Chapter 70: This Is Fake Wine

He Haoxuan smiled without saying a word; everything was understood in the silence between them.

Bai Lu, annoyed by He Haoxuan’s demeanor, checked the bottle of red wine herself.

“Huh? The English on this label says it's Lafite,” she said, eyes wide. “How could that be?”

Bai Lu had tasted Lafite before, though never a vintage from '82. Even so, any bottle of Lafite would cost well over a thousand yuan—it wasn't the sort of wine someone like He Haoxuan could afford.

Li Qingying asked, “He Haoxuan, I don't think our room has this kind of wine, does it?”

Though everything at Tenglong Villa was complimentary, you couldn't just have whatever you wanted. When you ordered a meal, that was it for the evening; they wouldn’t serve you again. The fridge was stocked with some drinks and wines, but never Lafite. If you wanted to eat or drink more, you could go to the bar, where there was free service, but with limits. For He Haoxuan to be drinking Lafite on his own here was certainly unusual.

“It’s not from the room. It’s mine,” He Haoxuan replied to Li Qingying. “This Lafite is quite good. Would you like a glass?”

Fang Yongsheng had told him that this was a bottle Huang Zhisheng had set aside for his private collection.

Bai Lu scoffed, “Please, did you buy this fake wine off the street?” She wanted to spit out the sip she'd already taken, but found she couldn't.

Someone as poor as He Haoxuan couldn’t possibly afford a real Lafite. It had to be a fake.

He Haoxuan shook his head. “No, it’s genuine.”

“Enough, He Haoxuan, stop bragging. Next you’ll say it’s Lafite from 1982.” Bai Lu mocked him.

He Haoxuan nodded in all seriousness. “It really is from 1982. If you don’t believe me, check the label.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, He Haoxuan, do you have any shame left? You dare claim this is an '82 Lafite?” Bai Lu, furious, grabbed the bottle for a closer look.

One look left her stunned.

The shamelessness of counterfeiters these days! Printing “1982 Lafite” right on the bottle? This fake wine probably cost ten yuan, if that. Even pretending it was Lafite was a stretch, but to claim it was from 1982—that was going too far.

Li Qingying, saying nothing, took the bottle from Bai Lu, poured a glass, and sipped. She nodded quietly.

When it came to food and drink, He Haoxuan did have some authority. If he said it was real, it probably was.

The wine was exceptionally smooth—perhaps it truly was an '82 Lafite. It seemed He Haoxuan’s security guard friend had treated him well, sneaking him such a fine bottle.

Seeing Li Qingying savor the wine, Bai Lu stamped her foot in frustration. “Li Qingying, how can you still drink that? It’s fake!”

Li Qingying giggled, “Bai Lu, I don’t care if it’s real or fake—as long as it tastes good, that’s enough,” she said, taking another sip.

Bai Lu realized there was no reasoning with her and went back to the villa to shower. After all, there was free dry-cleaning; she only had to leave her dirty clothes for the staff, and clean ones would be ready by morning.

With Bai Lu gone, He Haoxuan asked, “Honey, was everything really all right just now?”

“It’s fine, the villa staff have taken care of it,” Li Qingying replied. “But it’s late—why aren’t you resting yet?”

“I was waiting for you so we could go to bed together,” He Haoxuan answered.

At that, Li Qingying’s expression changed. “He Haoxuan, what do you mean by that?”

“Nothing at all. I just can’t sleep if I don’t see you,” he said.

A warmth crept into Li Qingying’s heart. She said no more, chatted with He Haoxuan for a while, finished the wine, and then returned upstairs.

Once she left, He Haoxuan stretched, changed into his swimsuit in the shadows, and dove into the lake.

Had anyone witnessed He Haoxuan’s swimming speed, they would have been astonished—it was so fast, he seemed to outpace the fish.

Back at the villa, the living room lights were still on, but no one was around.

He Haoxuan wondered why Bai Lu hadn’t come downstairs to sleep yet. Just as he was about to call Li Qingying, she came down from upstairs.

“You’ll sleep downstairs tonight,” Li Qingying said quietly.

“And you?” He Haoxuan asked with a sigh.

Apparently, Bai Lu was being difficult and insisting on the second-floor bedroom. Fine, he thought, they’d sleep on the first floor instead. He could have the staff set up a mattress and bring a couple of quilts.

“I’m sleeping upstairs, of course,” Li Qingying replied, giving him a look.

“But honey, I want to sleep upstairs too,” He Haoxuan protested.

“Hmph, with Bai Lu upstairs, you want to go too?” Li Qingying glared at him.

This wicked man—Bai Lu had been right about him, he really was up to no good.

He Haoxuan glanced at the second floor. “Honey, Bai Lu’s alone up there. I could have a bed set up for her down here, and then the two of us could sleep upstairs together.”

He was excited at the thought—since they’d already shared a room before, tonight might be another opportunity.

“No. You’re sleeping downstairs,” Li Qingying insisted.

“Then you should sleep downstairs too,” He Haoxuan said with a sly grin. “I promise to behave myself—I won’t lay a finger on you.”

Well, maybe not a finger, but there were other ways to be cheeky.

Li Qingying shot him a glare. “Stay downstairs, or go home now and pick us up tomorrow.”

He Haoxuan slumped onto the sofa in defeat.

Li Qingying headed upstairs, and He Haoxuan called the staff to bring bedding.

The staff, always on standby, quickly made up a bed for him.

He turned off the main lights and lay on the mattress, bored.

Next time, he thought, he’d have to get rid of that pesky “Miss Bai.”

Upstairs, “Miss Bai the Lightbulb” was lying in bed with Li Qingying, whispering in the dark.

“Qingying, trust me—He Haoxuan’s no good. He’s a useless man. Who else would you divorce if not him?” Bai Lu urged.

“Enough, Bai Lu, it’s late. Let’s just sleep,” Li Qingying replied softly.

After all her persuading, Bai Lu was frustrated that Li Qingying was unmoved. Hmph, she thought, if you won’t believe me, I’ll go downstairs and tempt He Haoxuan myself.

If he so much as misbehaves, I’ll scream “molester” at the top of my lungs. Once you see what kind of person he is, you’ll divorce him immediately.

With this plan in mind, Bai Lu told Li Qingying she was thirsty from the wine and was going downstairs for water.

At the top of the stairs, she glanced down at her nightgown and decided it wasn’t quite seductive enough. She tugged the neckline lower, revealing more of her charms.

Heh, He Haoxuan, men are always smitten by my youthful beauty—some even get nosebleeds. As for a useless man like you, surely you’ll lose your mind when you see me—