It truly was worth it.

Since Gu Weiwei was Sang Qingye’s close friend and Xiao Yao was not someone short of money, he hadn’t planned to charge for the meal. He said, “If you’re worried about running out of money, just have Qingye pick up the tab. I’ll put this meal on her account—so eat to your heart’s content, and don’t worry about me making you wash dishes to pay for it.”

“You said it! Next time, if I come by myself, I’ll make sure the bill goes under Qingye’s name. But today, let’s skip that—today I’m treating my friends, and to show my sincerity, I have to pay myself.” Gu Weiwei wasn’t the kind to take advantage; Xiao Yao’s gesture had already pleased her greatly.

“Alright, since you insist on paying, I won’t argue. The single servings of Double Poultry Cabbage and Water Bamboo with Shrimp are priced at 4,800 and 5,800 respectively. Jade Fish Balls, Longjing Tea Chicken, and Matchmaker’s Soup are all 9,800 each. In total, there are four portions of food, but I’ll only charge you for three—so that comes to 120,000.”

When Xiao Yao named the price, both Zhao Weidong and He Jiayi looked astonished, their eyes brimming with unconcealed disdain as they glanced at him.

Gu Weiwei, however, was calm, patting her chest. “Thank goodness, that’s still within my means. I won’t have to worry about being left to wash dishes for not paying.”

Since she was a close friend of Sang Qingye, Xiao Yao certainly had to show some goodwill—he couldn’t let Sang Qingye lose face. “Do you like red wine? I have a bottle of ‘82 Latour in my car. I’ll go bring it for you.”

Gu Weiwei did not decline this kind gesture. “Such fine wine is hard to refuse. Thank you, Young Master Xiao.”

After Xiao Yao left, Zhao Weidong said with scorn, “First words out of his mouth: an ‘82 Latour. Who knows if it’s real? Why put yourself through this? There are so many five-star hotels you could have chosen, but you just had to come to this shabby little restaurant. That owner is really ruthless—are they planning on turning this place into a den of thieves?”

Sitting beside them, Sang Qingye looked awkward, wanting to say something, but as it was her first time meeting Gu Weiwei’s friends, she stayed silent.

He Jiayi chimed in, “Weiwei, what’s gotten into you today? Being fleeced like this, and you’re still so willing—you don’t seem like the tough girl I know. Did something happen? Do you just have money burning a hole in your pocket?”

“Don’t you two have any sense? Can’t you see my friend is sitting right here?” Seeing Sang Qingye’s embarrassment, Gu Weiwei hurried to stop them, lest they say something even more unpleasant.

Though Zhao Weidong and He Jiayi, as children of wealthy families, rarely cared about the feelings of ordinary people, they still had to respect Gu Weiwei.

“I thought your best friend and that little restaurant owner were just ordinary friends?” After a quick explanation, Zhao Weidong looked at Sang Qingye. “Miss Sang, don’t take it the wrong way, but I just can’t stand it. Your friend is really going overboard—overcharging people he knows. I’ve seen people take advantage of friends, but never this brazenly.”

“Miss Sang, friends who are so mercenary—my advice is to keep your distance. If I had a friend like that, I’d have nightmares, afraid he might kidnap me one day,” He Jiayi added, her impression of Xiao Yao extremely poor.

Before Sang Qingye could speak, Gu Weiwei explained, “You’re underestimating people again. How many times have I told you—don’t judge people by your own standards. Sure, 120,000 for a meal is expensive, but I’m happy to pay. If it weren’t for Qingye’s sake, even if the price doubled, Young Master Xiao wouldn’t have bothered to cook these dishes for us personally.”

Zhao Weidong asked curiously, “Just who is this Young Master Xiao, to put on such airs? If someone offered me that much, I’d gladly play chef for a day.”

“Money alone wouldn’t get Young Master Xiao to cook. Never mind 120,000—even 1.2 million wouldn’t move him,” Sang Qingye, still annoyed, replied coolly.

“I was speculating without knowing the facts—seems I misunderstood. Miss Sang, no offense. So who is this Young Master Xiao? Could you tell us a bit?” Although Zhao Weidong still held his own views, he didn’t want to offend someone as beautiful as Sang Qingye.

“I’m just ordinary friends with Young Master Xiao—we haven’t known each other long. All I know is that he’s very wealthy. That’s about it,” Sang Qingye answered simply, not willing to elaborate.

Both Zhao Weidong and He Jiayi’s words and actions revealed an unspoken sense of superiority, which made her uncomfortable. If not for Gu Weiwei’s presence, she wouldn’t have stayed.

“When you came in just now, didn’t you see that Bugatti Veyron parked outside? That’s his car,” Gu Weiwei said, leaving it at that.

He Jiayi was astonished. “That’s the Hermès special edition worth over 40 million! For the owner of a shabby little restaurant to drive such a car—it’s hard to believe.”

“This Young Master Xiao has a luxurious courtyard residence in the capital, over 2,600 square meters in a prime location. I checked—it’s worth at least a billion. Now, that’s a real young master. None of us can compare,” Gu Weiwei added another revelation.

He Jiayi and Zhao Weidong exchanged glances and fell silent.

No wonder Gu Weiwei insisted on coming to this little restaurant—it seemed her real purpose was not the meal itself.

Whatever business Young Master Xiao’s family was in, and however influential they might be, befriending such a genuine scion could only be beneficial. Though they all came from wealthy families, their assets likely couldn’t match the value of a single property owned by Young Master Xiao. This was a chance to broaden their connections, and who knew—perhaps one day he might be of great help.

Whether or not this was Gu Weiwei’s true intention, that was certainly how He Jiayi and Zhao Weidong saw it.

When Xiao Yao returned with the wine, he didn’t sit down but instead found an excuse to call Sang Qingye away.

Zhao Weidong and He Jiayi, though eager to get to know Xiao Yao, realized this wasn’t the right time and decided to bide their time.

To their surprise, the dishes they’d thought were overpriced turned out to be extraordinarily delicious—far exceeding their expectations. The restaurant’s environment might have been lacking, but the food was truly worth every penny.

In the end, spending 120,000 on this meal felt absolutely worthwhile.