Rebirth: My Dear Little Wife Is So Scheming

Chapter 961: Chapter 961: Riding the Tiger, Hard to Dismount

This really is the case of playing with eagles all your life, only to have your eyes pecked blind by one in the end.

Zhuo Tang is truly stuck between a rock and a hard place now.

Millions are just play money for him. While it’s wasteful, it’s not a big deal.

But now it’s ten billion!

This is fatal.

He doesn’t have what it takes to shell out ten billion just for one meal.

Even if he were eating gold, there’s no way it’d cost that much.

If the old man found out that Zhuo Tang dared to do something like this, he wouldn’t be able to call himself his father if he didn’t kick him out of the house.

The problem is, even if he refuses to pay and decides to act shamelessly, He Weng and the others can’t do anything to him. But the bigger issue is that this matter has already become a joke.

Who knows what news will hit the papers tomorrow.

Sky-high dining bill—some squanderer spends ten billion on one meal and is made into a laughingstock.

He’ll be infamous, no doubt about it.

The Zhuo Family will also gain infamy, and he’ll still end up ruined.

He Weng remained silent, taking a sip from his wine glass.

"Zhuo Lin, drink up. Let Mr. Zhuo think this through carefully! After all, ten billion is no small amount—we have all the time to wait."

Yu Feixue sat down beside He Weng, genuinely amused this time.

A moment ago, she wasn’t happy about this red wine—she found it bland despite the fancy ambiance. Yu Feixue preferred the straightforward kick of baijiu.

To her, red wine seemed like something for sissies.

But now, she was rather fond of this wine.

Just because it played a significant role today, Yu Feixue told herself that from now on, this lady had decided to switch completely to red wine.

A sip went down her throat, smooth and invigorating.

Satisfying!

So this wine could have this kind of effect, huh?

Zhuo Lin raised his glass, feeling at peace for the first time as he drank.

All the frustration and humiliation faded to nothing.

Just moments ago, when Yu Feixue agreed to take the money and leave, he felt a sense of loss, realizing that even his friends could be bought by money.

It was a frustration he had no way to vent, a knot in his heart. He even felt like the world was completely ruled by money—that money was the ultimate power.

At that moment, he resolved to change his perception, to chase after wealth with no holds barred, and to become a rich man by any means.

One day, he too would use money to crush others—crush those bastards ruthlessly.

But with just one sentence, the situation took a sudden turn. Watching Zhuo Tang’s darkened face brought him a rush of satisfaction greater than having money in hand.

Glorious!

This glass of wine deserved to be drained dry.

Just for the fact that it had metaphorically slapped Zhuo Tang’s face today, it was worth celebrating to the point of drunkenness. noveldrama

"Mr. He, cheers!"

He Weng winked at Zhuo Lin.

The crisp clink of glasses was truly stirring.

"Cheers!"

Yu Feixue joined in, clinking her glass.

"Cheers!"

Over here, they drank with flair, full of high spirits.

Over there, Zhuo Tang sat glumly opposite his three useless friends.

Today was unequivocally a day of shame—it was impossible to hide it. No matter what, there was no point trying to cover it up anymore.

"Old Zhuo! What now?"

"Are you actually going to fork over ten billion?"

"Don’t be ridiculous—pulling off a scam like this without any resources? These three little punks are on another level."

"Should I find someone to bump them off for you?"

"Get lost! Don’t come up with half-baked ideas. So many people already know about this, and who knows how many more will know tomorrow? If anything happens to them today, do you believe the cops won’t show up at your door tomorrow? Clear-headed folks aren’t blind; it’s obvious it’d be a cover-up murder attempt!"

Zhuo Tang’s anger was mounting.

What kind of lousy ideas were these?

Murder and cover-up?

Yes, he had the ability to pull it off, but only a fool would do so right now.

He couldn’t get past this situation immediately.

Looking at the three across from him laughing and joking, their smiles blooming like spring flowers, drinking with gusto.

Zhuo Tang felt hatred rising in him.

That Miss Yu and Mr. He weren’t good people.

Anyone who dared to act this way clearly didn’t fear his retaliation.

But the problem now was how to get past this ten billion hurdle.

Money—he absolutely wouldn’t give it.

Unless he’d lost his mind or gone dumb, there was no way he’d fork over ten billion for nothing.

Still, not paying required him to have a solid justification.

Even if he wanted to slip away quietly—could he manage it?

With so many eyes on him, Zhuo Tang simply couldn’t bring himself to stoop to such an embarrassing level.

Embarrassment was a minor issue; if the old man found out, he’d be in deep trouble.

This time he’d utterly lost both dignity and fortune.

He truly regretted his loose tongue, insisting on butting heads with these young punks. And the result? Not only didn’t he manage to bite off a chunk of them, but he ended up with a chipped tooth himself.

Seeing Zhuo Lin’s smug expression, Zhuo Tang’s eyes darted. The only solution now was Zhuo Lin. As long as he was willing to step in, those two friends of his probably wouldn’t refuse to make concessions.

When it came down to it, weren’t those two just standing up for Zhuo Lin?

Swallowing his pride was difficult.

He glanced at Old He beside him.

"Old He, looks like it’s up to you to step in and mediate!"

This was his closest confidant—polite and well-mannered on the surface, seemingly cultured, but full of deviousness inside. A true wolf in sheep’s clothing.

But Old He had a silver tongue.

He Da caught Zhuo Tang’s meaning instantly; his gaze flicked to Zhuo Lin, the intention crystal clear.

His trading company depended on the Zhuo Family for profit, so naturally, he couldn’t refuse Zhuo Tang’s request.

"Don’t worry! I’ll handle this!"

Adjusting his collar, he quickly walked over to Zhuo Lin’s side. "Nephew, can I have a word with you?"

Zhuo Lin nonchalantly put down his glass. "Say what you need right here. Besides, I’m not your nephew—I don’t deserve that title. Just call me Mr. Zhuo, alright?" That "nephew" title had annoyed him for far too long.

He Da hadn’t expected to hit such a hard wall.

Then again, he had anticipated something like this. His pride was hardly worth anything at this point.

Smiling, he said, "Mr. Zhuo, you and Mr. Zhuo Tang are uncle and nephew. No matter what, Mr. Zhuo Tang is your elder. You are family. Your uncle losing face doesn’t do you any good either. They say you grow close after fighting—your uncle wasn’t trying to bully you; he just wanted to toughen you up, for your own sake. Things have turned out like this now, but it’s not beneficial for you either.

Letting outsiders profit while your own family loses face—it won’t look good for you either.

Here’s what I think: ten billion is too outrageous. How about one million—let’s chalk it up to your uncle treating you, his nephew, to a meal. It’s not a big deal, and everyone saves face. And this matter is put to rest. What do you say?"

"Mr. He, your surname may be He, just like mine, but I could never compare to you—you’re practically gifted with a glib tongue, bringing the dead back to life with your words! Too bad you didn’t get the situation straight: this meal was my treat to Zhuo Lin and Miss Yu. The money is mine, and I’m the one with the final say.

One million in exchange for ten billion—Mr. He, you undoubtedly play a shrewd hand.

If all business were done the He way, wealth would flow endlessly.

However, Mr. He, you seem to have forgotten that Zhuo Lin has already been kicked out of the Zhuo Family. He has no ties to the Zhuo Family anymore. Whether the Zhuo Family thrives or crumbles, it’s none of his concern. So, Zhuo Lin, do you think there’s any need to reconcile?"

He Weng looked at Zhuo Lin. There was no way Zhuo Tang was going to cough up the ten billion—the resolution would depend on Zhuo Lin himself.