Chapter 155: Bar Scam

Following the sound, Zhou Yi turned his head to look.

The octave-higher exclamation came from a young man, at most one meter seven tall, very thin, with a slight hunchback. His face was covered in freckles, and his features were so ordinary that one glance would not be enough to remember him.

He was reaching out and tugging at a bill clip in the waiter's hand, seeming to want to snatch it away.

However, the waiter did not let go. With a polite smile, the waiter tried to stop the man's shouting.

"Sir, please lower your volume. There are other guests dining here. If there is anything you don't understand or if you are dissatisfied with your charges, I can explain it to you!"

The young man stiffened his neck, completely disbelieving the waiter. Gripping the bill, he widened his small eyes and looked at the waiter defensively.

"Don't give me that nonsense. I didn't order this at all. I know what's going on with this foreign liquor, and besides, your sign clearly says all food and drinks are free."

The waitress showed no sign of anxiety or worry, and still said with a smile:

"This was ordered by the young lady who came with you. This bottle of wine is not from the complimentary section of our revolving restaurant, but was specially delivered from the bar on the third floor. We have filed it with the Price Bureau, so we are not overcharging!"

The young man refused to back down.

Waving his other hand, he held up the liquor bottle. Only two sips had been poured out from it. With an expression of sheer disbelief, he shoved the bottle back into the waiter's arms.

"Don't tell me all this. Why didn't you mention it when it was delivered? Since she ordered it, go ask her for the money. This is my first time meeting her anyway. Otherwise, wait while I go find someone—what do you mean by blocking me?"

With that, the young man made a move to leave. However, the waitress stepped directly in front of the table, her cheongsam accentuating her curves. The young man reached out but had nowhere to grab, growing so furious that for a moment he could do nothing but shout angrily.

Zhou Yi roughly understood the situation. This kid had asked a girl out for a meal, and it was their very first time meeting. This place required buying a ticket for entry before dining, but the girl had left early.

However, the girl had ordered a bottle of imported liquor. Zhou Yi recognized the bottle from a glance—it was an XO from Rémy Martin, a premier cru champagne cognac. The price definitely wasn't low, especially in such a high-end restaurant where the markup rate was naturally even higher.

In this era, such incidents seemed relatively rare, but Zhou Yi had heard of similar situations. There was definitely something fishy going on between that girl and this hotel, or the aforementioned third-floor bar. It was a classic case of a "wine-touting" scam.

A moment later, the commotion attracted the attention of the restaurant manager.

A male manager walked over quickly, dressed in a suit and tie, with his hair combed meticulously and plastered flat against his head, shining brightly. He looked shrewd at first glance.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

The waitress gave a quick introduction, repeating the young man's earlier words as well. The manager shook his head slightly at the young man.

"Sir, I'm terribly sorry, but we do not offer credit here. The young lady has already left. Any debt disputes between you and her afterwards, or how the meal expenses should be split, is a matter between the two of you. You must settle the bill here before you can leave."

Zhou Yi found the noise somewhat annoying, but for now, he didn't want to cause trouble. After all, everyone here had their own trajectory, and disrupting or interfering with its development would still be an external stimulus to this world.

At this point, Fatty and Cheng Zhi returned. Fatty was carrying two trays loaded with lobsters, sea cucumbers, abalones, arctic surf clams, salmon, and giant conches—all seafood, though the portions weren't overwhelming. Zhou Yi paused slightly.

Just as Fatty set down his trays, the utility cart pushed by Cheng Zhi behind him was revealed. Beef, mutton, and marbled pork filled an entire tier, while the tier below it resembled what Fatty was holding, along with many items Zhou Yi didn't even recognize. At the very bottom were some leafy greens, mushrooms, and beverages.

Fatty rubbed his hands together, merely glancing in the direction of the argument, and said cheerfully:

"This is just part of it. I also ordered steaks and skewers. I didn't expect the variety to be subpar; the dining tier is definitely different. Shall we scald some food first to whet our appetites?"

Fatty raised a hand toward the waiter behind him, just about to speak, when suddenly a loud crash echoed, followed by a woman's scream.

Fatty shrank his neck in fright. A woman's voice like that was too startling, and right before eating, it severely ruined the appetite.

Fatty looked over. The young man who had been arguing was previously blocked by the waitress near the window. In his anxiety, he had thrown the stool he was sitting on to the ground. The chair had shattered completely, though fortunately it wasn't hurled toward the glass windows, otherwise, eating would have been completely out of the question.

Cheng Zhi glanced over as well.

"What's going on? Why are they smashing things?"

Sophia briefly explained the sequence of events. Upon hearing it, Fatty was the first to react.

"Inexperienced with the world. This kid has seen too little of life. There aren't many wine-touting scams around yet, nor are there related reports about them."

Aside from this world, Cheng Zhi had only been to the Five Elements Tomb, so he wasn't quite familiar with the term "wine-touting." Fatty helped popularize the knowledge, causing Cheng Zhi to frown slightly.

"The price of 299 yuan per person already exceeds average consumption. A civil servant's monthly income is only around two thousand, and a single meal costs over three thousand. He probably can't afford it. Should we..."

Fatty grabbed Cheng Zhi by the arm.

Based on his understanding of Cheng Zhi, this guy was about to step forward and play the hero. Although Cheng Zhi was the most adept at hiding himself, in his own understanding, Cheng Zhi couldn't bear to see such a poor kid in such embarrassment. After all, Cheng Zhi came from a similar background and probably saw a reflection of himself in the kid.

"Big Orange, don't get excited. Sit down first. Actually, this matter doesn't need to be so troublesome. Just call the police when needed. Such a large amount counts as fraud since the kid was unaware. The wine was brought up without telling him, and with such a high price, the hotel itself bears responsibility."

Cheng Zhi took out his phone. Seeing that Cheng Zhi was getting carried away—and with Zhou Yi offering no obstruction whatsoever—Fatty didn't say anything more. If he were in that kid's shoes, he'd be clueless too.

Raising his phone, Cheng Zhi stood up and took a few photos in the direction of the group. The sound and flash of the camera drew their attention, and Cheng Zhi directly dialed the 110 emergency number.

The manager reached out behind him, signaling a few young fellows to come over and stop this customer from leaving, then walked toward Cheng Zhi. As he walked, he put away his smile, saying sternly:

"Sir, photography is prohibited here. Please delete your photos. Our hotel has rules..."

Fatty pushed the food cart aside a bit, blocking the manager's path with his shoulder and bumping into the manager's chest. The manager took two steps back.

"Where is it written? Did we take pictures of your food or your interior decoration? Photography isn't allowed? Do you think this is a Michelin three-star restaurant?

Besides, Michelin restaurants don't have such a rule. Look closely, we're just preserving evidence. The police are being called right now."

The manager paused, hurriedly adjusting his expression to look slightly more courteous in an instant, and nodded slightly toward Fatty.

"Apologies. My attitude may not have been good, but we will handle this matter through the hotel security. You gentlemen can just dine in peace!"

Fatty shook his head, splayed his legs, gave the manager a sideways glance, and jerked his chin toward the young man.

"Are you kidding me? With this kind of commotion, can anyone dine in peace? Besides, if we don't figure this out, we won't dare to eat. What if a bottle of wine worth several thousand pops up later? We can't afford that!"

By this time, Cheng Zhi's call had gone through. He had reported the location and his name, and had already begun briefly recounting the sequence of events. The manager grew somewhat anxious. He turned around, bypassed Fatty, and prepared to reach out and grab Cheng Zhi's phone.

Fatty smiled; he was genuinely angry now. Earlier he had been advising caution to Cheng Zhi, but seeing this manager's ugly face now, how could he still not understand? Obviously, that woman was in on it with them.

Fatty sidestepped, clearing the path and no longer blocking the manager's movement.

Meanwhile, Cheng Zhi had already finished his call. Right now, their sensory perception was far sharper than that of ordinary people, so naturally, they knew the manager was reaching out.

Cheng Zhi simply sat back down. As a result, the manager's grab missed entirely. With Fatty no longer blocking his footing, his whole body lunged forward and plunged straight into the hot pot broth on the table.

"Ah, ah, ah!"