Chapter 228: Chewing Wine with Mouth
TL: Etude
As the dishes were served, the celebration banquet officially began.
Jiang Qin had eaten late at noon, so he wasn’t very hungry. He only picked up a couple of peanuts and washed them down with half a bottle of beer.
“Boss, what dishes do you like to eat?” Dong Wenhao asked, noticing the boss was drinking more than eating.
“Jiang Qin likes that one the most,” Feng Nanshu said coolly, pointing at the braised pig’s trotters on the table.
She knew Jiang Qin liked noodles and often ate pig trotter noodles and beef brisket noodles, so she assumed he would like the pig’s trotters.
Upon hearing this, Dong Wenhao swiftly rotated the table, bringing the braised pig’s trotters in front of Jiang Qin, acting with the efficiency of a chief steward.
The boss lady surely knew the boss’s preferences best. If she said he liked something, he definitely would.
Yet, amidst a table of sea cucumber, abalone, lobster, and crab, the boss preferred pig’s trotters, which seemed humbly relatable.
Jiang Qin looked at the braised pig’s trotters in front of him and fell silent for a moment: “I don’t like feet.”
“You like it,” the little rich lady insisted confidently.
“…”
Jiang Qin pursed his lips, thinking that she was hinting at something from Christmas Eve, right after he had said he wouldn’t feed her.
Feng Nanshu had a history of threatening people. During the start of the school term, she often threatened him with the story of him riding a rocking car to make him buy her colorful cotton candy.
Was she about to reveal in front of these prestigious university students that he gnawed on her little pig’s trotters on Christmas Eve?
Damn, that’s harsh.
Feng Nanshu, ah, Feng Nanshu, I, Jiang Qin, have underestimated you. You are a little devil.
Feeling guilty like a thief, Jiang Qin became overly sensitive at the sight of feet, always on edge.
So, he quietly picked up his chopsticks and fed a piece of crispy meat to the little rich lady.
Feng Nanshu’s eyes sparkled, not understanding why she was suddenly being fed, but still opened her mouth and ate, barely resisting the urge to call him brother.
Seeing this, Su Nai, sitting next to the little rich lady, secretly gave a thumbs up, thinking that only the boss lady could make the boss, who had vowed not to feed, obediently feed her. She had him completely under control.
“Jiang Qin, eat more.”
“Feng Nanshu, you lack martial virtues.”
Little rich lady: “?”
In the blink of an eye, the meal was nearly finished, and people started moving between rooms to toast each other.
The university was a microcosm of society, where most part-time workers had various experiences, including involvement in student unions. Many were skilled in social interactions.
Jiang Qin was pleased to see this, as social etiquette was also part of team cohesion.
For instance, Cunqing always addressed Dong Wenhao as “Brother Dong,” even after learning he was older, because Dong had been the head during their university promotion and was his supervisor.
Ding Qiaona was a faithful little fan of Su Nai and had moved next to her even before the banquet started.
These varying degrees of closeness weren’t signs of factionalism but simply university students making friends based on personal likes and dislikes. However, as their careers developed, especially after the establishment of a company, these social circles could eventually evolve into factions.
Yes, he was going to start a company.
The promotion at the four universities had ended, but group buying couldn’t be limited to student groups. It needed to radiate outward.
The university entrepreneurial project was registered with the Bureau of Industry and Commerce through the school, forming the foundation of the company. But many things became inconvenient once outside the school.
To openly face society and negotiate in all directions, registering a formal company was necessary and mandatory.
Today’s celebration banquet was also a preamble to the company’s establishment.
First, letting everyone bond over a meal, then switching to official work badges and announcing the company’s foundation would certainly overflow with a strong sense of collective pride.
Jiang Qin put down his glass and turned to Wei Lanlan: “Lanlan, have you prepared the registration materials I asked for a few days ago?”
“Everything is ready except for a qualification certificate from Linchuan University.”
“Alright, I’ll handle that. Let’s get the company registered within this week.”
Hearing this, Wei Lanlan’s eyes twinkled with excitement, and she drained the rest of her drink in one gulp.
She knew that after half a year of effort, the boss had finally put everything on the right track.
Jiang Qin, seeing the pleased expression on Wei Lanlan’s face, also raised his glass to join in the celebration. Then, a swarm of people came over to offer toasts.
Of course, the men began clinking glasses, and the women were not to be outdone in drinking either.
Aside from Jiang Qin, the one who received the most toasts was the little rich lady, since she was the boss lady.
This also involved a workplace rule.
When the boss lady wasn’t present, female employees could toast the boss, but if the boss lady was there, they could only toast to her and definitely shouldn’t foolishly toast to the boss.
However, Jiang Qin didn’t allow the little rich lady to drink alcohol, so he let her taste a little, then switched her drinks to rose tea for the next few rounds.
But the little rich lady was somewhat rebellious, often sneaking a sip of Jiang Qin’s drink when he wasn’t looking.
Yet, after half of the meal, Jiang Qin had switched to a stronger liquor, which was too spicy for the little rich lady, making her want to cry, and she eventually couldn’t help but spit it back out.
“What are you looking at me for?” Jiang Qin picked up his glass and took a sip. It was sweet and quite tasty.
“Nothing, didn’t do anything.”
Feng Nanshu secretly hissed in pain but dared to go for another cup later.
After a while, with plenty of drinks consumed and the dishes cleared from the table, nearly a hundred people left the private room, standing at the entrance to catch some air.
The location of Juxianlou was in the busiest street of the city. As night fell, the neon lights started twinkling on both sides, with bars, foot massage parlors, and karaoke clubs lighting up the area, tempting people with their allure.
“Eh? Where’s the boss?”
Dong Wenhao looked around and realized that Jiang Qin hadn’t come out with them.
Su Nai burped and said, “The boss and Lanlan went to the front desk to settle the bill.”
Lu Feiyu came over and asked, “How much did this meal cost us?”
“I guess it’s not less than ten or twenty thousand.”
“Damn, the boss is really generous this time.”
Dong Wenhao pointed at the restaurant’s sign, his voice suddenly becoming louder: “This is Juxianlou, you know, the average cost here is two to three hundred per person. If it weren’t for the team dinner, I wouldn’t dream of spending half a month’s living expenses on a meal.”
As he finished, everyone in the team heard it, leading to whispers and admiration, which added to Jiang Qin’s towering and brilliant image.
Two minutes later, Jiang Qin stepped out of Juxianlou, holding two bottles of the same wine they had been drinking at the table, both unopened and obviously bought separately when settling the bill.
People usually return the unfinished bottles, but the boss, having finished his drink, bought two more bottles to take away, which was indeed unusual.
“Boss, didn’t you drink enough just now?”
“No, it’s my first time drinking this kind of wine. I didn’t expect it to be so refreshingly sweet with a unique, delicate fragrance. It’s really good, so I bought two more bottles to enjoy later.” freёweɓnovel.com
“?”
Dong Wenhao looked puzzled, thinking to himself that he had also tried the wine and it wasn’t as good as the boss described.
He had even complained when coming out, feeling that the restaurant was overpriced and didn’t even serve good drinks. He was surprised to see the boss enjoying it so much that he bought two additional bottles after dinner.
Could it be… that his own taste wasn’t refined enough?
“Feiyu, did you drink that white wine just now?” Dong Wenhao quietly asked.
“Yes, it was awfully bad.”
Lu Feiyu, although often displaying questionable emotional intelligence, stuck to the baseline of journalism outside of his old marketing persona, which meant telling the truth.
Dong Wenhao was baffled, wondering if there was something wrong with the boss’s taste buds.
Meanwhile, Feng Nanshu glanced guiltily at the two bottles of wine and then silently slipped her hand into Jiang Qin’s pocket.
It was still early after dinner, and someone suggested going to a bar to experience the adult world.
However, Jiang Qin thought bars were too noisy and didn’t want to take Feng Nanshu to such a chaotic place. He divided the team into three groups: one to the bars, another across the street to a mahjong parlor, and the remaining women decided to stroll in the commercial street opposite.
After all, they had just received their bonuses and felt it was only right to treat themselves to some shopping.
After splitting up, Jiang Qin went to the mahjong parlor and booked a private room. He gathered with Feng Nanshu, Dong Wenhao, and Lu Feiyu at a table, setting a chip value of five yuan.
“Jiang Qin, I don’t know how to play.”
Jiang Qin pressed the switch for the automatic dice: “Mahjong is easy to learn. x*AAA+y*ABC+DD is a win, where xy can be zero.”
Feng Nanshu thought for a moment and suddenly felt she understood.
“The boss lady doesn’t know how to play, Feiyu, take it easy, win less,” Dong Wenhao said to Lu Feiyu.
Lu Feiyu gave an ok sign: “Don’t worry, Brother Dong, today’s target is the boss. We won’t harm the boss lady.”
“Okay, I’ll secretly help you with your hand.”
After a while, Dong Wenhao and Lu Feiyu were crying over their losses.
To be honest, the boss wasn’t very skilled, having not won a single hand in several rounds, but the boss lady was truly skilled.
How many times had she won consecutively? Dong Wenhao tried to recall but couldn’t remember. All he knew was that his red chips were dwindling, and Lu Feiyu’s blue chips were nearly gone.
The boss had just handed out bonuses, and the boss lady was technically winning them back round by round.
This couple, earning back the wages, were playing both fast and well!
“How do you feel?”
Feng Nanshu nodded lightly: “It’s fun, let’s continue.”
Jiang Qin was overjoyed: “Come on, let’s continue. Today, nobody leaves this room until all the bonuses are lost!”
“…”
Dong Wenhao and Lu Feiyu exchanged glances, their faces turning pale, thinking they should have gone to the bar or even shopping with the women, which would have been better than this.
After another three rounds, they couldn’t take it anymore. One pretended to have a stomachache and needed to go to the bathroom, and the other said they needed to take a call from home, only returning when the room’s time had expired.
There was no other way. The boss was too cunning. You could only outsmart him by being even more cunning.
AN: Brothers, a new month has started. Help me push for the top ten in the monthly rankings, please!!
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