Chapter Eight: Buying on Credit

The private room where Yang Le was sitting had been stifling and tense, with his classmates eyeing him with barely concealed hostility. Not wishing to earn the universal resentment of his peers, Yang Le offered, “Order whatever you like, I’ll cover anything above ten thousand.”

At once, the mood in the room shifted; joy and excitement broke out. News of Yang Le’s lottery win had already made the rounds among their classmates, so no one felt the need to stand on ceremony with him.

“Waiter, one Australian king crab, please,” someone called.

“I’ll have one too.”

“And me as well.”

One after another, the requests poured in.

“I’ll take a serving of caviar,” added the first student, who had ordered the king crab. Everyone was picking the most expensive dishes on the menu.

“Let’s all have a serving of caviar,” Yang Le interjected before anyone else could speak, ensuring each classmate got one.

“I want a Kobe steak too,” continued the same classmate, undeterred.

“Everyone gets a Kobe steak,” Yang Le declared, following suit.

“Yang, if we keep ordering like this, your hundred thousand won’t be enough!” Wang Peng whispered anxiously in Yang Le’s ear.

“It’s fine as long as everyone’s happy. We’re classmates—treating everyone to a meal isn’t a big deal,” Yang Le replied, unconcerned. After all, he had plenty of money in his account—over four million—so even if the bill ran up to a hundred or two hundred thousand, it wouldn’t make a dent.

“That should be enough. I think with these dishes we’ll be more than satisfied,” the first student said after ordering the three most expensive items, finally stopping. The others were content as well; after all, the private room had initially been allotted only a ten-thousand-yuan budget by Li Yifei. Now, with Yang Le spending nearly ten thousand per person, the contrast between the two was glaring.

“Yang, with the two of us, there are twenty-two people here. At nearly ten thousand each, that’s more than two hundred thousand! Are you sure your lottery winnings are enough?” Wang Peng fretted. He couldn’t understand Yang Le’s extravagance—even if he had the money, it shouldn’t be spent so recklessly. Two hundred thousand was enough to build a two-story house in his hometown.

“Don’t worry about me, Peng. I hit a five-million jackpot in the lottery yesterday. Spending this little is nothing. Eat to your heart’s content; your brother here is a wealthy man now.” Yang Le felt a twinge of pain at the thought, but for the sake of pride, he forced himself to be generous. Li Yifei wanted to compete with him in terms of wealth? He would show Li Yifei what it meant to be truly rich.

As the dishes arrived one after another, all twenty-one classmates, Wang Peng included, took out their phones to snap pictures and post them on social media.

“Yang’s the best—Australian king crab, caviar, Kobe steak. Finally a chance to taste these,” someone wrote.

“Nearly ten thousand per person—what a rush.”

“Who cares, let’s go all out.”

“Even if I gain weight, it’s worth it.”

The posts varied, but they all summed up to just three words: outrageously extravagant.

Meanwhile, dishes were also arriving in Li Yifei’s room, and his group was equally busy posting photos online.

“What the hell? Australian king crab, caviar, Kobe steak? What are those paupers doing?” someone exclaimed.

“Yifei, look! That private room is going wild,” Cai Cheng said after checking his feed, quickly alerting Li Yifei.

Li Yifei scrolled through his social media, his heart pounding. Calm? That was impossible—nearly ten thousand per person was well beyond his means.

Suddenly, Li Yifei leapt up and strode urgently toward Yang Le’s private room. As he opened the door, he saw everyone eating heartily, singing Yang Le’s praises.

“What are you all doing? Do you have any idea how much this costs? Didn’t I say this room was for a ten-thousand minimum? You’ve gone and spent ten thousand per person—do you all plan to sell your kidneys after this meal?” he shouted.

The room had been booked in Li Yifei’s name. Once everyone had eaten their fill and left, who would be left to settle the bill? His parents? Though they would probably pay, it would make buying a car impossible afterward.

“Yifei, did anyone ask you to pay for everything? Just transfer me the ten thousand you promised, and I’ll handle the rest. No need to make a fuss. You don’t even have to eat,” Yang Le replied, recalling Li Yifei’s promise. He didn’t need the money, but since Li Yifei offered, there was no harm in taking it.

“Do you think you’re something special because you won a hundred thousand in the lottery? Even if I give you the ten thousand, do you really think you can cover the whole bill with your winnings? Not even close, you bumpkin,” Li Yifei retorted, furious. The whole class knew about Yang Le’s lottery win. If the bill were a hundred or so thousand, Li Yifei could manage an extra ten or twenty thousand, and it would at least burn through Yang Le’s lottery money—a result Li Yifei would have enjoyed.

But with the meal costing over two hundred thousand, it would bankrupt Yang Le and hurt Li Yifei as well. To destroy his enemy at such a cost to himself—Li Yifei wasn’t ready for that.

“It’s none of your business whether I have enough. Just give me the ten thousand you promised, and that’s the end of it,” Yang Le said, surprised at Li Yifei’s persistence.

“You said it. I’ll transfer it to you right now,” Li Yifei replied, pulling out his phone to quickly send Yang Le the money before leaving the room for the front desk.

“Hi, I booked room 09, but the bill has nothing to do with me. Don’t come looking for me later,” he told the receptionist, thinking it best to make things clear.

“Oh, I understand,” the receptionist replied coolly. She knew a bit about the guests in room 09—just a few days ago, that young man had dined with three bureau chiefs. The dishes he ordered were expensive, sure, but he could afford them. Otherwise, the restaurant wouldn’t let a group of students order whatever they wanted.

She remembered Yang Le vividly because he had dined in the VIP room wearing his school uniform, drawing attention. Later, he was invited back to the VIP room again—a sign that he was no ordinary person. Did this kid really think that man couldn’t pay?

“They’re all poor students. If they can’t pay, don’t come to me,” Li Yifei insisted, eager to wash his hands of the matter.

“Don’t worry, we absolutely won’t come to you,” the receptionist replied, unable to hide her contempt. If someone who could enter the VIP room was a pauper, what did that make Li Yifei—a beggar?

She kept her thoughts to herself, though. With her assurance, Li Yifei turned away, satisfied, ready to return to his own private room.

As he turned around, he saw Yang Le approaching with a group of people—who else could they be but their classmates? The students from Li Yifei’s room had seen him leave and followed, eager to witness the drama. They couldn’t believe Yang Le was bold enough to claim he would cover the entire bill alone. Who would believe such a thing?

So when they saw Li Yifei leave, they seized the chance to mock Yang Le again. Yang Le, seeing their chatter, decided to settle the bill first and see who still dared to speak afterward.

Even those in Yang Le’s room, knowing he only had a hundred thousand, were uneasy. They worried he might run off before paying, leaving them to foot the bill, so they trailed after him.

“What are you doing? Trying to dine and dash?” Li Yifei accused as he saw the group emerge.

“Is your head full of mush? I’m here to pay the bill, so you dogs can stop barking in the private room,” Yang Le shot back, striding to the front desk and handing his card to the cashier.

“Stop pretending! What will you do if your card is declined?” Li Yifei jeered.

“Then I’ll just put it on tab,” Yang Le replied with a wave.

“A tab? Are you kidding me? If you can’t pay, it’s not as simple as washing dishes. You’ll all be selling your kidneys to cover this meal!” Li Yifei cackled.

Hearing the exchange, the classmate who had ordered all the expensive dishes tried to slip away, while others in Yang Le’s group were furious at his nonchalance. They wanted to ask if he was out of his mind.

Meanwhile, those from Li Yifei’s room watched the spectacle with amusement.

At that moment, a man in a suit and tie emerged from the office, smiling as he addressed Li Yifei, “This young man can put it on account here. He can pay whenever he likes.”