Chapter 73: Putting on a Brave Front

Damn it! He wasn't here for dinner, but to eat gold, wasn't he? Although she had once lived a life of luxury, times had changed. Her entire savings amounted to just five or six hundred thousand, which she had set aside for little Nan Xiaokai's medical treatment.

However...

Nan Zhi glanced down at the long dress she wore. Alvis had made it clear at the television station that once she put it on, it belonged to her; he would never take it back. If this meal swallowed up all her savings, could she perhaps sell the dress?

At this thought, the panic of going bankrupt and being unable to raise her son eased a little.

During the meal, only Alvis spoke to Nan Zhi. Mu Sihan sat with one arm draped over the back of his chair, the other holding a cigar. Apart from exhaling smoke, he didn't touch his chopsticks at all.

A bottle of red wine was opened, and Nan Zhi and Alvis each had three glasses.

Throughout dinner, Mu Sihan never once looked at Nan Zhi. His aloof, icy demeanor made the atmosphere in the private room oppressive and tense.

After the meal, Nan Zhi carried an unopened bottle of red wine to the cashier to pay the bill.

The cashier tallied the check and handed it to Nan Zhi. "After a 2% discount, the total is four hundred eighty-eight thousand. Would you like to pay by card or check?"

"Card," Nan Zhi replied, taking out her only bank card with any savings.

A few seconds later, the cashier eyed her oddly. "Insufficient balance?"

Nan Zhi pressed her lips together, suddenly remembering she'd recently paid more than a hundred thousand for Xiaokai's hospital admission.

She glanced at the bill and noticed the cashier had charged for an extra bottle of wine. She quickly said, "We only opened one bottle. If you remove this one, there should be enough on the card."

"Sorry, our policy is that drinks ordered cannot be returned."

It was the first time Nan Zhi had heard of such a rule. She frowned. "This one hasn't even been opened; it’s still new. Why can't it be returned?"

"This is an upscale restaurant serving the elite, and we only accept eight tables a day. So our rules are different from other places."

"Miss, do you have another card?"

Nan Zhi replied, "No. Please ask your manager to let me return this bottle."

The cashier glanced up at Nan Zhi, the hint of a mocking smile on her lips. "Miss, is this your first time here? If you can't afford it, there are plenty of cheaper places to eat. Why put on airs?"

Nan Zhi arched her slender brows.

A woman's hostility toward another woman was always subtle; Nan Zhi immediately sensed the cashier's unfriendly attitude.

Nan Zhi's smile was faint, dimples flickering at the corners of her lips. "Is this how you treat your guests? Did I say I wouldn't pay? Is it so difficult to call your manager over?"

"Our manager is busy and doesn't have time for paupers like you," the cashier snapped, her tone changing instantly as she eyed Nan Zhi's dress. "Or you could take off your dress to settle the debt."

Nan Zhi couldn't help but laugh at the audacity. "Are you the manager's wife or his mistress that you have the authority to decide?"

The cashier shot up from her seat. "Don't look down on others! I do things above board. Not like you—Fu Shao already has a fiancée, but you still try to seduce him."

In that instant, Nan Zhi understood the source of the cashier's hostility—she knew Fu Shaoxiu and Nan Yao. No wonder; people like Fu Shaoxiu must have brought Nan Yao to places like this many times before.