The Banquet

Zhang Hao suddenly understood. So it was organized by the company. Given the reputation of Qiaotoubao Company, it was unlikely anyone would invite him to a seminar. Mi Feng was ruthless; since they wouldn't invite him, he'd organize it himself.

"How much?"

Although Zhang Hao was wealthy now, he'd never organized such an event before. Out of curiosity, he asked.

Wu Renbao felt a flicker of surprise but quickly suppressed it. After all, Zhang Hao was the real boss. He said, "Not much, just a few hundred thousand."

Zhang Hao nodded. This amount was indeed insignificant. If he had only a few million before, spending hundreds of thousands would have pained him to death. Now, he didn't care at all. As the saying goes, money gives a man courage, and this was precisely why.

"You host the banquet."

Wu Renbao was helpless. He'd never seen such a low-profile chairman. He could only say, "Alright, alright, I'll host." Influenced by Zhang Hao's nanomachines, even though he felt helpless, he didn't feel any resentment. To him, Zhang Hao was like a close relative, and such a small request was impossible to refuse.

Initially, Wu Renbao had doubts, but later he became completely accustomed to it, unaware that he was being heavily influenced. Of course, Zhang Hao hadn't completely controlled him; through the subtle influence of the nanomachines, Wu Renbao naturally felt drawn to Zhang Hao.

Ten tables were almost full. Each table was laid with twelve cold dishes, and hot dishes were being served one by one. Each table also had two bottles of baijiu, Wuliangye and Maotai, and two cases of Tsingtao beer were placed by the side of each table.

As the organizer, Zhang Hao and Wu Renbao sat at the head table, where people of higher status were seated.

Zhang Hao had always disliked such occasions. After sitting down, he started scrolling on his phone.

Wu Renbao was truly exasperated. His boss was practically a shut-in. In such a setting, playing on his phone was unacceptable. Even just sitting there with a smile would be better than playing with his phone. Most importantly, it made the boss look impolite!

Sighing inwardly, Wu Renbao leaned closer to Zhang Hao and whispered, "Boss, stop playing with your phone... The banquet is about to begin."

Zhang Hao put away his phone. He had to give him this much face. He whispered, "Okay, you can start."

Wu Renbao was not one to shy away from the spotlight. He was very familiar with such occasions. He stood up, raised his wine glass, and delivered a speech filled with thanks and pleasantries, all spoken effortlessly. Finally, he said, "This toast... I wish today's seminar great success, and may everyone drink to their heart's content. Cheers!"

Everyone stood up and raised their glasses. In such a setting, everyone would give face, regardless of their status. They stood up and raised their glasses. Whether they drank it all or just took a sip depended on the individual, and no one would fuss about it.

With small three-qian wine cups, anyone drinking baijiu would basically down it in one go.

If Zhang Hao had his old tolerance, he would have licked it at most. Now, he tried to drink it in one gulp.

As the wine went down his throat, Mi Feng's voice sounded.

First alcohol replenishment.

Zhang Hao froze. He then remembered that the nanomachines needed energy replenishment. He had no addiction to alcohol, so he never thought about drinking during meals. This time, after drinking just a three-qian cup of baijiu, it immediately triggered a reaction.

After everyone sat down, someone immediately raised a glass to Zhang Hao. Because Zhang Hao was too aloof, many people took offense. And at a banquet, if you took offense, you'd pressure them to drink.

A stout man stood up. He chuckled and said, "These small cups aren't satisfying. Manager Wu, can we switch to bigger glasses?"

A smile appeared on Zhang Hao's face. He immediately understood. He wasn't stupid. Although he hadn't attended many banquets, he wasn't entirely clueless. If it were before, he might have chickened out and, according to his usual temperament, would have definitely made an excuse to leave. Especially at such a large banquet with a crowd of strangers, he wouldn't be foolish enough to just sit there. But now, he remained seated, unmoving.

Peng Dahai.

A name appeared before Zhang Hao's eyes. General Manager of Bichengyuan Real Estate Company. Fond of drinking and women, he was a notorious scoundrel in Ningcheng, with a strong underworld influence, familiar with people from all walks of life, both legitimate and illegitimate.

Peng Dahai had long disliked Zhang Hao. In his opinion, Zhang Hao was young but put on airs, acting so high and mighty. Who was he trying to impress? If it weren't at a banquet, it would be fine, and he wouldn't cause trouble. But since they were at a banquet, heh heh, he'd make Zhang Hao look bad.

Several glass cups were brought over. Peng Dahai poured them full, then picked up two cups and walked to Zhang Hao's side, placing one in front of him. "Haha, President Zhang, nice to meet you. Let's have a toast?"

The crowd at the table immediately quieted down, all eyes on them.

These glass cups held two liang and five qian each. The onlookers' eyelids twitched. Who didn't know Peng Dahai's drinking capacity? It was truly immense.

Wu Renbao inwardly cursed his luck. Just as he was about to stand up, Zhang Hao lightly touched him, signaling him to stay put. Wu Renbao was quick-witted and said with a smile, "Don't drink it all at once, take a few sips."

Peng Dahai said, "I'm from Sixian. The drinking rules in my hometown require one cup at a time. Haha, I'll drink this one first as a toast!" He tilted his head back and downed the cup, then inverted it.

"If there's a single drop left, a single drop! I'll drink another penalty cup!"

Someone immediately egged him on, "Good!"

"President Peng has immense capacity!"

As they say, onlookers never tire of a good show. Peng Dahai's one-gulp drink earned him cheers and applause.

Zhang Hao slowly stood up and said, "I've been to Sixian. Everyone there is a hero when it comes to drinking. Since President Peng has set the rules, let's follow the rules of Sixian. What do you say, President Peng?"

Peng Dahai, given his personality, could back down from anything, but never at the drinking table. He laughed heartily, "President Zhang knows our Sixian rules too? Good, good, haha, let's follow the rules!"

Zhang Hao didn't waste words. He tilted his head back and downed the cup in one go, with a gulping sound. He truly swallowed it in one gulp.

Instantly, the crowd roared with applause. In fact, many were inwardly shocked. Damn, even a cup of water would require a few sips, but he downed it in one go, and it was high-proof liquor like Maotai. This was unbelievable.

Zhang Hao looked at Peng Dahai and smiled, "President Peng, is it one-two-three, or three-two-one?"

He was directly challenging him! The so-called one-two-three meant you toast me one cup, I return one cup, then I toast you two cups, you return two cups, and finally, you toast me three cups, and I return three cups. This was the drinking custom of Sixian. Of course, if you weren't convinced, it would be three-two-one, meaning to repeat the process in reverse.

In reality, this Sixian style of drinking was done with small three-qian cups, not large wine glasses.

According to Peng Dahai's original plan, this pretty boy would be drunk after at most two cups and would be crawling under the table. He never expected him to be such a heavy drinker? No, he's bluffing me!

He absolutely couldn't back down now!

One-two-three, they finished drinking in a short while, six cups per person. Three bottles of Maotai went down, one and a half bottles per person. Peng Dahai's face turned red, then a purplish-red. The alcohol hit him instantly!

Keep in mind that neither of them had eaten anything. Zhang Hao's face, however, remained fair and tender. His skin, adjusted by the nanomachines, had no blemishes and showed no signs of intoxication.

Zhang Hao laughed heartily, "Haha, President Peng is truly spirited! Let's have a good drink today! Come, bring a case of Maotai over!"