. May we open it now?"
"Romanée-Conti isn't cheap, it's several times more expensive than Moutai! The hotel's General Manager is giving such expensive wine, and four bottles at that? He's being incredibly generous!" The classmates below murmured, but none dared to speak up. What if the waitresses had made a mistake? If they said they opened it, they would have to pay.
Liu Yifeng knew this was sent by Wan Hui and was about to say, "Open it!" But Gao Shuai beat him to it. "Open it and pour us a full glass." In his view, the hotel manager must have sent the wine specifically for him. Otherwise, who else would have the status to make the General Manager of a five-star hotel show such respect? The waitresses didn't know on whose behalf the General Manager sent the wine, only that they hadn't delivered it to the wrong place. Since they were asked to open it, they would do so. Unbeknownst to them, their actions not only convinced Gao Shuai that the wine was for him but also led all the other classmates to believe the same, looking at Gao Shuai with adoration.
"Classmate Gao, you really have pull. The General Manager here is sending such precious red wine."
"Of course, Classmate Gao is so young and already a manager of a company. Wouldn't he show him some respect!"
...
Facing the crowd's adulation, Gao Shuai basked in it. "Actually, I'm not very familiar with the General Manager here. You're flattering me too much."
"If you're not familiar and he still sends such expensive wine, imagine if you were!"
"Exactly, Classmate Gao, you're too humble. In the future, we old classmates will probably have to rely on you."
"We're all classmates, it's nothing, nothing!" Gao Shuai was so flattered that he'd forgotten his own name. However, he never expected the hotel's General Manager to send such expensive wine for him. Could it be because of the lobby manager? He was quite familiar with the lobby manager, who had promised him a 10% discount. Don't underestimate a 10% discount; it could save several thousand yuan easily. For ordinary customers, a 5% discount was quite good.
"How much is a bottle of this wine?" someone asked curiously. Gao Shuai hadn't tasted it before either, so he was stumped. He only knew that Romanée-Conti wines were not cheap. One of the waitresses said, "This is a three-year-old Romanée-Conti red wine. The production is less than a hundred thousand bottles, sold nationwide. The amount imported into our country is less than five thousand bottles, so it's sold at a slightly higher price, thirty thousand yuan per bottle."
"What, th-thirty thousand yuan?" The crowd was so stunned by the price that they dared not even breathe. My goodness, one bottle of red wine for thirty thousand yuan, that means four bottles are one hundred and twenty thousand yuan. Then half a glass of red wine in their cups must be worth over a thousand yuan? They weren't drinking wine, they were clearly drinking red banknotes.
Gao Shuai was also shocked by the price. Did the lobby manager have that much influence to have the General Manager send such expensive wine for him? After all, his bill for these two tables was less than thirty thousand yuan. Giving away twelve thousand yuan worth of wine in one go was clearly a loss. Could a hotel engage in such a loss-making business? This gave him a sense of unease. Could it be that the waitresses had indeed delivered to the wrong room? Since he was the one who said to open the wine, he would naturally be the one to pay, and he didn't have that much money! But with so many people present, he couldn't ask, especially since everyone thought the wine was sent because of him. Even now, many classmates were still flattering him. If it turned out it wasn't for him, how embarrassing would that be?
Qiangzi also switched seats with a classmate and sat next to Liu Yifeng. "Look at him, so pleased with himself. It's just a few bottles of red wine. For us who haven't tasted red wine before, whether it's a few dozen yuan bottle or a tens of thousands yuan bottle, it all tastes the same. Look at the other classmates, they act like they want to lick Gao Shuai's shoes. I don't know what they're thinking. Do they really think that with a few compliments, Gao Shuai will lead them to riches?" Qiangzi muttered disdainfully, wishing he had made an excuse to leave right after the gifts were given.
Liu Yifeng also didn't expect Gao Shuai to be so thick-skinned, taking credit for it without saying a word, making everyone believe the red wine was sent because of him. However, he didn't explain. No matter how much he explained, people probably wouldn't believe him, and would think he was bragging.
"Whether he can lead them to riches is their business. We just need to do our own thing." The reason Liu Yifeng and Qiangzi had been brothers and close friends for so many years was that their personalities were quite similar.