The Banquet

Zhang Hao suddenly understood. No wonder—it was organized by the company. Given Qiao Toubao Company's reputation, no one would have invited him to some seminar. Feng had been ruthless: if they wouldn't invite him, then he'd organize one himself.

How much did it cost?

Although Zhang Hao was rich now, the company had never held an event like this before, so he asked out of curiosity.

Wu Renbao was a little surprised, but quickly composed himself. After all, Zhang Hao was the real boss. "Not much. A few hundred thousand."

Zhang Hao nodded. That really wasn't much. In the past, when he only had a few million, spending a few hundred thousand would have broken his heart. Now he didn't care at all. That saying, "Money gives a man courage," was true for a reason.

"You should host the banquet."

Wu Renbao was at a loss. He'd never met a chairman who was so unwilling to draw attention to himself. All he could do was say, "All right, all right. I'll host it." The Nano-machine had affected him, and although he felt helpless, he didn't feel the slightest anger. To him, Zhang Hao was practically family. He couldn't refuse such a small request.

At first, Wu Renbao had been puzzled, but he'd eventually gotten used to it. He had no idea how profoundly he'd been affected. Of course, Zhang Hao hadn't completely taken control of him. The Nano-machine had simply influenced him subtly, making Wu Renbao naturally grow closer to Zhang Hao.

The ten tables were nearly full. Twelve plates of cold dishes had been set out on each table, and hot dishes were arriving one by one. Each table also had two bottles of Baijiu—Wuliangye and Moutai—and two cases of Tsingtao beer beside it.

As the hosts, Zhang Hao and Wu Renbao sat at the head table, where all the most important guests were seated.

Zhang Hao had never liked occasions like this. As soon as he sat down, he started scrolling on his phone.

Wu Renbao was at a loss. Their boss was practically a shut-in. At an event like this, he absolutely shouldn't be playing with his phone. Even sitting there quietly with a smile would be better. More importantly, it made their boss look rude!

Wu Renbao sighed to himself, leaned toward Zhang Hao, and whispered, "Boss, put your phone away... The banquet's about to begin."

Zhang Hao put away his phone. He could at least do this much for him. "All right. You do the talking," he whispered.

Wu Renbao wasn't shy in front of a crowd. He was well accustomed to occasions like this. He stood and raised his glass, rattling off a string of thanks and polite formalities before finally saying, "Let's raise a glass... To the success of today's seminar, and to all our friends enjoying themselves! Cheers!"

Everyone stood and raised their glasses. At an occasion like this, everyone would show the hosts some courtesy and lift their glass. Whether they drained it or just took a sip was up to them; no one would hold it against them.

The small, three-qian liquor cups were usually downed in one gulp by anyone drinking Baijiu.

With his old tolerance, Zhang Hao would have taken no more than a sip. Now, though, he tried to drain his cup in one go.

As the liquor went down his throat, Feng's voice rang out.

First alcohol supplement.

Zhang Hao froze. Only then did he remember that the Nano-machine needed energy. He wasn't much of a drinker, so it never occurred to him to have alcohol with his meals. But the moment he downed that three-qian cup of Baijiu, the system reacted.

As soon as everyone sat down, someone raised a glass and came over to Zhang Hao. He was so aloof that plenty of people had taken a dislike to him. At a drinking table, if you didn't like someone, you pressured them to drink. Get them drunk, and you'd have your revenge.

A huge, fat man stood up with a grin. "These little cups aren't satisfying. Manager Wu, how about we switch to big glasses?"

A faint smile appeared on Zhang Hao's face. He understood at once. He wasn't stupid. He hadn't been to many banquets, but he wasn't completely clueless, either. In the past, he might have caved immediately. With his temperament, he'd definitely have made an excuse to slip away, especially at a big banquet full of strangers. He wouldn't have sat there like a fool. But now, he stayed right where he was.

Peng Dahai.

The name appeared before Zhang Hao's eyes. Peng Dahai was the general manager of Bichengyuan Real Estate. He loved liquor and women, and was notorious in Ningcheng for being a shameless troublemaker. He had deep connections in all kinds of circles, both legitimate and criminal.

Peng Dahai had disliked Zhang Hao for a long time. In his view, Zhang Hao was young but carried himself like a big shot, acting all high and mighty. Who did he think he was putting on airs for? If they hadn't been at a banquet, Peng Dahai might have let it go. But now that they were drinking together—heh, he'd make Zhang Hao pay.

A few glass cups were brought over. Peng Dahai filled them to the brim, then picked up two and walked over to Zhang Hao. He set one down in front of him and said, "Haha, General Manager Zhang, it's our first time meeting. Let's have a drink!"

Everyone at the table fell silent and turned to look.

Each glass held two and a half liang. Just seeing them made everyone's eyes twitch. Everyone knew Peng Dahai could drink like a fish.

Wu Renbao sensed trouble. He was about to stand when Zhang Hao lightly nudged him, signaling him to stay put. Wu Renbao was quick on the uptake. He smiled and said, "Don't down it all at once. Take a few sips."

Peng Dahai said, "I'm from Sixian. Back home, the rule is that you have to down a whole glass at a time. Haha, I'll drink to show my respect!" He tipped his head back, drained his glass, and turned it upside down.

"If there's even one drop left—one drop!—I'll drink another glass as punishment!"

Someone immediately egged him on. "Good!"

"Manager Peng, what a drinker!"

People loved a spectacle. Peng Dahai downed his drink in one go, earning cheers and applause from the crowd.

Zhang Hao slowly stood up. "I've been to Sixian. Everyone there is a real drinker. Since Manager Peng wants to follow Sixian's rules, let's do it your way. What do you say?"

Peng Dahai might back down in other situations, but he'd never back down at a drinking table. He laughed heartily. "General Manager Zhang knows the rules in Sixian, too? Good, good, haha! We'll do it by the rules!"

Zhang Hao didn't waste words. He tipped his head back and drained his glass in a single gulp.

Everyone burst into cheers. Quite a few of them were secretly stunned. Damn, even a glass of water would take a few gulps to drink. He'd downed an entire glass of strong liquor—Moutai, no less. Who could do that?

Zhang Hao looked at Peng Dahai and smiled. "Manager Peng, one-two-three, or three-two-one?"

He was openly challenging him! The one-two-three rule meant you toasted me with one glass, I returned the toast with one glass, then I toasted you with two glasses and you returned the toast with two. Finally, you toasted me with three glasses, and I returned the toast with three. That was the Sixian drinking rule. Of course, if you weren't satisfied, you could do three-two-one and run through it all again in reverse.

Actually, this Sixian tradition used small, three-qian cups. They almost never used large glasses.

Peng Dahai had assumed the pretty-boy would be crawling under the table after two drinks at most. Who'd have thought he could hold his liquor so well? No, he was bluffing!

There was no way he could back down now!

They finished one-two-three in no time. Six glasses each, three bottles of Moutai gone—one and a half bottles per person. Peng Dahai's face turned red, then quickly deepened to purple-red. The liquor hit him all at once!

Neither of them had eaten a thing, yet Zhang Hao's complexion remained fair and smooth. The Nano-machine had refined his skin until it was flawless, and he showed no sign of intoxication.

Zhang Hao laughed heartily. "Haha, Manager Peng, you're a man of your word. We'd better drink properly today! Come on, bring over a case of Moutai!"