"Uh... Sir, what did you just say? I'm not sure I understand. I don't believe we have a dish called 'the whole menu'..."
Blinking, completely baffled, the waiter fumbled with his ordering tablet as he took the menu. He asked again, his confusion evident.
Fang Chenyi just grinned at the waiter's confusion. Across from him, Bai Menghan's eyes immediately filled with starry-eyed adoration. 'Wow, he's so handsome.'
"Cook one of everything on this menu. We clear?"
Fang Chenyi stated his request as clearly as possible so the waiter would understand. This time, it wasn't just the waiter who got it—the surrounding diners were all stunned when they heard him.
"Holy shit, that's a hell of a way to show off. 'One of everything'? How much would that even cost?! And forget the price—think of how many dishes that is!"
A pot-bellied, middle-aged man curled his lip in disdain. The man next to him couldn't help but add his own mocking comment.
"Maybe this scrap collector is just planning to dine and dash. He probably doesn't have any money anyway. At worst, he'll just get a beating after he's done eating."
Of course, amid the chorus of disdain and ridicule, there were more than a few women who found themselves deeply attracted to Fang Chenyi's powerful presence. And, of course, the main reason was that the guy was just incredibly handsome.
"Wow. Such a badass. So confident. And so handsome."
"Wow, that handsome guy has so much style."
...
"S-Sir, are you sure you want one of everything? This menu has over a hundred dishes..."
The waiter stared at the nonchalant Fang Chenyi and swallowed hard as he offered his stuttering reminder.
Before he could finish, Fang Chenyi waved a dismissive hand. "Just go. It's not like I can't afford it, is it? Tell your chefs to hurry up. I've been collecting scraps all night, and I'm getting hungry."
With that, he paid the waiter no more mind. Seeing this, the waiter had no choice but to agree and retreat. Of course, he didn't go to the kitchen to place the order himself. Instead, he went straight to find the on-duty lobby manager.
After all, ordering the whole menu was no small matter. Even excluding the most expensive signature dishes, the bill would still run into the tens of thousands.
Putting aside the waiter who had run off to find his manager, Fang Chenyi looked up and saw the long-legged beauty across from him, a smile playing on her lips.
A conflicted thought immediately entered Fang Chenyi's mind. 'Sigh, what a shame. Such a stunning beauty, but she's secondhand. It'd be so much better if she were brand new.'
While Fang Chenyi was lost in his thoughts, the long-legged beauty suddenly spoke in a soft voice:
"Hey, handsome. We've been talking for a while, but I still don't know your name. Would you tell me? By the way, my name is Bai Menghan."
Uh...
'Well, this is awkward.' He had invited her to dinner without even knowing her name. Hearing it now, Fang Chenyi couldn't help but nod. "Mm, Bai Menghan. That's a nice name. Sigh, what a pity..."
Fang Chenyi trailed off, cutting himself short. 'I can't just tell her to her face that it's a pity she's not brand new.'
"Really? Hehe, I'm glad you like it," she giggled. "So, what's a pity, handsome?"
Fang Chenyi gave an awkward chuckle and waved his hand. "It's nothing. By the way, I'm Fang Chenyi. Thanks for letting me collect scrap in your neighborhood today. I'll raise a glass to you in a bit."
Speaking of which, something suddenly occurred to Fang Chenyi. 'That's right, didn't I just get a bottle of liquor?'
With that thought, Fang Chenyi bent down and grabbed his woven sack again. He reached a hand inside and began to rummage around.
The sight left the surrounding diners speechless. 'What the hell? Talk about a mood killer. What is this restaurant thinking, letting just anyone in? We paid good money to enjoy a nice meal, and we end up eating next to a scrap collector. Fuck this, I'm never coming back here again.'
Of course, Fang Chenyi was oblivious to the thoughts of those around him. He just rummaged in his sack for a moment before—CLUNK—pulling out a bottle and placing it on the table.
"Here we go. I happened to have a bottle on me. Let's try this tonight."
Truth be told, Fang Chenyi wasn't a drinker, especially not baijiu. Aside from forced social functions for work, he generally didn't touch the stuff. But today's reward from the system was a bottle of Moutai, of all things, and he was genuinely curious to see what all the fuss was about.
Fang Chenyi had just placed the golden Moutai box on the table—it was shaped like an ancient imperial seal, topped with a crouching dragon—when a middle-aged man in a sharp suit approached, the waiter from before trailing behind him.
The manager had come over to see what the commotion was about, but the moment he saw the box Fang Chenyi had produced, his heart skipped a beat.
He quickened his pace, strode to the table, and fixed his eyes on the box.
"Hey, buddy, what're you staring at?"
Seeing the well-dressed man practically drooling over his liquor, Fang Chenyi snatched the box back and spoke up to interrupt his trance.
As the box moved, the man snapped out of it. He offered Fang Chenyi an embarrassed smile and asked in a low, extremely respectful tone, "Sir, would you mind if I took a look at your bottle?"
Seeing the man's suddenly deferential attitude, Fang Chenyi nodded in confusion and placed the box back on the table. "What's the matter? You don't allow outside drinks here or something?"
The exchange wasn't loud, but in the otherwise quiet restaurant, it had drawn the attention of every diner. Seeing all eyes on him, the middle-aged man gave a slight, placating nod to the room before speaking.
"Good evening, everyone. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the lobby manager of this restaurant. You can call me Xiaowu. Now, to this gentleman... we do not, in fact, permit guests to bring their own alcoholic beverages."
As the manager finished, Fang Chenyi was left speechless. 'Figures. Restaurants nowadays, they don't let you bring your own drinks just to jack up the prices on their own, charging several times what it costs outside. Sigh, what a bunch of crooks.'
"Alright then. If I can't bring my own, I just won't drink."
Fang Chenyi was a reasonable person. If those were the rules, he'd just put his bottle away and order one from the restaurant.
But just as Fang Chenyi muttered to himself and reached to put the box away, the lobby manager quickly added:
"Wait, wait! Sir! Sir! Although we don't normally allow outside beverages... you can. You absolutely can."
Uh... 'What's that supposed to mean? Why does he get to bring his own?'
'Yeah, so we're not allowed to, but the scrap collector is? Are you trying to say we're not even as good as a scrap collector?'
[To be continued...]
PS: Hey everyone, the book's been signed! It's official! I, Xiao Youzi, just mailed the contract. To all my readers who enjoy this book, you can add it to your favorites with confidence now!