Chapter 180 Refuse to Admit Death
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ye Fan spoke methodically, "The fourth point is to smell the fragrance. As we all know, the '82 Lafite has been around for decades, so it should exude a strong aged and oak scent, along with a rich, mature grape aroma. This should become evident as soon as the Lafite is opened and gently sniffed!"
Saying this, Ye Fan picked up a corkscrew and opened the bottle of Lafite wine in front of everyone.
Upon opening it, an overpowering and pungent scent wafted out from the bottle at once.
"This... this..."
Smelling this intense, pungent aroma, everyone present became unsettled.
After carefully smelling it, Ye Fan chuckled and said, "I'm sure everyone has also noticed that this bottle of red wine lacks the aged and oak scents; I couldn't even detect a grape aroma. All there is, is a pungent smell of inferior grapes!"
Having said that, Ye Fan poured some of the wine from the bottle and tasted it delicately.
"Sweet, very sweet! As everyone knows, red wine, especially some vintage wines, tend to have a slightly bitter taste when sampled. However, all I can taste from this bottle is an overpowering sweet flavor! Class Leader Luo, I have now addressed all four points. How do you explain this?"
"You... you..." By the time Ye Fan had finished speaking, Luo Kun stared at Ye Fan as if he were looking at a ghost.
He had never taken Ye Fan seriously from the beginning. Who could have imagined that this clown in his eyes would actually be able to authenticate the authenticity of a Lafite?
To save face, Luo Kun forced himself to calm down and said, "Perhaps this bottle of '82 Lafite wasn't stored properly and has gone off!"
"Oh? Are you sure?" Ye Fan asked with a sardonic smile.
Indignant, Luo Kun replied, "I am certain of it!"
"Well then, if you're still in denial, don't blame me for not being polite!" The sardonic expression on Ye Fan's face grew thicker.
Seeing Ye Fan's mocking look, Luo Kun stiffened, a foreboding feeling rising within him.
The next moment, Ye Fan directly opened a second bottle of wine, and after sniffing it, he remarked, "What a coincidence, this one seems to have gone off as well!"
Continuing, Ye Fan opened the third bottle of wine and, with a hint of regret, said, "Tsk, tsk! What a coincidence, this bottle has gone off too!"
"Ye Fan, you... you've gone too far!"
Seeing this, Luo Kun was no longer able to sit still.
Ye Fan had recited all four points of identifying the authenticity of Lafite in one breath, thereby cementing the fact that these '82 Lafites were fake. Now, he was even opening the wines and authenticating them personally – wasn't this just intentionally slapping him in the face?
"Hiss! They're fake, I can't believe all these '82 Lafites are counterfeit! Class Leader, aren't you just toying with us?"
"It's truly disheartening. If you can't afford to treat us to '82 Lafite, there's no need to play the big shot, right? Tell me, how embarrassed do you feel now?"
"Embarrassed, of course! If I were Luo Kun, I'd have already found a hole to crawl into out of shame!"
Not many in the crowd were fools. Seeing Luo Kun's embarrassed expression, they all came to a realization – Ye Fan had been right; not one bottle of these '82 Lafites was genuine.
"Ye Fan, I curse your ancestors for eighteen generations!" Luo Kun seethed internally upon hearing the crowd's comments.
These bottles of wine were naturally all fakes; a genuine bottle of '82 Lafite could cost around one hundred thousand yuan – there was no way he would spend over a million to treat his college classmates to such wine.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
He had bought these fake '82 Lafites from the black market for less than a thousand yuan in total. Ordinary people could not tell the difference, and Luo Kun intended to use them to enhance his status at the class reunion.
Who could have foreseen that Ye Fan, this bumpkin, would actually be able to identify the true versus fake Lafite? This put Luo Kun in an extremely awkward position.
Always known for his vanity, Luo Kun, now exposed by Ye Fan, still refused to admit the truth, "Ye Fan, stop slandering me. These '82 Lafites were specially ordered from overseas; there's no way they could be fake. You must have seen it wrong!"
"Exactly, Class Leader. He's the one who's mistaken! A mere commoner who works at a BBQ stand, and he knows how to tell a real Lafite from a fake? That's just laughable!" Qin Yue stood up and attacked.
Ridiculed by the two, Ye Fan turned to the hotel staff and asked, "Your Shangri-La is a Five-Star hotel; surely you carry '82 Lafite, right?"
"I'm sorry, sir, we did have some a couple of days ago, but it's all sold out now!" the waiter said politely.
Sold out?
Upon hearing this, Luo Kun felt a surge of secret glee.
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If Ye Fan had found a bottle of genuine eighty-two Lafite, a comparison would absolutely have made him lose face.
While Luo Kun was reveling in his secret delight, the waiter continued, "However, Li Zhengdao, Master Li, is dining at our hotel today. If you need, we can invite Master Li over for you!"
"What? Li Zhengdao is here?" Luo Kun's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
The Luo Family he belonged to was a family of scholars, and he naturally had heard of the great reputation of Li Zhengdao, a revered wine connoisseur well-known throughout Central Plains for his passion for collecting various fine wines.
If Li Zhengdao came to verify in person, there was no need to think further; he would certainly be exposed.
Seeing Luo Kun's change in complexion, Ye Fan sneered, "What's the matter? Are you scared?"
"Scared? Me, scared? Don't be ridiculous!"
For the sake of saving face, Luo Kun commanded the waiter, "Go, invite Master Li Zhengdao over. After Master Li's verification, let's see what you have to say!"
"Please wait a moment!" Upon hearing that, the waiter turned around and left the scene.
A few minutes later, an aged figure appeared before everyone's eyes.
The waiter said with utter respect, "Master Li, right this way!"
"Damn! It really is Li Zhengdao!" Seeing the elder, Luo Kun's mouth twitched severely.
He had met Li Zhengdao once before, and he recognized him instantly when the elder appeared.
The next moment, without waiting for Li Zhengdao to approach, Luo Kun hurried forward, "My, my, if it isn't Grandpa Li? What a coincidence to meet here again!"
"You are old Luo's grandson, Luo Kun?" The elder Li Zhengdao recognized Luo Kun as well.
He not only loved collecting various fine wines but also had a passion for calligraphy and painting, having sought out Luo Kun's grandfather for autographs for many years.
Recognized by Li Zhengdao, Luo Kun replied with an air of honored surprise, "I didn't expect Grandpa Li to remember me!"
Li Zhengdao laughed heartily, "Haha, although I've aged, my memory is still pretty good. So, you want me to evaluate this wine?"
Luo Kun lowered his voice and said, "Grandpa Li, we're having a class reunion today, and I ordered a batch of eighty-two Lafite. Someone accused them of being fake, and it made me so angry that I had to ask for Grandpa Li to personally verify!"
With those words, Luo Kun rapidly blinked at Li Zhengdao as a hint.
"No problem at all!"
As crafty as they come, Li Zhengdao, who had lived a long life, certainly saw through Luo Kun's insinuations.
"Then it's all up to Grandpa Li!"
Seeing that Li Zhengdao understood his intent, Luo Kun felt extreme joy within.
Then, in front of all the onlookers, Luo Kun approached with Li Zhengdao.
Luo Kun, pointing at Ye Fan with an air of arrogance, said, "Ye Fan, this gentleman here is Grandpa Li Zhengdao, the number one wine connoisseur in Central Plains. Grandpa Li will personally do the verification—let's see what you'll say then!"
"Could it be that Ye Fan was mistaken, and all these eighty-two Lafites are actually authentic?"
Seeing Luo Kun so confident, many people began to mutter to themselves.