NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72
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Wen Qianyi's table wasn't close to the bathroom, so they only heard the commotion but didn't hear Zhang Songyang's bold words. So when they saw the two return safely, Li Yan was as usual, while Zhang Songyang looked a bit embarrassed.
The prankster immediately asked, "Did you fight? Did you fight?"
"Fight what?" Li Yan and Zhang Songyang asked curiously at the same time.
"Fight, of course! Weren't you both…," the prankster started, but seeing Wen Qianyi's angry stare, he quickly changed his tone: "You were testing your strength earlier, and then went to the bathroom together like girls. Didn't you want to find an opportunity to spar?"
Fu Weiwei, Chen Qitao, and Pei Jie, who were drinking elegantly, all sprayed their drinks out! Luckily no one was a heavy drinker, so nobody choked or sprayed someone else's face.
"Wow! Bro, do you have to be so bold?" The prankster blushed, then lowered his voice curiously: "So, who won?"
"What do you think?"
Seeing that the other guys were looking at him with displeasure, Wen Qianyi also glared over.
Surprised, the prankster asked, "What were you… comparing fists?"
Li Yan looked confused and patted his fist: "Just comparing whose fist is bigger, whose fist is harder!"
Zhang Songyang watched, then scoffed, "Mr. Li is really eloquent! Would you like a drink? You haven't added any since you came, let me treat you!"
Li Yan immediately laughed heartily: "It's a pleasure to meet so many of Qianyi's good friends today. I should be the host, but since I just arrived, if I rush to treat, it would look like I'm belittling Mr. Zhang. So thanks! I'll let you decide what to drink. I'm just a country bumpkin, even if I order beer, my taste is average."
Everyone felt Li Yan's words at the end were quite candid, but the beginning seemed to deliberately flatter Zhang Songyang. Zhang Songyang noticed it too, thinking this guy is just a poor man, pretending to impress me.
Zhang Songyang immediately called the waiter over, then deliberately looked at Li Yan and asked, "How about we go for some Louis XIII? Or Louis XIV?"
Everyone knew he was making fun of Li Yan, except for Wen Qianyi who frowned, even the waiter looked at Li Yan with interest.
Li Yan scratched his head on purpose: "I heard a joke, so I know there's no Louis XVIII. But I really don't know the difference between Louis XIII and Louis XIV; such expensive drinks, I can't afford them."
Zhang Songyang finally felt relieved, you know you can't afford it? He then generously said, "Don't be polite, I'm the host today, drink as much as you want! Bring a bottle of Rémy Martin Louis XIII!"
As he spoke, he glanced at Wen Qianyi out of the corner of his eye, thinking: How dare you bring this poor guy over? Being with her, you have to pay for your own good drinks!
"One bottle? So many people and just one bottle, are you only treating me?" Li Yan looked shocked.
Zhang Songyang frowned slightly, then forced a smile: "You don't seem to understand Louis XIII. The classification of wine is based on the region, and for brandy, it's the aging time. For example, Rémy Martin's aging period under 7 years is VS, at 7 years is VSOP, over 12 years is CLUB (Rémy Martin Club), at 15 years is Napoleon, over 20 years is XO, over 30 years is L'AGE D'OR, and over 50 years is Louis XIII. So this wine is not only good and expensive but also rare..."
The waiter, catching on, added, "No worries, our store has strong backing; if needed, two or three bottles are not a problem. What do you think..."
Zhang Songyang was a bit frustrated; he wanted to show off in front of Li Yan, especially not to be looked down upon by Wen Qianyi. Yet he forced a proud smile and said, "Then bring two bottles!" He quickly added, "700ml!" which was over ten thousand for a bottle; a 1500ml one would be even worse.
Li Yan led in applause, smilingly complimenting, "Mr. Zhang is indeed generous and knowledgeable, I don't know any of that. By the way, since you're so resourceful, you must have top-notch wines too, right? I think I heard something like Lafayette..."
The waiter, who hadn't left yet, smiled respectfully and promptly responded, "Lafite! It's not something every place has or anytime has. You're lucky, we have both 1986 and 1982 Lafites now. Not sure if..."
From TV to movies, from novels to reality, Lafite has long ceased to be just a famous wine, but a tool for pretending to be rich and tasteful. How could Li Yan not know? But today's pretender obviously wants the wealthy and tasteful Mr. Zhang Songyang to take the stage.
Li Yan pointed to Zhang Songyang, "This depends on Mr. Zhang, as he has more taste and is paying for it."
The waiter looked at Zhang Songyang, whose mouth twitched, "We don't need that much, right?"
Chen Qitao and Fu Weiwei smiled without speaking, Wen Qianyi couldn't say anything, and the prankster, finding it amusing, joined in, "There are seven people! You can't just skim through it, bring a bottle! 1982 Lafite, I haven't had the chance to drink it in a while."
Zhang Songyang had to reluctantly say, "Then bring a bottle..."
He was already mentally calculating the price, damn it, this damn waiter, why weren't you so enthusiastic when it came to beer? Always picks the expensive ones! The 1986 one is only about double the price, the 1982 one several times more, one bottle costing forty to fifty thousand to cover.
"Speaking of Lafite..." When several bottles of good wine arrived, Zhang Songyang began to boast again. After all, he spent the money, so he had to gain some publicity! While he was eloquently telling Lafite's history and the elaborate drinking etiquette, Li Yan was pouring and drinking by himself, making others feel sorry for Zhang Songyang.
Finally, having talked so much, he hadn't drunk much himself; Zhang Songyang wasn't happy and pointed out, "Mr. Li, look, smell, swirl, sip, and savor... Red wine isn't drunk like you do! Lafite isn't cola; to drink it like this is truly a waste of fine things! It's practically an insult to the noble quality and long history of Lafite!"
Seeing him shaking his head, others essentially agreed. Li Yan chuckled and asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Zhang, as you said, the refined way to drink wine and taste Lafite, how does it feel in the end?"
Zhang Songyang snorted slightly, "Of course, it's very comfortable, an enjoyment from inside out, leaving an endless aftertaste."
Li Yan nodded, "For me, as long as I know this small glass is worth thousands, when I drink it, I already experience that comfort and lingering aftertaste you mentioned. Hehe, it may have many merits, but I'm satisfied with just this expensive one. As for the history you mentioned, the world-leading status, the taste, I'll check online when I get home and find out. As for now, since it's about the abstract feeling, I should trust the feeling and enjoy it, not the process of pretending. When it comes to feeling, I can enjoy drinking beer or Erguotou just the same..."
Zhang Songyang almost spat blood, damn it! He drank my precious wine and compared it to beer, making me want it back!
After hearing Li Yan's words, Chen Qitao thought deeply, then gently clapped and praised, "Mr. Li, I've drunk quite a bit of good wine, and now it seems I've been indulging in that atmosphere, making myself picky. Listening to you, I realized I've become too attached! Learning from you, I believe I'll enjoy every drink very pleasantly in the future."
Is that possible? Wen Qianyi was a bit speechless, given her observation of Li Yan, it was obviously to annoy Zhang Songyang on purpose.