Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 173: Distinguishing Wines

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Distinguishing Wines

Song Xiaodong still appeared calm and collected as he looked at Boss Ning and said, "That’s not a bad idea. Just now President Chu offered to treat me to a ’82 Lafite, so trouble yourself to bring a bottle. I do have some knowledge about wine, and I can still distinguish the real from the fake."

Boss Ning stared at Song Xiaodong and slowly said, "Fine, wait here, I’ll go get it for you right now." Then he turned and left.

Xiao Zhiming and the others were somewhat puzzled. It’s just fetching wine, was there a need for Boss Ning to go personally?

What they didn’t know was that Ning Tongda actually had two bottles of the real ’82 Lafite, which he had paid a hefty price for at auction. These were not kept for drinking but to impress patrons and to handle emergencies. Over the past few years, he never needed to use them, but looking at Song Xiaodong today, he felt a bit uneasy, so he decided to bring out the real thing. It was better to avoid the risk of Song Xiaodong actually being able to tell the difference, which would result in a substantial loss for himself.

"Hey, can you really do this?" Miao Qingqing pulled Song Xiaodong to one side, frowning and asked in a low voice.

Song Xiaodong blinked and said, "Although I can’t tell the difference, I’m good at bluffing. Didn’t you see that the hotel’s boss personally went to get the wine? He’s definitely going for the real stuff. He wouldn’t dare to gamble carelessly."

However, Miao Qingqing still spoke with concern, "But...you better be careful. Even my dad has to show face to the boss of this hotel."

Song Xiaodong flashed a slight smile and said, "Rest assured, I’ll let him save face; I won’t make it difficult for him to step down."

Miao Qingqing’s face darkened as she said, "What do you mean you’ll let him save face? No matter whether it’s real or fake, you can’t say it’s fake."

"Got it," Song Xiaodong nodded, then leaned his face closer to Miao Qingqing and whispered, "I’m standing up for my girlfriend here; I can’t allow my girlfriend to lose face, can I?"

Miao Qingqing gave Song Xiaodong a sidelong glance and said, "Get out of here. If you don’t cause me trouble, I’ll thank Amitabha Buddha." But despite her words, a faint smile appeared on her face, since Song Xiaodong’s performance up to now had indeed brought her some surprises.

After a while, Ning Tongda came back, followed by a waiter carrying a tray. On the tray were several glasses of red wine.

Looking at Song Xiaodong, Boss Ning said, "Kid, you talked a big game earlier, but I am not a fool. I’ve brought you a ’82 Lafite, but if you later claim it’s fake, there’s nothing I can do about it right now. Here, there are six glasses of wine, all Lafite from different years. If you can pick out which one is the ’82 Lafite, then I will be impressed."

"Ah!" Miao Qingqing was suddenly dumbfounded by the difficulty of the challenge.

Xiao Zhiming saw this and immediately laughed, giving Boss Ning a thumbs-up and saying, "Boss Ning, your move is truly clever. Now, if someone is bluffing, they will be exposed instantly."

Chu Jianyang was also excited and said, "Yeah, he was just showing off as if he had so much skill. Come on, if you’ve got the ability, pick out the ’82 Lafite from here."

This kind of wine tasting party rarely faced such a situation, where it was normally just about everyone having some wine, chatting, playing cards, and such, with the atmosphere typically being very harmonious.

The occurrence of such an event today immediately piqued everyone’s interest, and virtually all the guests gathered around.

Boss Ning looked at Song Xiaodong and said, "Don’t say I’ve deceived you. There is definitely one real glass here. I’ve made a mark, and I’ve had two friends confirm this mark just now, Director Chen and President Su."

Two men in their fifties came forward and said, "Yes, we can vouch for Boss Ning."

Song Xiaodong squinted at Ning Tongda and said with a smile, "Boss Ning, that was a clever move."

"Kid, I don’t need your compliments. It doesn’t matter if you’re Miao Qingyuan’s daughter’s boyfriend, or even if you really became Miao Qingyuan’s son-in-law. Today, you still need to give me an explanation. Find the ’82 for me, and I’ll admit defeat, treat you as a distinguished guest. But if you can’t recognize it, heh heh!"

"Exactly, do you think Boss Ning is easy to bully? You even said Boss Ning’s wine was fake. You really have no idea how over your head you are."

"Young people are just too arrogant."

Some people in competition with the Miao Family’s company naturally did not mind kicking someone while they were down, making cold jokes and mocking comments on the side, which not only embarrassed Song Xiaodong but also reflected poorly on Miao Qingyuan.

Miao Qingqing frowned at this point. The six glasses of wine were all identical to the eye. If you had to differentiate between different brands, there might be a chance. But since all of them were from Lafite Winery, the differences were minimal. To truly pick out the vintage year would hardly be easy, likely only a real wine tasting master could possess such skill.

Song Xiaodong managed a slight smile and said unhurriedly, "Well, it’s not often one gets the chance to taste multiple vintages of Lafite. I’ll give it a try then."

"Come on!" Ning Tongda stepped aside.

"This guy is actually going to argue?"

"The glasses look the same, the color of the wine is the same, how could he possibly argue that?"

"He’s putting on quite the show, but he’s definitely going to make a fool of himself in a moment."

Everyone began to make a noise, gossiping and commenting, especially Xiao Zhiming and his group who were particularly boisterous.

Song Xiaodong furrowed his brows and said, "Gentlemen, don’t you drink Lafite all the time? Then don’t you know that when drinking such top-tier red wine, you should at least be mindful of the ambiance? With all this noise and commotion, even the best wine will lose its flavor."

Xiao Zhiming and his companions immediately felt a bit awkward, their clamoring was indeed unbecoming of their status. Rolling their eyes, they fell silent.

No one else dared to speak, and their attention turned to Song Xiaodong. They were curious to see how he would differentiate the ’82 Lafite from the six identical glasses of wine.

Song Xiaodong took a deep breath, then extended his right hand and gently picked up the first glass of wine. He lightly swirled it, then brought the glass to his nose for a gentle sniff, and finally took a small sip, squinting his eyes.

These movements were executed with smooth elegance, yet many onlookers couldn’t help but show their astonishment.

Because, at that moment, Song Xiaodong exuded an air of unparalleled grace and nobility, subtly making some feel ashamed of their own coarseness.

It was as though Song Xiaodong was a true gentleman of high society, and compared to him, they were like nouveau riche, uncouth regardless of their wealth, their lack of breeding and refinement all too apparent.

Miao Qingqing’s eyes brightened, staring without blinking at Song Xiaodong, who had now completely captivated her.