As Hu Gang stared in astonishment, there was a gulp, and a cup containing three liang of baijiu went down in one swallow. Really, just one! Anyone who couldn't handle baijiu would never be able to down a whole cup at once, even if you threatened to kill them. The liquor would burn their throat.
Hu Gang was a seasoned drinker, of course, and understood the principle. Even he needed two big gulps to finish a cup. Yet Zhang Hao had swallowed his in one.
Damn, he'd been pretending way too well before. What did he mean, he couldn't drink? Hu Gang was a big, fat man, covered in layers of fat. Fat people either couldn't drink at all, or, if they could, had a natural advantage thanks to their build.
Chen Ling and Wang Yi had only been watching for fun, but even they were stunned. This wasn't drinking liquor; it was like drinking water! And even if it were water, that was still ridiculous!
For a long while, the drinking match was a chaotic brawl. It was basically three against one.
Only then did Zhang Hao realize how formidable Qin Fen'er was. Her tolerance really was no worse than Hu Gang's. Zhang Hao estimated Hu Gang could put away five or six jin, and Manager Qin probably wasn't far behind. With Peng Dahai watching him like a hawk, even if Zhang Hao could handle ten jin, it would be easy to lose this battle.
They kept pouring cup after cup. Hu Gang was already stunned. He'd gone through four bottles, Manager Qin nearly three, and Peng Dahai had been holding back, but had still drunk a bottle and a half. Zhang Hao, meanwhile, had drunk at least five bottles.
Mifeng kept egging Zhang Hao on to go head-to-head. He told Zhang Hao to just drink and not worry.
With that assurance, Zhang Hao began to turn the tables. He called over a server and asked for four beer mugs.
Everyone stared at Zhang Hao, dumbfounded.
Manager Qin even laughed. "Is General Manager Zhang planning to rinse his mouth with beer?"
Zhang Hao grinned. "The glasses are too small. I'm not getting enough of a kick out of it... Bring me beer mugs instead!"
That outrageous move stunned everyone. Was he planning to drink a whole bottle at a time?
As it turned out, that was exactly what Zhang Hao intended. He figured that after this comeback, nobody would ever challenge him to a drinking match again.
A whole bottle wasn't enough to fill a beer mug, but Zhang Hao didn't add any more. If he did, it really would be too terrifying.
Zhang Hao rose with a smile, lifted his beer mug, and said, "Mr. Peng, come on! Let's have one!"
Peng Dahai was a seasoned drinker, but he'd never drunk like this before. He was already feeling nervous. Hu Gang's eyelids twitched as he watched, and Manager Qin was just as shaken. She'd originally planned to step in and take some of the drinks, but she could see that if she volunteered now, they'd drink themselves to death. She was nervous too.
Hu Gang stood up. He had no choice; he wanted the design and publicity project. Before he could even steady himself, Zhang Hao said, "Gangzi, don't rush. I'll finish with Mr. Peng first, then I'll toast you."
Seeing that, Peng Dahai couldn't back down. Zhang Hao was clearly toasting them one by one; that meant three bottles, one for each of them. If Peng Dahai chickened out, Zhang Hao probably wouldn't drink anymore either.
"Fine! Cheers!" Peng Dahai gritted his teeth and drank.
Zhang Hao finished his drink quickly and calmly, then turned the mug upside down. Not a drop came out. He smiled and said, "If there's even one extra drop, I'll drink another bottle!"
Peng Dahai had a much harder time. Still, he was a tough guy. If he said he'd drink it, he'd drink it. He was slow, but he gulped it down one mouthful at a time until it was gone. Then he couldn't even speak. He sat in his chair, gasping, his head spinning and his face purplish. He was practically at his limit.
Baijiu had one advantage: whether you drank it slowly or gulped it down, once you reached your limit, it hit you all at once. With huangjiu or red wine, by the time the effects kicked in, it was already too late.
Then Zhang Hao didn't even touch the food. He drank a whole bottle with Hu Gang, still without eating, then another bottle with Manager Qin. Only after that did he sit down with a smile and say, "I'll eat a couple bites now. That really hit the spot..." In fact, by then, Zhang Hao could barely feel anything. The Nano-machine had absorbed all the alcohol, and he wasn't drunk in the slightest.
They'd barely touched the food. The two young women had eaten very little; they were too excited watching the drinking contest, and they didn't have much of an appetite to begin with. As for everyone else, even Hu Gang had hardly eaten. They'd been focused entirely on drinking.
At one point, Zhang Hao went to the restroom. He only took a leak, then came back full of energy.
Peng Dahai had nearly reached his limit too. While Zhang Hao was in the restroom, he patted Hu Gang on the shoulder and said, "Brother, you can have the project, but you need to toast General Manager Zhang." He pointed at the beer mug, then glanced at Manager Qin.
Hu Gang was both surprised and delighted. He'd decided to go for it too. He was almost at his limit, but he could still manage one more bottle.
Manager Qin had nothing to say. She was Peng Dahai's subordinate and usually the one expected to take the drinks for him. Of course she couldn't back down now.
Who knew that when Zhang Hao returned, he'd pick up the beer mug and say, "We just finished a round. My stomach was a little full, but after taking a leak, I feel light as a feather. Let's do another round! Hahaha, if we're drinking, we might as well enjoy it!"
Holy freaking hell!
Peng Dahai immediately backed down. At this rate, Zhang Hao could drink another three bottles without a problem, but Peng Dahai couldn't keep up. He knew that if he drank one more bottle, he'd end up in the hospital for sure. This was a recipe for drinking himself to death! Compared to his pride, a trip to the hospital wasn't worth it. He immediately admitted defeat. "Brother, I give up... I can't drink anymore!"
Hu Gang was quick on the uptake. He immediately stood and said, "Bro, I'll drink with you. Let me toast you."
Zhang Hao hadn't meant to force them to drink. If they admitted defeat, that was enough. It would be a hassle if someone got hurt from being pressured to keep drinking, even if they were the ones hosting.
Hu Gang had a cup with him and backed down too. Even with his impressive capacity, he couldn't handle drinking like this. Zhang Hao then drank another bottle with Manager Qin, and finally everyone settled down.
After stunning the three of them, Zhang Hao checked his intake. He could precisely track how much he'd drunk, and he'd fallen just a little short of ten jin. Hu Gang and the others could only estimate roughly. They all thought Zhang Hao had drunk at least a dozen bottles. Spilling liquor while drinking was normal; a bottle might look empty, but you were lucky if you'd actually swallowed eight liang, especially in a group.
Peng Dahai was thoroughly impressed. Zhang Hao's capacity was a bottomless pit. The scariest part was that he drank quickly and in huge quantities, yet his face didn't change at all. He looked exactly the same before and after drinking, leaving everyone completely unable to gauge how drunk he was. Better not to challenge him again. There were better things to spend money on than paying to get yourself killed.
Peng Dahai put an arm around Zhang Hao's shoulder and whispered, "Keep your guard up lately. Someone might come after you."
Zhang Hao's heart stirred. He lowered his voice. "Who?"
Peng Dahai had drunk quite a bit, but he still had some restraint. He shook his head. "I only heard a rumor... Heh, I'm not sure who, exactly..."
"Can you at least tell me what kind of trouble?" Zhang Hao asked.
"Heh, I really don't know..."
Zhang Hao regretted not filling a glass and making Peng Dahai drink it at the end. He probably would have talked then. Still, it didn't matter if he didn't say. Zhang Hao had the Great God on his side, so he should be able to find out.
Sure enough, Zhang Hao heard that Mifeng had heard it too and immediately began investigating. The Nano-machine he'd given Peng Dahai earlier came in handy this time.
Even the mighty Mifeng wasn't omnipotent, so he took control of Peng Dahai and simply planned to coax the answer out of him. There was no need to rush.
Before you continue