C16 He will Spend a Lot of Money

"For the Meng family, I'm willing to endure any hardship! By the way, I heard that Tianyue Media recently signed a new artist named Suen Rou. I'd like to take a shot at it. Tomorrow, I'll go and negotiate a packaging contract for her on behalf of our family. What do you think?"

Given the Meng family's existing partnership with Tianyue Media, securing the new artist's packaging contract should be a breeze.

Meng Junjie knew this was his moment to shine! If he could land Suen Rou's contract, his grandmother would surely give him all the credit.

Old Madam Meng was very pleased with his determination. "Jie, you truly are the most considerate, always ready to work for the good of the Meng family! I trust you with this task. I'm confident you'll handle it well!"

Hearing the Old Madam's praise, Meng Shuran's heart sank. She exchanged a glance with Soong Yan, who could only offer a comforting pat on her hand beneath the table.

Old Madam favored Meng Junjie above all, and now that she had entrusted the task to him, there was little they could do.

The banquet, initially a celebration of Meng Shuran's achievements, had been hijacked. Meng Junjie's few words had turned him into the star of the evening.

Despite the ache in her heart, Meng Shuran's face betrayed no emotion. She wasn't the direct descendant Old Madam Meng adored, after all.

"Tonight's on me! Make sure you all eat, drink, and be merry!" Meng Junjie declared, generously covering the banquet's costs.

He had barely sat down when he signaled to the waiter. "Waiter, bring a bottle of your finest wine to each table—the most expensive one you have, and make it quick!"

The waiter, initially ready to present the wine list, promptly nodded and hurried off to fulfill the request.

Once the wine was poured, Meng Junjie lifted his glass, beaming with joy. "Let's raise a glass to celebrate the upcoming contract with Tianyue Media. Tonight, we feast and drink to our heart's content—no one leaves until we're all thoroughly merry!"

Everyone stood and raised their glasses, offering their congratulations to Meng Junjie. His standing within the Meng family was, after all, beyond the reach of ordinary folk.

As the banquet drew to a close, Meng Junjie was visibly unsteady on his feet. With a hazy gaze, he summoned a waiter with a wave and pulled a card from his wallet, "Charge it to my card!"

"That's a Huayuan Gold Card!" exclaimed someone who recognized the card Meng Junjie brandished, causing a stir among the guests.

Nearby attendees gaped at the sight of the card. A Huayuan bank card wasn't easily obtained; the basic card required personal assets of at least five million, a silver card ten million, and the gold card Meng Junjie flaunted demanded a minimum of thirty million in assets.

Meng Junjie was worth an estimated sixty million, but that didn't mean he had that amount in cash. It had taken him nearly three years to accumulate the thirty million on the card, which he had only secured two days prior.

Catching sight of Ding Yue, Meng Junjie's pride swelled. With the Ding family heiress present, he was eager to seize every chance to flaunt his wealth.

Ding Yue herself gave Meng Junjie's Huayuan Gold Card more than a passing glance. Despite her status, she had only about twenty million to her name and held a Huayuan Silver Card, a notch below Meng Junjie's.

She had offered to pay double for the Dream Lover, but that would require her father's financial backing.

Sensing Ding Yue's occasional looks, Meng Junjie's excitement grew. He straightened up and declared, "Go ahead and charge it; I'm covering everyone's bill tonight! But just this table," he clarified, pointing to a specific table, "don't include the others in my tab."

The table he indicated was where Lin Hao sat, a man of awkward standing in the Meng family. Few wished to associate with him, and those who did were of little consequence. Meng Junjie was indifferent to whether they took offense or not.

"Lin Hao, do you even have any cash on you? You're not going to tell me you can't cover the bill today and have to hit up your wife for money, are you?"

Meng Junjie staggered to his feet, ambled over to Lin Hao, and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder.

Lin Hao just smiled and kept silent. Meng Junjie, with a sneer, withdrew his hand and turned his attention to Ding Yue.

"Miss Ding, you're a fan of 'Dream Lover,' right? I've got a lot of friends and ways to get things done. Rest assured, I'll definitely secure it for you!"

Ding Yue gave a slight nod, her cool and poised demeanor unbroken by a smile. "In that case, I'll thank you in advance, Mr. Meng."

Meng Junjie was about to add more when the waiter, who had taken his gold card earlier, hurried over.

"Mr. Meng, I apologize, but there isn't enough money on this card to settle tonight's bill."

"What are you talking about? There's 30.25 million on that card. You're saying that's not enough for tonight's dinner?" Meng Junjie stared at the waiter incredulously. He reached out to grab the waiter's collar but was restrained by the others nearby.

This was the Wanggaang Hotel, after all. Meng Junjie might have been tipsy, but most guests were sober, and this was no place for the Meng family to make a scene.

The waiter stepped back, his face sour, a mocking glint in his eyes. "My apologies, I forgot to mention, Mr. Meng, your party's total expenditure tonight is 36.43 million."

Meng Junjie sobered up instantly!

36.43 million? What on earth did they eat? Gold or jewels?

"Is this some kind of extortion? Get your manager out here! I won't let this go until we've cleared this up!"

Lin Hao, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, couldn't help but chuckle. Meng Junjie was truly a fool, always parading around like he was loaded. Turns out he hadn't the faintest clue about anything.

Earlier, he had insisted the waiter bring out the finest wine, one bottle per table. While no one else seemed to recognize it, Lin Hao had identified it immediately. The hotel had served Sovinia, a top-tier brandy ranked among the top three globally.

The wine in question retailed for a staggering 1.85 million yuan per bottle. Tonight's big question was whether Meng Junjie had the means to afford it.

Upon witnessing his demeanor, the waiter couldn't be bothered to argue and promptly went to summon the hotel manager.

Once the manager arrived, an irate Meng Junjie confronted him, raising his voice, "What kind of business are you running here? This is outright robbery! Do you think I won't report you to the Bureau of Commodity Prices this instant?"

The manager responded with a smile, "Mr. Meng, you requested the finest wine, and we've provided you with 'Sovinia,' the best our hotel has to offer. It's a rare find, with only two thousand bottles worldwide. Considering the large quantity you ordered, we've applied a generous discount—over four million yuan off. So, the 'robbery' you're referring to simply doesn't exist."

"Bastard! Sovinia? If it's truly a limited edition with only two thousand bottles globally, how can your hotel possibly have over twenty bottles on hand? Who are you trying to fool? And when did I ever request this wine? This is nothing but forced consumption!"

Meng Junjie's hand shot out, seizing the hotel manager's collar, poised to strike. At that moment, a deep, steady voice echoed from the banquet hall entrance, "What's this? Does this gentleman wish to brawl in my modest establishment?"

All eyes turned to see a man dressed in a traditional Tang suit, followed by a cadre of burly men in black suits making their way through the entrance.

Old Lady Meng couldn't stay seated at the sight of the man in the Tang suit. She quickly rose and approached him, "Boss Yu, my sincerest apologies. My grandson has had a bit too much to drink and is speaking out of turn. Please, don't take offense." She finished with a respectful bow.

The Meng family members felt a pang of discomfort seeing their most esteemed and revered elder bowing and apologizing. Their gazes shifted to Meng Junjie, now filled with discontent.

Yu Zexin was the sole proprietor of Wanggaang Hotel, a renowned figure in Wangjiang City.

Impeccably dressed, he continuously fiddled with two polished jade beads in his hand. Yet, at just 35 or 36 years old, Yu Zexin carried an air of distinction that set him apart from his peers.