Chapter 74

Chen Hui remained calm and said indifferently, “Manager Guo, does Lanmei judge and select its partners based on their drinking capacity?”

“No, no, no,” Manager Guo said calmly. “Manager Chen has become your company’s top performer at such a young age; you must have some extraordinary qualities.”

“Manager Guo, do you perhaps think I’m just a pretty face in our company?” Chen Hui asked calmly, her expression unreadable, neither angry nor amused.

Manager Guo smiled and said, “Since Manager Chen says so, then you are obviously not the ‘pretty face’ you described. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ll toast you.”

I looked at the cup, and each cup contains at least an ounce. If you drink ten or so cups, that’s more than a pound.

This Manager Guo is really quite cunning. No wonder Chen Hui asked me to come along tonight. Otherwise, with just the three of them, Chen Hui would have drunk who knows how much.

I couldn’t help but curse inwardly, “This guy is really a cunning old fox.”

Chen Hui frowned slightly, but didn’t say anything. She simply said, “Since it’s Manager Guo who’s toasting me, then I’ll drink this one. Manager Guo, and the two gentlemen, please.”

As she spoke, she picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp.

I secretly swallowed hard; this was high-proof liquor. If I drank it, my stomach would burn!

I saw that the veins on Chen Hui’s fair neck were bulging, but I still forced myself to drink it.

It seems I have to turn this situation around next time. If this guy surnamed Guo and his salesmen get Chen Hui drunk, Chen Hui will definitely get into trouble.

After a glass of wine, Chen Hui tried to steer the conversation toward serious matters, but Manager Guo kept dodging the question. The more Chen Hui tried to steer the conversation toward serious matters, the more Manager Guo would steer it away from there with a few words.

They either talk about the business market in the south or the logistics situation in the north.

Chen Hui was getting a little impatient. She secretly nudged my leg with her foot and then gave me a wink. I nodded knowingly.

Tonight, I have to drink with these three men and win, so that I can get more bargaining chips for Chen Hui.

So I stood up, took three glasses and placed them in front of me, then filled all three glasses with wine. I then smiled at Manager Guo and said, “Manager Guo, I’ll have three glasses first, you can have as many as you like.”

As I spoke, I picked up my glass and downed all three glasses of wine in one gulp, then poured some wine into Manager Guo’s glass.

Although my actions seemed quite bold, I could almost feel the strong liquor like a sharp knife going from my throat all the way down to my stomach, a burning sensation that burned me from the inside out.

This move left Manager Guo and his two salesmen completely bewildered and equally shocked. My unconventional approach had probably disrupted his plans, leaving him somewhat disoriented.

Because usually it’s just people who try to stop you from drinking, but he’s obviously never encountered someone who’s willingly drinking before.

Chen Hui smiled and said, “Manager Guo, although Tang Zheng is my confidant, you don’t have to drink this wine.”

“Manager Chen, although Tang Zheng is your subordinate, I admire his generosity,” Manager Guo said with a smile, shaking his head. Then he said to me, “I’ll have a drink too!”

No, no, no.

I shook my head and said, “You are a distinguished guest of our company. If you, Manager Guo, were to be like me, my manager would definitely fire me. So, I’ll drink three cups and you drink one. I’ll drink first as a sign of respect.”

As I spoke, I picked up the bottle again, filled all three glasses in front of me, and then drank all three glasses of wine in one gulp.

Manager Guo stared wide-eyed, but said nothing, picked up his glass and drank it down as well.

As soon as he finished his drink, I refilled the three glasses in front of me and said, “Manager Guo, you have a good capacity for alcohol. I’ll toast you again.”

Before he could speak, I gulped down three more cups as if they were water. Although I had felt a burning sensation earlier, I couldn’t feel it anymore.

After he finished drinking, I drank three more cups, and then another three.

The two men that Manager Guo brought with them stared wide-eyed. They had originally intended to help Manager Guo fend off the drinks, but Manager Guo wouldn’t allow it.

Even though I drank three cups at a time, Manager Guo was still unsure what I was up to.

Sometimes, drinking contests aren’t about drinking capacity, but about courage. If you’re bold enough, the other person won’t know what you’re up to and will just follow you.

After only a few drinks, Manager Guo was already somewhat bewildered.

I pretended to be slightly drunk, swaying as I tried to stand up, but I stumbled and almost fell on Chen Hui. Chen Hui said coldly, “Tang Zheng, are you drunk?”

“I…I’m not drunk.” I staggered over to open the liquor case, took out four bottles of liquor, and put them directly on the table.

Then he opened three bottles and placed them in front of my seat, leaving one bottle for Manager Guo. After a burp, he grinned and said, “Manager Guo, I heard you’re from the North. Tonight, I’d like to have a drinking contest with you. I wonder if Manager Guo would do me the honor?”

These words stunned everyone. Chen Hui scolded me, saying, “Tang Zheng, you are just my trusted subordinate. How can you say such things to Manager Guo? Even if Manager Guo has a high alcohol tolerance, he can’t withstand you drinking three cups at a time like this.”

As she spoke, she explained to Guo Jing…

Shi said, “Manager Guo, Tang Zheng is drunk and talking nonsense. Don’t take his words to heart.”

Manager Guo waved his hand, appearing quite forthright, and said, “Manager Chen, I admire the courage of your subordinate. If I didn’t drink with him, wouldn’t that be disrespectful to him?”

After he finished speaking, he glanced at me and said, “Little brother, how would you like to drink?”

“I’ll take three bottles, and you take one,” I said, slurring my words. “Manager Guo, let’s stop with the small talk and get to drink.”

Before he could speak, I picked up the bottle and gulped down the liquor.

That burning sensation returned to my stomach, especially since I had drunk three bottles at once—this wasn’t water, but strong liquor.

I drank this bottle for about three minutes, and suddenly, I felt like my stomach was on fire, and I also felt nauseous.

Looking at the two bottles of wine left, I started to feel a little timid, but I couldn’t back down now, or I might become the laughingstock of the other party.

Manager Guo probably thought I couldn’t drink anymore, so he rolled his eyes and said, “Young man, you still have two bottles. If you can’t handle it, then forget it.”

“A real man shouldn’t say he can’t do it!”

I slurred, “Manager Guo, if I finish these two bottles, I wonder if you’d be willing to discuss serious matters with our Manager Chen?”

“Let’s finish drinking first,” Manager Guo said calmly. “But if it doesn’t work, then let’s forget about it. After all, drinking too much is bad for your health.”

“Manager Guo, I’ll say the same thing again.”

I picked up a bottle and said with a smile, “A real man can’t say he can’t do it. But I’ll drink three bottles, and you’ve only drunk one, Manager Guo. Are you still unwilling to talk business with our Manager Chen? Then I think there’s no need for us to stay.”

As I spoke, I held my breath and downed the entire bottle of wine in my hand.

This bottle of wine made me sweat profusely, and my body felt hot and uncomfortable.

My already burning stomach felt like it had been burned through. I didn’t know if I would have gastrointestinal bleeding, but I couldn’t worry about that now.

I put down the bottle, grinned at Manager Guo, then picked up the last bottle, tilted my head back, and downed it in one gulp.

Instantly, I felt my head become dizzy and my eyes were bloodshot. I even felt like I was exhaling alcohol, and if I lit a cigarette, it would probably set me on fire.

When Chen Hui noticed that something was wrong with me, she quickly poured me a cup of tea, which I picked up and drank in one gulp.

Manager Guo and his two subordinates couldn’t help but swallow hard, then all eyes fell on Manager Guo. Manager Guo gritted his teeth, picked up the bottle, and gulped it all down in one go.

Then I wiped my lips and exclaimed, “Awesome!”

As he spoke, he turned around and took out five more bottles of wine from the box behind him, saying in a hindsight-based tone, “Xiao Tang, I rarely see someone as generous as you. How about this, you finish these three bottles, my two colleagues each have one, and then I’ll sign this contract with your Manager Chen. What do you think?”

Before I could speak, Chen Hui hurriedly said, “Tang Zheng, you’ve already drunk quite a bit, you can’t drink anymore.”

I’m feeling dizzy and can barely keep my eyes open. My stomach is churning, and I haven’t eaten much since I sat down at the table.

But now that things have come to this point, I feel that if I back down, Chen Hui definitely won’t be able to sign the contract.

So I squinted at Manager Guo and said, “Manager Guo, are you serious? If I really drink these three bottles of wine, you’ll sign the contract with our Manager Chen.”

“A gentleman’s word is as good as his bond.” Manager Guo opened all three bottles of wine and placed them in front of me. “Can you drink them?”

“Tang Zheng…” Chen Hui hurriedly grabbed my hand, probably wanting me to refuse, but I pulled my hand away from Chen Hui’s small hand, grinned and said, “Okay, as long as Manager Guo keeps his word, I’ll accompany you tonight, even if it costs me my life.”

Honestly, I feel like throwing up right now.

But I can’t throw up. No matter what, I have to drink all three bottles of wine.

I stood up unsteadily, shook my head, and said, “Okay, I’ll drink it!”

As I spoke, I grabbed a bottle of wine, tilted my head back, and downed it in one gulp.

At this moment, I started to feel nauseous in my stomach. The nausea and vomiting sensation traveled from my stomach to my brain, and I could even feel my throat moving up and down, as if I could vomit at any moment.

I desperately suppressed the feeling, put down one bottle, picked up the remaining two, and downed them in one gulp as well.

Then, smiling, he said to Manager Guo, “Manager Guo, I’ve finished these three bottles of wine. Shouldn’t you sign the contract with our Manager Chen now?”

“Get out, you drunkard!”

Chen Hui was so angry that her eyebrows shot up. “Get out and clear your head! It’s none of your business to interrupt when I’m talking to Manager Guo. Do you think Manager Guo is the kind of person who goes back on his word? Get out!”

I have to say, Chen Hui is really good at talking. Her words were a double-edged sword, both sending me away to go to the toilet or vomit, which was like saving me.

At the same time, it makes it impossible for Manager Guo to step down easily, even if he wants to.

I stood up, slammed the bottle down on the table, and then turned and walked away with a flourish…