"Watch your mouth!"
Helen Qi's face changed again and again at those words, so furious she felt like she was about to explode.
"This kid's always been like this since he was little. Please, don't take it to heart, sis."
Seeing the situation, Charles Chen quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Come on, eat something, have some food."
At that moment, Quentin Yu also put a few pieces of meat on her plate.
If Helen Qi started making a scene now, she'd only leave a bad impression in front of Charles Chen, Lucy Lu, and Lynn Chen.
By contrast, it seemed Charles Chen and the others were already used to Evan Lin's personality, not bothered at all.
Helen Qi wasn't stupid. She quickly caught on, glared at Evan Lin, then adjusted her attitude and put on a smile again.
She picked up some food, tasted it, and immediately started praising it.
"No wonder President Chen always turns down dinner invitations and insists on eating at home. Turns out, home-cooked food really is better than anything outside."
Helen Qi laughed cheerfully, completely ignoring Evan Lin.
"Isn't that right? I've told you before, out there, Old Chen is always bragging about how great his wife cooks. You didn't believe me, but now you've tasted it yourself."
Quentin Yu chimed in in agreement.
"You're too kind."
Lucy Lu smiled and went to get the bottle of red wine. She picked up the opener, uncorked the wine, let it breathe for a bit, then poured it into glasses and handed them out.
Seeing this, Quentin Yu turned to his somewhat frustrated son, Eric Yu, and said, "Eric, I've taken you to quite a few wineries over the years. Take a look at this bottle—can you tell what it is?"
Eric Yu quickly picked up his glass, took a sip, and then began to speak in an affected, expert tone: "This wine has a deep, rich purple color and gives off complex aromas of black fruit, caramel, mocha, and vanilla. The taste is pure, focused, and full-bodied, with sweet tannins and a hint of acidity, and the finish is long-lasting."
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Petrus from Chateau Pétrus! It used to be a favorite among top officials in the US!"
Eric Yu declared with absolute certainty.
"It really does seem like a Petrus from Chateau Pétrus, but I can't say I know much about it," Lucy Lu said, a bit surprised.
"You know about this stuff?" Lynn Chen was clearly surprised.
"Of course! Wine culture is the most common thing in upper-class circles. I'm pretty interested in it, and I know some people who really love wine. If you want, I can introduce you sometime." Eric Yu grinned, clearly pleased by Lynn's surprise.
"Eric's been exposed to all kinds of knowledge since he was little. In this respect, he's way ahead of most kids. Maybe he can teach Lynn a bit about wine tasting in the future—it is a pretty classy hobby." Helen Qi nodded proudly, glancing at Evan Lin.
Seeing Evan Lin silent, she snorted, "I bet you don't know anything about wine, do you?"
Hearing Helen Qi go after him again, Lucy Lu and Charles Chen exchanged helpless glances.
Wine really was something Evan Lin rarely encountered. Back when Joy Zheng and Evan lived frugally, some vintages were luxury items.
"Not knowing this isn't embarrassing. It's not exactly a common thing," Quentin Yu said with a smile.
His words were meant to block Evan Lin from using the same sharp retorts as before to shut Helen Qi down.
Everyone was waiting for Evan Lin to speak.
Eric Yu and the others were all watching with ill intent, while Lynn Chen looked hesitant and Lucy Lu was about to change the subject—when Evan Lin slowly took a sip of the wine, set his glass down, and said, "Year 2000."
"Year 2000? What do you mean, year 2000?"
Everyone was stunned by Evan Lin's words.
"You can't be talking about the vintage, right?" Eric Yu sneered. "Even I can only tell the vineyard, not the year. Who do you think you are?"
Eric Yu wasn't about to admit defeat when it came to wine.
But before he finished, Lynn Chen, curious, picked up the bottle and checked the label for the year.
"It really is from 2000! Did you peek at the label earlier?" Lynn Chen stared, puzzled.
The bottle was actually some distance from Evan Lin, and the vintage label was facing away from him. From his angle, there was no way he could have peeked.
Lucy Lu and Charles Chen were both stunned—neither expected Evan Lin to get it right.
"I'm not a fan of wine. Personally, I prefer tea. But is it really that hard to tell the vintage? It's just about gauging the degree of fermentation."
Evan Lin shook his head.
Honestly, this whole wine-tasting thing was just a minor trick. Evan Lin might not know the world's famous vineyards or be able to name the region, but figuring out the year, flavor, or even the ingredients was child's play for him.
Eric Yu's face turned dark—his attempt to show off had flopped. Quentin Yu coughed awkwardly, Helen Qi had been slapped down twice in one night and was feeling especially frustrated.
The table fell into a rare silence, with only Evan Lin calmly eating as if nothing had happened.
"Ahem, let's drop the small talk. Charles, I wanted to discuss cooperation with you. In Capitalview, I've got a bit of influence and plenty of business connections. Your company is just starting out—I can help you with networking, projects, and approvals. If you run into trouble, just reach out to me."
Quentin Yu decisively shifted the topic.
He still couldn't quite figure Evan Lin out, but then again, anyone valued by Wansheng Group couldn't be simple.
"Thank you so much. Honestly, things haven't been too rough, but there have been plenty of headaches. With your help, I think my company can avoid a lot of detours." Charles Chen said sincerely.
Then came a round of compliments.
As the adults toasted and chatted, Lucy Lu kept putting food into Evan Lin's bowl, deliberately keeping him out of the business and drinking circles.
Part of the reason Lucy Lu invited Evan Lin was to give him a bit of a sense of crisis.
Eric Yu, even though he failed to show off, was still very attentive, putting food in Lynn Chen's bowl again and again during the meal.
Every time Eric Yu did this, Lynn Chen would sneak a glance at Evan Lin, but he was always absorbed in his own food, not paying her any attention. That left her feeling oddly disappointed.