Chapter 14: Can You Afford to Host?

"Xinyu, let's go in; whether they want to come or not is their business." Chen Yu pulled the astonished Ye Xinyu inside.

"Do you know Manager Zhang?" Ye Xinyu asked incredulously.

"I don't."

"Manager Zhang is part of the management at Fu Man Lou, he holds shares here, and his connections are very extensive. Why did he treat you so well?" Ye Xinyu couldn't figure it out.

"Oh, I did their boss a small favor. Maybe their boss is just trying to thank me," Chen Yu said with a smile.

"I see." The doubt in Ye Xinyu's heart faded; she had been overthinking it.

"What is going on?" Watching Chen Yu walk in, Liu Juan asked, dumbfounded. Did the manager mistake him for someone else?

"I don't know. There must be something wrong. Let's go in, get the situation cleared up, and then talk. I refuse to believe we can't even compare to a hoodlum." Fang Chen gritted his teeth.

Inside the top-tier private room of Fu Man Lou, it was incomparably luxurious: custom-made carpets, uniform rosewood furniture, new Chinese-style decorations, and two rows of young waitresses in cheongsams inside, with luxury permeating every corner.

"Mr. Chen, I have prepared the signature dishes of our Fu Man Lou for you. Do you see anything else you need?" Manager Zhang served them personally in the private room and handed over the menu.

"No need. It's my first time here; just serve whatever you think is good," Chen Yu said indifferently.

"Very well. Mr. Chen, if you need anything, just call me at any time. I will be waiting outside." Manager Zhang bowed slightly and walked out.

"Chen Yu, are you very familiar with Manager Zhang here?" Fang Chen asked after entering.

"I don't know him," Chen Yu said dismissively. "But I know the big boss here."

"Fu Man Lou is an enterprise under the Lin Group, and the big boss is Lin Wenfu, the helmsman of one of the Fengling Four Great Families. You know Lin Wenfu?" Fang Chen nearly laughed.

"I wouldn't say I know him, but he owes me a favor," Chen Yu smiled.

"Stop bragging, will you? The Lin Group has assets in the tens of billions and is a top-tier family in Fengling. Would he owe you a favor?"

"This guy must be crazy."

"He doesn't even draft his lies before bragging."

None of the Ye Family believed him. They felt Chen Yu was bragging and that Manager Zhang must have mistaken him for someone else—it had to be.

"Heh, not bad. The most top-tier private room in Fengling, representing status, position, and background connections—truly not bad." Just at this moment, a middle-aged man and woman walked in.

These two were none other than Ye Xinyu's father, Ye Taihe, and her mother, Wang Xueqin.

"Dad, Mom." Ye Xinyu hadn't seen her father for a long time, and her expression was somewhat emotional.

But the two of them only glanced at Ye Xinyu, their expressions sank immediately, and they walked right past her.

Ye Xinyu's eyes turned red, and she nearly cried.

"Uncle, you're here." Everyone stood up, and Fang Chen hurriedly invited Ye Taihe to sit down.

"Fang Chen, you booked this room, right? Not bad, not bad. I heard that you can't book this Golden Jade Room at Fu Man Lou without strong connections. I didn't know your connections were so extensive."

After entering, Ye Taihe looked at the environment and facilities here and kept praising them.

Although he prided himself on coming from an Aristocratic Family of scholars and being a master of calligraphy, appearing as someone who viewed money as dirt, it was impossible to say he had no vanity.

"Uncle, this..." Even if Fang Chen were more shameless, he would still be embarrassed to admit in public that he was the one who secured this room.

"Xiao Chen's ability and connections are very strong. Qianqian has really found us a good son-in-law. Xiao Chen, sit down quickly."

As Wang Xueqin spoke, she hummed and glanced at Chen Yu: "Unlike some people who only know how to eat, drink, whore, and gamble; the face of our Ye Family has been completely lost."

"Dad, Mom, this room was booked by Chen Yu. The manager here only kept this Jinyu Hall available because of Chen Yu's face," Ye Xinyu said, knitting her brows.

"What did you say? This room was booked by him? Heh, how much face does he, Chen Yu, have? A piece of human scum living at the bottom of society—does he have the qualifications?" Ye Taihe sneered.

"It's been years, and you still haven't made any progress. What is so good about this Chen Yu that he's worth you tearing your face off with your father and me?" Wang Xueqin was still full of disappointment toward her daughter.

"Then ask him yourself." Ye Xinyu's eyes were slightly red; her family still couldn't accept Chen Yu.

"Xiao Chen, you didn't book this room?" Seeing the surroundings quiet down in a strange way, Ye Taihe asked in surprise.

"That... Uncle... the manager here must have mistaken him for someone else. How could someone like Chen Yu have such great face?"

With Fang Chen answering like that, Ye Taihe knew what was going on without needing more explanation. His face sank immediately, and he snorted coldly: "The country is now advocating thrift; isn't coming to a place like this just being extravagant and wasteful?"

"Dad..." Ye Xinyu was so aggrieved she shed tears. No matter how Chen Yu changed, they could always find faults.

"Then let's change places. Eating a bowl of noodles at the Chuan restaurant across the street—wouldn't that be more thrifty and frugal?" Chen Yu's brows furrowed; he was reaching the limit of his patience.

To be honest, even after his rebirth, Chen Yu didn't like this hypocritical appearance of Ye Taihe—liking the prestige on one hand while pretending to be a person of high moral standing on the other. If he weren't Ye Xinyu's father, he would have walked away long ago.

"You..." Ye Taihe's expression changed.

"This is the best hotel in Fengling, the most top-tier private room. I heard that enjoying the imperial-level service here is worth it; leaving just like this would be a bit of a waste," Wang Xueqin whispered.

Ye Taihe's expression changed several times, and finally, he snorted and said: "Then let's stay here. Hmph, this meal today will cost tens of thousands, right? There are still many children in the Mountain areas who aren't fed; can you live with your conscience while being so wasteful?"

"Father-in-law, the cost of this meal will not be lower than fifty thousand," Chen Yu smiled. "Don't worry, if your son-in-law thinks it's expensive, I'll treat everyone to this meal. Consider it an act of filial piety to you."

"Chen Yu, what are you saying? Are you crazy?" Ye Xinyu pulled Chen Yu desperately, wishing she could cover his mouth. They were worrying about rent just a few days ago; where would the family find fifty thousand?

"Haha, Chen Yu, stop messing around. Where would you get fifty thousand yuan? Or are you the God of Gamblers? Only winning and never losing when playing cards?"

"Haha, fifty thousand. He couldn't save that much in three years."

"This kid really knows how to brag."

The Ye Family burst into laughter. They all looked at Chen Yu with disdain. Who present didn't know what kind of person Chen Yu was?

This man never worked; after marriage, the living expenses were all supported by Ye Xinyu alone. He only knew how to squander his family's assets; how could he possibly come up with fifty thousand?

"Chen Yu, stop the bragging while you're ahead," Fang Chen said, stopping his laughter.

"Do you think I'm bragging?" Chen Yu glanced at him.

"If you're not bragging, what are you doing? I bet you can't even take out a hundred yuan right now. How are you going to treat us to this meal?" Ye Qian sneered.

"Maybe they will waive the bill for me," Chen Yu said with a chuckle.

"Waive the bill? Haha, this kid is crazy."

"I suggest you go see a psychiatrist outside."

The Ye Family burst into laughter again. Fang Chen was laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath. He walked to Chen Yu's side, patted Chen Yu's shoulder, and said: "Chen Yu, I'll personally lend you two thousand yuan. Go to the psychiatric hospital quickly. Waive the bill? What kind of place do you think this is? Haha..."

"Mr. Chen, these two bottles of '82 Lafite are our store's treasured classics. Please enjoy them slowly. Also, this is today's drink bill, totaling fifty-three thousand, all waived."

No sooner had Fang Chen finished speaking than Manager Zhang pushed a cart inside; he delivered two bottles of expensive red wine and handed over the wine list.