Chapter 510 — Fainted with Rage

"How... how much is this?" Wu Chengtian's eyes went wide as he stared at the bill in his hand, scarcely able to believe it.

"Sir, your total comes to fifteen million and thirty-seven thousand yuan. We'll waive the odd change as a discount and charge you a flat fifteen million," the waiter said with a smile.

"Fifteen million?" Wu Chengtian could hardly believe he had just spent five million on a single meal. But looking at the bill, every one of those signature dishes started at ten thousand yuan, with the priciest running thirty or forty thousand apiece. And that single-head abalone was no bargain either. The cheapest thing on the whole bill was probably that bottle of '82 Lafite he had ordered!

Still, after going over the menu, Wu Chengtian remained puzzled. "Did you get the math wrong? Adding it all up, it comes to a little over five million — where did this ten million come from?"

"Sir, the vase on the table was crushed by you. The vase is valued at ten million," the waiter explained unhurriedly.

"Huh? A vase for ten million?" Wu Chengtian was startled half out of his wits.

"Yes, sir. The vase is set with six four-carat diamonds, and the body is made of solid gold. Ten million is merely the cost price," the waiter said with a smile. "We have appraisal certificates from an authoritative institution. Would you like to see them, sir?"

Wu Chengtian was on the verge of tears but had none to shed. Wasn't this a bit too cutthroat? Still, he knew a high-class establishment like this would never deliberately fleece him — whatever price they named, that was the price.

Besides, a four-carat diamond, loose, would run upward of a million apiece. So six four-carat diamonds plus a gold vase — ten million was really not expensive at all!

And he had crushed the thing with his bare hand in an instant, then given it away to Feng Xiaoxiao! It was enough to drive him mad! The cost of putting on airs was simply too steep. It seemed he could not go around showing off so freely in the future!

Wu Chengtian saw that Wei Zhao, Feng Xiaoxiao, the Xiao brothers, and Kang Jinglong had already come walking over. He could only wipe the pained look from his face and deliberately announce in a loud voice, "We didn't eat that much, the few of us — and it only came to fifteen million for all this. This place is really cheap, I tell you, really cheap!"

The Xiao brothers were instantly dumbfounded. They thought to themselves that the Wu family was truly cut from a different cloth from their own — a single meal cost fifteen million, and he still thought it was a bargain. Truly extraordinary!

"Ah, Brother Chentian, you really are rich!" Feng Xiaoxiao exclaimed in admiration. "Lots of people can't earn fifteen million in their whole lives, and you spend fifteen million on one meal and still think it's not much. That is just so cool!"

"But of course! To us children of great houses, money like this is nothing at all!" By now Wu Chengtian had **developed a habit of putting on airs at every moment, and so the words slipped out of his mouth without a thought.

"Then can I order another portion of braised shark fin to take away? I wanted to order it earlier, but I was afraid it would cost too much, so I didn't dare..." Feng Xiaoxiao looked at Wu Chengtian pitifully. "I really want to know what shark fin tastes like!"

"Uh... sure, no problem!" Wu Chengtian was drenched in cold sweat. His family was nothing like the merchant clans — the Wu family's annual income was only a few tens of millions, a hundred million at best in a good year, and that had to support the entire household's expenses. So the younger generation's pocket money topped out at a few hundred thousand a year. He had just spent over fifteen million on one meal — if his grandfather Wu Gonggao found out, it would surely kill him with rage!

But if he did not tell, he truly could not produce the money. Still, that was a secondary concern. He first ordered a portion of shark fin for Feng Xiaoxiao, packed it up, and sent her on her way. Only then did he stand at the counter, wearing a worried frown, trying to think of a way out.

By now the Xiao brothers had also been sent downstairs by Wu Chengtian. Only then did he hesitantly dial his grandfather's number.

"Hello? Grandfather? It's me, Chengtian!" Wu Chengtian said cautiously.

"What is it? I'm busy — out with it!" Wu Gonggao had been stewing in a bellyful of anger ever since his visit to Feng Tianlong, with no outlet for it! And that was not even the worst of it. He had gone to his son-in-law Liu Tianyi to see whether he could get his hands on some of that health-and-longevity detox pill, but to his surprise, his son-in-law had insisted it was for treating Liu Zhenhu's illness and could not be given up. That left him both depressed and humiliated.

So even a call from his favorite grandson found him in a foul mood.

"Grandfather, I'm at a restaurant and I don't have enough money..." Wu Chengtian said in a small voice.

"Not enough money? Then what the hell did you go eat for? What were you thinking before you went?" Wu Gonggao snorted. "Didn't you bring a credit card? Can't you swipe a card at a place like that?"

"No, it's not that... the card has a limit, and it's not enough..." Wu Chengtian said guiltily.

"Not enough? How much did you spend that it's not enough? Doesn't that card have a two-hundred-thousand limit?" Wu Gonggao's voice shot up an octave at once.

"A thousand... a thousand..." Wu Chengtian was starting to get scared. This was the first time his grandfather had ever blown up at him like that.

"A thousand yuan? Your credit card can't even cover a thousand yuan anymore? How do you usually spend your money?" Wu Gonggao was furious. Wu Chengtian had actually maxed out his credit card.

"It's not a thousand yuan..." Wu Chengtian quailed a little. His grandfather was already this angry over two hundred thousand; if he said he had spent fifteen million, the old man would surely erupt.

"Not a thousand yuan? Then how much?" Wu Gonggao snorted. "You worthless boy, you can't even pay for a thousand yuan's worth of food! You've really shamed the Wu family!"

"It's fifteen million, Grandfather... I spent fifteen million..." Wu Chengtian gritted his teeth. This had to come out sooner or later; dragging it out would do no good.

"What? What did you say?" Hearing Wu Chengtian's words, Wu Gonggao needed a moment to process it. "How much did you say you spent?"

"Fifteen million..." Wu Chengtian repeated.

"..." On the other end of the line, Wu Gonggao went completely silent.

"Grandfather? Grandfather?" Wu Chengtian called out, puzzled, but there was no answer at all from the other side.

He had barely called out twice when a burst of noise came through the phone, followed by Liu Tianyi's voice: "Dad, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly collapse?"

Wu Chengtian was startled. His grandfather had fainted? He shouted into the phone: "Grandfather? Grandfather!"

But there was nothing on the other end except the clamor...

Wu Chengtian had no choice but to hang up. Anxiously, he looked at the waiter. "Can I owe you for now? I don't have any money on me, and my grandfather just fainted—I need to get back and see him..."

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't extend credit here," the waiter said, still politely.