Chapter 149 Swiping the Card, Publicly Slapping One's Face

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent for two seconds before instantly erupting into a frenzy.

"Huh?"

"No way, right?"

"Paying for the whole place?"

"That's way too extravagant!"

Guests at neighboring tables turned their heads one after another to look over,

their eyes filled with astonishment, even stopping their movements of picking up food.

Zhao Qian's face turned pale and then flushed; his overbearing posture from moments ago collapsed instantly.

He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, feeling both panicked and annoyed in his heart.

He didn't believe for a second that Lin Chen actually had the financial backing, assuming he was just putting on a front to save face.

The store manager was also stunned and subconsciously leaned forward half a step,

his tone carrying disbelief as he repeatedly confirmed:

"Sir, are you sure?"

"Please don't joke around. You know the caliber of our establishment,"

"the total revenue for all guests this lunch session adds up to exactly 1.68 million,"

"that is not a small sum!"

The surrounding discussions instantly quieted down.

1.68 million—spending that much on a single lunch to pay for everyone else,

anyone would hesitate. Many people were waiting for Lin Chen to back out,

wanting to see him unable to save face.

But Lin Chen didn't even knit his brows; his face remained as calm and composed as ever.

He only found it amusing. Zhao Qian's face from earlier, showing off his wealth and belittling others,

looked particularly ironic now. Without a word,

he directly pulled a black card out of his pocket,

and tossed it casually onto the tabletop in front of the manager.

The card hit the solid wood tabletop with a crisp sound.

"Cut the nonsense, swipe the card."

The manager stared at the high-quality black card, and his eyes instantly lit up.

The professional smile on his face instantly turned into genuine fawning,

his waist unconsciously bending a few degrees as he hurriedly reached out to take the bank card,

fearing he might be too slow and offend this benefactor.

He turned around and shouted sternly at the Waiter waiting nearby:

"What are you standing there for!"

"Hurry up and bring the POS machine over! Fast!"

The Waiter ran over in a panic,

holding the POS machine with both hands and handing it to the manager.

The manager operated it deftly,

then handed the machine to Lin Chen, his voice full of flattery:

"Mr. Lin, please enter your password."

Lin Chen's fingertips quickly pressed a few times,

completing the transaction decisively. A clear and loud notification sound rang out from the POS machine—

"Payment successful!"

This sound completely solidified Lin Chen's confidence.

The smile on the manager's face grew even thicker,

his eyes almost squinting shut as he bowed repeatedly to Lin Chen:

"Thank you for your patronage, Mr. Lin!"

"Thank you for supporting our business, Mr. Lin!"

After saying that, the manager immediately turned around,

cleared his throat, and announced loudly to all the guests in the venue,

his voice booming throughout the entire restaurant:

"Distinguished guests, may I have your attention for a moment!"

"For lunch today, all guests who have already been seated and ordered,"

"your lunch is completely paid for by this Mr. Lin. Everyone, please enjoy your meal!"

This time, the entire venue completely boiled over.

Thunderous applause instantly broke out,

wave after wave. Many guests smiled and picked up their water glasses or wine glasses,

raising them toward Lin Chen from afar,

their eyes full of gratitude and admiration.

The whispers were all praises for Lin Chen's generosity.

Lin Chen nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then turned his gaze back to Zhao Qian,

the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking arc, his tone flat yet every word piercing the heart:

"What's the matter? Weren't you quite the show-off just now?"

"Do you have the guts to pull out 1.68 million to pay for everyone in the room?"

Zhao Qian stood in place, his chest heaving violently.

Stifled by these words as if he had a bone stuck in his throat, he couldn't say a word for a long time.

His face burned with pain, as if he had been slapped several times in public.

He wanted to say something harsh,

but looking at Lin Chen's calm yet confident appearance,

he had no ground to argue back.

1.68 million—

even if he could produce it,

he would never spend it so lavishly to pay for others.

This loss of face was certain.

In a fit of shame and anger, Zhao Qian swung his hand hard,

turned, and prepared to leave, but before going, he dropped a vicious line:

"You kid, just you wait. This isn't over!"

But as soon as he stepped out, his eyes uncontrollably drifted toward Chu Feifei and Shen Nian sitting nearby.

The two girls had outstanding looks and eye-catching temperaments.

His heart felt both an itch and hatred, and his gaze was even more indecent,

lingering greasily for several extra glances below their necks at their partially exposed, towering figures.

Wretched greed surged in his eyes,

along with a poisonous resentment that had nowhere to be vented. That vicious look of revenge

was revealed without any concealment,

clearly recording this grudge against Lin Chen and the two girls.

Lin Chen glanced coldly at his back,

not taking the threat of such a clown seriously at all.

He simply picked up the water glass on the table,

took a light sip, his surrounding aura remaining steady,

completely unbothered by the farce that had just occurred.

As soon as Zhao Qian sat in his black sedan,

before the car door was even fully closed,

his finger was already irritably tapping through his phone contacts,

his fingertips pressing so hard they turned white, a thick aura of violence in his eyes.

He stared at the tall figure at the entrance of the Michelin restaurant,

his teeth grinding with a creak.

The frustration of having his face publicly shamed by Lin Chen in the restaurant hadn't dissipated yet;

this debt had to be settled immediately.

The phone rang only twice,

and a coarse male voice came from the other side,

mixed with the noisy sounds of mahjong and laughing insults.

It was immediately recognizable as the thuggish tone of a street gangster:

"Who is it?"

"I'm playing cards right now, don't mess around if it's nothing."

"Lu Zhuang, right?"

"The head of Central's 13K."

Zhao Qian leaned against the seat back, his voice low and ruthless,

not beating around the bush at all,

"My surname is Zhao. I need you to handle something for me. Make it clean and efficient, and I'll give you two hundred thousand afterward."

The noise on Lu Zhuang's side instantly stopped.

He gripped his phone and sat up straight. Two hundred thousand was not a small amount;

it was enough for his group of brothers to live comfortably for a while. He immediately became interested:

"Brother Zhao?"

"Tell me what it is. As long as it's not a job that gets my head chopped off, I, Lu Zhuang, will handle it clearly for you with my brothers!"

"It's simple: teach someone a lesson."

"A deposit of one hundred thousand. Give me your card number, and I'll transfer it to you now."

"I've sent the photo of the person to be taught a lesson to your phone."

A minute later, Lu Zhuang received the hundred thousand deposit.

"Brother Zhao, deposit received."

"I'm personally taking my men to corner him now."

Half an hour later, Lin Chen came out.

Zhao Qian looked up at the restaurant entrance;

the figure was relaxed yet exuded an aura that warned strangers to stay away.

He said in a sinister tone,

"That man who just came out of the Michelin restaurant,"

"named Lin Chen, wearing a black casual jacket, quite tall."

"No need to cripple him, just give him some color,"

"let him know there are some people he can't afford to provoke,"

"just don't hit too hard and kill him. What I want is for him to yield."

"Got it, understood!"

Lu Zhuang patted his chest and accepted, his eyes shining.

Teaching someone a lesson for two hundred thousand—this deal was a massive profit.

"Don't worry, Brother Zhao. I'll take my brothers over to corner him right now. I guarantee I'll have him crawling away!"

"Give me the address, I'll keep an eye on his movements!"

Zhao Qian gave the location of the hotel Lin Chen was heading to, hung up the phone, and his mouth curled into a sinister smile.

He didn't believe that no matter how much Lin Chen could pretend,

he could actually fight off a pack of street thugs.

This time, he would make him lose all face and let those two women who only had eyes for Lin Chen see

that Lin Chen was nothing more than a spineless coward with an empty frame.

At this time, Lin Chen, completely unaware, was being held by the arms by Chu Feifei and Shen Nian as they walked back to the hotel.