After the dishes arrived, the classmates in the room began to dine with gusto.
They were completely unconcerned about whether James and Michael could settle the bill; after all, it wasn't their responsibility.
Meanwhile, Jennifer sat awkwardly beside Michael.
She knew that Michael simply couldn't afford the expenses of the day.
Even if James could muster the funds, it would likely deplete his entire savings.
Squandering all one's savings for the sake of dignity seemed futile.
With these thoughts in mind, Jennifer's gaze towards James turned even more disdainful.
She believed that James had no need to compete with Michael; even if he won once, it wouldn't change the fact that Michael was of affluent lineage, and James was impoverished.
An hour later, as everyone neared the end of their meal, the classmates in the room started to glance toward the positions of James and Michael, expressing some worry that the two may lack the means to settle the bill.
Adorned in a chic black cocktail dress and heels, the elegant lady walked over to James and Michael gracefully, softly inquiring, "Your total bill for today amounts to a staggering one hundred and forty-eight thousand dollars. Will you be settling with cash or card?"
A hundred and forty-eight thousand dollars!
Gasps arose in the suite upon hearing this figure, chests heaving with astonishment, as no one had expected the meal to be this exorbitant.
Michael's gaze went blank, realizing the sheer magnitude of the sum—fourteen thousand dollars in total, seven thousand dollars with the bill split—and he simply did not have that much money on hand.
Amidst the stunned silence, James picked up the delivery box at his feet and. To the amazement of onlookers, he withdrew a stack of bills totaling exactly seventy thousand dollars.
The sight of the dazzling bills caused a collective gasp—how much money was in that box?
Despite the astonishment, James remained composed as he handed the bills to the elegant lady, murmuring, "This is for you."
"Thank you," the lady quivered slightly as she accepted the stack of bills, astonished by James's generosity in treating everyone with such a large sum of money.
"I'll hand you seventy thousand dollars; he will cover the rest," James calmly indicated Michael's position as the lady prepared to leave.
In the suite, James's classmates stared wide-eyed in disbelief, never imagining he could produce such a substantial sum—seventy thousand dollars.
Meanwhile, Michael, seated motionless, began to perspire profusely, uncertain of what course of action to take.
"Very well," the lady nodded, then turned her attention to Michael, inquiring, "Mr. Brown, will you be settling by card or cash?"
Upon hearing this, Michael felt utterly perplexed.
Despite expecting dining at Azure Pavilion to be costly, he had borrowed twenty thousand dollars from a friend before arriving, adding to his own twenty thousand, totaling a mere forty thousand.
The realization that this meal alone cost a whopping one hundred and forty-eight thousand dollars left him in utter disbelief.
"Let me... make a call..."
Struggling to form a coherent sentence, Michael picked up his phone and dialed, a stark contrast to what anyone had anticipated—James, not Michael, was the one facing financial difficulty.
The elegant lady, understanding Michael's intention to seek a loan, simply nodded and then made her way towards the front desk.
A few moments later, she returned to James, presenting him with the receipt, and softly uttered, "Sir, your payment has been settled."
"Very well," James nodded faintly, hoisting the delivery box and striding directly towards the suite's exit.
As for whether Michael could settle today's bill, it was no longer James's concern, nor did he wish to be informed about it.
Following James's departure, Paul, Tyler, and Donna swiftly followed him out of the suite.
"James, just a moment!"
Paul called out loudly after exiting the suite.
James turned to face Paul's direction, sporting a gentle smile as he inquired, "What's the matter? Anything?"
"James, where did you acquire such wealth? Has Jennifer's breakup spurred you to this?" Paul asked with a furrowed brow, expressing genuine concern.
"This has nothing to do with Jennifer."
James smiled faintly, continuing, "I won the lottery a few days ago, so I have some funds now."
Unwilling to reveal more of his matters, James provided a casual excuse to circumvent further questioning.
"I see," Donna mused thoughtfully. Rubbing her chin, she suggested, "Since you now have funds, why not invest in better clothing or pursue more meaningful endeavors instead of squandering money on hosting a meal?"
"I hadn't planned that far ahead!" James replied with a smile.
"That explains your hospitality!" Tyler chimed in.
Do you have any other matters to attend to? If not, I shall depart! James inquired, wary of revealing too much to them.
"By the way, James, what's your Facebook account name? Our class has a dedicated Facebook group, and you're the missing link. Let me add you in!" Donna queried, taking out her phone from her pocket.
After a moment of hesitation, James replied somewhat resignedly, "My current phone doesn't have the Facebook application. Add me once I get a new phone tomorrow!"
"Understood," Donna nodded in agreement, refraining from further discussion.
With that, James turned and proceeded towards the restaurant's exit.
Observing James's departure, Paul and Tyler's gazes bore an evident trace of bewilderment.
Although James had attributed his newfound affluence to a lottery win, they couldn't help but sense a notable difference in the present James compared to his former self.