As the celebration continued, many guests approached Douglas to present their gifts. Among them, Charlie walked up, holding a painting, and said, “Congratulations, buddy! This is a little something from us to celebrate your grand opening.”

With a bright smile, Claire added, “Douglas, congratulations! Wishing you all the best on this momentous occasion. May your business thrive for many years to come!”

“Thank you so much!” Douglas replied, his excitement palpable. Leaning in closer to Charlie, he whispered playfully, “I can see that you and our belle are quite close, contrary to what the rumors suggest! So, when are you planning to have a baby?”

Claire’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment upon hearing the whisper. Charlie quickly responded, “Cut it out! If we do end up having a baby, you’ll be the first to know, and I expect a gift from you!”

Douglas chuckled and nodded. “Absolutely! I’ll make sure to get the little one something special!”

At that moment, an average-looking woman, heavily made up, approached Douglas and inquired, “Douglas, who are these people?”

“This is my college buddy, Charlie, and this is Claire, our class belle and also Charlie’s wife,” Douglas introduced them.

After the introductions, Douglas added, “And this is my fiancée, Lily Lewis.”

“Oh? Is he the deadbeat…?” Lily blurted out, then quickly realized her faux pas. Clearing her throat, she forced a smile and said, “Douglas speaks so highly of you both. You truly seem like a match made in heaven!”

Ignoring her earlier comment, Charlie handed the painting to Lily. “This is just a little token of our affection.”

Lily smiled, “Oh, you really didn’t have to!”

However, despite her words, she eagerly accepted the large gift box.

“You two go ahead with your plans; we’ll entertain ourselves,” Charlie said.

“Alright,” Douglas replied apologetically, “I’m sorry, Charlie, but I need to greet some other guests as well.”

Once Charlie and Claire left, Lily wasted no time opening the gift box. Inside, she found a scroll and frowned in disappointment. “What is this? What did your friend give us?”

Douglas replied, “Can’t you see? It’s a painting!”

“Duh!” Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes. She unrolled the scroll and sneered, “What on earth is this? Some old, rotten painting that’s probably only worth a couple of hundred dollars.”

Douglas, now serious, said, “You can’t put a price on everything! Their sincerity and goodwill are what truly matter.”

“Enough with your preachy attitude! I warn you, stay away from friends like them! They can’t even afford to give us something decent!” Lily retorted, her irritation evident.

Douglas’s expression darkened as he replied, “Lily, are you really that much of a snob?”

Lily shot back indignantly, “Douglas Adams, how could you say that? If I were a snob, why would I be with you, a pauper? Don’t forget, my dad invested most of the money in this restaurant!”

Douglas blinked, caught off guard and somewhat embarrassed by her outburst.

At that moment, Clinton approached them, looking much more confident after recovering from the earlier incident with his car. A smug expression returned to his face.

He handed Douglas a thick envelope, saying flatly, “Doug, I wasn’t sure what to give you for the grand opening, so here’s some ‘financial assistance.’”

Lily graciously thanked him as she accepted the envelope. Squeezing it, she estimated it contained at least eight or ten thousand dollars in cash, and a coy smile spread across her face. “Thank you so much!”

Clinton waved dismissively and inquired, “I noticed Charlie gave you something earlier; what was it?”

Lily scoffed, “Oh, just a painting—probably something from a junkyard sale or flea market, worth maybe a couple of hundred bucks!”

Clinton smirked in response, “Once a loser, always a loser!”