C13 The Pill Was Not Bad

The feast was winding down, and there was still an abundance of food left untouched. Zhao Zhiquan took it upon himself to invite the performing girls to join in and indulge.

Their presence delighted the guests even further, who were all smiles, playfully engaging with the girls.

Still, someone thought there weren't enough girls and insisted on bringing in over seventy more—some to perform, others to share drinks.

What was meant to be a birthday banquet had morphed into an extravagant celebration of joy and revelry.

The air was filled with saccharine melodies and the stage came alive with the sultry movements of the dancers.

Nearly every girl from the ultra-luxurious hotel had been called upon to entertain, and due to a staff shortage, the hotel owner even had the waitresses change into costumes to join the impromptu performance.

In a corner sat Zhang Cheng, listless and disinterested. Despite the spread of mouthwatering dishes before him, he could barely manage a few bites.

In contrast, he found solace in the wine, glass after glass.

His sister-in-law, Zhao Qingya, watched him with a sense of resignation.

"What's gotten into you? It's just a dinner you're hosting. A man's got to stand his ground, you know."

Zhang Cheng gave her a helpless look. Do I really need a lesson from you on how to be a man?

"Xiao Ya, the problem is, I'm broke. I've only got five hundred thousand yuan to my name, and that's everything I've got."

Despair was close to overtaking Zhang Cheng.

Zhao Qingya's expression mirrored his concern.

"I know. I just asked Dad for money, but he refused. My sister wouldn't give me any either. It's just terrible."

"What?"

Zhang Cheng felt on the brink of tears.

"So what do we do? If my five hundred thousand isn't enough, are we going to end up washing dishes here?"

"Let it be. I'll just tell my sister the whole truth. She should be willing to help out with some money."

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Cheng agreed with his sister-in-law's approach.

Zhao Qingya dialed the number and switched to speakerphone.

Once she had explained everything, Zhao Qingyu on the other end was skeptical of her younger sister.

"You're not getting any money from me. Haven't you already conned enough out of me? Besides, Zhao Zhiquan never mentioned any private birthday party to me."

Zhao Qingya was at a loss.

"I'm telling the truth. My brother-in-law is right here with me, too."

"Why are you calling that guy your brother-in-law?"

Zhao Qingyu was clearly having a hard time believing it.

Zhao Qingya felt utterly helpless.

Just then, Zhao Qingyu's voice came through again on the phone.

"If you really want me to believe you, send me the location, and I'll come over to settle the bill myself."

"Fine, fine, I was just kidding, okay?"

Zhao Qingya said in frustration before abruptly ending the call.

Zhang Cheng was taken aback.

"Why did you hang up on her? If she's willing to come, let her. It's better than the current situation, right?"

"Listen, if my sister comes and pays, what will people think of you? Can't you show a little pride?"

Zhao Qingya was clearly exasperated.

Zhang Cheng was puzzled by his sister-in-law's way of thinking.

Being unable to pay would be far more embarrassing...

As time ticked by, it was nearly one o'clock, and people started to leave.

That's when a neatly dressed woman purposefully strode in.

"Excuse me, who is handling the payment?"

This woman had been sent by Zhao Zhiquan's instructions. Otherwise, why would a five-star hotel staff proactively seek someone out in the lobby to pay the bill?

Zhao Zhiquan pointed straight at Zhang Cheng in the corner.

"Him, he's covering all of today's expenses."

The woman didn't understand Zhao Zhiquan's motives, but she had been paid off, so she followed his instructions.

Approaching Zhang Cheng's table with a professional smile, she said, "Esteemed sir, your total expenditure for today amounts to 23,052,440 yuan. Will you be paying by card or with cash?"

Zhang Cheng choked on the drink he was sipping.

"How much? Twenty-three million, fifty-two thousand, four hundred and forty yuan? Are you sure you didn't add a couple of extra zeros?"

The woman chuckled and shook her head.

"No, sir. You requested 110 artistic performance ladies, each at 20,000 yuan per hour. With 110 of them for three hours, that's 6.6 million. Plus, several guests damaged some valuable decorations and spilled alcohol on a famous painting, along with your other expenses, it totals exactly 23,052,440 yuan."

Hearing her say that, Zhang Cheng nearly passed out right there and then.

The woman, noticing his silence, spoke up again.

"Esteemed sir, will you be paying with a card or cash?"

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a long plume of smoke.

"Do I look like I can carry that much cash on me?"

"So, you'll be using a card?"

Zhang Cheng found himself at a loss for words. Had it really come to this?

Just then, Ma Ansheng approached, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"Having trouble settling the bill?" he teased. "How about this: call me 'Daddy Ma' right now, and I'll take care of it for you."

Zhang Cheng's hand itched to slap Ma Ansheng again as he heard the taunt.

Ma Ansheng burst into laughter, the pent-up frustrations of recent years seemingly evaporating in that moment.

"I mean it," he said, still chuckling. "Just give me a shout, and I'll cover everything today, no second thoughts."

He confidently pulled out his bank card.

"Go on, shout. It's not embarrassing. Plenty of people would kill for the chance to be Chairman Ma's son."

Someone else, eager to stir the pot, chimed in.

"If so many are eager for the chance, I'll graciously offer it to you. How about you take a turn, huh?"

Zhang Cheng shot back with a glare.

Did they really think he was a pushover?

The other man simply sighed in exasperation.

"Ah, I try to give you friendly advice, and you don't appreciate it. Some people are just hopeless, like trying to sculpt rotten wood."

Zhang Cheng felt the sting of mockery from all around.

"Sir, are you going to pay or not?" the cashier asked, her patience wearing thin.

Zhang Cheng clenched his jaw, at a loss for words.

It was then that Ma Ansheng piped up once more.

"Hey, I'm giving you ten seconds. If you don't call out to me by the time I'm done counting, I'm out of here."

"Ten."

"Nine."

"Eight."

"Seven."

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"Enough!"

Zhao Qingya's furious shout silenced the entire hall. In that moment, she deeply regretted her earlier insistence on settling the bill. Watching the crowd belittle Zhang Cheng, her eyes brimmed with tears.

All eyes were on her, their faces smirking with amusement.

This was the first time Zhang Cheng had ever seen his sister-in-law so enraged, and her booming voice startled him.

"Okay, okay."

He gently tugged at her hand, his gaze softening as he noticed the reddening of her eyes, a surge of warmth filling his chest.

He pulled out his phone, determined to try regardless of how much he could scrape together.

"Hey Zuo Kun, do you have any cash on you?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Zuo Kun's voice came through the phone.

"Cheng, how much do you need?"

Zhang Cheng felt a bit awkward with the formal address, but now was not the time for such concerns.

"Roughly 26 million."

There was a brief pause on the line before Zuo Kun's voice returned.

"Cheng, just give me ten minutes. I'll have it all ready, no doubt."

Hearing the assurance in Zuo Kun's voice, Zhang Cheng's spirits lifted. He quickly provided his bank account details and ended the call.