Chapter 8 Paying The Bill

They had only glanced briefly at the menu, but the astronomical prices scared them away. They didn't even bother to flip through it. On the other hand, Dwayne didn't bother to read the menu either; he ordered all the specialty dishes right away. And now… Over 7,000! Even if we're forced to stay here washing dishes for the restaurant, it would take us two to three years to pay off the money! Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, Paul burst out laughing. "Haha! This is hilarious! Didn't any of you realize what you were eating? You all ate these specialty dishes and now you're pretending to be clueless?" At that moment, Yvonne regained her composure. She mocked, "Gracie, did you go out of your way to put on makeup before coming here? Is it for this dinner date with your poor loser of a boyfriend? But all he could do was dine and dash. My boyfriend is different. We didn't order many specialty dishes, but Paul could still afford the bill—" Ashton pursed his lips and hung his head low without saying a word. "That's enough!" Dwayne, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly growled, capturing everyone's attention. He warned coldly, "Yvonne, are you done talking? If you are, then please leave with your boyfriend!" "I'm not finished yet." Yvonne put on a smile. "I see that all of you have finished eating. Would you mind letting me see who's going to pay for this meal today? Gracie, are you going to split the bill with the girls in your dorm, or is your poor loser of a boyfriend going to foot the bill? Don't tell me my loser ex-boyfriend is going to pay?" "Why you!" Gracie gnashed her teeth in resentment. She wanted to retort, but seeing the table full of dishes made her feel guilty. The other girls and I come from ordinary families. Even if we split the bill among ourselves, each of us will have to pay over 1,800. But we're still students. Where can we get so much money?! With these thoughts, she felt resentment towards Ashton and Dwayne. Didn't they say Dwayne was going to buy us drinks? Why did we end up having drinks at such a fancy place? I should've convinced them to leave earlier! Just then, Dwayne finally spoke. "It's the person you just called a poor loser who is paying for this meal today. What are you going to do about it?" "Poor loser… You mean me?" Ashton pointed at himself. For a moment, he was dumbfounded. Dwayne reached into the black plastic bag beside him and took out a stack of banknotes, which he then discreetly handed to Ashton under the table. Feeling the weight in his hand, Ashton was taken aback. However, before he could fully comprehend what was happening, Dwayne had withdrawn his hand. "Him?" Yvonne burst into laughter while pointing at Ashton. "Can he afford to pay the bill? Not unless pigs fly!" A smile also appeared on Paul's face. "I'd sooner believe that pigs can fly than believe he can come up with so much money!" Being in the same class as Ashton, they were well aware of his family's circumstances. Ashton came from a poverty-stricken family. His father had broken his leg after falling off a roof while working as a mason, so his family relied on his mother's income from farming to support him and his sister through their studies. Even his university fees were borrowed from various sources. If he really had so much money, he would've sent it all back home. There was no way he could afford to indulge in meals like this! Thud! The next moment, Ashton stood up with a flushed face and slammed the stack of banknotes onto the table. He shouted at the top of his voice, "Check, please!" "Huh?!" Stunned, Paul and Yvonne stared dumbfounded at the bundle of brand-new banknotes on the table. This amount of money meant nothing to Paul, who came from a wealthy family. However, he couldn't believe that Ashton actually had the money to pay the bill! Could these be counterfeit banknotes? Just then, a waitress pushed the door open and entered with a smile. At a glance, she noticed the banknotes on the table. She said to Ashton respectfully, "Hello, sir. Your bill comes to 7,464, but we'll give you a discount, so you only need to pay 7,400. Will you be paying in cash?" "That's right!" Ashton composed himself and nodded as calmly as possible. "Please wait a moment, sir." The waitress turned around and fetched a counterfeit detector. After counting 7,400 in front of everyone, she handed Ashton a card she had prepared in advance. "Sir, this is our restaurant's membership card. From now on, when you dine at our restaurant, you can enjoy a ten-percent discount. Enjoy your meal!" she said before leaving with the money. In the private room, Paul and Yvonne were both completely bewildered. Ashton, the well-known pauper in our class, actually had the money to pay the bill! On the other hand, Gracie and her friends looked at Ashton suspiciously. They were well aware of his circumstances, and besides, it was Dwayne who had said he would treat them. So how did Ashton suddenly come up with so much money? "Paul, Yvonne, didn't you say I couldn't afford to pay the bill? What do you have to say now?" Ashton's hands were trembling slightly, but he felt an unusual sense of triumph. He mocked, "Paul, why don't you go home and take a look? Perhaps the pigs in your pigsty are flying already!" "I underestimated you, Ashton!" Paul's face showed a hint of embarrassment. He said coldly, "You're really getting ahead of yourself after striking it rich! I'll see how many more meals you can afford here!" Dwayne didn't bother wasting time arguing with him. He urged Ashton, "Come on, let's go!" "Okay!" Ashton nodded and told Gracie and her friends to leave, upon which they quickly stood up and followed behind the two men. As they passed in front of Paul, Dwayne's hand still carried the black plastic bag, while Ashton tightly clutched the remaining 2,600 in his hand. Gracie was the last to leave. Before exiting the private room, she glanced back and smiled at Yvonne, who appeared gloomy. "Yvonne, we barely touched the food and have already settled the bill. If you haven't tried any of these dishes, you can sit down with your new boyfriend and take your time to enjoy the meal. There's no rush!" "Why you!" Yvonne exclaimed in anger, stamping her foot. However, just as she was about to say something, Gracie left the private room and forcefully closed the door behind her. "Paul, look at them! Look at Ashton and Gracie. They were behaving as if they were superior to everyone else!" Yvonne complained with a sense of injustice. And Dwayne, that loser! He didn't even spare me a glance just now! she added silently. Paul narrowed his eyes, his face filled with resentment, as he stared at the closed door. "Don't worry, Yvonne. I'll teach them a lesson! And as for your ex-boyfriend Dwayne, he's still nothing more than a coward. He was actually carrying around a tattered black plastic bag, scavenging even in a restaurant!"