From Wage Slave to Tycoon

Chapter 135: Chapter 109: 5 People, 10,000 Schemes

Basement Level One!

Neither Yun Tianqi nor Ye Feng had expected there to be a whole new world down here!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, and the pool is heated!" Ye Feng crouched down, dipping his hand into the water. It was faintly warm.

"Now this is what I call living!"

Just as the two were marveling at the scene, a loud wail echoed out. "Ahhh—no way! You have so many of these here? And I was treating mine like treasure!"

Ye Feng and Yun Tianqi exchanged a glance. They knew it was Jiangyang’s voice and hurried toward the sound without a second thought.

When they arrived at the door of what looked like a collection room, they saw Jiangyang walking out with a grin, a case of wine in his arms. Behind him, Xiao Chen and the others wore expressions of utter amazement.

"What’s all this?" Yun Tianqi asked, looking at the group in confusion.

Seeing the two of them, Jiangyang brandished the wine in his hands. "You’re just in time. Come try some fifty-year-old vintage. I hear it’s from the Arno family’s personal vineyard."

Jiangyang had just learned from Su Chen that the wine business a certain famous scion was running was sourced from here. Even the forty-year vintage he had was actually Su Chen’s.

When he learned the truth, he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it. He’d made a complete fool of himself.

Then, when he saw dozens of cases of the very wine he treasured so much lining the shelves of Su Chen’s collection room, it felt like a thousand daggers to the heart.

After hearing from Su Chen that there was also a fifty-year vintage, he shamelessly grabbed a case, euphemistically calling it ’sharing with everyone’.

The basement had a bar area, and Jiangyang, acting like he owned the place, skillfully took out a decanter and six wine glasses.

POP~ The moment Jiangyang opened the bottle, a rich, grape-like aroma filled the air.

Even Ye Feng, Yun Tianqi, and the others, who had seen it all, couldn’t help but lift their heads and savor the fragrance in the air.

GULP~ Yun Tianqi couldn’t help but swallow, but the sound was surprisingly loud.

Xiao Chen and the others instantly turned to look at him, each with a hint of a smile.

"Ahem! What are you looking at me for? My throat was just dry, so I was moistening it!" Yun Tianqi said stubbornly.

If it weren’t for the faint blush on his face, they might have actually believed his bullshit!

"This wine’s aroma is incredible—so pure. I’ve had top-tier wines from all over the world, but they all fall a little short compared to this!" Ye Feng also hadn’t expected the wine to smell this good.

He wasn’t bragging. No one here—not even Xiao Chen—had tasted as many wines as he had. In their circle, they only drank the best of the best, be it baijiu, red wine, or otherwise. Anything that could surprise them all had to be something truly special, right?

As a top-tier wine aged for fifty years, it didn’t need much time to decant. Its aroma and flavor profile were already stable.

Unable to wait any longer, Jiangyang poured half a glass for everyone, not even forgetting their host, Su Chen.

"Delicious~"

The moment the wine touched their lips, Xiao Chen and the others’ eyes widened slightly.

To Su Chen’s surprise, while Xiao Chen, Ye Feng, and the others were savoring the wine, Yun Tianqi was different. He downed his glass in two gulps, and while everyone was still appreciating the aftertaste, he poured himself another large serving.

Only a tiny bit of wine was left in the decanter—barely enough to house a goldfish.

"Holy shit, Yun Tianqi! You’re so fucking shameless, secretly drinking that much by yourself!" Ye Feng couldn’t help but yell when he saw Yun Tianqi’s sneaky move.

Ye Feng’s shout snapped Xiao Chen and the others out of their reverie. Seeing the large glass in Yun Tianqi’s hand, they all glared at him in annoyance.

Everyone was savoring the taste of the wine, and you went and secretly drank it all?

If that’s not hogging it all for yourself, what is?

Facing their murderous glares, Yun Tianqi caught sight of the case on the table out of the corner of his eye and was instantly emboldened. "Why are you all looking at me like that? There are still eleven bottles in the case. Let’s just open them all up and drink! Right, Su Chen?"

Su Chen, who was just enjoying the show, was a bit bewildered at being put on the spot. Yun Tianqi sure knew how to change the subject.

"Drink as much as you want. If it’s not enough, I’ll just bring out another case!"

Hearing this, everyone collectively rolled their eyes. Anyone else with a bottle of wine this good would hide it away, terrified someone else might find out.

But Su Chen? He talked in terms of cases. If you wanted a drink, he’d just bring you a whole case. He was on a completely different level.

His first instinct was to offer another case if one wasn’t enough. If any wine connoisseurs heard that, they’d probably want to have a serious talk with him.

"See? Even Su Chen didn’t say anything. Yangzi, hurry up and open another bottle! This little bit isn’t satisfying at all!" Yun Tianqi said happily, taking a sip from his glass.

Before Jiangyang could move, Ye Feng chimed in sarcastically, "Oh my, who was it just now saying they wouldn’t drink any of that wine and only wanted collector’s grade Maotai? And who’s the one chugging it down with gusto now? Brother Cheen, wouldn’t you say that person is shameless?"

"HAHAHAHA~" The group burst into laughter.

But Yun Tianqi didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed. With a soft humph, he went back to leisurely savoring the fine wine in his glass.

In the end, it was Xiao Chen who spoke up. "Let’s hold off on the wine for now. We can drink more during dinner!"

Actually, Xiao Chen had a small, selfish motive. Back in the collection room, he’d learned from Su Chen that there were less than a hundred bottles of the fifty-year vintage in total—only about seven or eight cases. He was hoping to snag a case on his way out to let his old man have a taste.

Since Xiao Chen had spoken, the others could only tear their gazes away from the case of wine.

Seeing Yun Tianqi still holding his glass with a smug look, Ye Feng, Jiangyang, and the others looked particularly pained.

’The thicker the skin, the fuller the belly, huh.’

Just as Su Chen was about to get up and lead everyone to the lounge area to chat, a "DING" sounded in his mind, and he froze on the spot.

Before Su Chen could figure out what was going on, Chen Yao, who was standing beside him, nudged his arm. "Su Chen, what’s wrong? Why’d you suddenly freeze up?"

Snapping out of it, Su Chen looked at Chen Yao, smiled, and shook his head. "It’s nothing. I was just wondering when we’re going to eat!"

"Oh~" Chen Yao didn’t overthink it and walked quickly toward the lounge area.

Although Su Chen was extremely curious, he knew now wasn’t the time to investigate. He could only put it to the back of his mind for now and look into it later that night when he was alone.

"Su Chen, what are you spacing out for? Get over here and play some cards!" Jiangyang shouted, holding a deck of cards he’d found somewhere.

"Coming!"

The six of them didn’t play anything complicated like Dou Dizhu or Tuolaji, just a simple game of Golden Flower. As for the stakes, Xiao Chen and the others tacitly agreed on the wine.

That’s right—the case of wine Su Chen had brought out. Each person put up two bottles as their stake, except for Su Chen, who only put up one. The ante was ten milliliters per hand. Whoever lost their stake would have nothing to drink that night.

Su Chen was the first to be eliminated from the "battlefield." His card skills were child’s play compared to these cunning schemers, and his share was quickly divided among the others.

"So, Su Chen, what do you say? Want us to lend you some of our ’share’ so you can win it back?" Ye Feng said with a grin.

The others’ eyes lit up. They exchanged glances and quickly chimed in.

They said it was no fun playing without Su Chen. Under their "enthusiastic" persuasion, Su Chen reluctantly nodded and agreed.

And just like that... Su Chen walked right into the trap they had just woven for him.

After half an hour, Su Chen gradually sensed that something was off. ’How am I the only one losing? The others are all winning, and what’s more, they’re winning in a strangely balanced way. They’re taking turns, and the amount each person wins is almost the same.’

In just half an hour, Su Chen had lost an entire extra case of wine.

"I’m out! If I keep playing, I’m going to lose my shorts!" Su Chen had seen through their little scheme. They were clearly just after his collection of vintage wine.

When Xiao Chen and the others heard Su Chen say he was done playing, a flicker of regret passed through their eyes.

"Hehe~ A tidy profit of two bottles. Hey, Su Chen, when do we cash out?" Jiangyang said with a chuckle.

Su Chen shot him an annoyed look. "Alright, alright. You guys are a bunch of crafty bastards. I’m never playing cards with you again. I fell for it this time!"

Now that Su Chen had exposed their little plot, Xiao Chen and the others didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed. They just stared at him shamelessly.

"A bet’s a bet. I’ll give them to you when you all leave tonight," Su Chen said with a sigh of resignation, seeing their eager expressions.

"Deal~" they all said in unison.

Jiang Hui appeared as if on cue. Just as they finished speaking, he stepped out of the elevator.

"Sir, dinner is ready. If you would..."

Su Chen nodded slightly. "Serve the meal. We’ll be right up!"

Then he turned to the others and said, "Let’s go. Everyone must be hungry!"

"Ahem~ Su Chen, aren’t you forgetting something?" Xiao Chen coughed lightly, his eyes glancing toward the collection room.

Su Chen knew exactly what Xiao Chen was talking about. Before he could even speak, Chen Yao dashed out with a WHOOSH...

"I’ll get it! I know where it is!"

A moment later, he returned carrying a case of Maotai. It was the very same case of collector’s grade Maotai that Xiao Chen had brought before. They had only drunk one bottle last time, leaving five full bottles!

That was about one bottle for each of the five of them. As for Su Chen, they had conveniently chosen to forget about him.

"Let’s go, let’s go! I can’t wait!" Yun Tianqi’s throat felt itchy just thinking about the fifty-year-old wine and the collector’s grade Maotai.

The others weren’t much different; they all loved a good drink.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is too extravagant! Not only are we drinking well tonight, but we’re also eating well!"

The spread of dishes on the table was truly lavish.

Venison leg, roasted crocodile, Wuzhumuqin lamb shank, Wagyu steak, caviar, large lobsters, and more filled the entire length of the long table.