Chapter 82: Chapter 82 Can’t Pay the Bill
As soon as he asked the question, Huang Mingze immediately noticed that Qin Wanru was about to speak.
But he didn’t give her a chance to talk, continuing directly, "Really, Liu Zheng, if a man goes out to eat with a woman and she pays the bill, it’s a rather shameful thing. After all, a big man living off a woman’s charity is not a good habit."
These words were harsh, but when Liu Zheng heard them, he felt very uncomfortable.
The delicacies and drinks on the table in front of them amounted to at least several thousand yuan.
Just by looking, the cheapest dish here was a few hundred yuan.
Not to mention more than ten dishes, plus red wine, all of which together would cost at least a few thousand yuan.
If Liu Zheng were to pay this bill, not to mention the money in his own pocket, even if he added Liu Suqiu’s money, it would probably still not be enough.
Liu Zheng didn’t know what to say because the private room was not only occupied by a few of them.
There was also a waiter standing by.
If Liu Zheng admitted he didn’t have the money to pay at this moment, wouldn’t he be admitting that he was living off a woman?
It wasn’t acceptable not to pay, but he didn’t have the money— the situation was indeed too awkward.
Seeing that Liu Zheng had fallen silent, Huang Mingze immediately understood that Liu Zheng certainly didn’t have money on him.
So he laughed, then gestured to the waiter and said, "Come, bring this gentleman the menu; we’ll settle the bill."
Seeing him publicly humiliate Liu Zheng, and also saying that they would settle the bill right away, Qin Wanru was instantly furious.
She slapped the table angrily, "Huang Mingze, what are you doing? We haven’t finished our meal; why are you calling for the bill?"
Qin Wanru was already very irritated by Huang Mingze’s presence.
Now, with him humiliating Liu Zheng like this, she was even angrier.
"Get out right now, or I’ll call security to remove you."
Facing Qin Wanru’s angry rebuke, Huang Mingze was not afraid at all, and even let out a slight sneer.
He knew full well that even if security came, given his status, there wouldn’t be any who would dare to throw him out.
Not the least bit intimidated, Huang Mingze leaned back and then looked at Liu Zheng, "Liu Zheng, the situation now is that you pay the bill first, and after that, you are free to eat however you want, or you can add items and settle the bill again."
He smiled smugly, waving his hand, signaling the waiter to come over quickly.
After hearing Huang Mingze’s words, one of the waiters indeed quickly came over with the bill and placed it in front of Liu Zheng.
Looking at the waiter who had handed him the bill, Liu Zheng couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.
This waiter was really out of line.
Just because an uninvited guest showed up, the waiter of his own private room directly brought the bill to him for payment—that was just too melodramatic, wasn’t it?
He glanced at the bill, and Liu Zheng involuntarily took a deep breath of cold air.
Good grief, the numbers on the bill made his head spin.
It was over eight thousand yuan, and that single bottle of red wine was worth over two thousand.
If you asked Liu Zheng to fork over more than two thousand yuan, he would still be able to manage it.
But eight thousand yuan—that was indeed a bit too much to ask of him.
Liu Suqiu, knowing Liu Zheng didn’t have that much money, started to panic.
Quite annoyed, she glared at Huang Mingze and rebuked, "What are you doing? Today is Ms. Qin’s treat for us. What business is it of yours? You invited yourself; you’re not Ms. Qin’s guest, so what right do you have to give orders here?"
Meanwhile, Liu Suqiu pointed straight at the door, "Now, get out immediately."
That day, when they were on the street, and she was selling clothes, Huang Mingze enticed her in various ways, asking her to go with him.
At that time, Liu Suqiu felt this fellow was unreliable.
And today, it turns out he really is unreliable.
He clearly knew that there was a marriage arrangement between his parents and Qin Wanru’s, yet he still dared to say those words in front of him, trying to seduce him.
Liu Suqiu found such a man utterly disgusting.
Unfortunately, Huang Mingze was now completely ignoring Liu Suqiu’s words.
He faced Liu Zheng, his smile faint and cold, and said, "Liu Zheng, could it be that I guessed right, and you just don’t have the money to pay the bill?"
What was supposed to be a nice meal had been ruined by Huang Mingze.
Annoyed, Liu Zheng was almost ready to leap up and slap Huang Mingze right across the face.
He really wanted to beat that kid until he was searching for his teeth on the ground, but the setting wasn’t quite right.
With this in mind, he picked up the bill from the table, waved his hand, and said with a cold face, "Alright, you all can go out now. I’ll settle the bill after we finish eating."
Seeing that Liu Zheng had no intention of paying then and there, Huang Mingze immediately burst into laughter.
Now he was convinced that Liu Zheng must be out of money to pay the bill.
If he had the money to settle the bill, why would he wait until after the meal to pay?
Having understood this, Huang Mingze instantly began to laugh again, displaying the triumphant smile of a victor looking down on the loser.
"Ah! Liu Zheng, oh Liu Zheng, you say you’re just a country bumpkin, and yet you have the audacity to bring a girl to a high-end restaurant like this. Can’t you take a look in the mirror and see what kind of person you are?"
As he spoke, he tapped his fingers on the table, his expression quite animated.
"Did you ever consider whether a country bumpkin like you should be coming to a place like this?"
After mocking Liu Zheng enough, Huang Mingze turned back and looked at Qin Wanru beside him, saying, "Wan Ru, look at him. He’s utterly insignificant. How can someone like him be with you?"
As he spoke, he even fanned his nose as if he found Liu Zheng’s scent very offensive.
"He doesn’t deserve to be sitting at the same table with you, understand?"
Qin Wanru, who had already been infuriated by Huang Mingze, now looked absolutely livid.
She slammed the table, stood up, and yelled, "Huang Mingze, I invited Liu Zheng here for a meal today — he’s my friend. By disrespecting him, you’re disrespecting me. You came uninvited and insulted my friend, so please get out."
Huang Mingze was stunned; he’d never expected Qin Wanru to react so strongly.
In his mind, since Qin Wanru was also from a wealthy second-generation family, she should share his point of view.
But now, it seemed he was mistaken.
"Wan Ru, what’s wrong with you? Look at him, he’s so poor it’s laughable, and he’s not in our league. How can you be friends with such a man?"
After trying to convince Qin Wanru, he turned to Liu Zheng again and sneered, "Liu Zheng, how can you have the face to stay here? Can’t even afford a meal, yet you linger and refuse to settle the bill. Tell me, what face do you have left to sit in this private room?"
Huang Mingze’s aggression had pushed Liu Zheng’s anger to its peak.
At that moment, Liu Zheng was barely able to hold back from erupting.
Things today indeed seemed intractable.
Facing Huang Mingze’s provocation, Liu Zheng just didn’t know what to do.
After all, he truly couldn’t produce the eight thousand yuan needed to pay the bill.
So, it was practically a stalemate.
Anger was making Liu Zheng’s fury rise.
He was on the verge of standing up and taking a swing, making Huang Mingze pick his teeth up off the floor.
But then.
Just as he was about to explode, there came a knocking at the door.
"Bang bang bang..."
