Chapter 16

As Liao Chunhua poured the drinks, she asked, "Can Gu Chen drink?"

Gu Chen stood up, cradling his glass in both hands as he said modestly, "Not really. Maybe one or two bottles at most."

Pang Chunming shook his head. "That won't do. We're in sales—our alcohol tolerance has to be good. You need to learn from your team leader. Sister Liao is famous throughout Great Zhou World for never getting drunk, no matter how much she drinks. Her drinking capacity is as badass as her sales performance."

"If you can't drink, then drink less today. Go back and practice properly." When Liao Chunhua heard that Gu Chen could not drink, she did not force him. Raising her glass, she said, "Come on, let's toast the newcomer first. May he adapt as soon as possible after joining us, have smooth work ahead, and soar to great heights."

Everyone stood and raised their glasses. Gu Chen hurriedly said, "No, no, no! I should be the one to toast everyone. I'm new here, so I hope you'll all look out for me."

"No rush. This toast is from us. Once you finish this one, you can give your toast." After saying that, Liao Chunhua downed the beer in her glass in one gulp.

Gu Chen was equally straightforward and drank his. In truth, he had built up a decent tolerance in his previous life. But after being reborn, his body had returned to eighteen years old and had not yet readjusted to alcohol's ravages. Sure enough, after a few drinks, his head began to spin.

After several rounds of drinking, Gu Chen used the excuse of going to the bathroom to leave the private room. He went straight to the front desk and paid the bill. After dinner, when Liao Chunhua called for the check and learned that Gu Chen had already paid, she was somewhat displeased. "Our rule is to split the bill. With so many people eating, how can we make one person bear the cost? Besides, you're just an intern who started university. Your living expenses come from your parents, right? Don't use your parents' money to act generous. You've got plenty of older brothers and sisters here!"

Pang Chunming nodded along. "Exactly. How can we let a student like you pay?"

Gu Chen smiled shyly. "Didn't I just close a big deal today? I'm happy. Besides, I'm new here, so treating everyone to a meal is just a token of my appreciation. I hope all you seniors will look out for me. If you ever need my help, just let me know."

Everyone at the sales office was sharper than monkeys. They immediately caught Gu Chen's underlying meaning. Gu Chen's earlier confrontation with Cao Yan had indeed shown everyone that he was not someone to be trifled with. They did not dare provoke Gu Chen, but neither did they dare offend Cao Yan. With their instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, they would naturally keep a respectful distance from Gu Chen. That would not be good for Gu Chen's position at the sales office.

So Gu Chen had slapped someone and immediately offered a sweet date afterward. Of course, Cao Yan was the one he had slapped, while his colleagues were the ones he was placating. The coworkers who had wanted to stay aloof suddenly remembered that Gu Chen had helped Liao Chunhua close so many deals today, and they could not help feeling tempted.

Everyone worked to support their families. Who would ever turn their back on money?

Gu Chen did not say much, stopping once he had made his point. After finishing the barbecue, the group went singing. They carried on noisily until after ten o'clock at night before finally dispersing. By the time Gu Chen returned to the dorm, it was nearly lights-out.

Gu Xiu wrinkled his nose at the smell of alcohol all over Gu Chen. "Brother, you drank?"

Gu Chen gave a vague response, set his things on the desk, and opened the cabinet to take out clean clothes.

Gu Xiu's sharp eyes spotted the phone Gu Chen had placed on his desk. "Brother, you bought a phone?"

"A client gave it to me." Gu Chen swayed into the bathroom as he spoke.

What he did not see was that, the moment he said that, all three people in the dormitory widened their eyes.

Gu Chen had drunk two bottles of beer in total. His dizziness was fairly severe, and the bathroom spun around him while he showered. After washing up, he forced himself to wipe the bathroom dry, then immediately collapsed onto his bed. Curled into a ball, he fell asleep before his hair had even dried.

Gu Xiu had wanted to ask Gu Chen about his part-time job, but seeing how badly he was feeling, he did not ask.

Wang Miao went out for a while. When he returned, he complained unhappily, "Gu Chen is going too far. He came back right at lights-out, reeking of alcohol and drunk as hell. The whole dorm building saw him. Anyone who didn't know better would think some shady criminal lived in our room."

Xia Tian was lying on the top bunk. Hearing Wang Miao's words, he sat up and asked, "Did you go tattle?"

"How can you call it tattling?" Wang Miao was dissatisfied with Xia Tian's wording. "I just informed the counselor. If something happened to Gu Chen, the counselor might blame us for not caring about our roommate."

What could happen to a grown man just because he went out for a part-time job? Besides, Zhou Xiaoting had introduced him to that job.

Xia Tian frowned. He knew Wang Miao was still holding a grudge over Gu Chen splashing water onto his bed. He also resented Gu Chen for making threats in front of the entire class and humiliating him.

Xia Tian did not like Gu Chen either, but he did not dare provoke him—he felt nervous whenever he saw Gu Chen.

"Why bother with him? Let him do whatever he wants. We should mind our own business." Xia Tian could not help advising Wang Miao. "Better fewer problems than more. If we can't afford to provoke him, can't we at least avoid him?"

Thinking of Gu Chen's violent temper, Wang Miao felt a little guilty too. But he refused to back down verbally. "Anyway, I just told the counselor. If he comes back drunk like this every day, no one can stand it. This is a university dorm, not some cheap roadside inn. If you ask me, what's wrong with A University students doing something steady like Gu Xiu and tutoring? Why insist on working in sales? He came back drunk on his first day, and a client even gave him a phone."

Wang Miao snorted and deliberately added, "Who knows why that client would give him a phone for no reason."

That was clearly ill-intentioned. Xia Tian remained silent. After thinking for a moment, Gu Xiu said, "Don't talk about him like that. My brother definitely isn't that kind of person."

After a pause, Gu Xiu added, "My brother has always been well liked. The uncles and aunties in our village often gave him food and drinks too."

"Looks like he's used to accepting things." Wang Miao sneered. "Gu Xiu, stop always taking Gu Chen's side. You treat him like a real brother, but he doesn't treat you like a younger brother. When he came back, did he even spare you a glance?"

Gu Xiu lowered his head sadly.

Xia Tian frowned. "Enough. Don't bring up what hurts him. Do you have to make Gu Xiu feel bad?"

Wang Miao pursed his lips and climbed onto his bunk impatiently. "Forget it. Sleep."