"Eight! Eight! Eight… 8.9 million? Manager Wu, you're not joking, are you? This single bottle of wine is worth over eight million?"
The fat man who had first mocked Fang Chenyi was the first to ask in disbelief. As soon as he spoke, the others chimed in.
"Yeah, yeah! 8.9 million… you must be talking about the Moon South Shield, right?!"
"My God, if that's true, doesn't that mean you could trade this one bottle for several Mercedes-Benzes?"
However, as if the shock wasn't enough for the crowd, Manager Wu raised his hands to signal for quiet while everyone was chattering away.
Once the commotion died down, he flashed a smug smile, beaming with enough pride to make you think the bottle was his own.
"Heh, everyone, everyone. I wasn't talking about the Moon South Shield. I meant our country's RMB. However… I was just having a bit of fun. That 8.9 million was the price from ten years ago. After all this time, the price of this bottle is definitely not 8.9 million anymore."
It was a real waste of talent for Manager Wu to be a lobby manager. If this guy wrote novels, he'd be in a league of his own—an absolute master of the cliffhanger.
Just like right now. He'd get to the most critical part of the story and just stop, turning this high-end restaurant into the stage for a dramatic storytelling performance.
"Not 8.9 million anymore? Is it cheaper or more expensive?"
"I bet it's cheaper. Didn't Manager Wu just say that was an auction price? Anything can happen at an auction. Based on my experience from attending many auctions, I'm a hundred percent sure they got into a bidding war. Otherwise, who would spend 8.9 million on a bottle of wine?!"
While everyone was buzzing, the fat man who had just been wondering if the price was in Moon South Shield spoke up again.
And he sounded so convincing this time that the people around him couldn't help but nod in agreement. Even Fang Chenyi himself almost believed the guy was telling the truth.
After all, just as the fat man said, spending 8.9 million on a single bottle of wine was something that even Fang Chenyi, who was practically picking up money off the street these days, wouldn't do.
But in the next moment, Manager Wu simply shook his head at the fat man.
"What this gentleman says makes sense, but I can tell you unequivocally that there was absolutely no foul play at that auction. In fact, it was quite the opposite. If not for the extraordinary status of the person who won the bid, many other potential bidders felt they had to show him deference and withdrew. Otherwise, it would have certainly fetched an even higher price."
He paused, and just when the crowd looked about ready to start throwing things, Manager Wu finally continued, "Emperor Moutai. In 1992, the Moutai distillery produced a limited edition of only ten bottles. But that's not all. Everyone, take a look. This entire case is gold-plated. And look here—this dragon head and the Dragon Pearl inside are made of pure gold!"
WHOA…
'Holy shit, a solid gold case? Does it get any more badass than this?!'
'A case that big made entirely of gold… How much would that even cost?!'
Seeing the stunned reactions from the crowd, Manager Wu was extremely pleased. He nodded and decided to add more fuel to the fire.
"I can tell you all that today, the case for this Emperor Moutai—that's right, the case alone—is worth at least a million! And after all these years, the price of the wine itself has at least doubled. Let me put it this way: if this gentleman were to announce he's selling this bottle, this place would be swarming with tycoons in less than half a day! So, sir, would you be interested in selling? If you are, our company is prepared to offer fifteen million to purchase it."
After he finished, Manager Wu very respectfully placed the bottle back down in front of Fang Chenyi.
Hearing Manager Wu's words, the surrounding diners burst into discussion once more. Not only that, but every one of their faces began to burn with shame.
'Are you kidding me? I just called a guy who drinks wine worth over ten million a broke loser? How ironic is that? My entire net worth isn't even enough to buy the case for the bottle he's about to drink. Damn it, does life have to be this demoralizing?'
Ignoring the crowd, Fang Chenyi's heart skipped a beat when he heard Manager Wu's offer of fifteen million. His first instinct was to agree to the sale.
But just as he was about to agree, he suddenly changed his tune. "Heh, my apologies, Manager Wu, but this bottle is for drinking later. I have no intention of selling it. I would, however, like to trouble you to open it for me. Would that be possible?"
With that, Fang Chenyi gave Manager Wu a nonchalant shrug. He looked as if he were talking about a ten-buck bottle of cheap liquor, not a vintage worth over ten million.
'I've already thought it through,' Fang Chenyi mused. 'Now that I have the Junk-Picking System, money will be the least of my worries in the future. But a wine this fine? I might never come across another bottle in my entire life. Instead of trading it for cash, I'd rather savor it and find out what makes a multi-million-RMB wine so special.'
Just as Fang Chenyi finished speaking, Bai Menghan, who had just finished wiping the water from her chest, spoke up in a low voice, "Ahem… Chenyi… are you sure you don't want to sell it? We could just have soft drinks, you know. I'm not a big fan of alcohol anyway."
However, Fang Chenyi simply waved his hand, cutting her off. He turned to Manager Wu, who was still standing beside him in a daze, and said, "Please open it for me. Thank you."
Seeing from Fang Chenyi's serious expression that he wasn't joking, Manager Wu felt a pang of heartache that such a collectible was about to be consumed. However, the thought of personally uncorking such a legendary vintage brought a look of excitement to his face.
"Right away, sir! I'll open it for you now!"
Fang Chenyi nodded impatiently. Taking the hint, Manager Wu stopped talking, pulled a pair of white gloves from his pocket, and put them on. Only then did he ceremoniously take the solid gold case in his hands.
Manager Wu's next series of actions left Fang Chenyi and the rest of the crowd dumbfounded. No one could have imagined that opening a bottle of wine involved such a complicated procedure.
At that moment, a single thought crossed everyone's mind: 'If it were me, I probably wouldn't even be able to get the bottle open…'
"Alright, alright, can't you just pull it open? It's been five minutes and you still haven't opened it. What's the big deal?"
Having waited a full five minutes, Fang Chenyi was growing impatient. But Manager Wu could only offer a strained smile.
"My apologies, sir. Please be patient just a little longer, I'm almost done. The seal is quite fragile, and I'm afraid I'll accidentally damage the case…"
"Damn it, just open the thing. Do I look like someone who can't afford a new case?"
...
[To be continued...]