"I told you."
Naomi looked at him.
She could have walked away.
Instead, she spoke in fluent Mandarin.
"You asked whether I understood the discussion about the Harbor Point acquisition, and you just told Mr. Chen that the restaurant staff probably wouldn't understand anything you said."
Silence.
Richard's smile disappeared.
Mr. Chen looked at Naomi.
Then smiled.
"Your Mandarin is excellent."
"Thank you."
Richard stared at her.
"Where did you learn?"
"My mother."
"She was Chinese?"
"No."
Richard laughed.
"Then how?"
Naomi smiled.
"She listened."
Mr. Chen laughed.
Richard didn't.
He looked at Naomi as though he had discovered something he didn't like.
"You've been listening to our conversation?"
"I've been serving your table."
"That's not what I asked."
Naomi looked at him calmly.
"I only hear what people say around me."
Richard leaned back.
"Interesting."
Then he smiled.
It was the kind of smile Naomi had learned to distrust.
"How about a little challenge?"
Mr. Chen immediately frowned.
"Richard."
Richard raised his hand.
"No offense intended."
He looked at Naomi.
"I'll give you one hundred thousand dollars."
The room became silent.
Naomi stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"One hundred thousand dollars."
"For what?"
"If you can conduct a business conversation with Mr. Chen in Mandarin for ten minutes."
Mr. Chen looked uncomfortable.
"There's no need for this."
Richard laughed.
"Why not?"
Then he looked at Naomi.
"You said you understood."
Naomi knew exactly what he was doing.
He wanted to embarrass her.
He wanted the room to laugh.
He wanted to remind everyone who had power.
She could walk away.
She could refuse.
Instead, she placed the tea pot on the table.
"All right."
Richard smiled.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Mr. Chen looked at Naomi.
"Are you certain?"
Naomi nodded.
"Very."
Richard leaned back.
"Then let's begin."
Naomi pulled out a chair.
She sat down.
And for the first time that evening, everyone in the room stopped looking at her as a waitress.
The Hundred-Thousand-Dollar Bet
The room became unusually quiet.
Richard gestured toward Mr. Chen.
"Ten minutes."
Naomi nodded.
Mr. Chen smiled.
"Then let's talk."
Naomi answered in Mandarin.
"What would you like to discuss?"
Richard's smile weakened.
Mr. Chen asked her about the Harbor Point project.
Naomi responded immediately.
She knew the terminology.
She understood the financial structure.
She understood the cultural nuances behind the negotiation.
Mr. Chen asked about her experience.
Naomi told him about growing up around Chinese-speaking communities.
She explained how her mother had encouraged her to learn languages.
Then Mr. Chen asked:
"What do you think of the proposal?"
Naomi hesitated.
That question was dangerous.
She glanced at Richard.
He was smiling again.
Waiting.
Expecting her to make a mistake.
Naomi looked at the contract lying on the table.
Then she answered.
"I think the proposal is attractive."
Richard smiled.
"Exactly."
"But..."
Richard's smile faded.
Naomi continued.
"The Chinese version is different from the English version."
Nobody moved.
Emily looked at her father.
Mr. Chen's expression changed.
Richard sat upright.
"What?"
Naomi pointed toward the document.
"This clause."
She switched to English.
"It says investors may request reimbursement under certain circumstances."
Then she switched back to Mandarin.
"But the Chinese version says the investor waives that right."
Mr. Chen grabbed the document.
Emily immediately began comparing the pages.
Richard's face became tense.
"That's a translation issue."
Naomi shook her head.
"No."
She pointed to another paragraph.
"This isn't."
Mr. Chen looked closely.
Naomi continued.
"Here, the English version says the company may alter the construction schedule."
She pointed to the Chinese text.
"The Chinese version gives the company the right to alter the project scope."
Emily stared at the page.
Her father asked something rapidly.
Naomi answered.
Richard interrupted.
"Enough."
Naomi looked at him.
"Why?"
"This isn't part of the bet."
Naomi smiled.
"It is now."
Mr. Chen looked at Richard.
"Let her continue."
Richard clenched his jaw.
Naomi continued explaining.
One discrepancy.
Then another.
Then another.
The room grew colder.
The investors stopped eating.
The interpreter stopped speaking.
Everyone was listening to Naomi.
After seven minutes, Mr. Chen asked:
"How did you notice these differences?"