Chapter 745
It Was Actually Fake Wine
Serving fake alcohol to guests is a shocking thing, no matter the occasion.
Therefore, as soon as that person said that, everyone present was stunned, and the scene suddenly erupted into chaos.
Many people started discussing this topic.
"Fake liquor! This stuff is actually fake liquor!"
"Damn, I also felt something was off just now. But we don't drink much, especially not this kind of good wine. I was worried that my guess was wrong. Turns out it's fake wine."
"My goodness, Chen Qinzhi has gone too far. We were in the same dormitory for three years in high school. It's not fair to treat us like this."
"I really didn't expect this. The Chen family are all upright people with thick eyebrows and big eyes. How could they do such a thing?"
"Exactly, their family is quite well-off, and Old Chen's son is a graduate student. I heard he's a mid-level manager at his company and makes a lot of money. How could they have the nerve to use fake alcohol for their grandson's first birthday party?"
"What middle-level leader? Your information is outdated. He's already the CEO of his own company. He should be rolling in money. I really don't know who came up with this idea to use fake alcohol to make a show of things!"
"Hey, stop talking nonsense. We don't even know what's going on yet. Maybe the Chen family are victims too, cheated by the liquor vendors."
"That's possible. I've heard of cases where liquor vendors use fake liquor to fool people. If that's the case, then Old Chen and his group are also unlucky victims."
In no time, the voices of doubt about the Chen family from the various relatives and friends present grew louder and louder.
Xu Bo'an and his group at the table were all fellow students from their graduate studies, and most of them were also engaged in engineering-related industries.
Over the years, I've worked my way up to various levels of leadership, and I've had quite a few opportunities to come into contact with Dongjiang aged wines of 20 to 30 years.
Even some people have done their research on high-end liquors like "15 cents," so they have their own speculations and doubts about the quality of this liquor.
But this thing is just like the Emperor's New Clothes in the fairy tale. Everyone pretends to be ignorant, and unless the falsehood is exposed, basically no one is willing to be the first to speak up and lose face.
After all, today is a joyous occasion, and everyone is here to celebrate. Even if there are some complaints, it's only for the duration of a meal. We can all brush each other off, and it will all be over. If the drinks aren't good, I can just drink less or not at all.
But if this balloon is popped, everyone will lose face.
Now everyone understands that they paid a high price to give as a wedding gift but were treated like fools.
So when someone suggested that the wine was fake, the expressions on the faces of these fellow disciples were not very pleasant.
After all, these people are all people of some status and position, and drinking this level of wine is nothing to them. It would be so embarrassing to make it seem like they can't even tell the difference between real and fake wine in front of acquaintances.
Chen Qinzhi was still greeting guests at the entrance, so he didn't know what was happening inside the banquet hall immediately.
However, there were also family members in the living room. Chen Qinzhi's younger brother, Chen Lizhi, was a year and a half younger than Chen Qinzhi. They had gone to the same high school, so he knew all of Chen Qinzhi's high school classmates.
Upon hearing Chen Qinzhi's classmate complaining about the fake alcohol, he hurried over, approached the man, and asked, "Brother Cui, what's going on? You haven't had too much to drink, have you?"
"I'm drunk? This is just a little bit of fake liquor. Even if you asked me to drink more, I wouldn't dare! Little brother, you know how many years your brother and I have known each other. Logically speaking, I should be happy to support you and not embarrass you."
But everyone in my class knows I can't drink cheap liquor. It burns my throat and gives me a headache. I even gave a generous red envelope as a wedding gift this time, and you guys are so cold-blooded as to make me drink this lousy fake liquor! Aren't you just making a fool of me?
Hearing Brother Cui's reprimand, Chen Lizhi looked embarrassed and stammered, "Brother Cui, there must be some misunderstanding! Don't worry, I'll go ask what's going on."
Just then, Chen Qinzhi also received the news and ran back from outside. When he saw Chen Lizhi talking to Brother Cui, his eyes flashed with a sharp look. He then hurriedly came over and pulled Chen Lizhi aside, gritting his teeth and whispering, "What are you doing, kid! Why are Brother Cui and the others in the main hall? Didn't I tell you to invite them to sit at those tables in the back? You can't even handle such a small matter."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lizhi's expression hardened, and he said dejectedly, "Brother, there were just too many people, which made me a little confused, so I made a mistake. Also, my second uncle came out earlier and said he was looking for the restroom. After I took him there and came back, Brother Cui and the others sat down here, and I forgot about it."
Chen Qinzhi retorted angrily, "Second Uncle? What Second Uncle! Your Brother Cui and the others are my old classmates. They've helped me a lot over the years. Don't you know who's more important? This is utter nonsense!"
After scolding his younger brother a few times, Chen Qinzhi approached Brother Cui with a beaming smile and said, "Old classmate, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Please don't get angry, it's not worth it. Let's go to the private room inside and sit down. That room was originally prepared for us close old classmates to catch up. It's too noisy in the main hall outside. But I didn't expect my troublesome little brother to make a mistake and have you all sit here. I'm really sorry!"
Brother Cui's expression improved slightly, but he still said with some dissatisfaction, "It's not about where we're sitting. On such a joyous occasion, how can we serve fake liquor to our guests? You may not feel ashamed, but I do. I'm a respectable person, and there are quite a few acquaintances here. If word gets out, where will I put my face? My old classmate serving me fake liquor? Does that sound good?"
This Brother Cui is the security manager of a large local company. Although he only works within the company, because the company is large enough to bear a large amount of local tax revenue and has dealings with many local companies and organizations, Brother Cui is very influential in the area and can be considered a figure who walks on the edge of the gray area.
Because of their old classmate relationship and their shared quirks, Brother Cui had always taken good care of Chen Qinzhi. Chen Qinzhi relied on him for many things, so even though what Brother Cui said was unpleasant to hear, Chen Qinzhi could only listen with a forced smile.
Chen Qinzhi waved his hands repeatedly, forcing a smile, "It's a misunderstanding, old classmate, really a misunderstanding. Actually, it's just my bad luck. All these drinks today were ordered in bulk through a friend's introduction. Now it seems that the guy with the extra cold liquor definitely tampered with them! Don't worry, I'll go find that guy and demand justice after I'm done with this. Right now, everyone being happy is the most important thing." Halfway through his sentence, Chen Qinzhi lowered his voice and whispered in Brother Cui's ear, "I've put a case of Guojiao 1947 and a case of Wuliangye in the private room for us close old classmates. I personally purchased them; they're absolutely authentic. I'm sure everyone will have a great time!"
Upon hearing Chen Qinzhi's words, Brother Cui's anger subsided considerably. With an expression that said, "I forgive you," he said, "Oh, so that's how it is. I was wondering the same thing. Old Chen, you've been doing quite well these past two years, and you're not the kind of person with bad character. How could you do something as shady as serving fake liquor to guests?"
Chen Qinzhi nodded repeatedly, then chuckled and said to prove his innocence, "Thank you for your understanding and trust, Brother Cui. Of course, I wouldn't do such a dirty thing, nor would I stoop to it. Once I find this guy, I'll definitely make him pay. Come on, Brother Cui, please move over with us old classmates to the private room inside. It'll be easier for us to chat and catch up."
Brother Cui nodded with satisfaction, stood up from his seat, patted Chen Qinzhi on the shoulder considerately, and said, "We can go over by ourselves. You stay here and greet the guests. This matter has caused quite a commotion. You should tidy up the situation."
Chen Qinzhi nodded repeatedly, pointed in the direction and said, "Thank you for your understanding, old classmate. Take your time, I'll have my younger brother take you there. I'll have a couple of drinks with everyone later to apologize."
Brother Cui waved his hand to indicate that he understood. Chen Qinzhi hurriedly kicked his younger brother Chen Lizhi and said in a mocking tone, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and lead Brother Cui and the others in. Close the door when you get inside. Brother Cui and the others want to talk business and don't like noise!"
Chen Lizhi hurriedly followed. Only after watching them completely go inside did Chen Lizhi feel somewhat relieved.
Chen Qinzhi glanced around the banquet hall. Because of his presence, many people in the hall were now focused on him.
Chen Qinzhi took a deep breath and shouted, "Dear friends and family, I'm so sorry. I know what happened earlier. It's my fault, and I apologize to everyone. But actually, I'm also a victim. I believe those of you sitting at tables close to me heard what happened. I'm innocent! I was also cheated. That liquor wholesaler is a scoundrel! I'll replace everyone's liquor right away, and I'll make sure you all eat happily, drink with peace of mind, and chat comfortably!"
After all, they were all relatives and friends, and after hearing what Chen Qinzhi said, no one dared to say anything more.
On the other hand, one of Chen Qinzhi's graduate students at Xu Bo'an's table looked very unhappy. Hearing Chen Qinzhi's words, he slammed his fist lightly on the table in anger.
A female classmate next to him asked, "Senior, what's wrong with you?"
The senior student gritted his teeth and said, "That bastard Chen Qinzhi, did you see the guy who shouted just now? That guy's surname is Cui, he's from the same company as me, a gangster, and he's helped Chen Qinzhi a lot. Chen Qinzhi invited him to a private room."
"That snobbish jerk! When I first arrived, I said I wanted to go in, thinking it would be a good opportunity for us fellow disciples to catch up since we haven't seen each other in a long time. But that bastard Chen Qinzhi dragged me out, saying the private rooms were for elders. When did this guy surnamed Cui become his elder? I should have known better than to come; what a waste of my two thousand yuan gift money. If I'd known he was this kind of person, I shouldn't have lent him money last year."
As soon as the senior student finished speaking, a female classmate wearing glasses exclaimed in astonishment, "What? Senior student! He borrowed money from you too!"
Several classmates at the nearby table also looked astonished.
The senior student who had spoken earlier nodded and said, "Yeah, he told me a couple of months ago that he wanted to contract a precast beam yard for a project, and he was short 200,000 yuan. I had just received my bonus at the time, so I lent it to him. What? You borrowed it from you too?"
The female classmate nodded, her face pale, and said, "He gave me the same reason, and said that if it was convenient for me, I wouldn't bother other classmates. I didn't think much of it and lent it to him."
Upon hearing the two men's words, several people present immediately erupted in protest, saying that they had also lent money to Chen Qinzhi for the same reason.
Xu Bo'an was quite shocked to hear this. Chen Qinzhi must be quite popular to be able to lend so much money.
As Xu Bo'an was thinking, he noticed that several classmates present turned their gazes toward him at the same time.
what's the situation?
Xu Bo'an asked curiously, "No, why are you all looking at me like that? To be honest, I don't have any money, so I didn't lend him any. Of course, he didn't ask me either. I guess he knows I don't have any money."
Xu Bo'an still didn't reveal the shady things Chen Qinzhi had done. Since Chen Qinzhi had cheated Xu Bo'an so badly, he naturally had no face to ask him for money.
I just don't know how this kid has the nerve to invite me to this banquet today. I guess he's probably just reluctant to part with the small amount of money he'd like to give as a gift.
Upon hearing Xu Bo'an's words, his fellow disciple exclaimed in astonishment, "What? You mean you didn't know about this?"
Xu Bo'an asked in confusion, "What's wrong? The matter of borrowing money? He definitely didn't mention it to me." After saying that, Xu Bo'an shook his head.
His fellow disciple slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Damn! How could you not know about this? That bastard Chen Qinzhi said that he and you were the ones who went through the contracting for that precast beam yard together!"
Xu Bo'an pointed back at himself in astonishment and said, "Me? He's partnering with me on a precast beam yard contracting project!"
That expression was just like the little catfish demon's surprise when he learned that the Nine-Headed Insect King wanted him to capture Tang Sanzang and his disciples.
That's outrageous, absolutely outrageous! It's utterly absurd!
Watching the excitement is fun, but nobody wants to be the one who creates the excitement.
He'd been watching this spectacle unfold, and now he'd inexplicably become a part of it all. (End of Chapter)