Chapter 148: Ruining My Appetite

Zhao Tianlong’s insults left Li Dong’s face flushed and his hands trembling. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to swallow his indignation. He knew full well that he lacked the standing to challenge such a powerful boss. With hundreds of millions in assets, an army of subordinates at his command, and Maple Leaf City as his home turf, what leverage did Li Dong have? If he provoked Zhao Tianlong, none of them would be leaving this place today.

With this thought, Li Dong forced a smile and said helplessly, "Yes, yes, Boss Zhao is right. I am just a nobody; please, do not lower yourself to my level."

The others in the room looked on, their expressions utterly miserable. At the class reunion earlier, Li Dong had been riding high, but in front of Zhao Tianlong, he was as submissive as a lapdog—the irony was absolute.

Zhao Tianlong sneered and was about to speak when a waitress rushed over. She had been summoned by Huang Ya, who immediately asked, "Why did Mr. Jiang and Ms. Su leave? Do you know what happened?"

Hearing the inquiry, Zhao Tianlong held his tongue. The waitress shrank back and explained, "I... I don't know exactly, but I saw Mr. Jiang and Ms. Su leave in a rage. They looked very upset, as if they had just been arguing with someone..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianlong understood immediately. Jiang Hao and Su Qingli must have had a falling out with this group! He had gone to such great lengths to court Jiang Hao with that astronomical bottle of wine, desperate to curry favor, and before he could even achieve his goal, these people had driven them away. Who was going to cover his losses? That bottle of wine was worth three million yuan—nearly half a month’s net profit for the Tianlong Hotel!

Furious, Zhao Tianlong glared at Li Dong and the others. "So, it was you lot who drove Mr. Jiang and Ms. Su away! You are truly something else. Even I wouldn't dare offend Mr. Jiang, yet you treated him like nothing and chased him off!"

"Fine. Since that's how it is, you are paying the bill, and that bottle of wine is going on your tab. That wine was a gift for Mr. Jiang; since you drove him away, you will compensate me for my loss!"

The room fell into a panic. A three-million-yuan bottle of wine? Did that mean their dinner was going to cost millions? The price was far too steep!

Li Dong’s face turned deathly pale, and Huang Qian, Chen Wei, and the others began to panic.

"Boss Zhao, this..." Li Dong stammered.

Zhao Tianlong cut him off coldly, "Enough talk. Pay the bill now, or none of you are leaving this place today!"

As he spoke, several security guards from the hotel arrived, effectively blocking the entrance to the private room. Seeing this, Li Dong’s knees began to shake. Huang Qian, desperate, turned to him and pleaded, "Li Dong, what... what are we going to do?"

*You’re asking me? What could I possibly do?* Li Dong screamed inwardly, though he managed to say, "Don’t... don’t worry, I have a plan. I have a plan..."

But what plan could he possibly have? The hotel demanded payment, and they had no way out.

Huang Ya tallied the bill and cleared his throat. "The meal and the standard drinks come to 3,500 yuan. With the red wine, the total is 3,003,500 yuan. Will you be paying by cash, card, or transfer?"

His words felt like a death sentence. Li Dong stood there, lost, his face a mask of desperation. Neither Zhao Tianlong nor Huang Ya showed the slightest intention of letting them off the hook.

Suddenly, Chen Wei said with a trembling voice, "Li... Li Dong, why don't we go apologize to Jiang Hao? Maybe we can ask him to intervene? What do you think?"

This sparked a realization in Li Dong. Zhao Tianlong had insisted the wine was a gift for Jiang Hao; if they could just reach him, perhaps everything would be resolved. With no further hesitation, Li Dong said, "Boss Zhao, I will pay, but I don't have enough money on me. Could you let me leave to find someone to help?"

Zhao Tianlong replied coldly, "What if you run away?"

"I’ll take one person with me, just the two of us. The others will stay here; how could I possibly run? If you don't trust me, I'll leave my ID card here. With it, you can find me anytime." Li Dong pulled his trembling hands from his pockets, took out his ID, and placed it on the table.

Zhao Tianlong considered this for a moment. "Fine. You have thirty minutes. If you aren't back within that time, the bill will increase by ten percent for every ten minutes that pass!"

The total was already over three million. A ten percent increase every ten minutes would add hundreds of thousands more! Li Dong felt as if his heart were bleeding, but with no other choice, he nodded.

Zhao Tianlong waved his hand, signaling the guards to clear a path. Li Dong turned to the others and said, "Stay here. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

He left the private room with Chen Wei, exited the Tianlong Hotel, and pulled out his phone to make a call.

At the Qingli Health Food Shop, Su Qingli had finished preparing the meal. Jiang Hao, Su Qingli, and Jiang Jingru were all sitting in the front area eating. Suddenly, two figures rushed to the entrance. After a moment of hesitation, they pushed the door open and stepped inside—it was Li Dong and Chen Wei.

"What are you doing here?" Su Qingli looked up and asked.

The coldness in her tone made Li Dong and Chen Wei stiffen. Jiang Jingru acted as if they weren't there; she knew full well that the decision rested with Jiang Hao, not her, and she didn't want to say anything that might displease him.

Li Dong and Chen Wei exchanged a glance. Li Dong turned toward Jiang Hao, his face filled with helplessness. "Jiang Hao, I... I am sorry..."

As he began to walk toward him, Jiang Hao glanced up coldly. "Stop. Stay right there. Do not come any closer. If you stand too near, you will ruin my appetite."