Chapter 56: The Banquet (5)

This conclusion made Jin Million as restless as if his seat were on fire. He was truly angry now—genuinely furious. “Someone, pour the wine!”

The hotel owner, who had long heard about the billion-yuan wager taking place in his hotel, hurried over with a beaming smile. Naturally, he was a man from the Zhentian Corporation, but he had no idea who Lin Fan was. If he knew that the young man before him was in fact the true owner behind Zhentian Corporation, one could only wonder what his reaction would be.

The hotel owner had already prepared three bottles of his most treasured wine, each valued at tens of thousands—a fortune in itself. Yet he was certain that, regardless of tonight’s outcome, whether it was victory or defeat, his hotel would make a name for itself throughout T City and even the entire North.

Crimson liquid filled the crystal goblets, glowing with a peculiar charm under the lights. Now, with the addition of a billion-yuan wager, the allure became even more dazzling—the value of each sip of this wine seemed to multiply immeasurably.

Jin Million lifted his glass with a smile, studying the wine carefully from every angle before bringing it to his nose for a deep inhalation. He closed his eyes, his face melting into an expression of profound rapture.

A true connoisseur reveals his craft with the slightest gesture. As the future heir to the Haitian Group, Jin Million had undoubtedly undergone professional training in wine tasting. Even Lin Fan was taken aback by his meticulous movements, thinking to himself, “So this rich kid does have some skills after all.”

Jin Million then took a delicate sip, swirling the wine on his tongue, letting its flavor unfold, savoring the tannic bite between his teeth. After a long pause, he finally broke the tense silence, his lips curling with confidence. “The bouquet is rich and smooth, a balance of vigor and grace. If I’m not mistaken, this should be a 1982 Italian Taurasi.”

“Your turn, Mr. Lin—or perhaps I should call you Mr. Reaper,” Jin Million said, his gaze provocative. But in his heart, he cursed, “Reaper? Daring to compete with me for a woman? You really don’t know how many eyes the King of Hell has. Sooner or later, I’ll send you straight to him.”

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lin Fan picked up his own glass and, with a single motion, tossed the entire contents down his throat, swallowing it all in one gulp. He licked his lips, as if he hadn’t had enough.

A collective gasp echoed through the room—this time, one of astonishment. The fool didn’t even know how to taste wine!

Just like that, thirty million was lost? Upstairs, Lin Yan was startled by Lin Fan’s action. She wasn’t worried about losing the money; rather, she thought that even if Lin Fan didn’t know how to taste wine, he should at least put on the appearance of doing so. The young man beside her, however, seemed entirely unsurprised, as if this was exactly how Lin Fan should behave.

Jin Million was even more amused, now certain that Lin Fan had only been bluffing. A mere security guard couldn’t possibly know anything about wine. He wondered how Zhao Ying could possibly fancy such a man—no doubt just a passing fancy.

Lin Fan exhaled a faint whiff of wine, a wicked smile tugging at his lips, and then uttered a line that stunned everyone in the room: “Indeed, I believe Young Master Jin’s assessment is entirely correct!”

Someone finally couldn’t hold back and sprayed their mouthful of wine in shock.

At that moment, nearly everyone took Lin Fan for a fraud. Zhao Ying grew so anxious that beads of sweat broke out on her brow. She tugged at Lin Fan’s sleeve and whispered, “This won’t do. Let’s just admit defeat. I’ll find a way to cover the money for you.”

“Don’t worry—I won’t lose,” Lin Fan replied with a confident smile. Then, raising his voice for all to hear, he said, “Although his answer is correct, it lacks detail.”

“The Campania region is Italy’s most renowned wine-producing area, famous for the legendary city of Pompeii. But perhaps you don’t know that this land was once hailed by the wine-loving Romans as the finest for vineyards—a sparkling gem in southern Italy’s winemaking crown.”

“What makes the region most proud is the Taurasi red wine, known as ‘taurasi’ in Italian, which has earned the prestigious DOCG designation, the first wine in southern Campania to receive such an honor. It is also among the world’s top ten premium wines.”

“This wine is primarily made from the local Aglianico grape, presenting a vibrant ruby hue that, after aging, develops garnet and orange-red reflections. It offers red fruit notes, a dry entry, rich tannins that are harmonious and flowing. Naturally, fine wines require the tempering of time—every bottle of Taurasi spends at least three years in the making.”

Lin Fan stood tall, a confident smile on his lips that could have captivated every woman present. “The Taurasi of 1982 was particularly exceptional, with ample sunlight and ideal rainfall—a rare and perfect vintage, making it especially famous. If I’m not mistaken, this wine should come from the Cangani Winery in the Avellino DOCG area, with an ex-factory price of about $3,900.”

The room fell silent. The crowd gazed in awe at Lin Fan, who, despite his seemingly crude behavior and lack of the basic rituals of wine tasting, now commanded their utmost respect.

Right or wrong aside, simply being able to name the region, local grape varieties, and even the winery so fluently put Jin Million’s answer to shame. The true experts among them knew that every word Lin Fan spoke was fact.

Jin Million’s face darkened. He stared at Lin Fan, mumbling, “How could you possibly know so much detail?”

“In fact, my family once had a bottle of this very wine, so I know a bit more about it. Of course, that gives me an unfair advantage. If Young Master Jin feels the round is unfair, we can call it a draw,” Lin Fan replied with a generous smile.

Upstairs, Lin Yan couldn’t help but mutter to herself, “This brother of mine is getting sneakier by the day.”

Seeing Lin Fan win the round, Zhao Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only now did she notice Feifei, surprised by how unconcerned she seemed for Lin Fan. But Zhao Ying did not know that Feifei was the daughter of Su Zhen Nan—had she known, she might have guessed that Lin Fan’s background was far from simple. With such a remarkable sister, how could Lin Fan be just a security guard?

The crowd looked enlightened, while Jin Million’s face twitched in frustration. Not count it? After Lin Fan’s words, how could he possibly retract the round without losing face?

“So long as your answer is correct, you win this round. What’s thirty million? There’s no need to be so particular,” Jin Million cursed inwardly but forced a calm smile, maintaining his slim veneer of gentlemanly composure.

Lin Fan nodded. “Young Master Jin is truly generous. In that case, I accept your magnanimity. However, I think we should forgo the remaining two rounds—we…”

“No, since we’ve started, we mustn’t stop halfway,” Jin Million cut him off as soon as he saw Lin Fan trying to withdraw. “Don’t worry—if your luck holds, I’ll hand over the billion-yuan check with both hands.”

“This…” Lin Fan hesitated, his expression uneasy.

Jin Million, convinced now more than ever that Lin Fan had simply been lucky and not particularly gifted at wine tasting, leapt at the chance to salvage his pride. “Or is Mr. Lin afraid he might lose back the thirty million he just won?”

The crowd began to jeer. Some were jealous of how easily Lin Fan had earned thirty million, others resented his attempt to quit while ahead, and some simply wanted to curry favor with Jin Million. The reasons were as varied as the people present.

“Well, since Young Master Jin insists,” Lin Fan suddenly flashed a sly, triumphant smile, “then I have no choice but to accompany you for another round. I’m just a humble security guard—I can’t treat money as lightly as you do. If I accidentally win again, I hope you won’t take offense!”

Arrogant—truly arrogant! The next round hadn’t even started, and he was already declaring victory!

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