Chapter 23: What Else Is He Hiding?
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The group turned around and saw that the man’s name badge read “Lobby Manager.”
At the sight of the lobby manager, Li Yu’s confidence visibly faltered. Stammering, he finally managed to explain what he wanted.
After hearing him out, the lobby manager laughed.
“I’m very sorry, Young Master Li. You should know that everyone who dines here is no ordinary person. We’re fully booked. If we were to forcefully arrange a private room for you, we would have to ask another party to leave. Who do you think we should ask to leave?”
“Chairman Xu of Jianfeng Engineering? President Wang of Yangchuan Liquor? Or the heir of the Luohe Group?”
The lobby manager certainly lived up to his title. With just a few words, he had rendered Li Yu speechless.
Any one of those people was someone Li Yu could never afford to offend.
“Young Master Li, let me remind you that these are already among the easier people to deal with. So, what would you like us to do now?”
The lobby manager wore a broad smile, while Li Yu’s expression shifted uncertainly.
In truth, Li Yu simply could not bear the humiliation. He had been the one to suggest coming to Qingping Joy Restaurant, and now they could not even get inside.
Seeing the awkward stalemate, Lin Bai drew a deep breath and turned toward the young woman at the reception desk.
“Hello. Could you look up a number for me?”
Lin Bai’s voice drew everyone’s attention. Qin Ruowei, not understanding what he intended, came over and frowned at him.
Lin Bai gave her a slight shake of the head, then turned to the receptionist and began reciting his phone number.
The system had told him that his VIP number was his own mobile number.
“That’s the number. Please look it up.”
After giving the number, Lin Bai stared at the receptionist. There was still a hint of concern in his eyes. This was his first time using it, after all, and he had no idea whether this Supreme VIP privilege would actually work.
The next second, the receptionist drew in a sharp breath. She staggered back two steps and pointed at the computer screen.
“M-Manager, come and look…”
The lobby manager frowned. He had no idea what could have caused the experienced receptionist to react like that. As he walked behind the counter, he scolded her.
“Don’t make such a fuss. You’ve seen plenty of situations before—”
He did not finish the sentence. The moment he saw the computer screen, his expression became identical to the receptionist’s.
Under the puzzled gazes of Lin Bai and the others, the lobby manager and the receptionist hurried out from behind the counter and came straight to Lin Bai.
“Mr. Lin, we’re terribly sorry! We were blind and failed to recognize you. We hope you won’t take offense.”
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In an instant, everyone around them turned to look at Lin Bai. The expressions in their eyes made it seem as though they were looking at an extraterrestrial.
The contrast between Li Yu and Lin Bai was simply too striking.
Lin Bai rubbed his nose inwardly. It seemed this Supreme VIP privilege was even more useful than he had imagined.
“Ahem, it’s fine, it’s fine. Um… can we dine here?”
“Of course! Of course, of course, of course! Absolutely! Please, this way! I’ll personally escort you upstairs.”
The lobby manager bowed and scraped as he led the way in front of Lin Bai.
Lin Bai glanced at Qin Ruowei and smiled with pressed lips. The others followed closely behind.
Li Yu and Chen Shuya were at the very back. Rather than follow immediately, they stopped beside the receptionist.
“What do you mean by this?! Didn’t you say there were no tables? What’s going on now? Are you making a fool of me?”
Even with the receptionist’s professional composure, she could not help rolling her eyes.
“Mr. Li, Mr. Lin is a Supreme VIP customer here. He is entitled to an exclusive Supreme VIP suite.”
“W-What?! A Supreme VIP?! How could he possibly have one?!”
Li Yu was stunned, his entire body frozen in place.
The receptionist smiled politely.
“So, Young Master Li, I personally suggest that you go upstairs with Mr. Lin. Don’t you agree?”
Li Yu had no idea how he managed to leave the reception desk.
On the way to the elevator, Chen Shuya, who still did not understand what was happening, asked, “What is a Supreme VIP? Is it really that impressive?”
Li Yu looked at her.
“It’s more than impressive. A Supreme VIP membership isn’t something you can obtain simply by having money. I once heard my father say that a business owner spent more than two hundred million here trying to get one, but still failed.”
Chen Shuya had a very concrete understanding of money. After making that comparison, she finally realized how powerful a Supreme VIP membership was, and her feelings grew even more complicated.
“How does he have a Supreme VIP membership here…?”
No one answered their question. They barely made it into the elevator before the doors closed, squeezing inside with awkward smiles.
The elevator was spacious enough to hold more than ten people without feeling crowded.
The lobby manager pressed the button for the eighth floor. Standing before Lin Bai with an ingratiating smile, he introduced the specifications of the suite they were about to visit and explained the various details.
Qin Ruowei stood beside Lin Bai, his hand in hers, looking completely bewildered. Even now, she was still trying to figure out what had happened.
She knew about the Supreme VIP membership at Qingping Joy Restaurant because her father had one.
Precisely because her father possessed one, she knew better than anyone how difficult it was to obtain.
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She could not understand how Lin Bai, a young man who had only just begun his first year of university, could possibly have one.
What else was he hiding?
As their acquaintance deepened, Qin Ruowei found herself increasingly unable to see through the poor young man she had initially pitied. More than that… she began to feel a sense of danger.
Especially when they had been at the reception desk downstairs. The moment the receptionist confirmed that Lin Bai was a Supreme VIP, the way she looked at him was something Qin Ruowei understood all too well, as a woman herself.
The elevator reached the eighth floor. The lobby manager personally led them to a private suite and pushed open the door.
“Please come in, honored guests.”
The moment he entered the suite, Lin Bai was utterly dumbfounded by the scene before him.
There was a swimming pool, a cinema, a billiards table, a dining area, a lounge, an amusement area, a self-service zone, a fitness area…
This was no private dining room. It was practically a larger, more luxurious party complex!
“Wow!”
Zhao Fangting, Chen Zhe, and Lu Xiaobin cried out in undisguised amazement. Everyone felt the same way, including Qin Ruowei.
Although her father had a Supreme VIP membership here, she had never visited the place even once.
“Whoa, this is incredible! This place is absolutely incredible! I’ve decided—I’m skipping class tomorrow!”
Zhao Fangting completely let himself go and ran into the suite laughing loudly.
Chen Zhe and Lu Xiaobin followed close behind, then came Zhou Min, Wang Xiaoli, Fu Rao, and the others.
“Mr. Lin, there’s a QR-code menu on the table. You can scan it to place your order directly. Of course, if you need anything at all, just press the call button. I’ll be at your service whenever you require me.”
In truth, Lin Bai was more shocked than anyone else. He nodded blankly.
“All right. I understand. Thank you.”
The lobby manager smiled, withdrew from the suite, and closed the door behind him.
Lin Bai slowly walked over to the window, with Qin Ruowei following close behind.
It was already past seven, and darkness had completely settled over the sky.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay the nighttime view of Jiangcheng. The lights of Chu River Han Street stretched out before them in all their breathtaking splendor.
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