C15 He Peed

"Sir, here are the two bottles of '82 Lafite you requested." The wine was promptly brought to the table.

"Which year?" Du Miao was taken aback upon hearing the vintage. He was tempted to ask if they could return it, but as the eldest scion of the Du family, it would be too much of a loss of face. Reluctantly, he steeled himself and said, "Alright, open them."

The waiter gave a nod and had barely uncorked one bottle when Nie Feng grabbed it, exclaiming, "I'm in such high spirits today, I'll toast to Young Master Du first!" Ignoring the astonished looks from everyone else, Nie Feng downed the entire bottle in one go.

Du Miao and Zhang Menglin's eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Had Nie Feng just chugged an entire bottle?

After wiping his mouth, Nie Feng belched and remarked, "This wine's no good. It lacks punch; it's like drinking grape juice."

Damn it, do you think you're knocking back cheap liquor? Du Miao's heart ached. He hadn't even had a sip, and it was all gone.

As the waiter opened the second bottle, Nie Feng snatched it again, poured a glass for Zhang Menglin, and said to Du Miao, "Out of deep respect for Young Master Du, I'll toast you another!" Before Du Miao could respond, the second bottle had also disappeared down Nie Feng's throat.

Du Miao felt on the verge of madness. How had he run into such a jinx? Two bottles of '82 Lafite, not a single taste for himself, all squandered by this man!

"Oops, my apologies. I got carried away with the excitement and accidentally finished all the wine. Waiter, another bottle, please!" Nie Feng called out nonchalantly.

The waiter was more than willing, eager for the hefty commission that came with another sale.

It finally dawned on Zhang Menglin that Nie Feng was deliberately setting up Du Miao, which lifted her spirits considerably. Nie Feng had realized earlier that Du Miao had followed them shortly after he and Zhang Menglin had left, which is why he had ordered such pricey items.

"No, no, no! I don't drink, no more orders," Du Miao blurted out in alarm.

A single bottle was worth over a hundred thousand yuan. Two bottles were bad enough, but the worst part was he hadn't had a single taste. What if another bottle was ordered and this guy guzzled it down too?

Half an hour had passed, and the dishes started arriving in succession. Nie Feng wasted no time devouring them, not even bothering with a knife and fork—he simply grabbed and gnawed away.

Onlookers cast peculiar glances his way, and Du Miao was equally taken aback. Could this guy be the reincarnation of a starving ghost?

Du Miao was mortified, wishing the ground would swallow him up. This was just too humiliating.

"Slow down, eat slowly," Zhang Menglin urged, patting Nie Feng's back, concerned he might choke.

Du Miao, irked by the spectacle, quickly interjected, "Brother Nie Feng must be famished. Have more, and if that's not enough, you can have my portion too."

"Then I won't hold back," Nie Feng replied, reaching for the lobster in front of Du Miao and sinking his teeth into it.

Hmph, I hope you overeat, you jerk! Du Miao fumed silently, glaring at Nie Feng.

But in no time, Nie Feng had polished off the feast, still pecking at his phone, seemingly unsatisfied. As Zhang Menglin was finishing up, Nie Feng suddenly grabbed her hand, announcing, "What's that? You need the restroom? Sure, I'll take you."

Zhang Menglin was perplexed. When had she mentioned needing the restroom?

Catching her confusion, Nie Feng gave her a knowing wink. Realization dawned on Zhang Menglin, and she played along, "Oh, right, I need the restroom."

"I'll accompany you!" Du Miao blurted out, standing up.

"Why would you follow her to the restroom? Relax, I know my way around here. I'll take her," Nie Feng dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"It's fine, Nie Feng can go with me," Zhang Menglin agreed with a nod.

"Fine," Du Miao replied, sitting back down, his frustration palpable. Why on earth would Nie Feng go with her to the restroom? And since when was he familiar with this place? Had he ever even been here before?

More than ten minutes passed, and neither Nie Feng nor Zhang Menglin had returned. Sensing something was amiss, Du Miao checked the restroom, only to find it completely empty.

"Sir, when will you be settling the bill?" The waiter, concerned that Du Miao might skip out on paying, approached to inquire.

"Where did the two people I was dining with go?" Du Miao asked.

"The gentleman and the lady have left, sir. Could you please take care of the check?" The waiter extended the bill to Du Miao as he spoke.

Du Miao gestured dismissively, pulling out a bank card to give to the waiter, who offered a slight smile before heading to the cashier.

Shortly after, a text message detailing the charges buzzed on Du Miao's phone. His eyes bulged at the amount displayed.

"Hey, you there! Come here! Is this place a rip-off? How on earth did two bottles of '82 Lafite and a few other items run up a tab of 600,000 yuan?" Du Miao beckoned the waiter over, his tone laced with irritation.

Despite being the scion of the Du family, Du Miao's allowance wasn't infinite. Having just blown through half a month's funds, his anger was justified.

"Sir, here's your bill." The waiter offered no explanation, simply handing over the itemized charges.

Upon reviewing the bill, Du Miao's jaw dropped. "Why are there two extra bottles of '98 wine on this?"

"The gentleman who left earlier took them, saying you'd cover the cost," the waiter explained candidly.

Du Miao felt on the verge of a meltdown. What kind of person does this—leaves without finishing their meal and takes two bottles of wine to boot? And the worst part: Du Miao hadn't even had a sip of those four bottles! "Nie Feng, you scoundrel!"

...

"Achoo!" Nie Feng sneezed abruptly in Zhang Menglin's car.

"Seriously, you're too much. Du Miao is really going to feel the pinch this time," Zhang Menglin commented, barely suppressing a chuckle.

"Don't worry about it. The Du family's pockets run deep; this is chump change to them. Consider it a favor—I'm teaching him a lesson on your behalf, no thanks needed," Nie Feng replied with the nonchalance of someone impervious to scalding.

"But he said he was treating us. Why did you rush me out early? It's quite impolite," Zhang Menglin expressed, puzzled.

"What do you know? This is the art of the urine escape technique. Without it, how would we have snagged these two bottles?" Nie Feng brandished the wine in his hand and continued, "It's a shame this place only had two bottles from '82, and I bet they're both fakes. These '98s, though, they're likely the real deal. Go ahead, take them! They'd just be wasted on me."

"Of course, the '82 Lafite is probably only available at the Celestial Pavilion in Silkwick, so I won't hold back," Zhang Menglin said with a nod.

The Lafite Winery produced only 200,000 bottles in 1982, yet China goes through a million bottles of '82 Lafite every year. Everyone knows the score with those numbers.

"This is where you're staying?" Zhang Menglin asked as she dropped Nie Feng off at his rental, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah! Want to come up for a bit?" Nie Feng offered with a grin.

"Sure, let's go!" Zhang Menglin replied, locking up her car.

Nie Feng immediately regretted his words, wishing he could smack himself for his loose lips. "Big sister, I was just kidding! Don't take it to heart. My place is too modest to host an esteemed guest like you."

"I was kidding too. You should've seen your face," Zhang Menglin retorted with an eye roll, clearly annoyed.

"Watch out!" In that instant, Nie Feng's ring flashed brilliantly, and he instinctively shoved Zhang Menglin aside.

A silver needle whizzed towards Nie Feng, who deftly dodged by tilting his head and then charged in the direction it came from.

A figure clad in black emerged from the shadows, dagger in hand, thrusting it at Nie Feng without a moment's pause.

"Courting death!" Nie Feng scoffed, seizing the assailant's wrist. With a swift maneuver, he flipped the attacker to the ground.

Just then, a hidden blade shot out from the assailant's heel, aiming for the back of Nie Feng's head.

Nie Feng merely smiled and threw a punch backward. A crisp "crack" sounded as the man's leg went limp. Nie Feng followed with a punch to the back of the man's head, knocking him unconscious.

"Who is this person? Why did he attack us?" Zhang Menglin asked, her voice trembling with fear.

"Miss Zhang, that's a question I should be asking you. Who have you managed to anger? Why would they send a hit squad after you? Judging by his attire, he's with the same group as that guy we encountered at the villa. For your own safety, you'd better start telling me the truth," Nie Feng said calmly, locking eyes with Zhang Menglin.

"I... I really don't know," Zhang Menglin stammered, her gaze darting away.

Nie Feng sensed that Zhang Menglin was hiding something, but he knew better than to press her for answers. However, this time he had captured someone alive, and there was a chance he could extract some useful information.

Yet Zhang Menglin seemed unfazed by the prospect of Nie Feng interrogating the captive, which left him feeling a chill of disappointment.

"Alright, you can head back now. I'm going up," Nie Feng said, hoisting the black-clad man onto his shoulder.

"Aren't you concerned about letting me go back alone? What if there are more assassins out there? Could you really stand by and watch me get killed?" Zhang Menglin asked, batting her large eyes in a display of vulnerability.

Nie Feng was well aware of the young woman's tactics. Truthfully, he wasn't comfortable with the idea of her going back alone, but she wasn't without protection. "What's there to worry about? Isn't that old man in white right over there? You'll be fine," he reassured her, glancing at a Wuling Hong Guang parked nearby.

Bai Fu, sitting in the car, caught Nie Feng's gaze and felt a twinge of embarrassment. He had tried to be discreet, yet Nie Feng had still spotted him. To cover his discomfort, Bai Fu turned his head away and hummed a tune, pretending not to notice Nie Feng's attention.

Nie Feng was confident that with Bai Fu present, Zhang Menglin would be safe. The old man's skills far surpassed his own; if Bai Fu couldn't handle the situation, Nie Feng's presence would make no difference.

"Fine, I'll see you tomorrow," Zhang Menglin conceded, a hint of dejection in her voice as she climbed into the car.

Nie Feng watched as Zhang Menglin and Bai Fu drove off, then with the captive in tow, he made his way upstairs.