Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Fake Maotai

"Hello, Qin Tuo? What’s up?"

Chen Man Ni wasn’t at the Lige Hotel at the moment.

Qin Tuo thought for a moment, then got straight to the point.

"Manni, I want to ask you about something. Do you know the Wu Family’s young master, Wu Liang?"

Chen Man Ni thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, I know him. What’s wrong?"

Qin Tuo then recounted Wu Liang’s one-sided story.

Chen Man Ni scoffed.

"Qin Tuo, you’ve all been duped by him. My family has absolutely no joint projects with the Wu Family!"

’Just as I thought...’

Qin Tuo had already suspected as much, and this just confirmed that Wu Liang was a con man.

Chen Man Ni added,

"Besides, the Wu Family’s company went bankrupt half a year ago. They owe a lot of creditors. I heard Wu Liang’s parents both fled the country to escape their debts."

Even Qin Tuo was surprised. Now he completely understood why Wu Liang was targeting his old classmates.

It seemed the guy was planning to rake in a huge sum of money and then skip town!

After asking a few more questions, Chen Man Ni hung up.

Qin Tuo turned and walked back to his seat.

But he found that Xu Ting was gone!

He quickly asked,

"Zilin, where did she go?"

Han Zilin said helplessly,

"Oh, her? She got impatient and went to pay. Said she was afraid she’d miss her chance if she waited any longer."

Hearing this, Qin Tuo could only sigh.

"Ugh, you just can’t save someone who’s determined to rush to their own doom!"

Han Zilin heard this and said worriedly,

"Brother Tu, is Senior Wu really a liar? He really doesn’t seem like one!"

Qin Tuo shook his head and said,

"Don’t jump to conclusions. Let’s just wait and see."

A short while later, Xu Ting returned.

She couldn’t hide the excitement on her face. She looked as if she’d already made a fortune.

As soon as she sat down, Xu Ting said enthusiastically,

"Zilin, you should hurry and invest too! We can make money together!"

But Qin Tuo cut in with a smile.

"Forget it. We don’t have a habit of throwing our money away."

Xu Ting was instantly displeased to hear this.

"Qin Tuo, you’re just worrying over nothing! Senior Wu wears a watch worth millions. Why would he need to scam us for this little bit of money?"

Han Zilin explained,

"Xu Ting, don’t take it to heart. Brother Tu is just worried about you. He’s afraid you’ll get scammed!"

Xu Ting snorted irritably.

"When I’m rich, you’ll see who was right and who was wrong."

Qin Tuo didn’t argue with Xu Ting. He knew that now that she’d invested her money, she was desperate to believe she would profit.

So, it was understandable that her attitude had soured.

Qin Tuo was even more certain that Xu Ting would soon regret her decision.

Everyone was rushing to invest, and it took a long time for the commotion to die down.

Seeing the large sum of "investment" he had collected, Wu Liang’s eyes lit up, and he put on his act again.

"My dear classmates, I’ve specially prepared a high-end, custom-catered meal for everyone today. Please, enjoy it in a little while."

Instantly, everyone’s eyes lit up with anticipation.

Wu Liang struck while the iron was hot.

"However, I don’t really like the high-end red wine the hotel provides, so I paid out of my own pocket to have it replaced with Maotai!"

In an instant, the crowd erupted in a frenzy of flattery.

"My god! Maotai! I never thought I’d get the chance to drink such a high-class liquor in my lifetime!"

"Haha, we’re in for a treat, classmates! This is all thanks to Senior Wu!"

Wu Liang beamed, feeling even more smug inside.

At that moment, a classmate couldn’t help but ask,

"Senior Wu, how much does a banquet like this cost? It must be very expensive!"

Everyone immediately perked up their ears to listen closely.

Wu Liang feigned a casual air.

"It’s nothing, really. Just fifty or sixty thousand yuan. Barely worth mentioning!"

Everyone grew restless with excitement.

’Fifty or sixty thousand yuan, and that’s *nothing*?’

They stared at the tables laden with delicacies, swallowing hard.

If not for the high-class setting, they would have already started gorging themselves.

Seeing this, Xu Ting became elated as well, and she said smugly to Qin Tuo,

"Did you see that? He spends fifty to sixty thousand on a single meal and even pays for Maotai out of his own pocket. How could a person like that possibly scam us for our pocket change?"

The naive Han Zilin couldn’t help but nod, feeling that Xu Ting had a point.

But Qin Tuo just smiled, shook his head, and said,

"If he didn’t spend a little money to dazzle a bunch of impressionable students who’ve never seen the world, how else could he fleece so many lambs?"

Xu Ting was so angry she was speechless and couldn’t help but snort coldly.

"Qin Tuo, I think you just can’t stand to see someone else so rich!"

Qin Tuo wasn’t angry either. He just sipped his tea, looking like a detached observer.

Finally, the legendary Maotai was brought out. All the classmates stared at it, their gazes fixed as if on a holy pilgrimage.

"Come on, everyone, don’t be shy! Open it and drink up! If it’s not enough, we’ll order more!"

Wu Liang did his best to show off his wealth and generosity.

After they opened the bottles, everyone scrambled to have a taste.

After a sip, they all squinted their eyes, savoring the aftertaste.

Someone couldn’t help but exclaim,

"Wow, this Maotai really is different! The taste is so special!"

"Yeah, it’s so fragrant and delicious! I’ve never even drunk before, but I think I’m already getting hooked."

One after another, they showered Wu Liang with praise for his generosity, saying he had really opened their eyes today.

Even some of the female classmates who never usually drank couldn’t resist taking a small sip.

Although their brows furrowed deeply after drinking it, they immediately spouted all sorts of praise, which made Wu Liang laugh heartily, putting him in a great mood.

Qin Tuo sniffed the air and sneered inwardly.

He had drunk Maotai before. Just from the smell, he knew this liquor was fake.

"Zilin, aren’t you having any? This is Maotai! You don’t get many chances to drink it!"

Xu Ting joined in the excitement, holding a small cup of Maotai and pretending to savor it.

But Han Zilin shook her head and smiled.

"No thanks, Xu Ting. I don’t drink. You go ahead!"

Han Zilin glanced over and, noticing that Qin Tuo hadn’t picked up a cup either, asked curiously,

"Brother Tu, why aren’t you trying the Maotai? I hear it’s very expensive!"

Just as Qin Tuo was about to speak, he saw Wu Liang approaching with a glass in his hand.

Wu Liang held the glass out to Qin Tuo and said with a grin,

"Buddy, want to try a taste of this Maotai? I bet you’ve never had a drink this good in your entire life, have you?"