17: Chapter 17: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) mixed with plain water!
"Alright, sir. This is the receipt for Private Room 888. Please confirm it."
"Two thousand eight hundred? Since when did the prices at Haoqing Grand Hotel become so low?"
Shen Zhou, who had just received the receipt, was momentarily stunned by the amount shown.
Of course, a bill of 2,800 for a single meal wasn't actually low.
At least for the former ordinary worker Shen Zhou, 2,800 was enough to cover his food delivery for a whole month.
As for why he was so surprised by the price on the receipt...
The main reason was that the hotel he was currently in was the Haoqing Grand Hotel.
The Haoqing Grand Hotel was one of the most prominent star-rated hotels in Shanghai.
The food and drinks at this hotel were notoriously expensive!
Normally, even for just two people having a casual meal in the hotel lobby...
...it would cost three to five thousand, or even over ten thousand. That wasn't even mentioning the private rooms.
Private rooms had a minimum spending requirement.
For instance, this 2,800 was actually the absolute minimum spending for the Haoqing Grand Hotel!
"Yes, sir. The boss who booked the private room only ordered our cheapest set menu!"
The cashier Waitress explained, clearly feeling a bit disgruntled.
Of course, this displeasure wasn't directed at Shen Zhou, but at Wan Yiquan, who had booked the room earlier.
It was common knowledge that, generally speaking, staff at high-end hotels received commissions on the spending for food and drinks.
The higher the spending amount for the booking, the higher the commission for the staff member who took it.
Conversely, the lower the spending, the lower the commission would naturally be.
Clearly, Wan Yiquan had called the front desk to make the reservation, so the commission went to the front desk staff.
Thus, the front desk staff had a look of clear displeasure while settling the bill.
"Brother, you don't look very happy!"
Shen Zhou keenly caught the front desk staff's mood and quickly followed up with a question.
"No, no, sir, you must be joking! We're professionally trained; normally, we don't show any unhappiness while on the job."
The staff member immediately explained.
"Oh, really? It doesn't look that way to me!"
"Let me put it this way: someone else was supposed to treat us today, but my boss sent me to settle the bill simply because she doesn't want to owe them a favor."
"You get it, right? So tell me, why is the spending for this private room so low?"
Shen Zhou continued to probe.
"Oh, I see. Then I understand. Sir, if I tell you, please don't file a complaint against me later!"
The staff member was taken aback for a moment, then relaxed his guard and leaned in close to Shen Zhou.
"Of course not! Don't worry!"
"It's like this..."
...
As it turned out, Shen Zhou's suspicions regarding his boss's investment in this variety show project were entirely correct.
Because after just a few words with the front desk staff...
...the staff member had already sold out that big boss, Wan Yiquan, all because the commission was too small.
Speaking of Wan Yiquan, his mind was truly devious.
In order to get his hands on his boss Lin Lan, he actually thought of a scheme involving the alcohol.
Considering that most high-end hotels mainly served imported liquor with relatively low alcohol content...
...this guy actually came up with the trick of bringing his own alcohol.
And what he brought was a high-proof, 53-degree liquor—Moutai.
Of course, at this point, curious people would surely ask: shouldn't a typical star-rated hotel have Moutai available?
Why didn't a high-end hotel of Haoqing's caliber provide Moutai today?
That was exactly the point!
The Haoqing Grand Hotel actually did supply Moutai; not only that, but they offered various grades and proofs of Moutai...
...specifically for guests who loved tasting high-end Baijiu.
However, this Boss Wan specifically declined the hotel's alcohol when booking the room. Instead, he repeatedly instructed the hotel staff that they must use the Moutai he brought himself.
Outsiders might not understand the trickery involved, but if Shen Zhou couldn't see through it, it would be truly laughable.
"Oh, I see!"
Shen Zhou's mind whirred, and he immediately had an idea.
"Brother, has the alcohol been served yet? If not, can I take a look? If it's inconvenient, I can give you an extra tip!"
"Of course, since you paid, you certainly have the right to see it! As for the tip..."
In the end, Shen Zhou still gave a tip—a small stack of hundred-yuan bills, no less than a thousand yuan.
Faced with such a generous Shen Zhou, the staff member's expression instantly changed from resentful to joyful.
He happily led Shen Zhou to the back and personally checked the alcohol Wan Yiquan had brought.
Not only that, but to prove that the hotel staff wouldn't sneak a drink of the guest's alcohol...
...the staff member personally opened the packaging in front of Shen Zhou.
"This alcohol looks a bit off. Could that guy named Wan be trying to swindle my boss?"
"Can I open it and take a look?"
"Sir, you're joking. Since you paid, it's your own alcohol. Whatever you want to do is your business! We don't know anything!"
"Smart! Brother, give me your business card. Maybe we'll have a chance to meet again in the future!"
Truth be told, Shen Zhou hadn't expected Wan Yiquan to pull a stunt with the alcohol either.
And the stunt this guy pulled was so filthy.
Shen Zhou just instinctively felt there had to be a reason behind Wan Yiquan bringing his own alcohol.
As it turned out, once the alcohol was opened... indeed, in this world, there's nothing that can't happen, only things you can't imagine.
That scoundrel Wan Yiquan had actually filled the Moutai bottles with 65-degree Erguotou!
"You damn Fat Pig Wan! You're clearly trying to plot against my beautiful boss!"
"As if 56-degree Moutai wasn't strong enough for you, you swapped it for 65-degree Erguotou!"
"You really are a wicked, good-for-nothing blockhead!"
Having personally smelled the unique, high-proof aroma of Erguotou, a brand-new idea began to take shape in Shen Zhou's mind.
"Teacher Zhao, oh Teacher Zhao, thank goodness I watched your skits so often when I was a kid!"
"Otherwise, I really wouldn't have remembered your famous stage line: 'It's actually just Erguotou mixed with plain water!' Haha!"
What happened next was easy to handle.
Since the staff member had taken Shen Zhou's tip and already informed him that they wouldn't interfere with his actions...
...Shen Zhou took a moment and quietly pulled a stealthy substitution act on the alcohol Wan Yiquan had prepared, just like a scene from a skit.