Chapter 132 Qualification

At that moment, Eric turned to the waiter and said, "Just bring it like I asked."

"Sorry, the '82 Lafite is super rare. Even here at Golden KTV, we only got three bottles left," the waiter replied.

"Then bring all three," Eric said, cool as a cucumber.

"You sure about that?" the waiter asked, just to be sure.

"Absolutely." Eric nodded.

"Alright, I'll get right on it!" The waiter nodded and headed off.

Once the waiter was gone, Cody smirked, "Eric, three bottles of '82 Lafite? That's like $30,000! Let's see how you handle the bill! If you can't pay, you're toast!"

"That's my problem," Eric said, still calm.

"Eric, you're pushing it this time." Stella shook her head and sighed.

She knew Eric was still in college. Back when she was the class monitor, she knew Eric came from a single-parent family and was pretty broke, so she helped him out whenever she could in high school.

Because she knew all this, she figured there was no way Eric could afford a Lamborghini. So she bought into the rumor that Eric's Lamborghini was rented. She was sure that when it came time to pay, Eric wouldn't have the cash.

Aria chimed in, "Eric, I know you're jealous of Cody, but there's no need for this. Pretending to have money when you don't is just gonna hurt you."

Most of the classmates thought the same.

"Eric blew $30,000 just to one-up Cody. How's he gonna save face when it's time to pay?"

"Yeah, he should stick to what he can handle. Pretending to be rich is just asking for trouble."

Hearing these comments, Eric just smiled and let it slide.

Meanwhile, Cody, Lincoln, and Mateo were thrilled. They were getting to drink '82 Lafite for free and put Eric in his place. They thought it was a win-win!

"Hey everyone, I'm in a good mood, so let me treat you all to a little performance," Cody said with a grin.

"Alright!" All the classmates clapped and cheered.

Even though Eric drove a Lamborghini, everyone thought it was rented, and they still saw Cody as the big shot. So, they kept buttering up Cody.

Then, Cody grabbed the mic and started singing, showing off as much as he could.

Meanwhile, after the waiter went downstairs, he didn't bring the wine right away. Instead, he started checking out Eric's background. After all, three bottles of '82 Lafite added up to $30,000. If Eric couldn't pay after drinking, that'd be a huge loss! But if Eric was someone who could afford it and the waiter questioned his ability to pay, what if he ticked off Eric?

So their plan was to first check out Eric's identity to see if he could cover the bill. After checking, they found out that Eric came in a Lamborghini, so they also checked the car owner's info.

What they found blew their minds. The car owner was Eric, the chairman of the Silverbrook branch of the Power Group!

After cross-referencing photos and confirming his identity, the lobby manager immediately told the waiter to bring the wine and personally went to report to the general manager!

The door to VIP Room suddenly opened, and Tom walked in.

"Isn't this Mr. Smith?" Cody recognized him right away.

"Mr. Wallace, I heard you were here, and I happened to be around, so I came over to have a drink with you," Tom said, holding a bottle of wine and a glass, smiling as he walked in.

"Sure, Mr. Smith, come on in." Cody immediately stood up and invited Tom into the room.

"Everyone, this is Mr. Smith. He's in the wholesale business and has assets close to $10 million!" Cody announced loudly.

"Mr. Wallace, are these your old classmates? Then let me toast to Mr. Wallace's classmates," Tom said, raising his glass.

The room had been stocked with beer earlier, so the classmates quickly poured themselves some and drank along with Tom.

After downing his drink, Tom said, "Mr. Wallace, enjoy your time with your friends. I won't keep you any longer."

"Alright, I'll see you out, Mr. Smith." Cody walked Tom out of the room.

Once Tom left, the classmates started showering Cody with praise.

"Cody's really something. Just coming to a KTV to sing, and he runs into a big shot like that."

"Yeah, the people Cody knows now are all high-caliber. We're not even in the same league."

To the classmates, a boss with nearly $10 million in assets was someone they could only dream of meeting. But just now, Tom had toasted all of them. This was high-class treatment they had never experienced before, something they could brag about later.

Just after Tom left, the door swung open again, and in walked Glenn Ford, a middle-aged guy in a suit with a boss-like vibe.

"Mr. Ford, it's you!" Cody recognized him right away.

"Cody, I heard you were here, and I happened to be around, so I thought I'd drop in to say hello," Glenn said, striding in with confidence.

"Mr. Ford, it's my pleasure," Cody said, grinning.

"Come on, Cody, let's have a drink." Glenn poured Cody a full glass, and the two clinked glasses and drank.

"Cody, enjoy yourselves. I won't keep you any longer," Glenn said after finishing his drink and then left the room.

After Glenn left, a classmate asked, "Cody, what's the deal with this Mr. Ford?"

"Mr. Ford's got an even bigger background than Mr. Smith. He owns a staffing company and a gym, with total assets over $20 million," Cody said.

"Wow!"

"Cody's really amazing, knowing so many influential figures!"

The classmates looked on with envy.

"You're too kind, guys. I do know quite a few bosses," Cody said, clearly enjoying the admiration and envy from his classmates. Having two bosses come to greet him and drink with him made Cody feel on top of the world.

Then, Cody turned to look at Eric. "Eric, did you see that? I just came here to sing, and several bosses dropped by to say hello. And you? Aren't you pretending to be rich? Someone who can afford a Lamborghini, why hasn't anyone come to drink and greet you?" he sneered.

"Those two combined only have assets of $30 million, and that's worth bragging about? Bosses with less than $100 million in assets aren't even qualified to see me. Even those with less than $1 billion have to approach me with the utmost respect. Even bosses worth tens of billions of dollars have to be polite to me," Eric said disdainfully.

"What? Bosses worth tens of billions of dollars have to be polite to you?" The whole room, including Cody, burst into laughter. To everyone, Eric's words were the biggest joke.

"Eric, even if you want to brag, at least make it believable. Saying such lies, aren't you embarrassed? I feel embarrassed for you!" Cody sneered.

"Bragging? I'm not bragging," Eric said with a disdainful smile.

At that moment, several waiters came in carrying wine and fruit platters. After placing them down, the waiters respectfully walked up to Eric and reported, "Mr. Phillips, our general manager is outside and wishes to see you."

The waiters now knew Eric's exact identity. How could they not be respectful? They were even very nervous, as this was the chairman of the Power Group!

"Let him in," Eric said calmly.

"Yes!" the waiter responded and then retreated.

Soon, Leonard Myers, a portly middle-aged man, walked in with a smile.

"Mr. Phillips, I am the general manager of Golden KTV. I came to pay my respects to you. I apologize for any previous lack of hospitality. If you have any other requests, please feel free to let me know," Leonard said with utmost respect.