Reading on smartphone Crystal Palace Hotel, luxury private dining room. Mao is dining here for the first time. Though he had successfully courted several affluent women in the past, he had never dined here before. Five people are seated in the room. Earlier in the corridor, Chen Yue and Su Wu met two "familiar faces," who warmly invited them to join, bringing the group from three to five. The two additional guests are Qin Feng and Lin Caiwei. Mao watches Chen Yue and Su Wu holding their menus, and can't help but swallow a lump in his throat—how exquisite the menus are, it's clear the dishes must be quite expensive. He reaches into his pocket for his bank card, mentally preparing to stretch his budget. The two order seven or eight dishes, plus a soup. "Shall we have a drink?" Su Wu suggests. "Everyone is driving, so it might not be ideal to have drinks," Mao says cautiously. Qin Feng patted his chest and said, "Don't worry—I have connections at the traffic police. As long as it's not a drunk-driving accident, everything will be taken care of!" "Besides, we won't drink much. Just one bottle of red wine will do." Su Wu didn't even glance at the wine menu, simply addressing the server: "Please bring us the best red wine available, and hurry up with the dishes!" "Certainly, ladies and gentlemen, please wait a moment." The server took back the menus and stepped out. Throughout the meal, Marco never managed to touch the menu, so he had no idea how much the dinner would cost. Soon after, a variety of delicacies were served—bear paw, fish maw, king crab, large lobster, and the prized black gold, caviar. The wine labels were all in English, which Marco couldn't understand at all. He estimated the meal would cost at least 300,000 to 500,000 yuan. His brother thought, well, he's been the one getting taken for granted year after year—being the one the geese keep pecking at. This time, he just accepted it. Four people chatted and dined together, yet the host, Ma Ke, found himself largely ignored. Though he frequently interjected, the results always boiled down to one of two outcomes: either he was simply overlooked, or the topic he introduced failed to spark interest and was quickly replaced by another. By the time the meal was over, Ma Ke had been thoroughly frustrated, yet he kept reassuring himself in his heart that as long as there was a first time, there would surely be a second, a third—eventually, there would come a moment when he could truly move someone. The bottle of wine was soon divided among the four, but Ma Ke only managed to sip half a glass at the beginning; even when the bottle was empty, he hadn’t managed a second helping. Honestly, he was genuinely afraid of being pulled over by traffic officers for a DUI—should that happen, it would truly be a serious matter, so he consistently held back, lifting his glass only to brush his lips with it before setting it down again. Finally, he got a chance to speak to Chen Yue, but before he could open his mouth, Su Wu suggested, “It’s getting late—we should head out now!” "Without waiting for anyone to respond, she called the waiter directly, saying, 'Bill please, this gentleman will pay!' The waiter carried over a bill, bowed respectfully, and placed it in front of Marco, saying, 'Mr. Marco, your total comes to 129,860 yuan. The rounding can be omitted—please settle for 129,800 yuan.' 'What?' Marco stared in disbelief, 'A meal costing 130,000 yuan? Are you joking?' The waiter patiently explained, 'Indeed, the 1992 vintage Grand Cru Lafite, priced at 98,800 yuan, and the room service fee at 1,200 yuan—those are the only two items. The rest is for the food.' Chen Yue pretended to be concerned, asking, 'Is it true, Mr. Ma, that you can't afford to pay?' Su Wu added, 'It shouldn't be the case. Mr. Ma has always been known for his generosity at our school. How could he possibly not be able to cover the bill? I believe the price is quite reasonable. Just settle for 130,000 Mao was about to go mad—his bank account truly didn't have that much cash. During this period of studying abroad, he had hardly any income, only expenses. Fortunately, his card allowed overdrafts, with a maximum limit of 100,000 yuan. Even if he managed to cover the immediate crisis, what would he do in the long run? He'd have to repay the overdraft, and the interest alone would be enough to make him break the bank. Acting on the strategy of "casting a long line for a big catch," he played it cool and said, "How could I possibly afford this meal? It's not that I find the meal expensive—I just think that bottle of wine is a bit outrageous!" The server immediately explained, "This is an authentic imported French wine—there aren't even several bottles available throughout the entire plain city. Our price is already quite competitive. In fact, a hotel just a bit further away has already listed it at 108,800 yuan!" "Hiding his growing concern, he pulled out his bank card and said, 'Take me to the counter and swipe—it's my treat today! How much we eat, I don't care!' Su Wu immediately replied, 'Then let's go—we all have the same destination, the school. Professor Ma must have no objections, right?' His heart ached, and he gritted his teeth, saying, 'No objections. You go ahead. I'll catch up with you!' As soon as the four of them stepped into the elevator, they couldn't help but burst into laughter. Chen Yue wrapped her arms around his waist, laughing and saying, 'Xiao Feng, you're absolutely terrible! You've already taken Professor Ma's fortune of over ten thousand yuan. I'm sure he'll be drowning in debt after this meal. For the next six months, or even a year, he'll never recover!' 'How about the food you two ordered? Why are you calling me a bad guy?' Qin, the young millionaire, sniffed, having already prepared himself to remain humble and unassuming. Ms. Su immediately said, "All of this has been your idea from the very beginning, hasn't it? Oh, bad husband, I think you still have more tricks up your sleeve—don't you plan on finishing off that man just once and calling it a day!" The beautiful counselor narrowed her eyes, exclaiming, "You really intend to get rid of Mr. Ma completely? What else do you have in store? Spill it right now—I'm already dying to hear it!" Qin, smiling gently, revealed the details of his next move. The three women listened in silence and then all exchanged a look of disdain. A few minutes later, Ma stepped out of the hotel doors looking pale and defeated. His first action was to dial his friend: "Hey, Sun—could you lend me a little cash for now?... Duh, I'm hanging up already!" After getting into the car, he started driving while making a second phone call: "Chen, I'd like to sell this car... the SANTANA I've been driving all this time. It's an older model, but it's in great condition—never had any issues at all. What? Only eight thousand? That's way too low. Even if it's being treated as a scrap, it shouldn't be worth that much!" The other end replied: "Sell it or don't—your old car's worth exactly eight thousand. Not a cent more than that!"