My Alleged Husband

Chapter 59: Chapter 57: Picking a Quarrel on Purpose_1

Li Jiayuan ran out of the cafe and instead of going home, she headed to a nearby bar.

”Waiter, bring me a few bottles of booze, the stronger the better!” Li Jiayuan shouted at the bartender.

”Certainly, Miss. Please wait a moment,” the waiter politely told Li Jiayuan.

Although Li Jiayuan was a pampered heiress, she rarely visited such places to drink unless she was genuinely distressed, and Xiao Wei’s words might have truly hurt her this time.

A few minutes later, the waiter brought the drinks to where Li Jiayuan was sitting.

”Miss, here’s the drink you requested. Please enjoy,” the waiter said and then left.

Li Jiayuan opened the bottle and sniffed it, feeling that something was off. After taking a sip, she realized it was not a high-proof drink at all.

She waved the waiter over: ”Excuse me, what is this that you’ve given me?”

The waiter hesitated before replying, ”Miss, this is a high-proof drink!”

Li Jiayuan couldn’t help but sneer at the waiter’s response. Before the waiter could even comprehend why, she slapped the table and stood up. She immediately splashed the drink she had just opened on the waiter. The crashing sound of a glass hitting the floor followed, drawing the attention of everyone in the bar. Li Jiayuan didn’t mind the onlookers as she put her hand on the waiter’s shoulder and calmly said, ”Fetch your manager for me. I’d like to have a word with him.”

Any observant person could tell that Li Jiayuan wanted to speak to the manager to make a complaint, but the waiter, acting like a fool, quickly fetched the manager.

”I never expected the manager here to be you!” Li Jiayuan said upon seeing the manager.

As it turned out, the manager’s name was Guo Tao. Li Jiayuan and he had been classmates in college, and they had not been in touch since graduation.

Li Jiayuan was surprised to find Guo Tao working here as a manager.

”Since we’re old acquaintances, I’ll just speak my mind!” Li Jiayuan said to Guo Tao.

”Please do, Miss Li.”

”Guo Tao, is this the level of service at your hotel? You try to cheat me with fake liquor? Do you think I’m stupid enough not to distinguish real from fake? I asked for a high-proof drink, the higher, the better, and your waiter serves me fake liquor, and to make matters worse, it’s diluted with water,” Li Jiayuan said nonchalantly.

Guo Tao turned to the waiter, who unapologetically answered Li Jiayuan, ”Miss Li, since you say this is fake liquor, might I ask if you know any high-proof drinks? If you do, why didn’t you specify your order just now?”

Li Jiayuan found the waiter hilarious and said to him, ”Don’t you find the question you asked to be funny? The daughter of the great Li Haixiao, and I wouldn’t know which alcohol has a high proof, or be able to distinguish real liquor from fake? You’re underestimating me. Since you’ve asked, let me ask you, do you know what liquor is referred to as ’Devil’s Spring’? And, do you know the name of the strong liquor from Scotland? Right, do you know the ten most potent alcohols in the world? You...”

With each statement Li Jiayuan made, the waiter’s face grew paler. He knew nothing about these liquors; he was here only for fun. None of the fake alcohol he’d previously sold had been detected by customers, so why did a young girl manage to call it out today?

The waiter couldn’t figure it out and turned to look at Guo Tao, hoping Guo Tao would save him, but Guo Tao pretended not to see his pleading look. The waiter had no choice, he still wasn’t willing to admit to selling fake alcohol because it would mean losing his job. He brazenly said to Li Jiayuan, ”Miss, why should I tell you if I don’t know? Moreover, how do I know you’re not trying to trick me? If you just want me to talk and then repeat after me...”

It was clear what the waiter hinted at, which made Li Jiayuan burst into uproarious laughter.

”Let me tell you then. The liquor known as ’Devil’s Spring’ is vodka, the strong liquor from Scotland is Bruichladdich, the ten most potent alcohols in the world include the ’Devil’s Spring’ vodka, with an alcohol content of 80 percent, Sunset Rum with an alcohol content of 85 percent, Bruichladdich with an alcohol content of 88 percent, Everclear produced by an American liquor company with an alcohol content of 95 percent, the Swedish-made, first-ever organic vodka with an alcohol content of 85 percent, perfect for cocktails, Balkan with an alcohol content of 88 percent, North American Bacardi 151 with an alcohol content of 75 percent, Polish pure grain distilled vodka. Its alcohol content is very close to that of industrial alcohol, at a whopping 96 percent, the whiskey with the highest alcohol content in the world is a single malt whiskey over 92 percent. Absinthe has an alcohol content between 45 and 85 percent and is known for its distinctive hallucinogenic properties.”

After Li Jiayuan finished speaking, she gave the waiter a smile. The waiter was completely baffled; he had planned to have Li Jiayuan speak first and then repeat after her, but Li Jiayuan had said so much that he couldn’t understand nor remember it all.

Seeing the waiter at a loss for words, she turned to Guo Tao and said, ”I never would have thought Manager Guo’s hires could be so idiotic, daring to sell liquor without even knowing what they are, I wonder how many people who don’t understand alcohol have been deceived by you.”

Li Jiayuan was indeed venom-tongued, making her point in such an unpleasant way that it was hard for them to save face. Ah well! They couldn’t blame Li Jiayuan for it. It was her way of venting her frustration after having a bad day and being rejected.

No sooner had Li Jiayuan finished speaking than the faint murmurs of speculation began to spread among the crowd. Initially, the patrons were blithely enjoying their drinks, but Li Jiayuan’s outburst caused them to put down their glasses and listen to her.

”Do you think the alcohol we’re drinking could also be fake?”

”Who knows? People nowadays will do anything for money, even selling fake alcohol!”

”Yeah, yeah, do you think we could get sick from drinking fake alcohol?”

”I don’t know about that.”

”I always thought this bar was reputable and would never engage in such unethical business practices, but after hearing what Miss Li said, I’ve started to doubt this bar too.”

”Exactly, no matter what, I still believe Miss Li wouldn’t lie. She’s the daughter of Li Haixiao from the Li Corporation, and she recently returned from abroad. How could she possibly not tell the difference between real and fake alcohol?”

......

Bursts of discussion reached Guo Tao’s ears, and he was furious. He never imagined the reputation he had worked so hard to build for his bar would be ruined by a mere waiter. As the people’s comments grew more and more offensive, he lost his temper and, raising his hand, slapped the waiter across the face. The waiter was stunned, the murmuring customers were stunned, and only Li Jiayuan was still hiding to the side, laughing. Seeing someone else sharing in her misery brought her considerable pleasure.

In her mind, she thought: Xiao Wei, you made me unhappy, you made me miserable. I can’t bring myself to retaliate against you, so I have to take it out on someone else. I want others to be unhappy in your place!