Class Beauty Mocked Me Pouring Wine; Waiter Called Me Chairman

It was another one of those class reunions, all vanity and one-upmanship.

In the opulent private room, Judy Cobb, the former class beauty, pointed at me sitting in the corner and said with a mocking grin, Adam, since you're not doing so well anyway, why don't you go pour drinks for us at the main table? That way we can save on the waiters' tips.

Everyone burst out laughing, waiting to watch me storm off in a huff.

But I only gave a faint smile, stood up, and did exactly that, carrying myself as humbly as if I really were a waiter here.

After several rounds of drinks and a table full of dishes, once Judy's group had ordered one exorbitant bottle of red wine after another to save face, the moment to settle the bill finally came.

What they didn't know was that this top five-star hotel in the city had just completed a change of ownership the day before.

And the phone in my pocket was buzzing with a text message from the hotel's general manager: "Chairman, which private room are you in? I'd like to come offer you a toast."

Seaford City, the Hyatt Regency Grand Hotel.

As the city's landmark ultra-five-star hotel, the fountain at the entrance of the Hyatt Regency Grand refracted a dazzling golden light under the night sky. In front of the revolving door, luxury cars were everywherePorsches, Maseratis, and Bentleys pulling up one after anotherwhile sharply dressed men and women chatted and laughed, the air thick with an extravagant scent called "money."

Adam Fox stood at the bottom of the hotel's front steps and glanced down at his casual clothes. They were out-of-season Uniqlo pieces, worth less than three hundred dollars all together, completely out of place in his surroundings.

"Hey, you over there, quit blocking the way!"

An impatient horn blared, and a brand-new BMW 5 Series screeched to a stop just short of Adam's pant leg. The window rolled down to reveal a slightly puffy faceit was Luther Lambert, Adam's high school classmate and one of the organizers of tonight's gathering.

"Well, if it isn't Adam Fox." Luther took off his sunglasses, gave him an exaggerated once-over, an undisguised sneer on his lips. "What's this? You took a cab here? Figuresparking's pretty pricey around here, twenty bucks an hour. That's enough for a takeout meal for you, right?"

Adam stayed calm, unbothered by the other man's jab, and simply replied, "I walked. I live close by."

"You live around here?" Luther paused, then looked at him as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "This whole area is the downtown financial district and gated communities. Don't tell me you live back in that rundown inner-city neighborhood? Look, old classmate, it's fine if you're not doing well. We're splitting the bill tonight. If money's really tight, I'll have a word with the class president and we'll waive your share."

A heavily made-up woman in the passenger seat leaned out toothe old drama-club girl. She covered her mouth and laughed. "Luther, don't say that. Adam was a straight-A student back in the day. He's got his pride. There's no way he'd take your charity."

"What good is being a straight-A student? Out in the real world, it comes down to what you can actually do." Luther patted the blue-and-white emblem on his steering wheel and said smugly, "All right, I'm done wasting my breath on you. I've got to go park. Head in on your own, and remember not to walk through the wrong door. We're in the Imperial Halldon't wander into the staff entrance."

The BMW roared, blasted Adam with exhaust, and sped off.

Adam brushed the dust off his trousers, watching the car disappear with a deep look in his eyes, a playful curve at the corner of his mouth.

No one knew that just yesterday afternoon, Adam had signed a $3.5 billion acquisition contract in the conference room on the top floor of this very hotel. Now the Hyatt Regency Grand Hotel, along with the land it stood on, all belonged to him.

He'd shown up to the party dressed like this not out of some mischievous urge to play the fool and catch them off guard, but because he'd just gotten back from inspecting a mining site overseas and hadn't had time to change before the old class president's barrage of calls dragged him over here. Apparently their former homeroom teacher, Leigh Dickerson, was in poor health and wanted to see everyone.

For his old mentor, Adam had come.

But he hadn't expected that this so-called class reunion would sour from the very first second he walked in.

Adam walked into the lobby, and in the opulent hall, two rows of greeters bowed in unison and called out, "Welcome."

The lobby manager had a sharp eye. He noticed Adam's plain outfit, frowned slightly, and was about to step forward to askbut the instant he saw Adam's face clearly, his expression changed drastically. He was one of the few senior executives who had seen the new chairman in person at yesterday's signing ceremony.

The manager broke into a cold sweat at once. Just as he was about to blurt out "Chair," Adam calmly raised his index finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture and swept a cool glance over him.

It was the particular pressure that only someone at the top could project.

The lobby manager was a workplace veteran who had seen it all, and he instantly caught his boss's meaningan incognito visit, no wish to reveal his identity. He forced the words back down his throat, immediately switching to the professional, fake smile he'd give any ordinary guest, even making a point of seeming a little cold, and stepped aside.

Adam nodded slightly and walked straight to the elevator.

In the elevator, the mirror reflected his slightly weary but still upright figure. These past few years of fighting it out in overseas capital markets had long since made him see through the warmth and coldness of human relations. Tonight's gathering might be the last time he'd observe these old classmates as an "ordinary person."

"The Imperial Hall..." Adam thought, watching the floor numbers tick upward. "I hope your show turns out to be a good one."

The Imperial Hall was one of the largest private rooms in the Hyatt Regency Grand, with a minimum charge starting at eighty-eight thousand.

He pushed open the heavy carved wooden door, and a wave of heat mixed with expensive perfume hit him. Under the enormous crystal chandelier, three big round tables were already full of people.

It may have been called a class reunion, but the seating was clearly "ranked" with great care.

At the main table in the center sat the ones who had been the big shots back in school, or who were now flourishing "successful people." Luther Lambert was right there among them, spraying spit as he bragged about the construction project he'd just landed.

The table on the left held the "middle class"people who weren't rich, but at least had government jobs or steady incomes.

And the table nearest the door, in the most out-of-the-way spot, right next to the air-conditioning vent, was for the classmates who'd been nobodies back then, or who now looked like they were struggling.

Adam's arrival brought a brief hush over the lively room.

"Well, well, if it isn't the brilliant Adam!"

The one who spoke was the old jock, now a coach at a gym, his muscles straining against his suit.

"Come on, come on, Adam, sit here!" Someone waved, pointing to an empty seat at the "poor man's table" by the door.

Adam didn't mind. He nodded, walked over, and sat down. Most of the classmates at this table looked reserved, and their clothes were on the plain side. When they saw Adam sit down, a few of them gave him friendly smiles, sharing a quiet, we're-in-the-same-boat understanding.

"Adam, I heard you dropped off the map for a few years. Where'd you go to strike it rich?" asked a bespectacled guy next to him. His name was Silas Chavez. He used to be an honest sort, and now he looked like a programmer, with a hairline that had crept back a bit.

"No fortune to speak of. Just doing odd jobs overseas, scraping by," Adam said offhandedly, making it up as he went. He really was "working" abroadonly as a partner at a top Wall Street venture capital firm, "working" for the global economy.

"It's not easy making a living abroad either. The economy's rough right now." Silas sighed and patted Adam on the shoulder with real sympathy. "Good thing you're back, though. Sure, the grind here is brutal, but at least it's steady. If you don't have a job, I could get you a referral at my company. The hours are brutal, but you'd clear over ten thousand a month."

Adam glanced at Silas, a little surprised. In such a snobbish setting, this plain, honest kindness felt especially rare. He smiled. "Thanks, but I've got a job."

"Where at?"

"Right here." Adam pointed at the floor under his feet. "Doing some management work."

"Here?" Silas was startled for a moment, then lowered his voice. "The Hyatt Regency? That's a great place! But are you on the lobby side or housekeeping? I hear the staff here get decent payjust tiring work."

Clearly, what Silas pictured by "management work" was worlds apart from what Adam meant. Adam didn't explain, just nodded vaguely.

Right then the private room door swung open again, and the crisp click of high heels on the floor drew everyone's eyes.

A woman in a red off-the-shoulder evening gown, with flawless makeup and an Herms Birkin bag on her arm, walked in. The moment she appeared, the whole room seemed to brighten.

Judy Cobbthe class beauty back in the day, and the dream girl of every boy in school.

"Oh, so sorry I'm late. Traffic was awful, and my Panamera is just too wide to slip through the gaps." Judy apologized and humble-bragged in the same breath.

"Not late at allit's never too late for the goddess to arrive!" Luther shot to his feet and, like an eager lapdog, pulled out the seat of honor beside the head table. "Judy, sit here!"

Judy sat down gracefully, her gaze sweeping the room as if inspecting her own domain. When it landed on Adam in the corner, it paused.

There was no joy of a long-awaited reunion in her eyesonly naked contempt and a faint, barely perceptible resentment.

Back in high school, Judy had once slipped a love letter to Adam, the top student of the class. But Adam, buried in his books and from a poor family, had turned her down. The proud, arrogant Judy had never let it go, treating it as a mortifying humiliation.

Now the tables had turned. She was a rich man's wife who'd married into money and ran a chain of beauty salons; while Adam, judging by his shabby appearance, was nothing but a low-level laborer.

"That's Adam, isn't it?" Judy said suddenly, her voice soft but plenty loud enough for the whole room to hear.

Adam looked up and met her gaze evenly.

"I heard you work at the Hyatt Regency?" A teasing smile curved Judy's lips. "PerfectI'm not too familiar with the wines here. Why don't you come over and walk us through them?"

03

The atmosphere in the room turned delicate in an instant.

Everyone caught the barb in Judy's words. Making an old classmate play waiter at a reunion, introducing the drinks, wasn't just being difficultit was flat-out public humiliation.

"Judy, that's not really appropriate..." Julius, the class president beside her, tried to smooth things over. "We're all classmates todayno job is higher or lower than another."

"Julius, now you've got it wrong." Judy gave the wine in her glass a slow swirl, her eyes sharp. "Since he works here, he's practically half our host. And besides, I imagine Adam would be glad to serve us, wouldn't he? After all, he was famous for his 'helpfulness' back in the day."

She put a heavy stress on "helpfulness," clearly mocking the time she'd been rejected.

Luther jumped right in. "Exactly, exactly! Adam, since you work here, you must know these wines inside and out. Come on, come onwe're short a pourer at this table, and the waiters are all thumbs. Why not you?"

"Luther, you've gone too far!" Silas couldn't help getting to his feet. "Adam came to a reunion, not to be a waiter!"

"Hey, Silas, what's the hurry? I never said I wouldn't pay him." Luther pulled a wad of red bills from his wallet and slapped it down on the table. "Adam, here's a thousandcall it your tip. How about it? One night's wages, worth half a month's pay to you, right?"

The people at the head table broke into laughter.

Adam looked at the stack of bills, then at Judy and Luther and their taunting faces. He wasn't angry. If anything, he found it a little funny.

So this was so-called "high society"? This was what his old classmates really were?

If you want to play, then I'll play along.

Adam gently pressed down on Silas, who was about to blow up, gave him a reassuring look, and then slowly rose to his feet.

"Sure."

Adam's voice was clear and bright, an unreadable smile on his face.

He walked toward the head table, his stride unhurried, showing not a trace of humiliation or awkwardnessif anything, he moved with the easy grace of a man strolling through a courtyard.

"Since an old classmate asks, of course I'll oblige." Adam stepped up beside Judy and picked up the decanter.

Watching Adam so obedient, Judy felt a huge rush of satisfaction. Back then you were so high and mighty, you rejected meand now here you are, bowing for a few coins, waiting on me like a servant?

"Smart of you to know your place." Judy gave a cold snort. "Pour everyone a full glass. Careful nowthis wine runs over five thousand a bottle. Spill a single drop and you couldn't cover it even if you sold yourself."

Adam smiled faintly. With practiced ease he gripped the base of the bottle, gave his wrist a slight turn, and the dark red wine slid into the glass like silknot a drop spilled, and every glass filled precisely to a third.

The professional way he served the wine left several people staring.

"Oh, so you've trained at this?" Luther jeered. "Looks like you've done plenty of this at the hotel. Real pro."

Adam ignored the sarcasm, calmly finished pouring, then stepped aside and gave a slight bow. "Please, enjoy."

The more humble he acted, the more Judy's craving for revenge swelled inside her.

"Wait, who said you could go?" Judy called out to Adam, who was about to head back to his seat. "This wine is nothing special. You work here, so you must know which ones are any good. Go order us a few bottles of the good stuff. Luther's treating tonight, and money's no object."

Luther's heart lurched, but seeing Judy's adoring gaze (fake though it was), his male vanity instantly surged. "Right! Money's no object! Adam, go grab the wine list and pick the expensive ones! Let everybody try something nice!"

Adam stopped, turned around, and a cold glint flashed deep in his eyes.

"You're sure you want the best?" Adam asked.

"Obviously! Who do you think you're looking down on?" Luther slapped his chest. "As long as this hotel's got it, bring it on!"

"All right." Adam's smile deepened. "The Hyatt Regency's cellar does have a few nice bottles put away."

Since you're offering up your faces for me to slap, I won't hold back.

Adam didn't bother with the wine list; he walked straight out of the private room.

A moment later, he came back in with two uniformed sommeliers. Each carried a wooden box in his hands with the utmost care, as if cradling a fragile, priceless treasure.

"What's this?" Luther eyed the exquisite, old-fashioned boxes, feeling a little uneasy. He didn't know anything about wine, but the packaging looked very high-end to him.

Judy's eyes lit up. "Oh, this looks good. Adam, what kind of wine is it?"

Adam signaled the sommelier to open the box, revealing a bottle inside that had been sealed away for ages. The label was slightly yellowed, but the French lettering on it was still clearly legible.

"A 1945 Romane-Conti," Adam introduced mildly. "The crown jewel of the Hyatt Regency. Since Luther said he wanted the best, I think only this one is worthy of the beautiful Judy."

The whole room fell silent.

Most of them didn't know the exact price of this wine, but everyone had heard the name Romane-Contithe king of red wines.

Luther's expression shifted a little. He swallowed hard and asked, forcing himself to stay calm, "How... how much is this wine?"

Adam smiled and said offhandedly, "It's not expensive."

Hearing the words "not expensive," Luther breathed a sigh of relief. The way he figured it, a bottle of wine at this run-down hotel would cost tens of thousands at most, and he'd brought a card with two hundred grand on it just to show off tonight, so he should be able to cover it.

"Fine! Then open it!" Luther waved his hand grandly.

With a soft pop, the cork came out. A rich, complex aroma instantly filled the whole roomthe scent of time, and also the scent of money.

Adam poured Judy a glass himself, his movements as elegant as a nobleman's.

Judy picked up her glass, took a small sip, and closed her eyes in bliss. "Mmm, it really is good. Adam, looks like your time at the hotel wasn't wasted after allyou've got some taste."

"Everyone, don't be shy, have some!" Luther called out to the people at the main table. To show off his generosity, he added to Adam, "Since it's this good, send a bottle over to the other table too! Everybody gets a share!"

Adam raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"

"What? Afraid I can't pay?" Luther fumed. "Open them! Open them all!"

Adam nodded and gestured to the sommelier behind him.

Soon, two more bottles of top-tier red wine were brought out. Of course, they weren't the 1945 Romane-Contithat was one of a kindbut they were still pricey bottles of Lafite and Ptrus.

Besides the wine, Adam very "thoughtfully" added dishes according to their requests.

Premium Australian abalone, Alba white truffles, Iranian Almas caviar...

Whenever Judy casually mentioned something she wanted to eat, or Luther rattled off a dish to brag that he'd tried it, Adam would smile and have the waiter jot it down, then quickly bring it to the table.

The entire Imperial Hall seemed to have turned into a gluttonous feast.

The people at the main table ate until their mouths were greasy and drank until their faces were red. While enjoying the top-notch service and food, they didn't miss a chance to sneer at Adam, who stood off to the side "serving" them.

"Adam, look at you, pouring wine so nicely! If you ever lose your job, you can come be my butler, hahaha!"

"That's right, this caviar really is good. Adam, normally you can only look at it, huh? Here, you can have what's left on this plate."

Adam kept up his professional smile the whole time, only the smile never reached his eyes. He looked at this group making fools of themselves like a pack of clowns in the middle of a wild party.

Every so often he picked up his phone and sent a few messages.

Silas watched from the corner, his heart pounding. He didn't know the exact price, but judging by the quality of the ingredients and the drinks, his gut told him this meal had to cost a fortune. He wanted to pull Adam aside, but Adam stopped him with a look.

Well fed and well drunk, the table held nothing now but scraps and a few empty bottles.

Judy leaned back in her chair, cheeks flushed, let out a burp, and pointed at Adam. "All right, the service was good today. Luther, settle the billand don't forget to leave Adam a big tip."

Luther, tongue thick with drink, bellowed with sky-high bravado, "Waiter! The check!"

The door to the private room swung open.

The man who entered was no ordinary waiter, but a middle-aged man in a suit and tie with a refined air. Behind him came two finance staff, carrying a card reader and a long bill.

At the sight of the middle-aged man, several of the business-minded classmates present sobered up halfway.

"This... isn't this General Manager Finch from the Hyatt Regency?" Someone recognized him.

Christopher Finch was a prominent figure in Seaford City's business world. Normally it was hard just to get a meeting with him, so why had he come to the private room in person to settle the bill tonight?

Luther was startled for a moment too, then felt enormously flattered. "Oh, Mr. Finch himself has come? Looks like I've got a lot of pull."

A professional smile on his face, Finch ignored Luther's boasting and walked straight to the head table, gently setting the long bill down on it.

"Good evening, everyone. This is tonight's bill. Please take a look."

Luther grinned as he picked it up. "How much is it? All this ceremony..."

His eyes landed on the last number on the bill, and his voice cut off.

In that instant, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and the alcohol turned at once into cold sweat, pouring out of every pore.

"How... how much?!" Luther's voice cracked, sharp as a duck being throttled.

"Impossible! This is a rip-off joint!" Luther shot to his feet and flung the bill onto the table. "One meal costs over a million? Why don't you just rob us?!"

"Over a million?!"

The whole private room erupted. Judy nearly dropped the glass in her hand, and everyone crowded around in horror.

The bill was densely packed with all sorts of expensive dishes, but the most glaring item of all was the bottle of wine listed on the very first line.

"1945 Romane-Conti, unit price: 0-0,680,000."

All those zeros were dizzying to look at.

"This... this wine is that expensive?!" Judy's face went white; she had just been downing glass after glass of it like water.

Finch kept his smile, his tone gentle but leaving no room for argument. "Sir, only 600 bottles of the 1945 Romane-Conti were ever produced worldwide; this is an auction-grade vintage. Add the other top-tier ingredients and drinks, round down, and the total comes to 1.85 million. Will you be paying by card or check?"

"I... I..." Luther's legs gave out and he collapsed into his chair. He had some money, sure, but he only ran a small contracting firm; his entire net worth added up to just a few million in liquid cash. Blowing nearly two million on one meal was going to be the death of him!

"It's him!" Luther suddenly pointed at Adam, standing off to the side, as if grabbing a lifeline. "He ordered it! He brought it out! I didn't know the wine was this expensive! He's an employee of your hotelhe set me up on purpose!"

Judy caught on too and shrieked, "Right! It's Adam! He said it wasn't expensive! He did it on purpose! This is fraud! We're calling the police!"

Every accusing finger instantly turned on Adam.

"Adam, you broke loser, what are you up to?!"

"Are you trying to get us all killed?"

Facing the condemnation of the whole room, the meekness on Adam's face vanished. Unhurriedly, he unfastened his cufflinks, straightened his collar, and his expression turned cold and commanding.

"You're the ones who told them to bring the wine," Adam said flatly. "And you're the ones who said you wanted the best. What, now that you've finished eating, you want to skip out on the bill?"

"What right does a waiter like you have to talk to us!" Luther, beside himself with rage, lunged forward to grab Adam by the collar. "I'll kill you today!"

But before his hand could touch Adam, Finch beside him blocked it.

The gentle, refined Finch of a moment ago now wore a face cold as frost. He shoved Luther away with such force that Luther stumbled backward.

Then, before everyone's stunned eyes, Finch straightened his clothes, turned to face Adam, and bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees.

The posture was respectful in the extreme, as if paying homage to an emperor.

"Chairman."

Finch's voice was not loud, but in the deathly silent room it landed like a thunderclap.

"I'm sorry you were put through this. Shall this... still be charged directly to the group's entertainment account?"

The air froze.

Time seemed to stop in that moment.

Luther's mouth gaped open, his jaw hanging as if dislocated; Judy's exquisite face twisted into a ridiculous shape; the classmates who had just been sneering at Adam were all rooted in place, dumbstruck.

"Chair... Chairman?" Julius stammered, breaking the silence.

Adam paid no attention to their reactions and simply patted Finch on the shoulder. "No need to run it through the company accounts. Since Mr. Lambert and the beautiful Judy are so generous, how could we not give them the chance to pay for it themselves?"

He turned and looked down at Luther, slumped in his chair, and Judy, pale as a corpse.

"That tip earlieryou gave it too soon."

Adam took the thousand off the table and gently patted it against Luther's pale face, making a crisp little sound.

"Keep this money to cover the interest. If you can't clear this bill today, I'll have the legal department take its time working things out with you."

With that, Adam didn't spare them another glance and turned toward the door. As he reached Silas, he stopped and smiled warmly. "Silas, tomorrow bring your resume straight to HR and ask for Mr. Finch. Just say I sent you."

Amid the awe, regret, and fear in everyone's eyes, Adam pushed open the door and left, leaving behind only an unreachable figure and a room full of people sick with remorse.