C8 A Drop in the Bucket

Chen Ping knew the two girls; they were high school classmates and got along well with both Jiayao and Xiaojuan. Before leaving, the girls glanced back at Chen Ping with a hint of disdain in their eyes. Chen Ping noticed but didn't care, as long as they didn't cause trouble, he had no interest in dealing with them.

What intrigued Chen Ping was Xiaojuan deliberately sending Jiayao away. Was she planning something? In his previous life, Chen Ping was in a cell on this day and had no chance to attend Jiayao's birthday party.

After a moment, Chen Ping considered several possibilities and decided to wait quietly. Jiayao and Qingqing had left and probably wouldn't return for a while, but Chen Ping wasn't worried about them getting into any trouble.

Soon, Chen Ping noticed Xiaojuan pulling Wang Cheng aside to whisper in a distant corner. Shortly after, Wang Cheng got up and walked towards Chen Ping. Many classmates in the room noticed this and immediately looked up, ready to watch the drama unfold.

"Chen Ping!" Wang Cheng approached with a smile. "Jiayao has something to deal with and won't be back soon. Since you're the closest to her here, it looks like you'll have to cover the bill at the restaurant for now!"

"Don't worry, we didn't spend much this time. Even if you cover it, it won't be a lot. Plus, with so many of us here, if we're short, we'll all pitch in to help!"

"When we see Lee Jiayao later, have her transfer the money to you. You won't lose a penny!"

Wang Cheng seemed genuinely kind, making it hard to dislike him. Yet, at that moment, Chen Ping felt an intense dislike for Wang Cheng and an even stronger aversion to Wu Xiaojuan, who was orchestrating things from behind the scenes.

The expenses at this place aren't cheap. Just this private room alone must cost over $15,000! Wu Xiaojuan and Wang Cheng clearly wanted to embarrass him. In the past, Chen Ping couldn't even come up with $1,000, let alone $15,000!

Without waiting for Chen Ping's response, Wang Cheng waved over a server standing outside the room.

"Check, please!" Wang Cheng said with a smile.

The server, a young woman in her twenties, wasn't particularly pretty but had a nice figure and spoke standard English. She sweetly said, "Hello, sir! Your total is $13,560. You can just pay $13,500. Will that be cash or card?"

"Only $13,500, that's not much at all!"

Wang Cheng, exuding an air of wealth and confidence, glanced at Chen Ping and said with a smile, "But it looks like Chen Ping might be under a bit more pressure. Since we're all classmates, we can't just stand by and do nothing. Let's all chip in and help out. We can't let Chen Ping shoulder this alone!"

With that, Wang Cheng rummaged through his pockets and pulled out two hundred-dollar bills, tossing them in front of Chen Ping. He laughed and said, "Sorry! I only brought two hundred bucks with me today, so this is all I can contribute!"

Xiaojuan walked over and dropped a hundred-dollar bill. "Chen Ping, this is all I have! When Jiayao pays you back, you don't need to return this hundred to me. Consider it a gift!"

After leaving the money, Xiaojuan stayed put, waiting to see Chen Ping's reaction. She knew better than anyone how much money Chen Ping had, considering she was his girlfriend before the hotel incident.

At this point, the classmates watching the scene began to understand what Xiaojuan and Wang Cheng were up to. Some felt sympathetic but were clearly reluctant to offend the influential Wang Cheng or the spirited Xiaojuan.

Meanwhile, other classmates simply watched the drama unfold, choosing not to side with either Xiaojuan and Wang Cheng or speak up for Chen Ping. Among them were some of Jiayao's college friends, who remained silent, not knowing anyone involved.

A few classmates gathered around, and one of them chuckled lightly, "Hey, Chen, my family's not doing so great financially, but here's twenty bucks. Hope you don't mind!"

Chen remembered him—John Lee from high school. His family owned a factory that made towels and bath towels, so he was pretty well-off. Back in high school, he had tried to date both Sarah Wu and Emily Lee, but neither was interested.

After John tossed the twenty dollars, he glanced at Sarah, seemingly waiting for a reaction. When Sarah gave him a gentle smile, John felt his twenty bucks were well spent.

Before long, a decent pile of money had accumulated in front of Chen, totaling nearly a thousand dollars. While some, like John, seemed to be teasing Chen, others genuinely wanted to help, though their contributions were limited.

Neither Mike nor Sarah seemed to care much. Compared to the hefty sum of thirteen thousand five hundred dollars, a thousand was insignificant.

"Chen! We'll need your help with the rest of the money!" Mike said sincerely. "Don't worry, when Emily gets back, she'll definitely make it up to you. Plus, doing this will leave a great impression on her!"

"Alright!"

Chen Ping smiled lightly, seemingly unfazed, and said calmly, "Thanks for the money, everyone, but you should take it back."

His words left everyone slightly taken aback. Wu Xiaojuan and Wang Cheng's intentions were as clear as day, but why was Chen Ping refusing the money? Was he waiting for Lee Jiayao to come back and settle the bill?

If that were the case, Wu Xiaojuan and Wang Cheng's plan would have succeeded. After all, they weren't trying to do anything drastic to Chen Ping; they just wanted to embarrass him a little and let everyone know he was "broke." It was as simple as that.

Then Chen Ping spoke again, "Thirteen thousand five hundred dollars is just a drop in the bucket to me! Since Jiayao isn't here and I'm closest to her, I'll cover the bill!"

The room fell silent for a moment. Even Wu Xiaojuan, who knew Chen Ping well, was slightly stunned, unable to grasp the situation.

Wang Cheng frowned a bit, glancing at Wu Xiaojuan with a questioning look. Could Chen Ping be secretly wealthy? However, Wu Xiaojuan slowly shook her head, indicating that Chen Ping wasn't from a rich family.

Wang Cheng felt relieved. Since Chen Ping wasn't wealthy, things would be easier to handle. Otherwise, Wang Cheng was genuinely worried about being shown up.

"Well then, let's all take back our money! Thirteen thousand five hundred dollars isn't a small amount, but as Chen Ping said, it's just a drop in the bucket! So, Chen Ping will cover it himself!"

Wang Cheng looked at the waiter and smiled, "Our classmate here will be picking up the tab for today's expenses!"

The waiter, having caught on, widened his eyes at Chen Ping but didn't say anything.

Wu Xiaojuan couldn't hold back and mocked, "Chen Ping, you've got quite the mouth. Since when did thirteen thousand five hundred dollars become just a drop in the bucket to you?"

Chen Ping glanced up at Wu Xiaojuan without responding. Instead, he simply pulled out his credit card and handed it to the waiter with a smile. "Charge it!"

The waiter was a bit surprised but took the card, swiped it through the machine, and asked Chen Ping to enter his PIN.

Once the PIN was entered, the machine started printing the receipt!

Wu Xiaojuan's face turned sour!

The card actually went through!

How is that possible?

When did Chen Ping get so much money?