C20 The Means of the Rich

"Not at all!"

Chen Ping said between bites, "It's not my money I'm spending, so I'm not worried. Naturally, I'm going to enjoy a good meal!"

In truth, after struggling for nine thousand years in the Immortal World, the food there was completely different from what he had on Earth. Since his return, every meal Chen Ping had was filled with nostalgia. And let's not forget, this was the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, where the flavors were unforgettable!

Su Hanxue was momentarily speechless and decided not to say more.

Xu Xin'an looked at Chen Ping and shook his head silently. How could someone like him be brought by Su Hanxue as a decoy? Su Hanxue's taste seemed a bit too low.

However, it wasn't the right time to comment, so he decided to wait and see.

Just then, Wu Xiaojuan leaned over to Wang Cheng's ear and started whispering.

While eating, Chen Ping glanced up at Wu Xiaojuan. The distance was too close for others to hear, but Chen Ping caught every word clearly.

Chen Ping couldn't help but chuckle coldly. The same old trick again? They tried this at the Welcome Immortal Restaurant, and now they're at it again?

Sure enough, Chen Ping heard Wang Cheng whisper, "Last time, Chen Ping paid the bill, so he obviously has money. This time, your plan might not work!"

Wu Xiaojuan deliberately lowered her voice, "How much money could Chen Ping possibly have? He's definitely using online loans! Last time, he spent over ten thousand dollars. By now, his bank account must be empty!"

"Besides, even if he has some money, this is the Drunken Fairy Restaurant. A meal here can easily cost tens of thousands. Even if everyone splits the bill, Chen Ping would still need to pay eight or nine grand himself!"

"Think about it, how could Chen Ping possibly have eight or nine grand?"

Wang Cheng nodded in agreement, whispering, "You're so smart!"

But then Wang Cheng added, "What if Lee Jiayao gives the money back to Chen Ping?"

"Are you kidding? Chen Ping wouldn't have the nerve to ask Lee Jiayao for money. Even if she wanted to pay him back, would he really take it?"

"And even if, by some miracle, she did pay him back, spending seven or eight grand would still break his heart."

"This time, no one is going to bail Chen Ping out!"

Wu Xiaojuan looked smug, feeling like she had everything under control.

"Alright!" Wang Cheng nodded. "I'll handle this!"

With that, Wang Cheng stood up, smiling, "You all keep eating, I'm just going to the restroom."

He gave Xu Xin'an a knowing look.

Xu Xin'an caught on immediately, standing up with a smile, "I'll join you!"

In a flash, both of them left the room.

After they left, Su Hanxue turned to Chen Ping and whispered, "Why do I feel like those two are up to no good? Are they planning to give you a hard time?"

Chen Ping nodded calmly, saying, "You're right! But if they really try that, they're just setting themselves up for embarrassment!"

"They're not qualified to give me a hard time!"

From start to finish, Chen Ping never considered Wang Cheng or Xu Xin'an worth his attention. To Chen Ping, these two were nothing more than ants he could crush with a single slap.

Ten minutes later, the two of them came in. They sat down quietly, chatting as they ate, as if nothing had happened.

Five minutes later, Su Hanxue's phone rang.

"Dad!"

Su Hanxue answered the call, "I'm having dinner right now, yes, Xu Xin'an is here too, along with many others! What?"

As she spoke, Su Hanxue covered the phone and said to Chen Ping, "I'll step out to take this call, I'll be right back!"

Chen Ping sighed. The show was about to begin!

Sure enough, as soon as Su Hanxue stepped out, Xu Xin'an stood up and smiled, "I think everyone has finished eating, right?"

Seeing everyone nod, Xu Xin'an called for the waiter, and a lovely waitress came right in.

Seeing the waitress, Xu Xin'an immediately said, "Check, please!"

The waitress beamed, "Mr. Xu, hello! The total comes to $70,387. We've waived the change, so your total is $70,000. Will you be paying by card?"

A total bill of $70,000 meant a $7,000 tip for the charming waitress, so her attitude was impeccable.

"No!"

Xu Xin'an laughed as he spoke, "This time, we're all going Dutch! But, aside from Chen Ping's expenses, I'll cover everyone's costs!"

With Su Hanxue absent, Xu Xin'an dropped the pretense and directly targeted Chen Ping. Among those dining, no one was willing to speak up for Chen Ping. Even the pretty waitress understood the situation and looked at Chen Ping with sympathy.

Chen Ping's clothes and shoes were all cheap, likely costing less than ten dollars in total. How could someone like him afford to eat at a place like Zui Xian Lou?

There were eight people dining, and splitting the bill evenly meant Chen Ping needed to pay over ten thousand dollars. For an average family, such an expense could be devastating.

The waitress sighed. Although she felt sorry for Chen Ping, there was nothing she could do. She took out her walkie-talkie. Soon, Manager Shen of Zui Xian Lou came in. After understanding the situation, he also felt sympathy for Chen Ping.

It was clear Chen Ping had been set up. However, there was nothing Manager Shen could do. If it were just a few hundred dollars, he could waive it, but over ten thousand was beyond his power. Besides, Xu Xin'an was from the influential Xu family, and Manager Shen didn't want to offend him.

Manager Shen hesitated for a moment. Meanwhile, Chen Ping remained completely unruffled. As soon as Xu Xin'an mentioned splitting the bill, Chen Ping hadn't uttered a word. He simply enjoyed his meal and drink.

Finally, Chen Ping set down his drink, looked up at Manager Shen, and smiled. "Manager Shen, could you let me know how much I owe?"

"It's a total of eighty-seven thousand five hundred dollars," Manager Shen replied after a brief pause.

Wu Xiaojuan couldn't help but sneer, "Chen Ping, that's nearly ninety thousand dollars. How are you going to come up with that?"

She was clearly pleased, recalling, "Last time at the Welcome Inn, Chen Ping spent over a hundred thousand dollars! This time, it's just under ninety thousand. For Chen Ping, that's probably just pocket change!"

Wang Cheng chuckled, while Xu Xin'an remained silent, observing quietly. Sometimes, the ways of the wealthy are just that straightforward.

At that moment, Chen Ping pulled out a card and handed it to Manager Shen, smiling as he asked, "Manager Shen, could you check if this card works here?"