C22 He Had the Supreme Card

"Hey, who let you guys in?"

While they were debating which seats to choose, a discordant voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

Turning around, they saw Yang Wanli, decked out in a garish suit, approaching with a middle-aged man.

"We came to show our support. Aren't we welcome?" Chu Yang asked, his tone even.

Yang Wanli sneered, "This isn't just any restaurant. The food here is pricey. Can you even afford it?"

"Don't underestimate us. It's a privilege for you to have us dine here. Rest assured, we won't dine and dash."

Zhao Chen, who had the shortest fuse, raised his voice in protest.

Aware that many onlookers were turning their heads, Yang Wanli didn't want to escalate the situation. On the opening day, it was crucial to have a prosperous start without any blemishes.

So, he turned to the man behind him and instructed, "Wang Congyan, these gentlemen are my classmates. Please ensure they're well taken care of and leave satisfied."

Wang Congyan nodded in acknowledgment and directed a server to seat them.

Once they were out of earshot, Yang Wanli scoffed, "You'll regret it when it's time to settle the bill!"

Yang Wanli's establishment was indeed upscale, with prices significantly higher than those of a standard restaurant.

Zhao Chen estimated that to be moderately full, it would cost upwards of 300 yuan per person.

They opted for a table by the window instead of a private room and began to order.

Chu Yang, trying Japanese cuisine for the first time, relied entirely on Zhao Chen's recommendations.

Shortly after ordering, the dishes arrived: salmon sushi, steamed eggs with caviar, sweet shrimp, roasted Wagyu beef...

"Let's dig in; we've been hungry for too long," Chu Yang announced, and they all eagerly started eating.

Truth be told, the Japanese dishes were just alright, not significantly better than Chinese cuisine. Aside from the Wagyu beef, they found the other items somewhat unfamiliar.

The group chatted and ate, and after half an hour, they were finally contentedly full.

Chu Yang noticed it was getting late and signaled to the waiter, "Check, please."

"Sir, your total comes to 1800 yuan. With the 30% discount, that will be 1256 yuan," the waiter confirmed, smiling.

The others quickly agreed to split the bill and suggested they could return the favor next time.

Normally, Chu Yang would cringe at spending over a thousand yuan on a meal, but today was different. He promptly pulled out his phone and paid the bill via a mobile app.

"Isn't there a promotion in your restaurant where spending over 888 yuan gets you a chance to enter a raffle?" Chu Yang inquired, pocketing his phone.

"That's correct, sir. With this receipt, you can participate in the raffle at the cashier," the waiter replied.

With that affirmation, Chu Yang headed to the cashier.

The raffle featured four tiers of prizes:

Grand Prize: Exclusive VIP Gold Card (1 winner)

First Prize: Voucher for a complimentary meal (2 winners)

Second Prize: 50% discount coupon (5 winners)

Third Prize: A small gift (10 winners)

Yang Wanli had been observing the group and, upon hearing about the raffle, quickly asked Wang Congyan, "Is the mechanism inside the box trustworthy? It won't malfunction, right?"

Wang Congyan confidently reassured him, "Rest assured, Young Master. We've used this system in our other locations, and no one has ever drawn the Supreme Card."

"Good to hear," Yang Wanli said, nodding and keeping an eye on the unfolding scene.

The news of the raffle piqued the interest of other patrons, who gathered around to watch the process.

To guarantee the raffle's integrity, the cashier meticulously placed each glass marble into the box in full view of the crowd.

There were 100 marbles in total, each representing different prize levels by the color of their core: gold for the grand prize, red for first prize, blue for second, green for third, and clear for the participation prize.

Once the crowd verified the prizes were accurate, the cashier shook the box vigorously to mix the marbles thoroughly.

As Chu Yang quietly focused his spiritual energy into his eyes, he intently watched the box without so much as a blink.

Once the waiter set the box down, Chu Yang's gaze sharpened. He noticed something peculiar.

The golden bead was missing from the glass marbles at the bottom of the box!

"Sir, you may begin the draw now."

The waiter, noticing Chu Yang's momentary daze, gently prompted him with a smile.

This place was running a crooked game, cheating even in their lottery!

"Is this some sort of sleight of hand?"

Chu Yang scrutinized the box and, though the bead seemed to have vanished, a change in perspective quickly revealed the trick.

In fact, the golden bead was still inside the box, not at the bottom, but stuck to a magnet in the top corner.

The bead's core was made of iron!

He had been so preoccupied with the bottom of the box that he had missed this detail.

As Chu Yang remained unresponsive, the impatient crowd around him began to push.

"Come on, draw already! What's the holdup?"

"Man, if you're not going to draw, step aside. I want my turn."

"Everyone, chill. Let him take his time. He might just pull out the jackpot!"

Taking a deep breath, Chu Yang feigned anxiety and reached into the box.

After fumbling around inside the lottery box, he slowly withdrew his arm.

As he opened his hand to reveal the marble within, the crowd gasped in unison.

"Wow!"

The golden marble was nestled in Chu Yang's palm!

The collective gasp sent a wave of dread through Yang Wanli, who, forgetting about appearances, pushed his way through the crowd to see for himself.

"This is bad!"

His heart plummeted as he caught sight of the glass marble in Chu Yang's hand.

The Japanese restaurant was a venture started by Yang Wanli's father, designed to help him emerge as a leader among the Yang family's offspring and secure his position as the heir to the Yang Group.

Yang Wanli had poured his heart and soul into the restaurant, from the decor and staff training to the marketing campaigns, personally overseeing every detail.

The lottery event was, of course, orchestrated by him to encourage more patrons to spend. The allure of the Supreme VIP card, which offered a year of free dining at any of the Yang Group's chain restaurants, was significant—even with just a 1% chance of winning, it was a substantial draw for customers.

He had assumed that, like the other branches that had rigged their draws, this lottery would be foolproof. But to his dismay, the draw went awry, and his arch-nemesis ended up with the Supreme Card!

"Mr. Yang, have I just won the grand prize?" Chu Yang asked, extending his hand in a taunting gesture upon noticing Yang Wanli's fluctuating mood.

Yang Wanli was tempted to deny everything, but with a crowd of onlookers and Liu Wenyu filming the scene on his phone, he couldn't bring himself to renege.

"Give him the card!" he commanded.

Wang Congyan stood by, his complexion ashen. Yang Wanli shot him a withering look before storming out of the restaurant. With the Supreme VIP card in hand, Chu Yang and his friends took turns admiring their prize.

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