CHAPTER 119: CHAPTER 119: A MEAL WORTH A FORTUNE

Even Wei Wei had quietly looked it up. The bottle in front of her was entirely black, yet it had an unusually attractive design, with a crown for a cap and black wings on its back. She hadn’t realized its significance until she searched, and she was startled by what she found.

It was Fillico, a natural mineral water from Kobe.

The bottle was decorated with crystal carvings and was worth more than 4,000 Yuan. Just this one bottle was worth more than half a month of her salary, to say nothing of all the dishes on the table. They had never even dreamed of such a dinner, let alone actually eating one.

The four of them couldn’t wait to take out their phones, ready to take pictures and post to their social media feeds.

As for Zhou Ruo, she naturally wouldn’t do such a thing anymore. Now that her assets were in the double digits, she wouldn’t act as she used to.

Yuying had just finished posting when she noticed Zhou Ruo sitting there calmly, watching them take photos. Instantly, her heart filled with discontent.

Putting on airs? You latch onto a rich guy and think you’ve really become a phoenix? Just wait until I get my turn at the top, then we’ll see if you’re still so cocky.

Thinking this, Yuying quietly slipped off her shoes.

Since today was Zhou Ruo’s birthday, Xia Liang naturally made sure she was the center of attention. He spoke to her in a gentle, soft voice.

"Alright, you can post later. The food is getting cold. Go on, tell your friends to eat."

Hearing this, Zhou Ruo finally snapped out of it. A wave of sweetness filled her heart, and she quickly said to everyone, "Girls, let’s eat! The food won’t taste as good if it gets cold."

Everyone then put down their phones and began to eat.

Xia Liang snapped his fingers.

At the sound, a waiter brought over a bottle of red wine.

"How can we have a delicious meal without red wine?"

As Xia Liang spoke, the waiter poured the red wine into everyone’s glasses. They all knew that with Xia Liang treating, it couldn’t possibly be cheap, but they still asked subconsciously.

"Brother Xia, how much is this bottle of wine?"

Facing their curious gazes, Xia Liang said calmly, "Oh, just about one Yuan."

"One Yuan!" the group exclaimed in surprise.

Chu Xia almost spat out the red wine she had just sipped. But when she remembered it was worth one Yuan, she quickly held it back and swallowed.

Seeing their reactions, an attentive waiter stepped forward to explain. "This bottle of Romanée-Conti is one of the most expensive red wines at the Qingyun Grand Hotel. It’s priced at one Yuan and two cents."

"A bottle for one Yuan and two cents?"

My goodness.

The group looked at each other in dismay. Chu Xia looked at the red wine in her glass.

Doesn’t that mean this glass of mine is worth a few cents? That sip I just took cost two points? she thought, immediately swallowing hard. Two points! That was two points! More than two months of my salary, gone in a single gulp! Is this the life of the rich?

Chu Xia couldn’t help but marvel. For a moment, she felt a little reserved and quickly picked up the nice-looking bottle of mineral water beside her, opened it, and poured herself a drink.

Xia Liang noticed everyone’s restraint and quickly spoke up.

"You’re all Xiao Ruo’s friends, which makes you my friends too. Please, just treat this place like your own home and don’t be so reserved. Otherwise, people might think we’re not being good hosts."

Hearing Xia Liang say this, everyone finally managed to relax and return to normal. The dinner continued, once again filled with laughter and joy. The only difference was that when they drank the red wine, they were still incredibly careful.

Xia Liang remained silent, listening to the girls share fun stories about their time together. Suddenly, he felt a kick against his pants.

It was just one kick, so Xia Liang didn’t think much of it, assuming it was an accident. But he soon realized something was wrong. A foot was actually sliding up his pant leg, touching his leg.

What the hell? Who would be so bold?

Xia Liang glanced around. Apart from Yuying, everyone else was focused on their food. When Xia Liang’s gaze fell on her, he saw that she was sending him flirtatious glances. She was holding a Harbin red sausage, biting it gently.

She’s impossible to read! Isn’t she afraid I’ll publicly embarrass her?

In the moment Xia Liang was distracted, her foot had already reached his inner thigh.

What the hell? You think I’m a pushover just because I’m not roaring?

At that, Xia Liang deliberately sniffed the air, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

Zhou Ruo asked with some curiosity, "Dear, what’s wrong?"

Xia Liang replied, "Do you guys smell that? It smells like stinky feet."

Huh?

Everyone froze, clearly not expecting Xia Liang to say something so blunt.

Zhou Ruo sniffed the air, a puzzled look on her face. "No?"

The others agreed.

Wei Wei frowned and lifted the tablecloth.

Yuying’s heart skipped a beat; this was bad. She only had time to pull back her leg before Wei Wei caught her in the act.

"Yuying, you?"

Seeing Wei Wei’s confused expression, Yuying couldn’t have been more embarrassed. In her heart, she had already cursed Xia Liang a thousand times. She could only bite the bullet and murmur, "Um... my shoes... they’re too tight, they’re hurting my feet... so..."

Yuying didn’t elaborate.

What a drama queen! Xia Liang almost wanted to applaud.

After hearing Yuying’s explanation, everyone else tacitly agreed not to bring up the matter again to avoid further embarrassment. For the rest of the meal, Yuying didn’t dare try any more tricks.

Half an hour later, when they were nearly finished eating, a cart was pushed out bearing a three-tiered cake.

He personally placed the birthday hat on Zhou Ruo’s head and lit the candles. Everyone turned off the lights. Illuminated by the candlelight, they sang "Happy Birthday" to Zhou Ruo.

Finally, with all eyes on her, Zhou Ruo closed her eyes, made a wish, and blew out the candles.

The lights came back on. They passed out slices of cake and symbolically smeared a little bit of frosting on Zhou Ruo’s face, careful not to get too carried away. After all, they were in a villa worth hundreds of millions. They were terrified of breaking something that might cost millions to replace.

After the cake, everyone brought out the gifts they had prepared: a Teddy bear, earrings, a wallet, a bracelet...

After the four of them had given their gifts, all eyes turned to Xia Liang. They were all curious to see what a man of his wealth would give and were eager to witness something extraordinary.

Xia Liang did not disappoint. He looked at Zhou Ruo with deep affection.

"This is our first year together and the first birthday I’ve gotten to spend with you. I will be with you for every birthday from now on."

As he spoke, Xia Liang suddenly made a grabbing motion in the empty air. To everyone’s astonishment, a red cloth appeared in his hands.

"Is this magic?" someone whispered.

Before the crowd could recover from their shock, Xia Liang used his right hand to drape the red cloth over his left. A faint smile touched his lips.

"This is the first birthday gift I’ve prepared for you."

With a flourish, he yanked the cloth away. A blue box now rested in his hand.

Zhou Ruo gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in excitement.