From the very beginning, Ye Yun had no intention of trying to change Murray Brown's mind.
To him, Murray Brown was simply a weapon sent by the Lafite estate—a tactic used to bring him down.
How could he possibly harbor any goodwill toward someone like that?
Inviting Murray Brown to dinner and then openly humiliating him was, in fact, Ye Yun's countermeasure.
Murray Brown's anger was expected. By provoking him with sharp words and sending him off in a rage, he was bound to badmouth Rose Estate afterward.
Once the matter blew up, it would naturally attract more attention.
That was why Ye Yun couldn't just refuse him outright. Doing so would look like cowardice to the outside world.
Instead, he'd let Murray Brown go back and criticize the winery, drawing eyes and creating a buzz.
Then Ivanka could reach out to other sommeliers and arrange for an official, impartial evaluation through the Wine Association—that would be the real solution.
In short, tonight needed to end badly. Murray Brown couldn't be allowed to give a conclusive opinion.
Ye Yun looked at Murray Brown with mocking eyes, but inside he remained calm, quietly observing the man's next move.
He wouldn't have been surprised if Brown flipped the table—though that assumed he had the strength to flip it.
But what Ye Yun didn't expect at all was that Murray Brown neither lashed out in rage nor stormed off. Instead, he put down his hand and let out a long sigh.
"It seems my visit tonight has made Mr. Ye quite uneasy."
Murray Brown looked up at Ye Yun. His expression held no trace of anger—only calm.
"If that's the case, then please allow me to apologize. But I believe there's been a misunderstanding. I didn't come here because of Lafite."
"W-What?"
This time it was Ye Yun's turn to be stunned. He had imagined countless possible reactions, but this one had never crossed his mind.
A misunderstanding? Not sent by Lafite? What the hell was going on?
As if seeing the confusion in Ye Yun's eyes, Murray Brown chuckled softly and took the initiative to explain:
"Mr. Ye, I suppose you learned that I'm personally acquainted with the chairman of Lafite. That must be why you assumed I came with ill intent—to discredit your estate."
"Isn't that the case?" Ye Yun blurted out instinctively. He wasn't the only one who thought that—anyone in the know probably would.
"You're right that Mr. Arnold did make that request. But I turned him down."
Murray Brown raised his chin proudly, like a knight. His eyes were sharp and commanding.
"I became a sommelier out of love for wine. I evaluate wines because I believe in the sanctity of this profession. To taint it with personal bias or interests—especially to deliberately smear another fine wine—that's something I simply cannot accept. Besides—"
He paused for a moment, then continued with genuine admiration in his voice:
"Before coming here, I had the good fortune of sampling a glass of your rosé at a friend's place. It was one of the most exquisite wines I've ever tasted—though that wretched drunkard only let me have one glass! And since your estate only produces a limited quantity, I had no choice but to come in person. I just didn't expect…"
He cast Ye Yun a strange look, his voice tinged with complaint and disappointment: "…to be received like this by Mr. Ye."
"S-So… this really was a misunderstanding?" Ye Yun's mind had gone completely blank. He never imagined it would turn out this way.
"At the moment, it certainly seems so," Murray Brown sighed.
Ye Yun's face twitched slightly. This world-class sommelier had already fallen in love with the rosé's superb taste! He had only come tonight to drink more!
And Ye Yun… had just finished giving him a verbal beating, stopping just short of slapping him in the face.
To be honest, Ye Yun now felt like smashing his head into a wall.
This was a colossal misunderstanding!
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he forced a stiff smile onto his face and said:
"Th-Then Mr. Brown… if I bring the wine out now, would it be… too late?"
It might be late for damage control, but it was better than doing nothing. The question now was whether Brown was still willing—especially since Ye Yun had clearly been in the wrong.
"Hmph!"
Murray Brown snorted, trying hard to maintain a stern expression. But the moment he thought about the taste of the rosé, he couldn't help himself and asked with excitement:
"Is it your best bottle?"
"Absolutely the best!" Ye Yun's eyes lit up immediately, all unease and guilt swept away.
He sincerely apologized to Murray Brown, then promptly instructed Sebas to fetch the wine.
"Using Lafite to entertain Mr. Brown—what a blunder on my part."
Hearing Ye Yun's obvious disdain for Lafite, Murray Brown didn't refute him—because compared to Rose Estate's rosé, that 1986 Lafite really was garbage.
Soon, Sebas returned carefully holding a bottle of red wine, and the maids busied themselves replacing the glasses with new ones.
"I'll do it!"
Ye Yun took the wine from Sebas, opened it himself, and poured it into a decanter. This time, no aroma filled the room.
But Murray Brown's eyes only burned brighter with anticipation.
Once the wine was properly decanted, he impatiently poured just enough to cover the bottom of his glass and downed it in one go, savoring it carefully.
Such a refined drinking method—it was exactly what you'd expect from a world-class sommelier.
"That's it! That's the flavor! That wonderful, one-of-a-kind flavor!"
As the unique taste of the rosé blossomed on his palate, Murray Brown's excitement soared. He shouted with joy, nose tinged slightly red.
At that moment, the dignified gentleman butler had completely vanished, replaced by an unabashed wine enthusiast.
"Phew—"
Only now did Ye Yun truly breathe a sigh of relief.
He glanced at Murray Brown, who was now happily drinking away, then met Sebas's gaze from across the room. Both of them wore the same half-laugh, half-cry expression.
What a ridiculous mess this had turned out to be!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。